Origins of mountain biking: Joe Breeze Interview

Who 'invented' the mountain bike? Where was the birth of dirt? Who was the first to throw a bike down a hill? A bunch of hippies from Marin County California, that's who. Here, Outer Edge magazine speaks to Joe Breeze, one of the so-called Godfathers of mountain biking. Apart from being one of the original Repack racers, Joe is widely recognised as having built the very first mountain bikes with full rigging. Joe talks about how the mountain biking movement came about, the riders, and why a mountain called Mt Tamalpais in Marin County is considered the spiritual home of mountain biking and why and a race called Repack is the genesis of the sport. Interview: Chris Ord, Outer Edge magazine, 2010.

[@unrealtrip]

This is a fantastic interview, Joe tells it like it is and doesn't try to take credit where it isn't due. It is unfortunate many of the other originals are not as humble as the Joe, the guy who created the first bike specifically built for mountain biking. Thanks for sharing this!

[@leniwaswinia]

Thank You Joe, now MTB is my passion. You're fantastic, smiled and modest - wish You the best!

[@Radnally]

In 1977, we took a stingray and made it into a monoshock bicycle. Patterned after the yamaha YZ series mx motorcycles. It worked great. Got an A in metal shop for it. Then promptly forgot about it.

[@fernandoarevalo2053]

So Humble, and yet very proud of his contribution to this great sport M.T.B.
Than you very much Joe I am Enjoying my NEW brand new SPANKING 29 STORM COMP 🚲

[@TrippyWeekender]

I learned to mountain bike on Mt. Tam which spoiled me forever. What a spectacular place to experience the sport. My favorite part was starting in downtown Mill Valley, climbing up the fire roads over the next 90 minutes to find the Panoramic Highway and then hauling ass down to Mill Valley in under 30 minutes.

[@vodevick]

What an agreeable man! Great interview!

[@leduch]

merci pour le fun bunch of hippies! ya des bonnes personnes sur cette planet quand meme ! keep on riding

[@siriosstar4789]

humble guy. . i lived in mill valley and marinwood in the late fifties . i think i was in sixth grade or so and like he said we would ride off road everywhere on our schwinn double top tube bikes delivering papers and riding to school and on the nearby ranches etc. , but i was too young to go up mt Tam and never even thought about doing such a thing . mountain biking for us was taking our bikes to the sierras for the summer holidays and riding in the mountains . 😂it wasn't until the 1980s that i rode down "repack " just to say i did it .

[@alfredjarry985]

i take my hat off to you, amazing!

[@tillman40]

I took an old pea picker Schwin n frame and added forks from my other Schwinn and used knobby tires off of a bmx bike. I used it to jump mounds in a park across the street. This was 1982. In 1988 I saw my first MTB and was floored at the quality..then kicked myself later about my invention that I never pursued..

[@adekatim3315]

Thanks Joe Breeze
Klunkerz Spirit and new frame

[@whiskypapz6666]

Joe Breeze and the. Big break in the evolution of bicycles.. the MOUNTAIN BIKE! All the best from the Philippinres Joe.

[@rypatmackrock]

I was basically a student of Joe’s since his son Tommy and I when to the same high school in Marin. Joe was the mechanic for our team. While it was a privilege, I couldn’t rely on him to fix my bike to racing shape too often. That’s because he was only available on race days. For big major repairs, i used the local shops. Joe was only there for final touchups or minor mechanical problems. Other than that, I’m proud to have known him and Otis guy who I called the founding fathers of mountain biking even if he may push back.

[@Thilo1971]

Great guy!

[@titosbikewerks8494]

Fascinating ^_^

[@brianmgrim]

I agree with him on that Trek ad. I bought my first stumpjumper sport in 1985, no johnny come lately, and with Joe’s guy next door humility displayed here, I’d save dough to get a Breeze and ride no bike before I got a Trek or a Fisher.

[@chrisduke3251]

I want to see more of that bike he's standing over in this video!!!
It looks like he added a top tube to a mixte.

[@michelegresini6186]

Max respect for all the pioneers!
Music?

[@williamt5359]

There could have been so much more in this video... but was nice to listen to

[@SpikeBoarding]

I could tell a very similar story about SpikeBoarding which is just now being born.

[@klunkerbill]

Joe Breeze is a great guy. If you want to know more about him, and this story, see my movie, Klunkerz. It looks at that formative period in great detail. Ride on.

[@sunnyoutdoors]

Klunkerz is a great movie... HOpe to see you when they premire it at the Marin Mt Bike musuem!

[@elfredo70]

It was all thx to Finley that the Idea was born... but as Joe say... it takes a group of enthusiasts to make it happen...

[@71freerider]

What a cool guy..I'd like to shake his hand and thank him for what he's given me and buy him a beer

[@jeremysart]

Modest dude!

[@glueforall]

Great moment with Joe Breeze! What a guy....obnoxiously loud intro / outro music compared to volume of interview with Joe...yikes

[@bluehimp1348]

Sounds to me like breezy there made the first frame so therefore he would be the inventor of the mountain bike, and he's right there was a whole lot of people involved in it 😁

[@nates386]

Thanks to everyone who came before me.

[@gsmarin1]

Jesus Joe take some fucking credit along with Tom Ritchey, Otis Guy, Charlie Kelley and many others, hellooo

[@SpikeBoarding]

There is only one person in the creation loop of SpikeBoarding. Enrique Cubillo "Cubi"

[@pooltarr]

good luck finding anything with his name on it as they are quite rare

[@johnknox3563]

Any idea about the music?

[@williamt5359]

$5 for a bike... I know it was back then but even on Craigslist now a days a good basic mountain bike is ~$500 to start

[@joansantos8780]

hello

[@Thilo1971]

Great guy!