Paul Brodie dug up some photos from the archives and rattled off the tale of his first mountain bike frame.
Brodie Bikes: How It All Began
Now this … boys and girls, is innovation.
"You know what's wrong with Vancouver? You can't pee off of your own balcony without getting in trouble"
- Phil Gordon
Wow this was an awesome read!
There's nothing better than an Orangina after cheating death with Digger.
Nice article. Great to get these little bits of local history that are also part of the entire sport's history. Lets hear from Rod next!
i got my first brodie romax in approx 1987/88..killer bike…then i had a catylyst,climbax and a sovereign. back then a brodie was def the must have handbuilt….
Good one! Thanks for sharing…. I remember working the assembly line at Rocky from 87-89…. I still remeber when Grayson had to shut the assembly line for a bit, because someone was sighning bike tags with famous ice hockey players names.
i got my first brodie romax in approx 1987/88..killer bike…then i had a catylyst,climbax and a sovereign. back then a brodie was def the must have handbuilt….
My friend's brother had an early ClimbMax around 1990. Super sloping top tube, really narrow cut flat Syncros bars. I was in high school. I thought those bikes were awesome. It wasn't until a few years later that I got a Kona Explosif that roughly mimicked the sloping top tube cut of the ClimbMax.
There's nothing better than an Orangina after cheating death with Digger.
great bit of history; paul is a legend. i still lust for a fillet brazed romax (and have been scouring cl for years, no no avail). i'd love to see a follow up from paul documenting the early years of brodie bikes and the evolution of the local scene. vancouver was a hotbed of innovation and high end manufacturing. cool times…
I'd be curious to know more about the transition from handbuilt to made-overseas as the vibe of the company changed a lot through this.
There's nothing better than an Orangina after cheating death with Digger.
That red Ritchey was Pippin Osborne's bike. He managed West Point at the time IIRC. The Hatch pedals and white Oakley grips are the giveaway.
Debate? Bikes are made for riding not pushing.
Great read, thanks Paul! I have a 91 Catalyst (with Gatorblades) that I rescued from commuter duty in my basement. Had a nice electric blue sparkle paintjob put on, and have managed to drum up some NOS 91 XT parts with a King headset and Syncros cockpit. It's going to be dream bike once I put it together.
Good one! Thanks for sharing…. I remember working the assembly line at Rocky from 87-89…. I still remeber when Grayson had to shut the assembly line for a bit, because someone was sighning bike tags with famous ice hockey players names.
Couldn't have been you diong that,eh?
Pastor of Muppets
Great read! I was a proud owner of a Climbmax [HTML_REMOVED] Sovereign back in the day. Quality, sexy, works of metal art. Then a Big Shot when the shore was starting to explode. The Big Shot wasn't so hot. I think that was around the time of when Cybersport took over Brodie.
It was a pleasure to ride for Brodie Bikes for 6 years and now share the same dirt as Paul on trials bikes on sundays at Ioco! Paul, as always, your inspiring! Dave
:woot:
@davenorona
@Dave Norona
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