1980 Cook Brothers Racing Cruiser
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cook, with no relation to Craig and Gary Cook of Cook Brothers Racing, moved from Denver, CO to the mountain town of Crested Butte in the late 1970s for the outdoor recreation opportunities. Locals had been exploring the surrounding network of trails and roads created by the mining and ranching industries on their rudimentary clunker bikes and had started the Pearl Pass Tour in 1976. Steve acquired this three-bar cruiser built with full gearing for exploring steep terrain in 1980. Notable features of the bike include reinforced dropouts on the frame and fork created by welding or bolting on additional material, a tab welded to attach a rear derailleur, a drum brake rear hub with new holes drilled for smaller gauge spokes, Magura motorcycle handlebars, a large BMX caliper brake to reach around a mountain bike tire, and a rack and pack to support long adventures. In the summer of 1981, Steve would sell the bike to a childhood friend who also lived in Crested Butte and use the proceeds to purchase the historic bike Cunningham #1. The Cruiser would go on to serve the new owner as their primary mountain bike for decades to come before it was acquired by the Workshop and restored. While showing years of patina, the bike still retains its original red paint, now aged to a rusty orange, and the original graphics. Over the years, Steve had a total of three Cook Brothers Cruisers, including a 1983 Cruiser also owned and restored by the Workshop, and a third bike known as "The Crispy Critter" for having survived a fire only to eventually be stolen. Historic photos below show the bike being ridden with other three-bar cruisers in town and notable mountain bike pioneers such as brother Don Cook, Mike Rust, Wes Williams, Sandy Hague, and Mark Slate.
The Build
Year: 1980
S/N: 242 Frame: Cook Brothers Three Bar BMX Cruiser Fork: Laguna BMX Cruiser by Tange Stem: SR Road Quill Headset: Tange MX Bottom Bracket: Cook Brothers Racing Handlebar: Magura L363.20 Brake Levers: Weinmann Red Dot Shifters: Suntour Mighty Front Derailleur: Suntour V-GT Rear Derailleur: Suntour Comp V Front Brake: Weinmann Type 1020 Rear Brake: Atom Drum Crankset: T.A. Specialties Chainrings: T.A. Specialties 30-40-52 Pedals: KKT Lightning Hubs: Shimano High-Flange/Atom Drum Rims: Ukai Aluminum 26 x 1.75 Tires: Specialized Stumpjumper Seatpost: SR Laprade BMX Seatpost Clamp: Suntour BMX Saddle: Brooks Professional Grips: Grab On Cogs: Millard Chain: Regina Extra Rack: Nagacast |
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