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Bill Walton, still riding

Old 09-02-19, 03:55 PM
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Bill Walton, still riding

He rode to the parade in '77 on his bicycle, and rode to the unveiling of a new Trailblazer uniform.


I hope he locked up his bike this time.
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Old 09-02-19, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by gugie
He rode to the parade in '77 on his bicycle, and rode to the unveiling of a new Trailblazer uniform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=o4wD7dl5waQ

I hope he locked up his bike this time.
This was part of the Downtown Sunday Parkways that day, you gotta remember his bike is his "wheelchair" so he will probably be riding it till the end.
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Old 09-02-19, 04:02 PM
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I had the pleasure to meet his friend, Big John Murphy, who rode last year coast-coast, solo, on his mere 74cm bike (Chris Igleheart custom).

John is only 6'10". He's as nice a guy as I've ever met, and I'm guessing Bill is about the same, especially around bikes. They have a way of making you feel better.
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Old 09-02-19, 04:08 PM
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Bill Walton is one man that made my, "want to meet him in person, and ride with him" list early on. Great spokesman for cycling, and someone that keeps going, no matter how bad those knees, hips and feet are hurting him.

Bill
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Old 09-02-19, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by qcpmsame
Bill Walton is one man that made my, "want to meet him in person, and ride with him" list early on. Great spokesman for cycling, and someone that keeps going, no matter how bad those knees, hips and feet are hurting him.

Bill
Agreed, his back was where the "wheelchair" quote came from iirc.
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Old 09-02-19, 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
Agreed, his back was where the "wheelchair" quote came from iirc.
I picked up on that one, True Dat! I've read him express that with other wording in interviews, he probably hurts in places we don't even have nerve endings in......

Bill
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Old 09-02-19, 04:39 PM
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-----

Heard him on the radio the other evening being interviewed about his band and their touring schedule.

Non-stop positive high energy.

---

Ran into him by chance once. It was a Saturday afternoon in October one year in the early 1970's.

He was having lunch at a sandwich shop with a young lady in Piedmont, California.

Did not attempt to speak to him as I figured he gets way too much of that in any case. Much kinder not to stare.


-----

Last edited by juvela; 09-02-19 at 05:08 PM. Reason: addition
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Old 09-02-19, 04:59 PM
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For Bill [aka, thread needed sound] ...


Always liked the vocal timbre of that track. It's about a 12 minute wait...
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Old 09-02-19, 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by RobbieTunes
I had the pleasure to meet his friend, Big John Murphy, who rode last year coast-coast, solo, on his mere 74cm bike (Chris Igleheart custom).

John is only 6'10". He's as nice a guy as I've ever met, and I'm guessing Bill is about the same, especially around bikes. They have a way of making you feel better.
That's a builder we almost never hear about, darn shame too. He's in PDX now, great guy, talked with him a couple of times .

No pics of that bike?
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Old 09-02-19, 05:16 PM
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Rip city baby
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Old 09-02-19, 05:37 PM
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As mascot of Clean Bottle

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Old 09-02-19, 05:39 PM
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Yessir, rip city.



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Old 09-02-19, 05:55 PM
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A few Bill Walton stories-

He fully endorsed a bicycle to supplement training, he had tender feet even while at UCLA, running was not a low injury exercise.
Had big feet, adidas made cycling shoes for him, they were huge. I want to say size 16.
Art Stump made a set of auxiliary quill plates to help support his foot width.
He somehow got a pair of Falcon bikes, road and track. As big as they could make.
The 18" seatposts were by Gil Hatton, Gibby Hatton's father who was a terrific machinist.
This was back in the days of the ABLofA, the last vestige of the corinthians, there was serious discussion if he would be allowed to race after he signed a pro contract.

Upon graduation, he had planned that the members of his National Championship winning UCLA team got matching bicycles as gifts from him.

My Mom worked at a bank near UCLA where he was a customer, she climbed up onto a bench in the lobby when he came in once, and got his attention by her behavior, he laughed when she told him, "I wanted to see what it's like up here".
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Old 09-02-19, 06:16 PM
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I watched some of the Tour of California on NBC this year, and on one stage in SoCal (I forget which one), the camera crew passed him riding his bike, and got an interview. The surprising part was that the meeting occurred during an ascent on a mountain stage. Good for Bill.

Oh, almost forgot... GO WARRIORS!!
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Old 09-02-19, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by repechage
A few Bill Walton stories-

He fully endorsed a bicycle to supplement training, he had tender feet even while at UCLA, running was not a low injury exercise.
Had big feet, adidas made cycling shoes for him, they were huge. I want to say size 16.
Art Stump made a set of auxiliary quill plates to help support his foot width.
He somehow got a pair of Falcon bikes, road and track. As big as they could make.
The 18" seatposts were by Gil Hatton, Gibby Hatton's father who was a terrific machinist.
This was back in the days of the ABLofA, the last vestige of the corinthians, there was serious discussion if he would be allowed to race after he signed a pro contract.

Upon graduation, he had planned that the members of his National Championship winning UCLA team got matching bicycles as gifts from him.

My Mom worked at a bank near UCLA where he was a customer, she climbed up onto a bench in the lobby when he came in once, and got his attention by her behavior, he laughed when she told him, "I wanted to see what it's like up here".
A.D.Stump -- there's a name I haven't heard in awhile. When I worked at weekends and holidays at Bikecology to help pay for grad school at UCLA, A.D. occasionally came by on one of his superlight (by early 1970s standards) road bikes, finished in gorgeous black chrome. Great guy and meticulous craftsman.
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Old 09-02-19, 06:26 PM
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I was passed by Bill Walton on a climb on the Tijuana/Ensenada ride, around 1980 I think. He was with the Clippers at the time but struggling with rehab from injuries. Big guy, big bike. He was just chugging along while seated, that easygoing pace Miguel Indurain had on climbs years later. I never could climb that easily.

Looks like his joints are really stiff, just watching the short distance he moved in that first video clip above.
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Old 09-02-19, 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by John E
A.D.Stump -- there's a name I haven't heard in awhile. When I worked at weekends and holidays at Bikecology to help pay for grad school at UCLA, A.D. occasionally came by on one of his superlight (by early 1970s standards) road bikes, finished in gorgeous black chrome. Great guy and meticulous craftsman.
Yes, a gentleman. I purchased a set of front dropouts from him, I still have them for a fun project.
I wish I had popped for his rear dropouts too, but was wary of being able to be perfect enough for verticals.
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Old 09-02-19, 07:36 PM
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He has big feet. 😉 I wasn't a big Trailblazer fan, but happened to be in Portland one year in the late '80s (?) when they made the playoffs. I was still drinking like a fish, and Portland knows how to drink. 😉
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Old 09-02-19, 10:48 PM
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I read his book from our local library when it came out. His bicycle book that is. Very inspiring. He is a cool and humble guy.
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Old 09-03-19, 09:54 AM
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If visited Action Sports in Beaverton, run by the late Carl Lusenkamp, and if your timing was right, you could sometimes see Walton’s bike hanging up waiting for repairs. It was pretty easy to spot. That is, if you could tear your eyes away from the shocking (for the 70’s) photo mural of a line of pro riders answering a call of nature along the side of a road.
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