I was at Marin and suggested that they build frames for Marin, and that’s how the Team Titanium model was born. Gary obviously knew how Fat City built frames, yet he felt the geometry was too East Coast-oriented and was unsure now to do it differently. They were already working with Tom Kellogg on road frames, and when Gary said that they were planning to build a mountain bike frame, I said I would take one and made a drawing of the geometry. I asked if they were planning to make a mountain bike frame. While visiting Fat City one day, I went over to check out the Merlin operation. JM: I knew the gang at Fat City Cycles, and when Gary started Merlin with Gwyn Jones and Mike Augsberger, they set up shop across the street from Fat City in Somerville, Massachusetts. What can you tell us about the “birth” of titanium frames related to you, Merlin, Marin and Gary Helfrich? MBA: MBA tested a Marin Team Titanium bike with you in the late ’80s. Before John Tomac arrived, Joe was among the pioneers of pro-racer product endorsements. Gary kept saying he didn’t have time to ride, so I was more than willing to ride the proto stuff. When the Japanese came by to visit, they asked Gary to test freehubs, the first mountain bike Tange tubing, and so on. I took drafting in high school and community college, long before CAD was a thing. I made drawings for Gary because he could barely write legibly. JM: I was racing and working in the shop for Gary and wore many hats. Eventually, going to the races meant staying in hotels, and both training and carbo-loading became a thing. Like anything, when more people started coming in, then everyone started thinking they needed to be more serious. The bigger races were more serious, like Mammoth when racers came from a long way. Usually, the events were located at random places. Typically, we would camp out because we were young and didn’t have much money and just didn’t care. JM: As one would guess, it was fun and relaxed, until we were on the start line. MBA: As the two-time NORBA champ, you became the sport’s first celebrity rider. There were only two classes, Expert and Novice, so I was first Novice and won a pair of Ukai gold alloy rims. I was wearing Levis, a T-shirt and no helmet, and finished 13th overall. When I was 17 years old, I entered a race in 1983 called Zero’s Notch, which was the Pine Mountain loop above Fairfax that ended at the bottom of the Repack downhill course. Next came a Tuf Neck stem and some motorcycle handlebars. Right off the bat, the huge Messenger saddle was replaced with a Brooks B17 and one of those fluted BMX seatposts. Piece by piece, I began replacing the parts. Sometime around 1981, that led to buying a Schwinn Spitfire 5 from Mike’s Bikes in San Rafael, California, down the road from where I grew up in Fairfax.
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Joe Murray: I started out riding an old ’50s Rollfast cruiser on the dirt roads in Marin. MBA: When did you get started riding and racing mountain bikes? Joe celebrates with fellow two-time NORBA National Champion Jacquie Phelan. But, it was his follow-up NORBA National titles in 1984 and ’85 that earned him the credibility that led to steady employment in the industry.įor over two decades, as a member of Shimano’s secretive “Skunk” team of R&D riders, Joe Murray has played a key role in developing a host of components for modern mountain bikers. It was his talent that earned him a wealth of victories in numerous back-in-the-day classics, such as the Rockhopper (five wins) and the Whiskeytown downhill (three wins). Like the two Hall of Fame racers who would eventually follow in his wheel tracks, Joe, too, was a quiet, unassuming guy who was simply capable of outriding his competitors. Compliments of Gene Smith ( Smitty) of Kool-Stop.Before Ned Overend, John Tomac or any other pioneer mountain bike racer whom the sport has popularized as the earliest superstar, there was Joe Murray. Golf pro, Jack Nicklaus, was the Murray Public Relations Spokesman a photo of him and his introduction endorsement statement appear on the inside front cover. This catalog is a wholesale buyers` reference and was not intended for display to retail consumers.
Murray bike full#
A full list of detailed specifications is included on the inside back cover.
Murray bike series#
The models include (a) The Cat series of Murray`s Moto-Cross type, (b) The Team Murray BMX series, (c) The Lightweight series including derailleur, 3-speed and coaster brake models, (d) The Hi-Riser series, (e) Middleweights including Adult 3-Wheelers, (f) childrens 16 & 20 inch sidewalk bikes, and (g) an Exerciser.
Murray bike full size#
Since Howie Cohen's passing, no items are for sale.Ī 38 page full size catalog (plus the covers) illustrating Murray`s bike line for 1979. Result for Part Number: Cat-M 835 1979 : Item DetailĬategories: Catalogs and Brochures-Contemporary,