1980's Small Dole Mountain Bike Event

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Bicycle magazine's first mountain bike event was the the ATB Expo, at Golding Barn Raceway, Small Dole, West Sussex. "Music-loving" John Peel came along to lend his Ridgeback to anyone who hadn't got a mountain bike and to play records over the PA during the event, which was sponsored by Muddy Fox.

I have a question that someone here may be able to definitively answer. What was the date of the above event?

People's anecdotal evidence on the internet can't decide if it took place in 1984, or 1985. So does anyone here have any old bicycle magazines that may have promoted or reported on the event? Given it was organised by Bicycle magazine, it should be mentioned there. My best guess would be the summer of 1985, but it would be good to have some contemporary (primary-source) information to confirm the date.

 

[Rikoned]

People's anecdotal evidence on the internet can't decide if it took place in 1984, or 1985. So does anyone here have any old bicycle magazines that may have promoted or reported on the event? Given it was organised by Bicycle magazine, it should be mentioned there. My best guess would be the summer of 1985, but it would be good to have some contemporary (primary-source) information to confirm the date.

Perhaps someone at the National Cycle Archive could help. They have Bicycle Magazine from 1984 and 1985:

Bicycle Magazine/Bicycle

Full list of Journals they hold (incuding Bike Action from 1984):

National Cycle Archive Journals

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Thanks for this information Rikoned, and welcome to RetroBike.

My initial investigations suggest that these magazines are not available in digital form and so I may need to visit the archives to view the original magazines.

Whilst I know the event happened in the summer, It would help to find a more exact month and date, so I could narrow the search to the magazine issues where reports are most likely to appear.

I have had an idea that I might find a reference to the event in Making Tracks magazine, which I have a full set of copies. However, this will only work if the event took place in 1985 as the magazine was not being published in 1984.

 

[Rikoned]

I have had an idea that I might find a reference to the event in Making Tracks magazine, which I have a full set of copies. However, this will only work if the event took place in 1985 as the magazine was not being published in 1984.

I took a look in Making Tracks magazine Issues 1-5 (1986).
I found no mention of the Small Dole event.

I don't know if this will help you narrow down your search field...

In Issue No. 3 (1986) page 8 "A Bicycle made for one & a half":
"September 1985 brought the ATB scene to Surrey in the shape of the first Bicycle mag Trailblazer..."

Would that make Small Dole August 1985?

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Thanks Rikoned for checking that out.

Whilst I didn't go to the Small Dole event, people I know who did say it was 1985. However, a well respected veteran mountain biker tells me he's sure it was 1984. But, we all know that sometimes our memories play tricks on us.

All the evidence so far, including your quote above, (Shame it says Surrey and not Sussex), points to 1985. But the only way to resolve this for good is to come up with something indisputable, and ideally published in the 1980's when peoples memories were fresh.

Somewhere, I have read a published account of the event, and was hoping that it might have been in an article or letter published in Making Tracks.

 

[Rikoned]

EXPO A.T.B. event at Small Dole happened on July 8th 1984.

Making Tracks magazine issue No. 11, Dec/Jan 87/88, Page 14. "Survival - You and Your Bike", Geoffrey Apps.

"Those pioneers who remember the Expo ATB event at Small Dole in Sussex on a glorious sunny July day in 1984..."

Confirmed with what looks like marketing material and magazine reports reproduced in the 1984 Muddy Fox catalogue:


See: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/archive/1984-muddy-fox-catalogue.364/

More respect for the 'Well respected veteran mountain biker' and their memory!

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

EXPO A.T.B. event at Small Dole happened on July 8th 1984.

Making Tracks magazine issue No. 11, Dec/Jan 87/88, Page 14. "Survival - You and Your Bike", Geoffrey Apps.

"Those pioneers who remember the Expo ATB event at Small Dole in Sussex on a glorious sunny July day in 1984..."

Well done Rikoned! I felt sure that the Small Dole event was mentioned somewhere in Making Tracks magazine, but just couldn't find it.

Confirmed with what looks like marketing material and magazine reports reproduced in the 1984 Muddy Fox catalogue:
See: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/archive/1984-muddy-fox-catalogue.364/

More respect for the 'Well respected veteran mountain biker' and their memory!

The event probably didn't get a mention in Bicycle Action magazine because it was promoted by a rival publication, Bicycle Magazine.

Now that he as been proven to be correct, I can reveal that the 'Well respected veteran mountain biker' was Max Glaskin.

Because we now know the date for sure, we can begin to place this event where it truly belongs. Not only a landmark event, but also as one of the very first UK MTB events.

This is especially timely given that 2024, will mark the 40th anniversary of these, the very first UK mountain bike competitions.

 

[Rikoned]

The event probably didn't get a mention in Bicycle Action magazine because it was promoted by a rival publication, Bicycle Magazine.

A short report on the Small Dole event:
Bicycle Action magazine, No. 4, September 1984, Page 55, "Shake Rattle and Roll", Joss Reiver Bany.

Charlie Kelly has scanned the report as part of his online archive:

Bicycle Action, September 1984 – Charlie Kelly MTB Pioneer

 

[JCS]

Thanks for sharing the links @Rikoned - fascinating articles

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

"The event probably didn't get a mention in Bicycle Action magazine because it was promoted by a rival publication, Bicycle Magazine."

This shows the risk of using supposition. The reality is that I never bought issue No 4 of Bicycle Action and so have never seen that 1984 Small Dole ATB Expo report before.

Thanks Rikoned for posting the link and some great detective work.

And also thanks to Charlie Kelly for his role in encouraging British cycling journalists to promote these first UK events, and more recently in archiving their history for posterity.

The front page of the BA article seems to show an English Cycles Range Rider taking place in the 'limbo' element of the trials competition.
I love the Wonder-Light bracket but 'am surprised to see a unicrown fork on such an early bike.

And as far as I know, the 'daredevil riders of Wendover repute' (page 2) refers to five rider's of Geoff Apps bikes who gate crashed the event and did extremely well in the team downhill slalom. This didn't go according to the sponsors plans as the US mountain bikes were supposed to better at downhill.

Maybe starting early next year? we should do a thread to mark the 40th anniversary of these first British MTB events.
After all, for many years to come, British mountain bikers will ask; 'When and where did mountain biking racing start in the UK?'
And an achieve here could answer that question.