Fairfax is a fitting home for a bike museum. The Marin Museum of Bicycling calls itself America's most comprehensive collection of road and mountain bike history. It celebrated its grand opening on June 6, 2015, according to Wikipedia.
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
The museum houses the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, which honors the pioneers of a sport with deep roots in Marin County. Wikipedia says the hall was founded in Crested Butte, Colorado, in 1988 and moved to Fairfax in 2014. The collection follows the mountain bike's development through influential designs from Tom Ritchey, Charlie Cunningham, Gary Fisher, Klein, Specialized and Cannondale. Joe Breeze is the head curator.
Golden Age bikes
The Igler Collection covers cycling's early years. Palo Alto NASA engineer Ralph Igler put it together. Highlights listed by Wikipedia include:
- An 1868 velocipede by Pierre Michaux, one of the earliest pedal-driven bicycles
- An 1880s Coventry Rotary tricycle, once the fastest human-powered vehicle
- An 1886 Rudge high-wheeler, one of the first to use modern ball bearings
- An 1898 Pierce shaft-drive bicycle from the company that later made the Pierce-Arrow car
A vintage road bike collection shows how frames, gears and brakes evolved. Wikipedia says it includes the Specialized Tarmac that Vincenzo Nibali rode to win the 2014 Tour de France, on loan from Specialized.
Visiting
The museum is a nonprofit. It hosts talks, film screenings and bike swaps, and members get free entry. Check its website for hours and events before you go.