Every industrial revolution starts with a great notion. In the Smithsonian Institution, resting only a short stroll away from Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, is a newer icon of American ingenuity: Stumpjumper, the first mountain bike. A crossbreed of rugged utility and European racing technology, the Stumpjumper scurried where 10-speeds would have crumpled: down mountain slopes, across fields and over city curbs. The chunky two-wheeler, manufactured by Californian Michael Sinyard in 1981, has helped transform the % U.S. bicycle industry from a sleepy business to a $3.5 billion family-sport industry as millions of Americans mount up. Sinyard's goal: "Durability and...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
