Early Whiskeytown Racer

Mountain Goat frames were made in Chico, CA, by Jeff Lindsay a member of the mountain bike hall of fame. Jeff began producing mountain frames in 1981, and continued into the late '90s. The "Whiskeytown Racer" was the name of Mountain Goat'a racing frame, which was introduced about the time this frame was made. This is an early Whiskeytown which is completely fillet brazed, unlike the later ones which were TIG-welded.

The Whiskeytowns had shorter chain stays and a steeper head tube angle than the other models available from Mountain Goat. The majority of Mountain Goat frames made prior to the Whiskeytown were made using a flatten tube set which is associated with the later "Deluxe" model, but the Whiskeytown came with more standard round tubes. The bike rides very well, and feels more "modern" than other bikes of the era.

Beyond the race team paint and fillet brazed joints, one of the coolest features of the frameset is the custom Henry James fork crown with the embedded Mountain Goat logos. The fork crown is one of the more unique mountain bike crowns ever made, and the customized logos and two-tone paint make the fork stand out as one of the most interesting on early mountain bikes.

In 2006, First Flight Bikes in North Carolina revived the Mountain Goat name by offering frames which are reminiscent of the vintage Goats. The team paint is once again available on mountain frames. As odd as the orange and green combination sounds, some how the Whiskeytowns pull it off.

- el 9/21/07