Mountain biking

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Mountain biking is the sport of riding bicycles off of paved roads. It requires endurance, bike handling skills and self-reliance. It is an individual sport performed on dirt roads, fire roads, access roads, park trails and mountain trails. There are aspects of mountain biking that are more similar to trail running than regular bicycling. Because riders are often far from civilization, there is a strong ethic of self-reliance in the sport. Riders must learn to repair their broken bikes or flat tires to avoid being stranded miles from help. This reliance on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics of the sport. Club rides and other forms of group rides are common, especially on longer treks.

It is roughly broken down into three categories: cross country, downhill, and free riding. However all mountain bikes have a somewhat similar look, knobby tires, large round tubing, and usually some sort of suspension or shock absorbers. Mountain biking can be done anywhere from a back yard to a gravel road, but mountain bikers often prefer to ride trails they call singletrack, a narrow trail that winds through forest or fields. Mountain bikers describe a sense of euphoria that results from singletrack or downhill riding.

History of mountain biking

While bicycles have been ridden off-road since their invention, the modern sport of mountain biking originated in the United States in the 1970's. There were several groups of riders in different areas of the country who can make valid claims to playing a part in the birth of the sport. Riders in Crested Butte, Colorado and Cupertino, California tinkered with bikes and adapted them to the rigors of off-road riding. Other riders around the country were probably copying their friends with motorcycles and riding their bikes on trails and fire roads. However, a group in Marin County, California is recognized by the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame to have played a central role in the birth of the sport as we know it today. They began racing down Mount Tamalpais (Mt Tam) on old 1930's and 40's Schwinn bicycles retrofitted with better brakes and fat tires. This group included Joe Breeze, Otis Guy and Gary Fisher, among others. It was Joe Breeze who built the first new, purpose-made mountain bike in 1977. Tom Ritchey built the first regularly available mountain bike frame, which was accessorized by Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly and sold by their company called MountainBikes (later changed to Gary Fisher Bicycle Company). The first two mass produced mountain bikes were sold in 1982: the Specialized Stumpjumper and Univega Alpina Pro.

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A rider during a Cross Country race

In 1988 the Mountain bike hall of fame was founded, to chronicle the history of mountain biking, and to recognize the individuals and groups that have contributed significantly to this sport.


Equipment

Mountain bikes differ from road racing bicycles in several ways. They have a smaller and stronger frame, knobby tires on wheels that are wider and smaller in diameter, a lower range of gears to facilitate climbing up steep hills and over obstacles, a wider flat or upwardly-rising handlebar that allows a more upright riding position, and usually some form of suspension system for either the front wheel or both wheels. The inherent comfort and flexibility of the modern mountain bike has led to an estimated 80% market share in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

While it is estimated that only 10-20% of mountain bikes are actually ridden off-road, the sport of mountain biking has seen an explosion in popularity and diversification.

Further information: Mountain bike

Variations

In mountain unicycling, unicycles are ridden on offroad trails, which requires very good handling of the unicycle.

Urban / Street riding consists of jump/trick riding through urban areas. Night Riding is mountain biking using battery powered headlights to ride off-road during nighttime.

The North Shore

The North Shore of Vancouver, British Columbia is a world-renowned mecca of mountain biking.

Further information: Mountain biking in British Columbia

See also

External links and references

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