The Hall of Fame - the hall of fame of bike sport. How can you imagine it? Glamorous with a red carpet, gold-edged pictures and exhibits on velvet? A magnificent temple like the Walhalla near Regensburg? Or sober and modern with lounge music? All wrong. The biking hall of fame is hidden in the hippie town of Fairfax, three quarters of an hour north of San Francisco.
Marc Vendetti, Otis Guy and Joe Breeze have gathered the history of the sport in a former supermarket. The three are among the pioneers who breathed life into the sport of biking right here 40 years ago. And they are now making sure that nobody forgets the early days. "Marin Museum of Bicycling & Mountain Bike Hall of Fame" is written on the board above the entrance.
But anyone expecting trophy collections, wax figures or life-size displays of their heroes will be disappointed. The "MMBHOF" is first and foremost a bicycle museum. Large lights hang from the wooden ceiling, fans hum, drywall divides the room and the concrete floor is painted an opal colour. A huge projector could transform the museum into a 280 square metre cinema. On the walls are the first two-wheelers made of wood, wheels to be precise, early racing bikes and also the bikes with thick pneumatic tyres known as "clunkers" or "ballooners", which the Fairfax gang used to build the first mountain bikes in the 1970s. Resounding names such as Breezer, Ritchey and Fisher, Cunningham, Specialized or Mountain Cycle, Fat Chance, Kestrel or Yeti. Fans and collectors will be delighted.
The church for mountain bike disciples
During our visit to Fairfax, we quickly realise that the MMBHOF is the church for bike disciples. Everything comes together here: technology, types, visions. Joe Breeze himself tells the story behind a product. The exhibits visualise the progression of the sport. However, the Hall of Fame, i.e. the people behind the sport, are only of minor importance.
The museum has been open since last summer. Our picture gallery gives you an impression of the MMBHOF - enjoy your visit:
