Douglas Bradbury

1951- Born in West Los Angeles
 

1956- First Sting Ray
 

1960-Built first “downhill” skateboard
 

1961- Put a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine on a Schwinn Cruiser.
 

1965- First motorcycle, a Honda 90
 

1969- Graduate from Hamilton High, Los Angeles. Fail most classes except Industrial Arts & Auto Shop.
 

1969- Compound fractures in arm and leg from desert racing
 

1970- Lost front teeth desert racing. Quit desert racing.
 

1971-1973- Motocross racing, California. Want to stay alive, so quit motocross.
 

1973- Start riding Observed Trials on a Bultaco motorcycle.
 

1974-1976- Travel on the Observed Trials National Circuit with top-ten placing.
 

1975- Move to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
 

1976- Win “Ute Cup” Trials in Colorado. I finally get a win!
 

1976-1980- Ride Enduros and ISDT two-day Qualifiers Series. Quit to stay alive once again.
 

1982- Witness idiots on bicycles going over Pearl Pass while on a motorcycle ride.
 

1984- Attempt first mountain bike ride. Quit that to stay alive. I return to motorcycles.
 

1985- Can’t resist, buy a Ross “Mt. Whitney”
 

1985- After crashing more on the bicycle than motorcycle, decide to build a mountain bike that works. Manitou Mountain Bikes is born.
 

1987-1989- Barely make a living building mountain bike frames, straight blade forks, stems, 115mm front hubs and 145mm asymmetrical rear hubs.
 

1990- Build first Manitou suspension fork. Tomac wants one, so take one to Tomac and get two speeding tickets and lose license.
 

1990- Build first Easton prototype aluminum frame.
 

1991- Anaheim Trade Show, sell out year’s production in one day!
 

1992-1997- License Manitou products to Answer Products. Design 5 models of suspension forks, Three versions of the hard tail and two versions of the full-suspension frame. Obtain five patents.
 

1994- Inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.