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The man behind Breezer Bikes, Joe Breeze is a pioneer of the mountain bike world. Back in the 1970s, the clunky frames of the time just weren’t cutting it for the kind of riding he was doing. And that was the drive behind the revolution. Since then, Breeze has designed all kinds of bicycles and components to suit all kinds of riders. Momentum Magazine caught up with Breeze to take a look at how the cycling world has changed.

Momentum Magazine: What was the spark that got you started designing mountain bikes? How did you come upon this niche in the bicycle market?

Joe Breeze: I was designing and building road-racing frames from about the time I first rode a fat tire bike in 1973. The early balloon tire bikes we rode off-road at the time were cast-off clunkers from the 1930s and 40s and were terribly heavy – over 50 pounds. Even so, they broke under our off-road punishment on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais. I don’t believe I was aware of the concept of a market niche, but I was the obvious guy to fill it. I had tried all the old clunkers I could and arrived at my favorite. By 1976 I was putting ideas to paper. In 1977 and 1978 I built my first ten Breezer mountain bike frames and outfitted them with all new parts. They were the first shiny new mountain bikes.

MM: These days there is a bicycle to fit every size, shape and lifestyle. How have bicycle culture and consumer wants and needs changed since you first got involved in the industry?

JB: Good question. I imagine it’s difficult for anyone new to bicycling within, say, the last 30 years, to realize how few choices there were back in the 1970s. For adults, bike shops had “ten-speed” road racers including mostly imitations, along with a few good touring bikes. That was pretty much it. For kids, there were “sting ray” polo bikes with 20-inch wheels. Aftermarket component groups were offered by essentially one company and their designs would hold fairly constant without change for five or more years. Imagine that. Regarding bicycle culture: ‘twas strictly a foreign thing, something they had in France, Italy or Holland, not the USA. In 1970, whenever we saw a rider beyond our town limits, we’d wave excitedly or stop to ask where they were from. In town, riding consisted mostly of kids on the sidewalk. Today of course, it’s vastly different. Many parts of North America have a vibrant bicycle culture. It has really just begun, and is accelerating rapidly.

MM: How have mountain bike designs influenced modern commuter bikes? How have your mountain bikes changed over time?

JB: In the early 1970s there was quite a tremendous bicycling boom in North America. Unfortunately the bike of the day, the road racer, was not a comfortable bike to ride for many people. Most of those bikes soon gathered dust in the garage. Mountain bikes, which became popular by the mid-1980s, were much more comfortable. Their upright handlebars and wider saddles introduced or re-introduced many people to bikes. As most people just need a bike for getting around town, in my modern commuter bike designs I exchanged some ruggedness for utility. But mountain bikes were an essential steppingstone.