Craig Kundig

Filed under Hall Of Fame on April 22, 2012 | Comment(s)

In a way, all cruiser racers have Craig Kundig to thank for the creation of the class they race. For it was Kundig, as owner of RRS (Riverside Redlands Schwinn), who put one of his fastest amateur team members on a 24 inch bike that quickly put the 26 inch beach-cruisers to bed and created the industry standard of 24 inch wheels on a cruiser. (Of course, it helped when that rider -- Joe Claveau, went on to become ABA National No.1 Cruiser rider.) That year was 1981. Around that same time, Craig Kundig was also running the infamous Corona BMX track--still talked about today as THEE gnarliest track in all of BMX. When the property was sold to homebuilders, Craig was forced to shut down the track and with it; put an end to the era of radical down hills that wouldn`t come back to the sport until recently with the ESPN downhill series.

Also in the 80`s, Craig formed the legendary RRS Team; and created his own RRS frames. These frames had many state-of-the-art features that went on to become industry standards. While everyone else welded on brake bridges for caliper brakes, Craig Kundig was the first to add cantilever mounts -- something the entire bike industry does today because of superior and more even braking. The geometry of Kundig`s RRS frames was also unique, with head tube angles and bottom bracket heights way ahead of their time. And then there were features that still haven`t caught on, such as his stationary rear dropouts that utilized an eccentric bottom bracket to tighten the chain. Very few frames since the RRS have ever been so well thought out. As a long time bike shop owner, running two to three stores, Craig Kundig has long been a strong supporter of the local cycling scenes over three decades. By supporting BMX, mountain and road bike teams and sponsoring local events, Kundig and his chain of stores can be an example for dealers around the country to follow. His Riverside/Redland`s supported bike shop team went on to win THREE IN A ROW of ABA`s coveted No.1 Bike Shop Titles in the late 90`s and four titles total. From his bike shop roots that still successfully thrive today, to his officiating for NORBA, Craig Kundig has not only contributed to the sport of BMX, but to all of cycling, for many decades.