2020 Inductee: Contributor

Joe Breeze was an early pioneer in the development of mountain bikes and is widely considered to be one of its inventors.

 Joe Breeze on Breezer #1 at Yellow Face, Repack, late 1977. This turn leads into the first of four switchbacks not far from the finish line. Photo by Larry Cragg.

One of the group of riders in Marin in the 1970s to take old balloon tire bicycles to the trails in the hills, he used his bike building skills to create the first prototype modern mountain bike (Breezer #1) in 1977 and rode it to victory in its first race. Breezer #1 has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

A tireless promoter of the sport, Joe is a founding member of NORBA (National Off Road Bicycle Association), which later became the mountain bike racing division of USA Cycling.
Joe is also a charter member and manager of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame to which he was inducted in 1988. His industry innovations include the Hite-Rite seat post spring and the Apex disc brake mount as well as development of early lightweight off-road frames utilizing modern tubing. He has also devoted much of his time to bicycle transportation and advocate work.

Early Cyclocross competition