SACRAMENTO, CA (BRAIN)—A Yolo County prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments that tree trimmer and convicted felon Charles Cunningham was responsible for the June, 2006 murder of John Finley Scott, the man many credit to having invented the mountain bike.
It was Scott, who, in 1953, outfitted a Schwinn bicycle with balloon tires, multiple gears and more powerful brakes, calling it his "woodsie bike." He was among the first in the United States to make a sport out of bombing down mountains on a bicycle, according to many cycling historians. Scott was recently featured in the movie “Klunkerz” —a documentary on the history of mountain biking.
Scott, a retired UC Davis professor, was also a staunch advocate of bicycling. In the 1970s, he lobbied the California Legislature to establish modern traffic laws that treat bikes much like cars.
Check back with Bicycle Retailer and Industry News to find out what the verdict was in the case. —Jason Norman
