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BoneshakerMTB Vintage Mountain Bike Show: A Tradition is Born
Earlier this month, BoneshakerMTB hosted the debut Vintage Mountain Bike Show in Toronto, Ontario. Over two days, more than 900 people stopped by the show to celebrate bicycle craftsmanship of the early 1980s and ’90s. Organizer Jake London put together a recap of the inaugural event for us. Find that paired with a gallery of photos from Nathan Petrie of Dismount Bike Shop here…
Words by Jake London, photos by Nathan Petrie
When I started BoneshakerMTB, I not only wanted it to be about riding bikes, but I wanted it to be about off-bike experiences as well. Creating a community that everyone could interact with; bringing cultural, artistic and social ideas to life.
In Toronto, we brave the winter and bike, but not everyone has a bike built for all-season weather. I didn’t want to let that stop the community from coming together.
I’ve always had a love for bikes, specifically vintage mountain bikes. To this day, I still only ride 26ers. Furthermore, I’ve always wanted to find a way to showcase the true craftsmanship, tech, and creativity of these bikes that I admired growing up. I felt that presenting them in a gallery setting would allow all types of people, bike lovers or not, to appreciate and learn about cycling in a form they had never before experienced.
I believe that the 1980s and ’90s were the golden ages of cycling. There was so much character and soul; you can see it in the personas of the pros, ads, catalogs, paint colorways, merchandise, and more. My goal was to immerse people in this world by displaying all these aspects under one roof. Back in the fall of 2023, I mentioned this idea to Trevor (the co-owner of Top Top Projects gallery) and on rides with Mason Lover (head of marketing at Gremlins Bicycle Emporium). We collectively decided that this had come to life by the winter of 2024.
This show would not have been possible without the help from the crew at Gremlins Bicycle Emporium, specifically Carson, Mason, Aaron, Evan, and Royce. Carson (the owner of Gremlins) is also a purist, but he has a deep love and vast knowledge of all bikes. Therefore, he easily became my right-hand man for this event.
The cycling community in Ontario is surprisingly big, but can feel so small as it is intertwined in so many ways. For example, I met Lucas Longman in a Facebook group buying parts. We talked regularly, showing each other builds and different parts we would come across before ever entertaining the idea of working together on a bike show. I had heard of Mike Berlin through the grapevine. Cam, the owner of My Little Bike Shop, showed me a photo of one of his 1993 Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy bikes and told me I had to meet the guy. Coincidentally, I later found out that Carson had been building Mike’s bikes for years. I connected with Mike on Instagram, who ended up letting me borrow his 1985 Ritchey Commando for a BoneshakerMTB photoshoot. Through all of this word of mouth and coincidental introductions, we were all able to end up collaborating on this show.
My favorite bikes from the show included the 1982 Cook Bros. Racing Alpine, 1990 Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy, 1993 Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy, 1989 Brodie Romax “Pinky,” and the 1987 Steve Potts Signature. Bikes that you love to stare at but would also eat up the trails if you had the opportunity.
Overall, the event was a huge success. With more than 900 people attending throughout the two and a half days, we received nothing but great feedback from the community. We even had the founder of Ripe Pipe (a Toronto-based bike brand), Krys Hines, show up to the show on his hand-built Ripe Pipe. He had gotten word of the show and traveled from Guelph all the way to Toronto. The best part was seeing the older cyclists geeking out, some expressing, “When I was your age, this was what you wanted,” while pointing to different builds on the wall. Someone even messaged me after saying that they left the gallery shaking.
Not only did we meet so many great people who shared remarkable stories from their experiences on the trails and their love of bikes in general, but we’re so glad we were able to grow our community in Toronto. We truly appreciate everyone who came out to the show; it was amazing to see so many new and familiar faces.
A special thank you to Gremlins Bicycle Emporium, Mike Berlin Mountain Bikes, Trevor Wheatley, Cosmo Dean, the team at Brockton, Dismount, Phil Gilmour, Daniel Bejarno, Ben Starko, and Leo Slonetsky. We can’t wait to host the second annual Vintage Mountain Bike Show in Toronto next year, but until then, more is planned for the 2024 season on and off the bikes. We have a lot going on, so stay tuned.
See you on the trails,
Jake London
BoneshakerMTB
About Jake London
After years of riding/racing mountain bikes, Jake London started BoneshakerMTB in fall 2023. It’s a community-focused bike club based in Toronto, Canada, that has already done group rides around the world and looks to reinvent the way we ride as a group. Merging arts/creativity and outdoor activities, Jake plans to leave his tire marks in the future of mountain biking. You can find him on Instagram at @Jake.London or @BoneshakerMTB.
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