One of the bicycles I’ve owned over the years.
What Was It?
More than a mountain bike, Spotty was a legend.
Fundamentally a Technicomps Bigfoot, it’s birth was a long and laborious process starting with the purchase of a fluorescent orange Bigfoot frame at a bike show and a verbal promise to transfer all the components from a 17" model to the 20" frame. During the following two months, the person it was purchased from left the shop and the two new lads wanted nothing to do with it, consequently a lot of the components mysteriously changed down in spec.
It was a 20" Technicomps Bigfoot (Aluminium) mountain bike, set up more for touring than competition or offroad use. Technicomps were an Australian company based on the Gold Coast in Queensland, and produced both frames and entire bikes. A company called Genesis now – 1996 – operates from this premises, also producing aluminium bike frames, a different dealer in Sydney has the rights to the Technicomp name.
Where did it Go?
To many places… maybe too many places! To work, out for the afternoon, day rides, week long tours alone, week long tours with hundreds or thousands of others. See rides for additional details.
First ever ride
Home from the bike shop, then an attempt on a single track up Mt Majura (Canberra), the front deraileur hadn’t been adjusted, and I hadn’t checked it, one of the stop screws was tightened all the way to the limit, so the first time I changed onto the granny ring the chain came off and wedged between the cogs and chainstay. I had to take the cogs off to get it out!
Last ever ride
, Melbourne, up the old coach road from “The Basin” to Olinda near Mt. Dandenong, then, in the words of the Butthole Surfers, “Roaring like an avalanche, coming down the mountain”. Down Mt Dandenong to Ferntree Gully (Melbourne). On the way home I thought that it was handling exceptionally badly. When I got home I discovered that the downtube has cracked around 50% of its circumference, just behind the weld to the headstem! And so commenced an interesting tale of warranties, consumer rights and long distance phone calls…
As you can see it’s a very sociable bicycle and loves to meet new people, it was often seen hanging around outside pubs while on tour, waiting to meet new and interesting bicycles.
