{"id":127112,"date":"2025-09-10T08:01:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/127112\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T08:01:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:01:38","slug":"farewell-to-a-vintage-bike-guru-and-local-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/127112\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell to a vintage bike guru and local legend"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Josh<\/p>\n

Josh Weinberg<\/p>\n

I’ve been part of numerous cycling circles over the years. Whether it’s roadie group rides, weekly mountain bike races, or bike shop events, syncing with my local cycling community(s) has always been a priority. And, when traveling, I try to do the same \u2013 riding with locals is often the best way to experience a new zone. <\/p>\n

Observing the variety of equipment and riders at these two-wheeled get-togethers is almost as fun as the actual riding that eventually takes place. From serious racer types to others who show up merely on a mission for some mid-week heart rate spikes, the contrast between lightweight racing machines and recreational rigs is what I enjoy most. And nine times out of 10, a small faction or lone rider is rolling up to the start line on bikes that are older than the collegiate racers in the bunch. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chris “Scooby” Capages is one such local legend in Phoenix, AZ. He’s been an integral part of the Arizona cycling community since the 1990s. He has wholeheartedly embraced the bikes and associated technology of that era, which he would likely refer to as the sport’s Golden Age. <\/p>\n

I first met him at a race series we have during the summer months, as motivation to get out of the house and ride on scorchingly hot days. Scooby always stood out, racing on vintage equipment that contrasted with the modern bikes and components others used. And most weeks, he was on a different bike, showing off the depth of his collection \u2013\u00a0from a full-suspension J\u00fcrgen Beneke World Cup DH championship-replica Manitou to a quirky Bianchi Cervino he converted to a drop-bar MTB with period-correct front suspension. Each one features painstaking attention to detail. <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

“I could never leave well enough alone, customizing my Huffy in some way to make it as fast as my buddies’ Redline,” Scooby told me, referring to his initial misconception that “building a bike from frame up would cost less than buying one off the showroom floor.” He didn’t let this realization stop him, however, and stayed committed to “build it the way I wanted to and [making his bikes] truly one of a kind.”<\/p>\n

As the years went by, I learned that he was more than just a retro aficionado, but had been integrally connected to the community for years. We owe the foundation of many of the area’s mainstay events and races in large part to his involvement. So, when Scooby announced he was moving away, nearly across the country to Arkansas, I decided it was a good time to document some of his contributions and, of course, a portion of his bike collection. <\/p>\n

\"\"\/\"\"<\/p>\n

Scooby moved to Phoenix in 1994 and, soon after, started mountain biking on the chunky singletrack trails of the city’s crown jewel, South Mountain Park, aboard his mother’s rigid Univega Alpina. And if you’ve ridden South Mountain, even recently, and think it’s technical now, imagine what it was like in the 90s on a rigid bike!<\/p>\n

He started racing in 1997, with the first event being the Cactus Cup at WestWorld\u00a0in Scottsdale. Around that time, he befriended a fellow rider named Craig, who sold him his first real mountain bike frame \u2013\u00a0a Manitou hardtail. The pair “became riding buddies,” according to Scooby, and “every weekend we would pick a ride from the Cosmic Rays trail bible and go out; this was way before cell phones.” <\/p>\n

\"CTA<\/a><\/p>\n

Like what you’re reading? There are many more pictures of sweet vintage bikes in this story, but you’ll have to be a member to read it. Escape Collective is 100% membership-funded, with no advertising and no affiliate links in our product reviews. Our work is only possible through your support. Need another reason to join? Our Member Purchase program offers discounts of 20% or more from participating brands like Velocio, Ritchey, Hunt Wheels and more (we get no revenue from your purchases; this is purely a member benefit).<\/p>\n


\n Learn more
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

More serious racing beckoned, and he was soon wrapped up in the local Mountain Bike Association of Arizona (MBAA) series for XC and downhill. There, he connected with “a bunch of characters like Dan Basinski who introduced me to many things about racing and music like Southern Culture on the Skids along with my other downhill racing buddy Dane Higgins the “Guru” who owns Guru Bike Shop down in Tucson now.”<\/p>\n

After recovering from breaking his back in a downhill race in 1999, Scooby joined a local race team called Missing\u00a0Link Racing, which was known as “a drinking team with a mountain bike problem.” Not long after, with a desire to take racing more seriously, he captained a few teams like Fetish Cycles Racing, Primus Cycling, Team Zumbala, Landis Cyclery, and concluded with Curbside Cyclery. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Scooby also had roles in the leadership side of Phoenix’s cycling community. Initially, it involved design work for MBAA. He started out creating logos, flyers, and race shirts, and later evolved into a role as trail coordinator, ultimately serving as board president. From instituting XC Marathon and enuro classifications, a variety of bleeding-edge developments took place during his tenure before becoming nationally popular. <\/p>\n

“I was also there the day [in 2007] that Tempe Bicycle\u00a0Action Group (TBAG) was formed over margaritas after a bike ride that would later become Short Track Papago (STP), aptly named by me,” said Scooby. He designed the TBAG and STP logos, both of which remain unchanged today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around 2011, Scooby’s interests shifted from mountain bike racing to vintage motocross. He rose to the “expert ranks,” not only as a racer but also as a builder. According to Scooby, “what the vintage motocross racing series\u00a0taught me was how important history is, especially with the bikes. That, combined with a knack for building things carried from building models as a kid, is when I started collecting and restoring mountain bikes.”<\/p>\n

And without further ado, I’ll hand off the mike to Scooby to tell us about six of the standout vintage bikes in his collection. <\/p>\n

1989 Wicked Fat Chance\u00a0<\/p>\n

You never know what you may find in a friend’s attic!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I started this project when a friend told me he had some old wheels (and a few other parts) collecting dust in his attic and if I wanted them? Of course I did!\u00a0 <\/p>\n

When I picked up the\u00a0wheelset, I was\u00a0amazed at what\u00a0a find this was. They were Bullseye hubs in a color scheme I had never seen before. Their Matrix aero rims were in relatively pristine\u00a0condition, albeit a bit dusty from being in the attic. When I saw these beautiful wheels, I knew I now had to build a Fat Chance. I scored a black Wicked Fat Chance frame for a reasonable price, and the build began.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

I researched the early ads for Fat Chance race bikes of the era. At that time, Second Spin Cycles was restoring a few of the early race bikes before the Yo Eddy was created. Hoss Rogers \u2013\u00a0a local, renowned cyclist who did paint work for those early bikes \u2013 confirmed that it was one of his paint schemes, so I replicated it the best I could.<\/p>\n

This post is for paying subscribers only
\n Subscribe now<\/a><\/p>\n

Already have an account? Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n

Did we do a good job with this story?<\/p>\n

\n \ud83d\udc4dYep
\n \ud83d\udc4eNope\n <\/p>\n

\n Tech features<\/a>
\n vintage mountain bikes<\/a>
\n MTB<\/a>
\n Mountain Bike<\/a>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Josh Weinberg I’ve been part of numerous cycling circles over the years. Whether it’s roadie group rides, weekly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-127112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}