Charlie Kelly Talks About the Birth of Mountain Biking and MTB Culture [Podcast #161]

I talk with Charlie about the early days of mountain biking, and how he and others helped shape the mountain bike culture of today.

By Jeff Barber
June 25, 2018 Last Updated: August 17, 2022

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On this Episode

Charlie Kelly is a man who can rightfully claim many firsts in the sport of mountain biking: promoting the first mountain bike race, co-founding the first company to sell complete mountain bikes, and starting the first mountain bike magazine, Fat Tire Flyer. He’s known as one of the founding fathers of mountain biking, and is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

I talk with Charlie about the early days of mountain biking, and how he and others helped shape the mountain bike culture of today. Check out Charlie’s website for more about MTB history, including photos.

There is also a Go Fund Me campaign to digitize Charlie’s massive collection of mountain bike media collected from the 1970s through 1992. Watch the video below to get more info and donate here.

Thanks to Stio for sponsoring this episode. Go to stio.com/singletracks to check out their entire Pedal Collection of shorts and jerseys, and take up to 70% off through June 25, 2018.