Cunningham Relief Fund

Marin Museum of Bicycling presents:
Cunningham Relief Auction

(Fairfax, CA) February 19, 2019
For Immediate Release

On Saturday, March 23rd, Marin Museum of Bicycling, home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, will host a benefit to support fallen comrade Charlie Cunningham. Cunningham had a nasty tumble from his bicycle in 2016. He remains in treatment for severe complications suffered during his recovery.

The evening will include a silent auction, and the final call of a week-long eBay auction of a specially built Cunningham Homage Bike. Proceeds from the bike sale will go to the Cunningham Relief Fund. Silent auction proceeds will be split evenly between the Cunningham Relief Fund and host Marin Museum of Bicycling, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Several Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductees plan to attend.

The Cunningham Relief Fund is the brainchild of the Good Guys, a worldwide vintage-bike group founded by bike collector Lars Weber of Switzerland. Lars instilled among his Good Guys a culture of giving. Members gift each other vintage parts as needed. Members help those in need.

Since the 1970s, Charlie Cunningham has contributed immensely to mountain biking. In 1979 he produced the first aluminum mountain bike, prototype for hundreds he would build in Fairfax. Cunningham’s “CC Proto” includes many firsts in the sport, and is in the Museum’s permanent display. In 1982 Cunningham, along with Steve Potts and Mark Slate, co-founded Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB), an industry leader of great fame.

Homage bike: The Good Guys, feeling a need to honor Charlie’s deeds, created a tribute bike. Legendary Yeti framebuilder “Frank The Welder” Waddleton built a fat-tube aluminum frame along the lines of a Cunningham. Chris Kelly supplied the frame’s clearcoat. Steve Potts created one of his iconic Type II forks. The Good Guys donated stellar vintage parts to the project, and Aaron Faust built up the bike. The eBay auction opens Saturday, March 16 at 6:30pm Pacific Time. The reserve on the bike is $5,000.

Silent Auction items: Mountain bike luminaries are donating special items. Yeti founder John Parker was first to contribute to the auction, throwing into the ring his prized welding helmet. Gary Fisher has donated a klunker frame he painted in the early 1970s in the psychedelia of the day.
The Cunningham Homage Bike and Museum Auction items will be previewed at the National Handbuilt Bike Show (NAHBS) in Sacramento on March 15-17 (Friday-Sunday), at the Marin Museum of Bicycling/Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame booth. Tickets for the March 23rd event will be on sale there.

Tickets are $20 per adult ($10 for students and Marin Museum of Bicycling members). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the museum (Thursdays-Sundays, 11-5), at the museum's NAHBS booth, and online at https://mmbhof.org/events/. Some tickets may be available at the door the evening of the event, but advance purchase is strongly recommended.


Saturday, March 23, 2019
5:00-7:00 PM
Doors open at 5 PM
Snacks & Refreshments available
Marin Museum of Bicycling
1966 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Fairfax, CA 94930
https://mmbhof.org/events/
415 450-8000

The Marin Museum of Bicycling is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization. The museum is a comprehensive bicycle museum and cultural center. Open since 2015, the museum is also home to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. For regular hours, admission fees and membership information, please see the museum’s web site: https://mmbhof.org

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