In 1973, Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher began riding down Mount Tamalpais, near San Francisco, on modified cruiser bikes from Schwinn. The bikes, which Breeze and Fisher christened Klunker, weighed over 30 kilos, were from the 1930s and had two-inch wide balloon tires in 26-inch format.

Back to the roots
The US bike manufacturer Transition is now reviving the technological start-up phase of the mountain bike. Closely based on the original Klunker bikes, the manufacturer has pared down an off-road bike to the bare essentials. The "Transition Klunker" manages with one gear, has 2.35-inch downhill tires, is steered with an 80-centimetre-wide handlebar, the frame is made of steel and in a single size.

The pilot has to show off his riding skills for rapid descents, as the brakes are old-school: "Correct, the bike has a coaster brake and you can't fit anything else," says Denise Ruiz from Swiss transition importer Magic Downhill.

Simple equipment
The old-school bike rolls into the bike store in two color variants. With a weight of 14.5 kilos, uphills should be doable as long as the rider is not put off by the single-speed mode and can handle the coaster brake on downhills. The steering angle of 67 degrees should at least ensure smooth running and good-natured cornering behavior. "Klunking is currently making a huge comeback. It's a great experience to experience the home trail in a completely new way on a Klunker," says Kevin Menard, owner of Transition Bikes, about the riding experience on the Spartan off-road bike.