James over at Bicycle Design shot me a IM the other day about his post on John Finley Scott. For those of you that don’t already know, Scott was the first to build a purpose built mountain bike. This, of course, made Scott “Way Ahead of His Time” (the article’s title). John Finley Scott will be inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame this year along with some other legends in the sport.
An excerpt from Bicycle Design’s “Way Ahead of His Time”
If you have any interest in mountain bikes, you should know the name John Finley Scott. Though he is not as well known as some of the other pioneers of the sport, J.F. Scott really was the first person to create a purpose built mountain bike. He built the “Woodsie” bike that you see pictured here in 1953 while he was a student at Reed College in Oregon. Notice that the bike has flat bars, multiple gears, good brakes, fat tires, etc.
For more pictures and information, head over to Bicycle Design. There is an incredible picture of a drawing Scott completed in 1950 complete with a parts list.