1977 Craig Mitchell friend of Charlie Cunningham im Album #l Early Days Aluminum & Steel Homage (Race ATB, DH Klunking wide bar n big wheels research)🔧🔗

He helped in his late years to found White industries and was for sure THE Pioneer of the bullet shape dropouts, that were later copied by Fat Chance & others such as Carl S. on the early 29ers

Charlie and Craig would meet at Sunshine Bikes bikeshop and share their latest ideas .. they also both had a think for fast light bikes with super small wheels

THE first bike he build as a one off custom for Charlie Kelly was made of road tubing with drum brakes and the new ballooner tires.. way before the prototype Breezer came along.

Gary Z. Fisher,
"I was privileged to know Craig Mitchell (rip) he was an actual engineer, taught at the local college and was a very competent frame builder. He made at least 20 really nice recumbent bikes, he made all kinds of strange, off-road bikes a lot with 20 inch wheels. He did many frame modifications and repairs as well. He was the first person I ever saw mount a Shimano disc brake on his off-road bike in the 70s.

I worked along side Craig, Doug White and Paul Brown at Sunshine Bikes in Fairfax in the mid 70’s. Our boss and owner Ed Christensen gave us a long leash and would buy whatever we asked him to buy. Honestly, these guys and Charlie Cunningham dropping by on a regular basis and creating crazy stuff were a fantastic inspiration .
Craig made the first from scratch all chrome moly 26 x 2,125 inch off-road bike in Marin County. A good six months before Joe Breeze made his first.
Craig designed that frame with drum brakes in mind because alloy rims did not exist in that size. the 26 inch alloy rim was not available until the spring of 1979. We were all stuck with steel chrome plated rims.
The problem with chrome plated, steel rims, and rim brakes is that they didn’t work at all when they are wet..
Here is a bike he made and brought to the race, note the thin sheets of aluminum panels, Craig was after the aero effect!"