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John Finley Scott
James over at Bicycle Design shot me a IM the other day about his post on John Finley Scott. For those of you that don't already know, Scott was the first to build a purpose built mountain bike. This, of course, made Scott "Way Ahead of His Time" (the article's title). John Finley Scott will be inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame this year along with some other legends in the sport.
An excerpt from Bicycle Design's "Way Ahead of His Time"
If you have any interest in mountain bikes, you should know the name John Finley Scott. Though he is not as well known as some of the other pioneers of the sport, J.F. Scott really was the first person to create a purpose built mountain bike. He built the “Woodsie” bike that you see pictured here in 1953 while he was a student at Reed College in Oregon. Notice that the bike has flat bars, multiple gears, good brakes, fat tires, etc.
For more pictures and information, head over to Bicycle Design. There is an incredible picture of a drawing Scott completed in 1950 complete with a parts list.
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October 5th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hey There MTB Trail Review,
Thanks for your continued support of my film, KLUNKERZ, about the history of the mountain bike. It seems like Fall is always a crazy time of year for cycling. This year was a particularly heavy trip to Las Vegas for InterBike. I made a little tribute film for U.C. Davis Professor J.F. Scott’s induction into the MTB Hall of Fame. He was in KLUNKERZ and was murdered by a crazed madman shortly after I interviewed him. You can read the horrid details below. He was the inspiration for most of the guys recognized as the pioneers of the sport like Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, Tom Ritchey, Mike Sinyard, etc. I’d appreciate it if you’d look into Professor Scott’s achievements and pass the knowledge around for others to enjoy.
Finley, as he was known to his friends, made the first cool multi-gear off-road bike (The Woodsie Bike) in 1953. He also designed a lightweight ‘Fibre-glass’ cross country bike in that same year. He was also the investor in a little company, cleverly named MountainBikes, run by a kid by the name of Gary Fisher. While working as a Professor at U.C. Davis, he was the Chairman of the Davis Double Century race. He owned one of the coolest bike shops in the S.F. Bay Area (The Cupertino Bike Shop). In the 1970s he even co-drafted legislation in California for bicycles to be recognized as vehicles on public roads (vehicular cycling). This legislation helped set the standard for bicycles as vehicles across the U.S. We all really owe Professor Scott some thanks for all those bike lanes you now see across America. This is just a few of his many accomplishments.
I was very fortunate to have interviewed him for my film, KLUNKERZ.
I never imagined I’d be using out takes of the footage for a tribute film for a homicide victim. But then again, I never thought I’d be writing a judge letters of ’sentence recommendation’ in a murder trial, either. I guess we never know where the trail really leads until we get there. Professor Scott’s death had a profound effect on a great many people, including most of the pioneers of our sport, and even people who barely knew him, like myself. I’m very pleased he was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. It’s been a long time coming.
It was a real pleasure to make a little tribute film for his friends and family and show it to them at InterBike. You can see a couple of clips from that film below. Making the ‘Finley’ tribute might have been even more rewarding than making KLUNKERZ. Thanks for letting folks know about it and helping to keep his legacy alive.
Ride on,
Billy Savage
writer/producer/director
“KLUNKERZ” & “FINLEY”
http://www.klunkerz.com
Finley #1…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHWo_h1nBx4
Finley #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jas0ZgyyKGQ
P.S. If you did happen to see me at InterBike and was wondering what happened to my face (broken nose, black eyes) no…it was not a bar fight at the Hard Rock, it was a faceplant:). You can see it here…
Baldy Faceplant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG6yytbDdc0
October 5th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
@Billy Savage: Billy…great to hear from you! Thanks for the links and let me know if there is anything I can ever do to help out.
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