Marin Museum of Bicycling facts for kids
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| Established | June 6, 2015 |
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| Location | 1966 Sir Francis Drake Blvd Fairfax, CA 94930 |
The Marin Museum of Bicycling is a cool place in Fairfax, California. It's all about the history and amazing changes of bicycles. This museum teaches you about how bikes have grown and changed over time. You can see old, classic bikes and even the newest designs. It also shows off items from famous bike riders. The museum first opened its doors on June 6, 2015.
A really special part of the museum is the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame honors the people who started and helped grow the sport of mountain biking. Mountain biking has strong roots right here in Marin County. The Hall of Fame began in 1988 in Crested Butte, Colorado. It moved to Fairfax, California in 2014. Here, you can find historic mountain bikes, photos, and stories about important riders and inventors.
The museum is a non-profit group. This means it uses any money it makes to help the museum grow and teach more people. Joe Breeze is the main curator, which means he helps manage the collections.
Contents
Explore the Bike Collections
Early Bikes: The Igler Collection
The Igler Collection at the Marin Museum of Bicycling shows how bikes first started. It covers the very beginning and the "Golden Age" of cycling in the 1800s. Ralph Igler, a NASA engineer, first put this collection together. His son later received it. In 2014, the museum agreed to show these amazing bikes.
Some cool bikes in this exhibit include:
- An 1868 velocipede: This was one of the first bikes you pedaled with your feet.
- An 1880s Coventry Rotary tricycle: This was once the fastest human-powered vehicle!
- An 1886 Rudge high-wheeler: This bike was one of the first to use modern ball bearings.
- An 1898 Pierce shaft-drive bicycle: This company later made the famous Pierce Arrow cars.
Speedy Rides: Vintage Road Bikes
The Vintage Road Bike Collection shows how bikes for racing and long trips changed. Many of these bikes have strong steel frames from famous brands like Cinelli and Raleigh. You can see how gears, frames, and brakes got better over time. This includes early gear systems made by Tullio Campagnolo.
Some important road bikes in this collection are:
- A 1963 Viking track bike: This bike was raced by the famous Beryl Burton.
- A 2014 Specialized Tarmac: Vincenzo Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France on this bike. It's on loan from Specialized.
Off-Road Adventures: Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Collection
The museum has added many key bikes to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Collection. These bikes show how the mountain bike grew and changed. You can see designs from famous builders like Tom Ritchey and Gary Fisher. The exhibit shows how mountain biking technology and popularity grew.
After winning the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, Marin county native Kate Courtney loaned her winning bike to the museum. It is now on display next to other world championship bikes. These include bikes from Nino Schurter and Myles Rockwell.
Some important mountain bikes in this exhibit are:
- Breezer Series 1, 1978: This was the very first bike made just for mountain biking.
- Ritchey #1, 1979: This was the first mountain bike from frame-builder Tom Ritchey.
- Cunningham CCProto, 1979: This was the first mountain bike made from aluminum. Charlie Cunningham built it.
- Cunningham R1 "Otto", 1983: This bike was raced by Jaqcuie Phelan, a three-time Women’s National Champion.
How the Museum Works
The museum was started in 2013 by Joe Breeze, Otis Guy, and Marc Vendetti. All of them are in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Julia Violich, Keith Hastings, and Lena Estrella also helped start it. The museum hired its first executive director, Aaron Allen, in December 2024. The museum is a place for bike culture as well as a museum. You can visit the museum Thursday through Sunday, from 11 am to 5 pm.
The "Biketoberfest Marin" event also takes place at the Marin Museum of Bicycling.
