Please take a moment, after appreciating the exquisite craftsmanship of the CCProto, to make a donation towards Charlie Cunningham’s recovery at https://www.gofundme.com/w85tn3dg

CCPROTO was built from large diameter aluminum tubing. The fork had a tubular chromemoly crown with blades made of butted toptubes. The titanium chain guide and the super-light, machined magnesium stem were made from materials found at a South Bay military surplus scrap yard. The bike weighed 24.5 pounds. While riding CCPROTO on Marin’s single-track trails and fire roads, he critically evaluated every aspect of the machine’s design and performance. During this period anything that could be improved was, even the frame geometry. Charlie twice sawed the toptube and downtube out of the frame, altering angles and wheelbase as he perfected the handling. (The 1979 photo shows the butt-welds in one of these versions, several inches from the ends of the tubes.) When finalized in late 1979, CCPROTO embodied many unprecedented features, some of which were adopted by the bike industry in following years.

“When you build a bike to meet your own exacting riding style it becomes like an extension of your body.” This is the magic of a custom bike. But there is much more to a bicycle than the sum of its parts, no matter how good the parts are. Charlie’s bikes demonstrate a relentless pursuit of function-based design, producing its own aesthetic. “The mountain bike harmonizes the rider with the terrain. In this hypno-device era, breath, presence and movement have become profoundly important. Self-propulsion as part of our daily life can really contribute to personal and planetary well-being. The awareness that develops can produce a deep sense of responsibility and guardianship so needed today. The best way to communicate my truth is to live it.”