Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking

by Charlie Kelly

It all started with a small crew of bicycle-obsessed hippies bombing the downhill trails of Mount Tamalpais, in Marin County, California. As the friendly competition intensified on the steep dirt trail they called Repack, history's first mountain bikers began craving an upgrade from the old Schwinn cruisers they had rescued from the junkyard. With the single-minded focus found only among the truly obsessed, this rag-tag group sparked a rapid evolution that transformed the castoff Repack bomber into the modern mountain bike, a refined and elegant machine that quickly became the top-selling bicycle in the world.

Charlie Kelly co-founder of the MountainBike company with Gary Fisher, organizer of the Repack races, and chronicler of the sport now delivers the true, complete, and often unbelievable history of the rise of mountain biking and its lasting culture. Rich with first-hand descriptions and bursting with original photographs, drawings, and memorabilia, "Fat Tire Flyer" is the definitive history of one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century. "

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

From former MIT professor of management as reported in the coda: "every innovation starts as a joke, then it becomes a threat, then it becomes obvious."

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read & history of Mountain Biking. To really understand the evolution of Mountain Biking, those who originated the sport and built the original off road machines from junk yard collected frames and parts this engaging history will expand your knowledge and love for Mountain Biking. Think late 1970's. riding dirt in the infancy of the sport to the very sophisticated machines we ride today.

[Ryan Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, funny, and great book from one of the guys who invented mountain biking. It was truly a joy to read and look at (coffee table size book with plenty of pictures of the early days of Repack in California). If you enjoy biking, and especially the downhill variety, I can't recommend this book highly enough!

[Aaron Lozano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read for anyone, but particularly if you ride any kind of bicycle. Dropped to 4 stars because it got less and less interesting as it went on, which I think was due to writing chronologically, but it still is worth the read! Get out there and ride people!

[Matt Karwoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're as stoked on mountain biking as I am, reading about the rad dudes that conceived the sport will probably pique your interest as well. This book is lined with great photographs of the people and bikes that started it all.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars. I enjoyed this story of Charlie Kelly's life and the start of mountain biking.