Industry icon Gary Fisher at the Summit: “I regret never coming before”

National Bike Summit 2010 - Lobby Day-6

Mr. Fisher goes to Washington —
in a Dashing Tweeds suit.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Bike industry titan Gary Fisher is hard to miss here at the Summit. A pioneer of mountain bikes in the 1980s, Fisher has gone on to be the namesake of a successful bike brand, a fashion icon, and one of only a few celebrities the bike world can call our own. He’s done a lot for biking over the years, but this is the first time he’s ever been to the National Bike Summit.

“I regret not coming before,” Fisher told me in the breakfast buffet line prior to our pep rally on Capitol Hill this morning. “I just never really made the effort.” So why this year? Fisher said his presence is the result of a classic case of arm-twisting. “Everybody kept telling me, ‘You’ve gotta’ go to this thing!'”

“We’ve got something very special here… a powerful grassroots movement.”

Fisher is just part of a huge contingent here from Trek Bicycle Corporation (Gary Fisher Bicycles is owned by Trek). There are 105 people in attendance thanks to Trek. Most of them are dealers, but a healthy handful are from their corporate offices. Trek President John Burke — who you might recall for his stirring “Inconvenient Truth” presentation at the 2007 Summit — is one of the brightest stars in a growing constellation of industry a-listers who support bike advocacy.

National Bike Summit 2010 Day 2-11

Fisher attended a session on
youth cycling yesterday.

Fisher says he’s impressed at how professional and organized the bicycle lobby is, but adds that it’s still the passion that sets them apart. “We’ve got something very special here… a powerful grassroots movement.”

And Fisher knows a thing or two about grassroots movements. He and his friends in Marin were laughed at when they came up with this crazy thing called a mountain bike. The industry barely gave them the time of day. But eventually, the mountain bike become wildly popular and ushered in an entire new era of bicycling in America.

Hopefully, with Fisher’s help, the bike advocacy movement will have similar results.


Bike Summit coverage sponsored by Planet Bike. More stories on our special coverage page.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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david....no! the other one
david....no! the other one
14 years ago

An outdoor and bicycle icon, with excellent taste in attire, very natty Mr. Fisher.

ginger
14 years ago

Thanks for the great coverage Jonathan!

Rick in Sac
14 years ago

And that, my friends, is why I want Gary Fisher to be in Sacramento for our next Tweed Ride…he looks awesome!

Donna
Donna
14 years ago

I just can’t keep this one inside. Those of you who know me know that I love socks. Really love socks. Gary’s socks, however, are just too much for that particular outfit.

There, I said it. I feel better now.