It was 30 years ago today

[bryan555]

Why do the Yanks get the credit as the originators of the mountain bike thing?

Because we came up with the idea of downhill racing before you did.

Because we didn't stop at re-purposing old machinery for downhill racing. We started building bikes from scratch, designed around the use we put them to.

Because a couple of us rented a garage to build bikes in and told the world we were selling something called "MountainBikes," ridiculously expensive, hand built bikes that sold faster than we could make them.

Because every major bicycle company started making bikes exactly like the ones we first built in that garage, and the design took over the industry.

Because the form of racing we invented is now a world championship sport.

Thanks for asking.

If you are going to ask that question, Charlie is a very good person to ask. And what a great answer, thanks.

I think sometimes mountain biking suffers the same response from certain folk as modern art; 'I could have done that' or 'I did that when I was a child, The same answer applies: you didn't. They did.

Massive respect to all involved for having the self belied to do something different and change the world. Thanks guys.

 

[shinobi]

In my teens in the early 70s i put " cowhorn " bars on my old racer and rode round woods too so did i invent mountain biking ? of course not , i discovered motor bikes and cars so my cycling finished until about 1989 when i noticed these new mountain bikes . If it was not for those pioneers throwing themselves down Mt Tam and evolving what we know as mountain biking my cycling would have ended in 1974 so i for one owe those " Yanks" a pretty big thank you .
Cheers guys Paul

 

[superstar1]

Why do the Yanks get the credit as the originators of the mountain bike thing?

Because we came up with the idea of downhill racing before you did.

Because we didn't stop at re-purposing old machinery for downhill racing. We started building bikes from scratch, designed around the use we put them to.

Because a couple of us rented a garage to build bikes in and told the world we were selling something called "MountainBikes," ridiculously expensive, hand built bikes that sold faster than we could make them.

Because every major bicycle company started making bikes exactly like the ones we first built in that garage, and the design took over the industry.

Because the form of racing we invented is now a world championship sport.

Thanks for asking.

Thanks for thanking me for asking but despite globalisation this is still a big wide world and we were doing exactly the same thing in Lancashire in the 70's.

 

[mrkawasaki]

^ If only you and your friends had gone on to make something of it... built some astute frames on your riding experience perhaps... shared with the rest of us through selling those bikes and parts... and documented it all with a passion... this site would be about you! For the record, we too were doing the 'bicycle-as-a-motocrosser' in Northwich, Cheshire in 1971-3, including making the 2-stroke noises as we rode - nowt came of that either! :roll:

 

[superstar1]

^ If only you and your friends had gone on to make something of it... built some astute frames on your riding experience perhaps... shared with the rest of us through selling those bikes and parts... and documented it all with a passion... this site would be about you! For the record, we too were doing the 'bicycle-as-a-motocrosser' in Northwich, Cheshire in 1971-3, including making the 2-stroke noises as we rode - nowt came of that either! :roll:

Glad you see the funny side and are not getting too uptight

 

[Woz]

Why do the Yanks get the credit as the originators of the mountain bike thing?

Because we came up with the idea of downhill racing before you did.

Because we didn't stop at re-purposing old machinery for downhill racing. We started building bikes from scratch, designed around the use we put them to.

Because a couple of us rented a garage to build bikes in and told the world we were selling something called "MountainBikes," ridiculously expensive, hand built bikes that sold faster than we could make them.

Because every major bicycle company started making bikes exactly like the ones we first built in that garage, and the design took over the industry.

Because the form of racing we invented is now a world championship sport.

Thanks for asking.

Thanks for thanking me for asking but despite globalisation this is still a big wide world and we were doing exactly the same thing in Lancashire in the 70's.

This is too funny. A great straight answer to an unresearched straight question.

What exactly were you doing in Lancashire? If it was tinkering with paper boy bikes and messing about in
in mud and doing jumps off planks of wood then it's hardly unique to anywhere in the world. Perhaps the birth place
of off-road riding can be disputed (see for example any Scandinavian military bike or check Vernon Blake), but the
heartland of todays MTB can't and it is all very well backed up with documentation.

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

...Perhaps the birth place
of off-road riding can be disputed (see for example any Scandinavian military bike or check Vernon Blake), but the
heartland of todays MTB can't and it is all very well backed up with documentation.

Here is an interesting piece of documentation that links the 1960s English Roughstuff bikes to the very early Marin scene:
http://www.woodfill.com/Personal/BlackJ ... hStuff.pdf

 

[DrJo]

34 years to be precise and twas the night before christmas

 

[superstar1]

Holly thread revival Batman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[andyz]

34 years to be precise and twas the night before christmas

I think that was made by Motobecane, despite the Yamaha branding, and has very similar hubs to your Cleland!