20 questions with Keith Bontrager

[J i m s t e r]

I’d like to design some new steel city bikes and touring bikes, but not
re-introduce steel hardtails.

BAN

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

Shame really as he didnt really show much affection towards the old school MTB.

Quite surprised really.

 

[P20]

Nice piece

KB: some Chris King hubs that we used onthe first Race
lite MTB wheels.

That'll be the ones on the P20...

 

[heathy]

Good work that man Very interesting

 

[Russell]

Shame really as he didnt really show much affection towards the old school MTB.

Quite surprised really.

Why? The forefathers (sic) of MTBing were innovators, they were people who wanted to push the sport and develop new technologies to improve the way that bikes performed. What makes you think that they should still not have that same attitude? I would guess that most people who have been in the business since the start would have the same view. Keiths right, bikes are better now, lets not let the rose tinted glasses of retrofarianism taint our common sense.

RB: What are you most proud of having been involved with in the world of
cycling?

KB: Sorting out myth.

Which myths??? I'd love to know which ones he's proud of 'sorting'.

 

[Augustus]

Chaps...

answer to the eternal 1990 Liverpool shirt question from the Guru himself...

"I was told to wear the shirt by the guy who paid for the ad, Bill Nicol of
Nicol Trading. He was trying to set up distribution for a few small
companies. Bill said it would be cool, so I wore it. I played avidly here at
the time, but didn't follow English Football so I had no idea which team was
which. In the end it worked out well. Everyone who was a Liverpool supporter
thought it was great. Many who didn't support Liverpool and who thought it
was sad to see me in the wrong shirt sent me a shirt from their favorite
team. I had a nice collection afterwards!"


Closure. At last.

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

Why? The forefathers (sic) of MTBing were innovators, they were people who wanted to push the sport and develop new technologies to improve the way that bikes performed. What makes you think that they should still not have that same attitude? I would guess that most people who have been in the business since the start would have the same view. Keiths right, bikes are better now, lets not let the rose tinted glasses of retrofarianism taint our common sense.

I bet he thinks we're all a bit mad then...

 

[Augustus]

Shame really as he didnt really show much affection towards the old school MTB.

Quite surprised really.

Why? The forefathers (sic) of MTBing were innovators, they were people who wanted to push the sport and develop new technologies to improve the way that bikes performed. What makes you think that they should still not have that same attitude? I would guess that most people who have been in the business since the start would have the same view. Keiths right, bikes are better now, lets not let the rose tinted glasses of retrofarianism taint our common sense.

RB: What are you most proud of having been involved with in the world of
cycling?

KB: Sorting out myth.

Which myths??? I'd love to know which ones he's proud of 'sorting'.

agree with you Russell. Think it's easy to think that everything good stopped with the era of tasteful graphics and skinny tubes.

And Jez, I'm sure everyone thinks we're a bit mad... Don't you?


Check out Dirtrag mag. He's always cutting down myth with fact and science in there.

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

Yes I'm afraid so!

 

[dyna-ti]

Nice piece

KB: some Chris King hubs that we used onthe first Race
lite MTB wheels.

That'll be the ones on the P20...

I have a pair of those with the tyres too,i dont think i'll ever let them go now ,now with KB's opinion of them
Were they originally specced on one of his bikes? If so that could be just the project im looking for
then replace them for the Torus with m739 ones to finish that build proper