Before They Made Bikes: Cannondale

There are a few bike brands that even non-cyclists can name.  Here in the US, Schwinn is one of them.  Others include Raleigh, Peugeot, Motobecane and Fuji.  

Cannondale might also be included in that list.  I think they gained notice with the general public because when their bicycles were first introduced in 1983, they looked very different from the others.  While Klein may have been the first to make aluminum frames from large-diameter tubing, Cannondale made them a mass-market (relatively speaking, anyway) item.  To this day, those frames are the first thing most people associate with the name "Cannondale".

What most people, especially those younger than--ahem--a certain age, don't realize is that Cannondale was in business for more than a decade before they built their first bicycle.  Furthermore, even though the first product they ever made was bicycle-related, their early reputation was established as much on non-bike equipment as on accessories for two-wheelers.

In the late 1960's, Joe Montgomery was a self-described "grunt" on Wall Street.  The experience, he later related, taught him how businesses work.  Always an avid outdoorsman, he saw a growing enthusiasm for hiking, camping and related activities--and foresaw the North American Bike Boom.  He knew he wanted to build bikes but didn't have the necessary capital.  So, when he started Cannondale (and named it, as nearly everyone knows by now, after a Connecticut train station) in 1971, he knew he had to develop and market a product that would distinguish his new enterprise as well as help him raise the money he'd need to build bikes.

Thus was the world's first bicycle-towed trailer--the Bugger--born.  One funny thing about it was that it predated, if unwittingly, the luggage that people roll through airport lobbies all over the world.  That's because the Bugger was, in essence, a big backpack on wheels.  Since it was mounted on an angle, it transferred all of the weight carried in it to its tires and didn't add to the weight of the bicycle.  I never owned one, but had opportunities to ride with one.  While it increased the turning radius, it didn't affect other aspects of the ride nearly as much as I expected.

The original Cannondale Bugger, 1972.

Sales took off and in spite (or, perhaps, because) of the connotations of its name, it sold well in the UK.  That allowed the new company to create other products for which they would be known.  They included panniers and handlebar bags with innovative designs and sturdy construction.  

Within a couple of years, Cannondale was also making backpacks, sleeping bags, parkas, and other items for camping, hiking, snowshoeing and other outdoor sports.  LL Bean sold them through their catalogue; one was as likely to find Cannondale products in ski shops as in bike shops. 

The "Trackwalker" is on the left.  Mine was black, with tan leather and red tabs.

During that time, I used several Cannondale products, in part because the shops in which I worked (as well as American Youth Hostels, where I also worked) carried them.  For at least a decade, my "Trackwalker" backpack was my go-to bag when I was off the bike--and sometimes on it.  With its black body, tan leather bottom and red "spider" zipper tabs, it had a very distinctive look.  Also, I wore one of their parkas through a number of seasons.  They, like their bike bags (I used one of their handlebar bags and seat bags on my first few bike tours) were well-constructed and practical.  

But my favorite Cannondale product of all time (Remember, I owned and rode two of their bicycles) was the glove they made--by hand, in Pennsylvania--during the 1980's.  I don't think I've come across another sport glove--or, for that matter, any glove--made from such high-quality materials and with such good workmanship.  It was like a Brooks saddle:  stiff at first, but once broken in, a perfect fit that would last for many years.  I wore mine until the crochet backings deteriorated--a long, long time after I first started wearing the gloves.

The best glove ever made--by far!

I wish I could find a pair of them--or something as good--now.  Back then, a pair of those gloves retailed for $25-30, which, it seems,  is what a "good" pair of gloves costs now. 

 I'm guessing that Cannondale couldn't continue to make them in Pennsylvania--or anywhere in the US--without raising the price significantly.  So production of those gloves was sent overseas.  Later, that of their bike apparel and accessories and, finally, their bikes followed.  Around the time Cannondale introduced their bicycles, they stopped making and selling backpacks, parkas and other non-bike-related gear.

(If you want to learn more about what Cannondale was doing before they started building bikes, check out this site.)

Joe Montgomery R.I.P.

 

What did Joe Montgomery and Steve Jobs have in common?

They founded iconic companies and created products that changed their industries and markets. And each of them took risks that led to losing their companies, though one got his back.

So much has been said and written about Jobs that, really, I could add only the comparison I’ve just made.  I am writing this post on an iPad and use an iPhone. Need I say more about his effect on my, and many other people’s, lives?

On the other hand, you’re not likely to know about Joe unless you’re (ahem!) a cyclist of a certain age. But even if you’re not an avid cyclist, you probably have heard of his company simply from seeing cyclists on their bikes.

Unlike Steve, he didn’t return to the business he started. That makes sense when you realize that Mr. Montgomery saw himself first and foremost as a problem-solver who relished a challenge.

Cannondale’s 2003 bankruptcy was a result of one of those challenges:  the company’s ill-fated foray into motocross. Perhaps his successes in the company’s other ventures, most notably in cycling, imbued him with more confidence than he should’ve had.  Whatever the explanation, another difficulty in his life—with joint pain—led him to create a product and start an enterprise related to it.

When he co-founded Cannondale in 1971, he had no training or experience as an engineer or a designer and while he described himself as an outdoor enthusiast, he didn’t claim to be an “avid” cyclist .

But the product for which Cannondale gained notice—the “Bugger” (I can hear my British readers snickering!)—was borne of his penchant for asking, “How can this be better?” As he recalled, he saw a cyclist struggling up a hill with a heavy backpack.    

The “Bugger” is believed to be, if not the first bicycle trailer, then at least the first commercially available. It’s essentially a backpack on wheels. While it was produced for only a few years, it was influential:  Not only have other bicycle trailers have been made, current cargo bikes and wheeled luggage are arguably its descendants.

During its early years, Cannondale was known mainly for bicycle accessories and other outdoor gear.  My first handlebar bag, which I used on my first multiday trip and European bike tour, may well have been one of Joe’s attempts to solve a problem:  Good front bag supports, and quality bicycle accessories in general, weren’t widely available in the US.  My handlebar bag was constructed something like an internally-framed backpack and mounted with looped aluminum bars on the bottom of a dropped handlebar. Although it bounced a bit on rough roads, I never had any problem hauling my Honeywell Pentax with multiple lenses, a snack or two and something for impromptu encounters. (I was young; I’ll leave that to your imagination!)

And for years, my off-bike luggage was a practical and very distinctive-looking backpack and my off-bike winter outerwear was a parka, both made in the USA by Cannondale. By the time they gave out, I had been using both for nearly half of my life!

Oh, and I wore those amazing leather-and-cotton cycling gloves Cannondale made in Pennsylvania. Like Brooks saddles, they were stiff at first but a few rides broke them in.  To this day, I haven’t worn any other cycling gloves as comfortable, or that lasted nearly as long.

As for the bikes: A year after they were introduced, I bought one of their racing bikes. While I was impressed with its speed and responsiveness, its ride proved harsh even for my young (at the time) bones.  I understand the designs have evolved; perhaps I will try one again some day.

A few years ago, I acquired one of the company’s 1990s mountain bikes. I briefly used it as a commuter/townie. It served the purpose well. But the COVID lockdown came, which eliminated my commute.  I gave that bike to someone who worked at Mount Sinai-Queens and had a two-hour walk to get his job when the subway shut down.

Whatever I thought of the racing bike’s ride, I never doubted the quality of Cannondale’s products.  And while I’m mostly a traditionalist when it comes to bikes (All of my frames are steel!), I think Cannondale spurred, directly or indirectly, positive developments in componentry as well as bikes.

For them, and other reasons (I met him once:  Nice guy!), I note the passing—and offer my condolences to the friends and family—of Joe Montgomery.

Surf's Up: Ride Your Bike, Dude!

The past few days are the longest I've gone without posting in quite some time.  Part of the reason for that is that the semester started this week.  And, at the same time, I found myself teaching French to an FBI agent.   That's a story--a happy one--unto itself!

Today I finally got out for a ride.  It wasn't very long, by my standards:  to Rockaway Beach.  It seems that every year I see more surfers there.  And, for about the past year or two, I've seen surfers ride bicycles to the beach.

What that means is that more surfers are carrying their boards on their bikes.  I have never done anything like that myself, so perhaps it;s not surprising that, until recently, I couldn't understand how one would.  I suppose that if I'd spent more time in, say, California or Hawaii, I'd have a better idea of how such things done.  Can you imagine what Dutch cyclists would come up with if more of them surfed?

I've seen a few  bikes with "sidecars" for their 'boards:

This setup reminds me of what a fisherman rigged to his bike so he could carry his poles, buckets and other gear:

Clever as those setups are, I don't think either of them has anything on the way this board is hooked up to its bike:

From The Surfing Blog

All of these 'maritime mules are homemade or made by very small operations.  I wonder whether there'enough of a market for Burley or some other manufacturer of bicycle trailers to consider making them. 

Or...I could just imagine what the Cannondale Bugger might have looked like had it been designed by surfers!

Original Cannondale "Bugger," circa 1972

Officer, I Was Just Helping A Friend Clean Up!

I once moved my possessions from one apartment to another--on my bicycle.

Granted, I didn't have much at the time.  Still, I take pride in having changed residences without the aid of trucks, vans or moving companies.  For me, the experience affirms what someone--an old riding buddy, if I recall correctly--once told me:  You can carry anything on a bicycle.  It's just a matter of loading and packing it.

A fellow in Oxford, Ohio apparently followed that advice.  He transported a mini-refrigerator and full-length mirror aboard a pink Mongoose bicycle.  

Of course, Stephen Moster didn't have those items on his back or shoulders, or strapped to a Blackburn rear carrier, as he pedaled along. For that matter, he wasn't hauling a modern bike trailer or even a vintage Cannondale bugger.  Instead, he was pushing a shopping cart loaded with the refrigerator and mirror.

I would have respect and even admiration for him:  After all, it takes a certain amount of ingenuity to conceive of such a system, and a certain level of skill to ride while pushing a cart.  And, yes, he showed that something could be done without a motor vehicle when most people would have assumed that one was necessary.

I would have respect for him...if the refrigerator and mirror were his, or he were transporting them for a friend--or even if someone was paying him to move them.   Or if his story--that two men invited him to "take whatever I want" from a house they were cleaning up--were true.

You know where this is going:  He burgled that house.  In fact, the two men were cleaning up from a previous burglary and talking with an insurance representative when they were startled by sounds.  They went to a neighbor's porch, where they watched Moster take the refrigerator and mirror.  Realizing he couldn't carry them on his bike, he left and then returned with a Kroger's grocery cart.


(This is how he should have done it!)

Hmm...The refrigerator and mirror were burgled and the cart was "appropriated".  It makes me wonder how he acquired the bicycle.

I still must say that I sort of admire his ingenuity.  But I would offer him this bit of advice: If you're going to abscond with other people's property, don't do it on a pink bike!