He organised a fun race for friends and became the "Godfather" of mountain biking. Charlie Kelly, who triggered the MTB boom with the Repack in Fairfax/California on 21 October 1976, is one of the icons of the sport. He founded the company "Mountain Bikes" with Gary Fisher and published the world's first MTB newspaper, the Fat Tire Flyer. Today, the 68-year-old works as a removalist. Our colleagues from the Leipzig-based internet radio station Detektor FM spoke to Kelly about his incredible story.
Interview Charlie Kelly
BIKE: The Repack Downhill is considered the birth of the mountain bike. Strange name for a race. Where does it come from?
We had been exploring the hills near Fairfax on our old junk bikes again, and it turned into a competition. We were riding old bikes with coaster brakes and the name "Repack" describes what happened to our brakes. The race course was three kilometres long and had a difference in altitude of around 300 metres, which was pretty steep for those days. So we had to "repack" the brakes when we got to the bottom - take them apart and put new grease in them.
What was your role in the scene?
There were 25 or 30 of us who rode seriously and another 30 or 40 who watched the races. I became a kind of leader. If I organised a race, it took place. I also organised parties like the Klunker Awards. But none of that was formal. There were no rules.
How did mountain biking develop from this?
We soon converted the back-pedal bikes to derailleur gears, but the frames couldn't take it. I destroyed a lot of them and wondered what it would cost to have a bike built just for this downhill use. Then there was this Joe Breeze. He built racing bikes and also took part in the Repack. He then built a completely new bike for our races and we realised that it also worked well elsewhere.
These were the first mountain bikes. How did they develop into a sport and a global industry?
We certainly hadn't planned that. My mate Gary Fisher also wanted a bike like that and asked other frame builders, including Tom Ritchey. He built him one and realised that these bikes were much easier to make than road bikes because the customers always wanted very precise dimensions. So Tom built more of them, but he didn't know the customers. That's when Gary and I stepped in. We opened an account and said: "From now on we're called Mountain Bikes". So that was originally a company name. Tom Ritchey could build 50 bikes in a week, roughly speaking, and demand picked up quickly. Anyone who wanted one had to come to us.
Do you have a relationship with youngsters jumping off cliffs with a lot of suspension travel today?
I was 30 years old when we had the idea for this sport and I came from road biking. BMX riders like John Tomac have skills that I never had and people who learn to ride mountain bikes have a completely sophisticated riding technique. The development of the sport excites me and I'm even a bit angry that I can't participate at this level. I'm too old for that now.
What do you think is the basic formula for fun on an off-road bike?
I'm amazed by the technique and also by the riders' skills that have developed over the years. Jumping a somersault backwards over a 15-metre gap is simply incredible. The sport will develop in a direction that we can't even imagine today. I would like to remind you that it wasn't cross country that started it all, but downhill. That's why we built these bikes. Downhill is my most important contribution to the sport.
Mountain bike technology has also had a strong influence on road and everyday bikes. Are you aware of the development you have initiated?
Yes, and now we're moving into completely new areas. Everyone only sees the sport that started it all. But it's also about practical things. Keyword transport. Snow or sand, both difficult for bikes, can now be travelled on thanks to fatbikes, which have also evolved from mountain bikes. Incidentally, I could do without everything except disc brakes. They are the best thing ever developed for bicycles.
You published the Fat Tire Flyer, the first mountain bike magazine. What media do you consume today?
I don't have much to do with that anymore, but I'm trying to make a film based on my book*. I've been talking to people in the film industry: It's a wild adventure with colourful people and action. This story has influenced many people around the world. It would be a wonderful film.
And who will play Charlie Kelly?
Brad Pitt? I don't know. Someone who looks better than me. But we haven't got that far yet. We need a script first.
Which bike are you riding today?
I ride a Breezer Repack. I have bikes from Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher and Joe Breeze, and I don't know if anyone else can say that about themselves: Every bike I own has a friend's name on it.
A detailed Charlie Kelly interview is available on the Internet radio station Detektor FM: click here
The cycling programme "Antritt" is broadcast every Thursday at 8pm on the Internet radio station Detektor FM - or as a podcast at any time.
You can find this and other articles in BIKE 5/2016 - on newsstands from 5 April. You can read the issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK shop order:
