John Tomac and the Legend of the Yeti C-26 | TPC Museum Series | TPC

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For the last 30 years, the most iconic mountain bike in the world has been hidden away in a cardboard box in the back of Zapata Espinoza’s garage… until now. Follow us on a journey as TPC and Zap visit John Tomac's legendary Flying T Ranch and reunite him with his World Championship drop-bar Yeti C-26. Tomac narrowly missed the podium that day, but his unique Yeti C-26 will be remembered forever.
We sit down with John, Zap, and "the bike" in his garage, surrounded by memorabilia from his career and his son Eli's. For the last 20 years, John has been coaching his son Eli Tomac as he rewrites the history books for Motocross and Supercross. We talk about his career, the mystique around the Yeti C-26, and the inaugural Mountain Bike World Championships in Durango Colorado.
Of course our trip to Durango wouldn't be complete without a visit to Chris Herting's workshop where we discover the real story behind the design of C-26 and put the rumors to rest once and for all. Oh yeah, and don't forget the always entertaining Yeti Founder, John Parker. John joins in to give us a glimpse into what Yeti was like back in the early 90's.
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00:00 Intro
00:55 John Tomac
03:19 The Yeti C-26
05:20 John Tomac racing career
07:52 C-26 name
12:30 Easton partnership
16:04 21.5 lbs
22:55 World Championships
25:23 What happened to the C-26

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Опубликовано:

21 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 198

@randyhale4181 10 месяцев назад

John Tomac the rider that everybody wanted to be.❤❤

@christopheryack580 10 месяцев назад

What a time to be alive back then. I raced Slingshots and Pro-Flex's in the 90's...saw Tomac beat Tinker at Mt Snow...and saw Missy G break her collarbone. Tomac would race cross country and downhill....nobody else was doing that as far as I can remember. It was the best of times...no computer modeling for equipment yet so many new products were suspect. You learned how to manage risk back then :) No internet or social media...you found out where races were by looking in the back of Dirtrag magazine.

@briansmallwood4095 8 месяцев назад

I remember in a weekend we would race the cross country (3 - 4 hours), the uphill, the downhill and later the dual slalom!

@MM-xr6tz 10 месяцев назад

John T and Zap, legends. MTB Action was my life growing up in England. Durango, Moab etc were places I'd never heard of growing up. The mag took me on a wild journey, absolute best period in cycling for me. Great documentary thanks 👌

@Automobiliana 10 месяцев назад

Same feelings, but in Stockholm, Sweden. MBA was everything during this period

@lincoln3x7 9 месяцев назад

The best era of cycling for me... I love that I got to ride in the same era... I made the journey and rode Moab and Durango.. raced in Steamboat, gives me mixed feelings of joy and sadness for that time that's gone now.

@glennoc8585 9 месяцев назад

Yeah I was the same in the UK then later in Australia. I even mail ordered parts from a bike shop in California San Luis Obispo

@vaughanwatson3561 10 месяцев назад

Wow, thanks to the visionaries who put this together, both the bike back in the day and this video!

@Ma660t5andw1ch 10 месяцев назад

Too bad the bike was sitting in Zap’s garage for 30 years. Shame on him, this bike should be seen.

@theproscloset 10 месяцев назад

You bet!

@JohnDough-yr2zt 10 месяцев назад

Tomac passed me by in a race at Mt Shasta once. Pros did a nine mile loop and came back on course behind some of us. I was jammin through a rocky section, and Tomac flew by me like I was standing still. That was rigid bike days.

@Summersolstice0621 7 месяцев назад

I was a sports reporter back in the day and I was interviewing the Canadian National champion, and he told me he was on a nasty hairpin turn scrubbing off speed so he didn’t crash in a race once and Tomac came flying up behind him DIDN’T slow down, jammed on the front brake, turned the bike on the front wheel and was gone down the hill in the blink of an eye.. leaving the Canadian Champion shaking his head in disbelief!!❤

@wallyr.7854 10 месяцев назад

This has to be one of the most awesome mountain bike history videos I’ve ever watched! And what can you say about JT, the man is a living legend. To whoever put this video together, thank you so, so, so, SO much 🙏🏻

@VinhTran-rr9zr 10 месяцев назад

the very first gravel bike

@PipgrasCNC 10 месяцев назад

Ran into John at a grocery store during the Traverse city NORBA race. Super nice guy! I was probably 13 years old.. I’ll never forget it.

@raykleiner3151 10 месяцев назад

OMG what a video. John Tomac is a true legend in every sense of the word. Those early days were the best, no front suspension, figuring stuff out and then the evolution of the bikes and suspension technology. John T still is respected all over the world to this day. Thanks for posting.

@DIASDEMUSICA 27 дней назад

Jonh Tomac is a real true legend !!! He made it so easy ... and the inventor of actual "gravel" :D

@raulmartinez5511 10 месяцев назад

Awesome!! 45 year old dude from Spain here, feeling like I'm 14 again, I was lucky enough to see his style in person during 1993 Llinars del vallès Grundig World Cup race, awesome memories, a Forever Hero for most of us, Cheers!!

@briansmallwood4095 8 месяцев назад

So great to see Johnny T, Zap and John Parker in this video! John Parker gave me the Yeti forks I used in the 1989 Worlds at Mammoth. I was racing out of South Lake Tahoe and trained with friend Jimmie Donnell, 3 time expert national mtb champion. When JT put those drops bars on his bikes, we all tried to emulate it, I remember putting Cinelli 44's on my Specialized Stumpjumper Pro! Basically what is now called a gravel bike. In 1990 I turned Pro on Klein so could not use any special parts, other than Ringle skewers, (thx Jeff Ringle!) My first Klein attitude was stolen at the Norba National #1 in Big Bear. A month later, I won the Quicksilver Classic in San Jose but had no support from Klein and felt betrayed, so I cracked mentally and the year was shot. In 1991 I rode briefly for Raleigh, same team as Johnny T. (his Raleigh was custom made) My bike was 5 pounds heavier than the Klein so I got my ass kicked at the Durango Norba and became a roadie after that. ahh history...... same as so many starving racers on the edge of greatness.

@shanelahousse3344 7 часов назад

Thanks for capturing the history.

@andreasdesch6142 10 месяцев назад

Watching from Germany and a smile brightens my face seeing two of my early Mountainbike Heroes Tomac and Zap plus a few others telling this great and very personal story about the C-26! Great nostalgia, history lesson, retromania and a fun video to watch. Just have to search for that photo of Zap and me at the worlds in Vail 2001 ;)

@jameskellogg1162 10 месяцев назад

Great video ! I'm so happy that I was able to move from motorcycle racing to mountain biking in 1990 when the sport was blowing up . Started racing on full ridged steel and then aluminum and titanium . Now it's carbon . I still ride my vintage bikes and love them . I even have a Raleigh titanium John Tomac mountain bike that was handmade in England . I'm 64 and still love mountain biking ! Thanks for the video

@samueljennings6380 10 месяцев назад

Love the on any Sunday tracks in the background!

@martin.B777 7 месяцев назад

WOW, love this episode! And the classic soundtrack music from "On any Sunday" is epic.

@Albert-Duz-It Месяц назад

I have owned a Tomac Cortez for 16 years now. I love the bike like the first day. One of the most beautiful and timeless frame ever built.

@raulmanashky328 9 месяцев назад

That bike even today is a work of art.. designed by people with a passion in life 👍

@brianmartindale2221 9 месяцев назад

The Tomacs are great American champions and John may be the single most talented bicycle rider I've seen with my eyes. Super, super nice man, too. The late 80's and early 90's were a fantastic time to be involved with mountain biking. So many freaks and weirdos, but John Tomac was definitly the man! I set up a bike like that drop bar C-26, which was great until I stabbed the bar-end shifter into my thigh in a really stupid crash lol (I can lol now, but damn did that hurt!)

@riderrunco 10 месяцев назад

The best thing on RU-vid, thanks zap

@danielarredondo 10 месяцев назад

What a great video, amazing stories with the iconic Yeti C-26, you guys should make a video of that John Tomac’s garage!

@jonnyrockall1832 10 месяцев назад

What a treat to watch and listen to the history from the group that made this project happen. I was fortunate to experience this era and feel the excitement and energy that Johnny T and this bike created. It was a magical time. Thanks Zap!

@scottlink1693 10 месяцев назад

It was a great time to be a part of mountain biking... Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Y'all are legends!

@Emailoadresstevez 10 месяцев назад

Zap is so cool...glad he's prominent in this video

@Summersolstice0621 7 месяцев назад

I can not tell you how much this brought me back into the heyday of mountain biking! I couldn’t wait for the next magazine to come out and there was Tomac on the cover! Awesome trip down memory lane!

@mattoni1972 9 месяцев назад

John is a legend. Greetings from Slovakia

@ploglet 10 месяцев назад

Fantastic story and images. Tomac was such an amazing rider and cool to see the C-26 and hear John's thoughts on the bike. Both were ahead of their time back then. Thanks for the video.

@theproscloset 10 месяцев назад

Couldn't agree more!

@henkkatoivonen 10 месяцев назад

For me the best mtb ciclist from the origen. Pioneer.

@Greg41982 10 месяцев назад

I remember this bike. So boss.

@mikesimms3380 10 месяцев назад

I remember seeing that bike. He used to ride it all around the hills above Simi Valley...It was different with the drop bars and knobbies. Tomas was the king of that era.

@bbarber6845 10 месяцев назад

Nice trip down memory lane. Thanks

@carloshermandealbagamboa6676 9 месяцев назад

John Tomac. El Rockstar del Mountain Bike.! The one and only, cross country Champion and downhill Champion..

@psclassy1123 9 месяцев назад

This is great stuff. Not everyone can enjoy or value what this is about but if you were younger back in the early 90s riding you do. Thank you RU-vid and companies like TPC . Got a picture of Tomac but like Zap said it happened quickly. After the race and winning Johnny T was out of breath and I kept my distance thinking who want to be confronted after finishing a race. Wish I pushed my way in to get a autograph later.

@therealjd1503 10 месяцев назад

So cool as am Eli fan to see where he gets it from. I’ve always heard about his dad but never seen anything like this. Epic, thanks

@Mtb9r 10 месяцев назад

Lined up next to Tomac and his son. It was 1994 mammoth mountain 5 year old and under kids race. His son was on a John deer tricycle my son was on a bike I had just built for him, a 16” custom bike. My son won that race😊. Running at 9000ft😮. Happy Trails

@justinloretz5691 10 месяцев назад

I've been an unashamed John Tomac fanboy since 87. Loved every minute of this. Congrats to Zap and all at TPC. Well overdue. That I have had the pleasure of hanging out and riding with JT over the years is a privilege that I cherish. #GOAT #laidout #scoopopen #goingforit

@y2fmc 10 месяцев назад

You were one of my heroes (as well as JT) back in the day Justin. Your DOGSBOLX with the Disk Drive still lingers in my memory.

@justinloretz5691 10 месяцев назад

@y2fmc thanks Regan 😊 mtb4life ❤

@sarahdell4042 10 месяцев назад

What a cool story!

@marksevy 10 месяцев назад

Nice job TPC! - young HBizzle riding road at 23:42 is the best🤌

@TLervis 9 месяцев назад

I was a 10 year old kid and I loved that bike.

@therealfrankthewelder 10 месяцев назад

Awesome film! Thanks for the memories!

@charleswhite7612 10 месяцев назад

Awesome video! Love love love it! I got into mountain biking in ‘91 & I remember all of this. The GOAT! Bonus points for the On Any Sunday soundtrack in the background. Greatest motorcycle movie ever & the song and this video crossover my two-wheeled worlds. Gracias!👍😉🙏

@John_D2 9 месяцев назад

I have a vintage Rock Shox poster of John Tomac going downhill in a skin suit, hanging on my wall. I had Tioga farmer John tires back in the late 80's. Yep , been a fan that long.

@randycallow3736 10 месяцев назад

Funny facts about bike racing..I personally saw JT do a training race on a mountain bike and keep up with road bikes.. and the road world sat in disgust as Tomac an interloper came on the scene and won a national championship on the road..he and his son are just super human specimens of speed

@11DRT 10 месяцев назад

I'm not a mountain biker I'm a dirt biker. I definitely know who John told Mac is. And I really enjoyed this video

@harveycasey1900 10 месяцев назад

That bike is still bad ass.

@daz_the_cyclist8961 10 месяцев назад

Wow this is awesome I meet JT once and he signed my Tioga Disk drive

@y2fmc 10 месяцев назад

I’ve seen the pics and heard the story ;) Hope you’re well mate.

@thomassanio8745 10 месяцев назад

Wish I kept that issue of Mtn Bike Action with the story of the C 26. Very well done. Thank you.

@ultraromance 10 месяцев назад

wow, this is as potent of a dopamine spike as my brain can handle! right down to the MTB mania Durango footage 🤩 thanks JT and Zap for everything!

@theproscloset 10 месяцев назад

Glad you enjoyed it!

@theproscloset 10 месяцев назад

The Surgeon General recommends watching such epic videos in moderation to avoid getting "hyperstoked."

@robotlou 10 месяцев назад

What a blast from the past. I recall drooling over every issue of Mountain Bike Action and figuring out how I was going to afford any of those shiny new bike parts. Ended up working at a bike shop in Milwaukee and spending too much money all the time on bike stuff. A really amazing period of innovation. Some great leaps! Some big fails. My first bike was a Diamond Back Advent with the oval "bio-pace" front rings. Not a long-lived tech but I rode it into the ground. I see what is available at the bike stores now and feel like I'm a caveman for wanting a straightforward 21 speed bike. Good times. Thanks for sharing.

@theproscloset 10 месяцев назад

Yeah, good luck finding anything with a 3x these days!

@robotlou 10 месяцев назад

@@theproscloset No kidding. I just rented a bike to ride some park trails in Virginia and it was a 1x9. Not the same vibe. That tiny front chainring was a BUMMER. LOL!

@fusabike 10 месяцев назад

This was an excellent video, and really brought back a lot of wonderful memories. I grew up in Europe, but live in the states now, and I can tell you that all the European racers were looking to the US for innovation, and between the C2 6 and the mountain cycle San Andreas, it really was amazing to see what was happening in the early 90s in mountain biking. It would be neat to see a documentary on how the aircraft industry in California pivoted to mountain biking Components when the defense industry was hit hard around that same time.

@durangodevo 10 месяцев назад

Such a special lil trip! Thank you!

@trwilliams22 10 месяцев назад

Wow, this is an incredible video. Thank you.

@andrewkummer5656 10 месяцев назад

Fabulous, thank you for putting this tale together.

@benheller4459 10 месяцев назад

So much nostalgia. This was great!

@rafeevans 10 месяцев назад

I watched him win the uphill, downhill and cross country races at Mt Snow in, was it, 1990? He was by far the most electric rider, catching air, hopping and floating stuff the rest of us feared. He was the opposite of cautious, conservative Ned Overend, who also won races but frankly was a bore to watch. His wheels never left the ground. Ned's big advantage was fast climbing. JT on the other hand was, imho, the master descender of his era. Add in a short but successful road career and the all-round-great accolades are well earned.

@seanmccuen6970 10 месяцев назад

started as a mountain biker at 17yo and now seasoned 'roadie' of 25+ years here, but Yeti is still my soul, favorite bike brand. early nineties was a special time.

@kevincragun4259 10 месяцев назад

Thank you!!!

@jpmorgen5726 10 месяцев назад

Thanks, the memories come flooding back, can almost hear the disc wheels noise!

@rayliebert5766 10 месяцев назад

I raced against John Tomac and Greg Herbolt in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany in the early 90s.

@bruce.KAY-bike-drifter 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for the nostalgic trip back down memory lane. John Tomac was my hero back then. It was truly awesome to see the C26. I forgot it had those crazy disc wheels and those centre-pull cantilever brakes. In those days my pride and joy was a Marin Bear Valley MTB that incorporated those same Manitou front forks. Hehe, we thought that range of travel, about 80mm, was huge. Learning to ride on a hardtail was a fantastic way to develop MTB skills. If I could manage to lift the front wheel over tree roots and rocks even a few inches high I thought it was awesome. Compared to most riders at the time, John Tomac was simply the best at bike handling. We watched videos and all aspired to pump and jump our bikes the way he did. Loved your video.

@aszent 10 месяцев назад

Wonderful documentation about John. He's the real MTB-hero of that wonderful sport. Goosebumps guaranteed! Wow!!!!!

@billromano5844 10 месяцев назад

Thank you TPC you earn your keep by being great cycling ambassadors with epic content like this. JT is the man and that C26? Hoo boy!

@scottandtammylewis532 10 месяцев назад

Very cool video! Thanks to all involved. JT was my hero back then. Had the pleasure of working with Zap at Cole Bros Suzuki back in the day. Seems like yesterday. Great job Zap. 👍🍻

@glennoc8585 9 месяцев назад

I pulled out my old manitou fork and the elastomers were shot too. In the 90s i got into mtb because of seeing John, julie, Kloser. I even bought Tioga tyres based on John's success.

@renaissanceman8564 10 месяцев назад

Best all around rider,,,1989 Mammoth Worlds we stayed two doors down from JT. So he comes out of his condo to test his 61 tooth chain ring a believe fo the downhill and a rear disc. That year we did the Norba circuit and watched John and Greg Herbold . I’m still riding a team 7-11😊Eddy Merckx . Hey Johnny, if you ever want to hunt moose in Canada or ice race we do it on dirt bikes in Kamloops my man

@kruschrhoades 9 месяцев назад

The GOAT OF GOATS!

@Charactermatters650 10 месяцев назад

64 soon and retiring…this was an amazing journey back…raced mountain bikes and trained the road for them…went thru all those progressions - like becoming a good mechanic so that I could afford racing 😂😂😂 learned to build wheels from Jobst Brandts book yada yada..Always loved Tomac, who didn’t? He is for sure the goat…I have a bike collection of old parts in my basement that goes all the way back to the scott uni fork with the Clark Kent upgrade - super hot for its time ha ha - also loved my old bridgestone, what an awesome bike - had much fancier in time, but really nothing rode like that looking back on it - thanks for the memories guys

@asa572 10 месяцев назад

That was seriously cool, thanks.

@bibnakladnistvo 10 месяцев назад

Got an autographed poster off him at Hunter mountain NY Grunding/Norba race in 1992. Such a cool guy. Also got to ride a yeti works downhill special with tioga rear wheel, met Missy Giove and Doug Bradbury of Manitou.. such great times..

@boboso7238 10 месяцев назад

This was very well done, thanks for capturing this in modern media. Man I wish all that ABC and ESPN footage would be remastered and put somewhere from all those races in the early 90's. Just like that MTV Sports one, with John and Greg.

@TimMurphysLaw 10 месяцев назад

Great video of Zap with John Tomac I remember seeing this bike for the first time when I was looking after Zap's house and his daughter Xakota's cats while he was at the Tour De France. Zap had left his garage door open. Could see the C-26 from his driveway. Last year I took some pics of the bike in his garage. He said "don't let it fall over"

@piercewasmund2042 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for this.

@y2fmc 10 месяцев назад

Epic video. I thought I knew all there was to know about the C-26’s history (and JT’s career) but learnt a lot here, bravo NM and team at TPC. JP always makes me laugh. No shit talking. Thank you all.

@scooter2163 10 месяцев назад

Excellent stuff! Johnny T!

@rochellestanley9532 10 месяцев назад

Great story, truly enjoyed the journey 🥇🇺🇸

@brianweaver8024 10 месяцев назад

It’s with great pride and admiration I can say that as a club racer at the time I was able to observe both he and Missy that weekend. It was amazing!!

@tedecker3792 10 месяцев назад

When John raced you could tell when he was approaching by the huge increase in the crowds volume, cheering for the GOAT!

@martinaxe6390 10 месяцев назад

I live in Cortez. I had no idea John Tomac lived in the area!

@dcxxx6850 10 месяцев назад

Great job on this subject! I was just getting into it back then and remember all the magazine articles etc. I always wanted an FRO.

@chrisnelson6991 10 месяцев назад

"Handmade in the USA." Was a great time in cycling. Mad geniuses Innovating, larger then life riders. Had character and soul and was exciting to see what was next around the corner. Awesome video, thank you.

@einundsiebenziger5488 9 месяцев назад

Mad genuises innovating*, larger than* life riders.

@edkrafsur2704 10 месяцев назад

Great video, love the history and inspires me to get out on my old and new bikes!

@chrissd08 10 месяцев назад

Dang, that was rad! I remember those days and the sound of that tioga wheel!

@Evaso_CC 10 месяцев назад

A great story, awesome!

@jefftoonstra5087 9 месяцев назад

Now I understand why Bearclaw Bikes out of Michigan named a drop bar fatbike after him, the Towmak 😮

@ferdinandmelchor4242 10 месяцев назад

Awesome story telling very interesting indeed!

@thomasdove2908 5 месяцев назад

Really good vid I went to the London bike show at Alexander Palace and had the pleasure of seeing all the old yeti bikes ,the gt bikes ,even met hans ray and got a gt poaster singed,a super day !

@donnovicki9771 10 месяцев назад

Johnny T, Ned Overend, and Julie Furtado, brought mountain biking to the world. There was no one better than Johnny T Without these people, and a handful of others mountain biking would never have gotten off the ground to be what it is today. Special shout out to : Tinker Juarez, and MIssy Giove, and Zapata Espinoza from Mountain Bike Action magazine. I believe Tomac was on the cover of MBA more than anyone else.

@rutlandcitybikes9729 10 месяцев назад

That was fun to see! The Tomac "Omen" was the first hub up bike I built in 2006'ish.?.? Still have it to this day.

@lgraff2301 10 месяцев назад

I was always a huge JT fan and now Eli my fave too!

@robertrishel3685 10 месяцев назад

Legendary! John Tomac🙏…and now his son Eli…🤯

@thehappytwo5442 10 месяцев назад

I remember these day's so well.. I was young and racing and riding all the time. My best MTB years were during these times. The best. Crap equipment but the best times.

@sdelling1 10 месяцев назад

Very well done!

@alexgonzalezMI 10 месяцев назад

Wow, the old interviews are like watching Eli now.

@suntzuwarsword1964 7 месяцев назад

Legend..ive got my tomac 220 primer down hiller and i love it

@artvandelay8030 9 месяцев назад

LEGEND TOMAC. 💯

@garrettdavis545 10 месяцев назад

Well done!

@hectorcampelloirles3248 10 месяцев назад

I was fortunate to see JT. the legend at the grunding mtb cup in Madrid. I photographed his jumps in the country house of the Spanish capital. A day to remember. Thats show