Right:Tony Jonsson takes a break from klunking in the chuckanut mountains south of Bellingham, WA. He did this three times before both photographer and rider were satisfied with the shot-note the deftly placed Rainier cans in his back spokes. Left: It’s a safe bet that Lars Sternberg is the only person to hit a 20-foot-plus dirt jump on his Klunker, like this private set near Bellingham, WA. These individuals-guys like Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly and Steve Potts-pioneered modern day mountain biking-a history recounted in an award-winning 2006 documentary by Billy Savage called Klunkerz. Behind them, came the Mill Valley and Fairfax crews, riding industrial bikes off road. Back in the 60s, the Morrow Dirt Club and The Larkspur Canyon gang put beach cruisers to the test in the mountains due north of the Bay Area. The original Klunkers of Marin County just wanted to build bikes that were strong enough to get up in the hills and enjoy the outdoors. To go Klunking is to revisit the roots of mountain biking. Eight years later, I would have my chance to put it to the test-to go Klunking. ![]() But deep down I knew I could ride this beast off-road I knew it was trail worthy. With new bearings, grease, paint, seat, tires and handlebars, I had a solid bike that became my urban-assault vehicle. It was a diamond in the rough that needed a little TLC. Words by Tony Jonsson | Photos by Colin Wiseman Back in 2001, I found an old rusty Worksman on the side of the road with a “Free” sign on it.Īnything that wasn’t metal was toast and all the chrome was rusted out under layers of old paint from years of use. The Schwinn Heavy-Duti, with its special reinforced Cantil. THE KLUNKER! The pioneers of mountain bike riding and design would build their custom downhill bombers out of vintage steel balloon tire bikes. Modern mountain biking that we know of today all started here.
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