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/ Oral History of Steve Potts

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Title
Oral History of Steve Potts
Contributing Institution
Mill Valley Public Library
Collection
Mill Valley History Online
Rights Information
Please contact the contributing institution for more information regarding the copyright status of this object.
Description
Esteemed mountain biking pioneer Steve Potts was born and raised in Tamalpais Valley. From an early age, Steve learned to live with and off the land, learning to hike, fish, and hunt. These formative experiences led to a lifelong connection with Mt. Tamalpais and the great outdoors. After taking to bicycle riding as a child, Steve developed an interest in motorcycle racing while at Tamalpais High School and became a professional motorcycle racer at the age of 17. Shortly thereafter, Steve turned his sights to mountain biking. In his oral history, Steve shares his passion for mountain biking and explains how he ventured into building and repairing mountain bikes; first as a personal project, and later, as a profession. Steve was a co-founder of Wilderness Trail Bikes, a successful producer of mountain bike parts, and later began selling custom, hand-built bicycles through his own Steve Potts Bicycles brand. Steve shares his insight as a craftsman and builder, emphasizing the important lessons learned from developing a skilled trade. He also discusses the changes he's witnessed in Mill Valley and the importance of family, particularly the influence his parents had on his life and his connection with his two sons.
Identifier
89C31850-0810-4FD4-A609-593440284000
2016.017.001
Subject
Bicycles
Bicycling
Breeze, Bill
Breeze, Joe
Cunningham, Charlie
Entrepreneurs
Exploration
Motorcycle racing
Motorcycles
Mt. Tamalpais
MV history - Music and counterculture (1960s and 1970s)
Oral history - Local business
Oral history - Sports and recreation
Potts, Brennan
Potts, Daniel
Potts, Frank
Potts, Jeanette
Potts, Lloyd
Potts, Ron
Slate, Mark
Youth

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