Charlie Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Charlie Cunningham is a mountain biking
pioneer from Fairfax, California
.
With schooling in mechanical
/aeronautical engineering, he rode a modified skinny tire ten speed bicycle
up and down Mt Tamalpais, valuing nimbleness and gear selection (aided by toeclips—when platform pedals were the norm) over the ungainly 1930s ballooners then in vogue. When Ukai came out with wide 26" aluminum rims, he designed and built his first mountain bike
, completing it in 1979. It was an experiment with lightweight heat treated 6061 aluminum tubing and purpose specific brakes, forks and hubs of his design.
At a time when the first custom mountain bikes were made of steel tubing with traditional components, this bike, now in the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
, was controversial.
Along with frame builder Steve Potts
and his helper Mark Slate, Cunningham co-founded Wilderness Trail Bikes
or WTB. Cunningham and Potts left WTB in 2002. Cunningham and his wife Jacquie Phelan
are charter inductees to Crested Butte's Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
His mother, Carol is a book artist whose imprint Sunflower Press is found in several museum collections, and is sought after worldwide. In his twenties, Charlie studied nutrition, water quality, and chemistry as well as engineering. By age twenty five he recognized that automobile use in the USA is largely wasteful, polluting and socially ruinous. His solution: bicycles. His would not rust or wear out, requiring little maintenance. This last would prove most valuable for racers in multi-day stage races.
Cunningham's Roller Cam brake also featured the linear spring he invented, now used on almost all V-Brakes today.
Cunningham built a total of 187 aluminum bicycles (the Indian, the Racer, and the Wombat for smaller people) between 1979–1992. They were guaranteed for life, and cost about six times as much as custom (steel) bikes. They are considered collector's items, but many are still regularly ridden.
At present, he is a freelance inventor contributing to environmentally sustainable projects.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
pioneer from Fairfax, California
Fairfax, California
Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet...
.
With schooling in mechanical
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
/aeronautical engineering, he rode a modified skinny tire ten speed bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
up and down Mt Tamalpais, valuing nimbleness and gear selection (aided by toeclips—when platform pedals were the norm) over the ungainly 1930s ballooners then in vogue. When Ukai came out with wide 26" aluminum rims, he designed and built his first mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
, completing it in 1979. It was an experiment with lightweight heat treated 6061 aluminum tubing and purpose specific brakes, forks and hubs of his design.
At a time when the first custom mountain bikes were made of steel tubing with traditional components, this bike, now in the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Crested Butte Colorado. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking....
, was controversial.
Along with frame builder Steve Potts
Steve Potts
Steven "Steve" Potts is an American born English football coach and former professional footballer. He played as a defender and is associated with his time spent at West Ham United...
and his helper Mark Slate, Cunningham co-founded Wilderness Trail Bikes
Wilderness Trail Bikes
Wilderness Trail Bikes is a privately owned company based in Marin County, California, USA. Founded in 1983 as a company that specialized in mountain bicycle parts, today WTB sources and sells its product worldwide supplying bike manufacturers and bike shops with bike components such as tires,...
or WTB. Cunningham and Potts left WTB in 2002. Cunningham and his wife Jacquie Phelan
Jacquie Phelan
Jacquie "Alice B. Toeclips" Phelan was the NORBA Champion three consecutive years - 1983, 1984, and 1985.She is married to inventor Charlie Cunningham, the pioneering bicycle framebuilder whose aluminum bikes and patented brakes allowed Phelan to race unbeaten for six years...
are charter inductees to Crested Butte's Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
Early life
The Cunninghams, being in the Air Force, lived in Alabama, Virginia, Japan and San Diego, ultimately settling in Mill Valley on Mt Tamalpais, in Marin County. His father, Lt. Colonel Bruce Cunningham, was a WWII and Korean War fighter pilot who won the Thompson Trophy in 1949, the only year military jets (F-86) competed.His mother, Carol is a book artist whose imprint Sunflower Press is found in several museum collections, and is sought after worldwide. In his twenties, Charlie studied nutrition, water quality, and chemistry as well as engineering. By age twenty five he recognized that automobile use in the USA is largely wasteful, polluting and socially ruinous. His solution: bicycles. His would not rust or wear out, requiring little maintenance. This last would prove most valuable for racers in multi-day stage races.
Life as an inventor
In the early 1980s, Cunningham made significant contributions to the modern mountain bike:- welded & heat treated aluminum mountain bike frames
- sloping top tubes on mountain and road frames*
- tubular-style fork crowns
- 136 mm zero-dish rear wheel for mountain bikes (now the standard)
- identifying the fundamental tread design principles needed for good-performing mountain bike tiresBicycle tireA bicycle tire is a tire that fits on the wheel of a bicycle, unicycle, tricycle, quadracycle, bicycle trailer, or trailer bike. They may also be used on wheelchairs and handcycles, especially for racing...
. Co-designed Ground Control, the first tire incorporating these principles. - invented the Grease Guard Bearing System that allows bicyclists to completely replace with clean grease in seconds the dirty grease that always gets into bicycle bearings...thus extending component life and saving significant time and money spent overhauling and/or replacing parts. Grease Guard's effect on component longevity conflicted with the bike industry's needs. The industry requires that bike parts wear out, thus necessitating replacement.
- the Roller Cam Brake. The brake arms, the pivot mounting location, and the linkage combined to eliminate flex in the fork blades and frame stays. Ultimately, the cam was replaced with the Lever Link, resulting in a brake that Cunningham believes is his best rim brake.
Cunningham's Roller Cam brake also featured the linear spring he invented, now used on almost all V-Brakes today.
Competitive career
Cunningham raced only one year: in 1984, placing tenth overall at the NORBA championships in Nederland, Colorado. At thirty-six years old, he was made National Vet Champion.Cunningham built a total of 187 aluminum bicycles (the Indian, the Racer, and the Wombat for smaller people) between 1979–1992. They were guaranteed for life, and cost about six times as much as custom (steel) bikes. They are considered collector's items, but many are still regularly ridden.
At present, he is a freelance inventor contributing to environmentally sustainable projects.