The BEST mountain bike in San Diego, circa 1980

[drpaddle]

I'm stoked you folks like this ancient history material. Makes me feel really old; <geezer = on>I had already been totally into cycling for 12 years when I took these photos in 1980.<geezer = off>

As to the frame, I bought the frame alone from the Koskis at their shop in Tuburon, in the Marin County area. They collaborated with motorcycle frame designers to create the Procruiser. I couldn't afford a complete bike from Breeze or Ritchey at the time. Actually, I may have traded for the Procruiser. I was the sales guy for my family's business, Skid-Lid Mfg, and traded helmets for gear frequently. The Koskis were among the coolest innovators at the time. I remember seeing a bike they were working on that had a ski on the front and a track-belt drive instead of a rear wheel for riding on snow.

The colored rims and hubs were off-the-shelf BMX parts. Aluminum rims had just become available in 26x1.75", and the colored stuff came out soon after the silver. For example, see the Campagnolo BMX crank on my pre-war Schwinn Cycletruck errand bike, attached (from around 1983, I think).

Cheers!

Kevin

 

[FairfaxPat]

I had a ProCruiser back then that I got from Mert and I loved it! It was long and stretched out with slack angles. Probably the best downhill bike at the time around Marin! I rode mine all over-wish I still had it!

 

[tam_shadow]

I had a ProCruiser back then that I got from Mert and I loved it! It was long and stretched out with slack angles. Probably the best downhill bike at the time around Marin! I rode mine all over-wish I still had it!

CLANG prolly still rides this one, mebbe you can borrow it? ;-)

 

[drpaddle]

Cool bike! Is that in your collection, Tam_shadow?

The height of that handlebar stem is very scary. I've had them bust before. Notably, when arriving at highschool one morning. I came bombing downhill on pavement, got air from a driveway onto a dirt lot approaching the bike racks, and the stem busted when I hit the ground. The bars didn't come off entirely, but they were useless for both steering and for giving me a brace point for stomping on the coaster brake. I flew by the bike racks and mashed into a chain-link fence, to the pealing laughter of the beautiful girl bike racer I'd meet there every morning.

 

[tam_shadow]

Not mine, belongs to Chris Lang one of the original Marin Velo Club Tam members - I snapped the pic a few years back at the Fairfax Fat Tire Fest.