1999 Toyota Schwinn Straight 8
"Dave Cullinan"
Dave Cullinan (USA)
DH World Champion 1992
DS World Cup Overall 2nd 1998
DH World Cup Round Wins: 1
DS World Cup Wins: 3
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Marin Museum of Bicycling / MTB Hall of Fame:
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It sounds cliché. In fact, it sounds so cliché to almost come across as sounding trite… but Dave Cullinan (born May 8th 1968 in Durango, CO) gave his heart to the sport of mountain biking. And not just once.
It all started in the late ’80s when the BMX rider burst onto the dual slalom and downhill racing scene with a level of confidence, style, and determination that immediately put him on the race-winning radar.
With a growing tally of NORBA National wins under his belt, it was Dave’s unthinkable performance at the 1992 World Championships in Bromont, Canada that his showstopping style hit a new high. As one racer after another rode up and over a massive ramp jump, “Cully” instead leaped over the structure to go on and win the rainbow jersey.
Unfortunately, on a downhill practice run at the 1993 World Championships in Metabief, France, Dave suffered an injury that would have consequential effects not just on his professional career, but his life. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he’d torn his aorta and it wasn’t until months later when the injury caught up with him resulting in an emergency run to the hospital for open-heart surgery.
Despite bouncing back and forth from the races to the hospital to undergo a series of additional heart surgeries, “Cully” never lost his passion and enthusiasm for the sport. He continued racing and winning.
Race historians, as well as World Champions like Leigh Donovan and Brian Lopes, credit Cullinan as the pioneer rider who not only blazed the trail for so many other BMX riders to follow, but also for the role he played in evolving much of the suspension, pedal, and drivetrain technology enjoyed by so many mountain bikers today.
Story of the bike
A Japanese sales post of this bike was shared on social media. Problem was that nobody in the US or Europe understood it or had contacts in Japan.
I asked on my Instagram if there were any Japanese speaking followers and I got a reply from a super nice guy in Japan.
He translated for me and got in contact with the seller, drove there to pick up the bike and shipped it to me before I even had paid him!
It was not all original, so I purchased a correct stem, bars, grips and seat post but finding a black Boxxer prototype fork will be difficult. I may have to repaint a Boxxer 181 from 2000 and put the XXX Boxxer stickers on it.
Even rarer are the Shimano 4-caliper prototype double-disc brakes with water cooling system and an external radiator.
According to ex-Shimano engineer Steve Boehmke, only about a dozen of those brakes have been produced for a few selected team riders and he even doesn't have a pair anymore.
The only brake set that I located is on Johnny Bottema's Intense M1, which is on display at the Troy Lee Designs HQ museum. (Click through photo gallery bellow)
These brakes were actually so powerful that riders complained.
Later that year the production model BR-M755 came on the market and Cully confirmed that he used those towards the end of the season.
The bike also came with Cully's signature Easton flat pedals.