Mountain Goat bikes have always been know for their craftsmanship, great ride and fantastic paint. As full suspension bikes started to become the norm in the late 1990’s, many of the innovative mountain bike companies went under or were purchase by larger companies seeking “instant history”. These smaller companies had to rely on a relatively small but rabid customer base in their struggle to survive. Because of these market forces, Jeff Lindsay, Mountain Goat founder, decided to go back to his previous life of working with glass.
Recently, there has been something of a revival of interest in something other than a “McBike”. The Internet hosts web sites, forums and email groups dedicated to preservation of the older bikes. The mainstream magazines have also picked up on this vibe. Dirt Rag has the “Specialty Files” that features a vintage ride each month. In a recent Bike magazine, they listed the fourteen most significant mountain bikes. Mountain Bike Action published a story featuring vintage mountain bikes. Bill Savage released Klunkerz, a movie about the origins of the sport, to rave reviews. Several bike races and festivals have sprung up to celebrate the history of the mountain bikes and the people who made them. Even the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame is approaching its 20th anniversary!
With all of this renewed interest, old bikes are getting drug out to the local shop to be overhauled. This is when the reality of changing standards rears its ugly head: 80mm-100mm travel forks alter the geometry, 1″ steerer suspension forks are almost non-existent, 135mm wide rear hubs don’t fit in the 126mm space, cantilever levers don’t pull enough cable for “V” brakes, shifters are part of the brake lever, disc brakes, no way……..it seems to be a never ending cycle of changes which doesn’t make financial sense and alters what was loved about the bikes.
There needed to be a bike to fit the current components but maintain the heritage of the classic bikes. Enter Mountain Goat. Jeff Lindsay had produced some of the most innovative bikes for almost 20 years and we are picking up where he left off. The Whiskeytown Racer was the classic performance bike, the Deluxe was one of the most beautiful bikes, featuring fillet brazed oval tubing, the Route 66 was a 700c flat bar bike that was a decade ahead of the whole 29″ movement. Russ Pickett would take these frames and wrap them in some of the coolest paint jobs ever laid on a bike. Fortunately, Russ is still painting bikes and agreed to replicate some of the classic Mountain Goat paint schemes on the new frames.
Now you really can have it all: classic looks and classic ride combined with the convenience of using modern components. Contact First Flight Bicycles now to join in “The Rebirth of a Legend”.