One of the pioneers of downhill mountain biking, Charlie Kelly, published his personal history of fat tire dirt racing in the book Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking.

Kelly organized his (in-)famous “repack” races in Marin County, California beginning in 1976. Kelly would go on to join Gary Fisher and Tom Ritchey to found a company they simply called “Mountain Bikes.” Kelly and Fisher assembled and sold the bikes with frames built by 21-year-old Ritchey, who Kelly describes as “the most prolific framebuilder in the country” in 1978.”

In 1980, Denise Caramagno and Charlie Kelly began publishing their mountain biking newsletter, the “Fat Tire Flyer.”

Charlie Kelly now delivers his history of the rise of mountain biking and its lasting culture. Rich with first-hand descriptions and bursting with original photographs, drawings, and memorabilia, Fat Tire Flyer is the definitive history of the invention that changed bicycling.

Buy from your local bookseller or purchase online. Bookshop Santa Cruz has three on hand at their store.