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According to Wikipedia, Specialized "introduced the first major production mountain bike in the world, the Stumpjumper, in 1981." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialized_Stumpjumper My recollection from the early 1980s is that Stumpjumpers were like mythical beasts in Britain, you heard...

The 1984 Wendover Bash is senonymous with the start of mountain biking in the UK. It was the first MTB specific event to feature both downhill and cross-country racing. Together with its hillclimb and trials competition it set the multi-disciplinery format of early UK mtb events, including those...

The Ridgeway has now been a National-Trail for 50yrs, though the Wiltshire/Berkshire section was being cycled long before this. The increasing use off off-road recreational vehicles in the 1970's turned what had been a relatively straightforward ride, enjoyed by rough-stuff riders on their...

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...

We will meet at the Wendover Library car park from 10am onwards The ride will set off at 11:am. The ride is really just an excuse to play around with bicycles in the woods and to chat about all things bicycle. The pace is to that of the slowest rider interspersed with stops for chatting and...

December 2022 will be the 40th anniversary of Cleland Cycles and when Geoff Apps started running rides from Wendover in Buckinghamshire. Now run annually each December, this ride is the oldest and longest running MTB event in Britain. You don't need a Cleland style bicycle to join in this ride...

There will be an exhibition of Geoff Apps' Cleland, Highpath and English Cycles bikes at Pitsone Green Museum near Tring on: *Bank Holiday Monday 29th August 2022 And... *Sunday 11th September 2022 (Both 10:30 am until 4:30 pm) These are museum open days so as well as the museum's exhibits...

I am hoping to build some wheels using NOS hubs and rims. But to keep them original spec, I need to use galvanised spokes. Specifically; 12 gauge 254 mm ones. Does anyone know of a current supplier of galvanised spokes? Cheers, Graham

The Repack rider's and the Post Office loved hub or drum brakes. The Dutch still do. They used to be popular with tandem owners and with all-weather mountain-bikers. However, nowadays they are mostly found on work-bikes and bicycle-sharing-scheme bicycles. Have you owned a bike with...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133913253532?hash=item1f2dda169c:g:qIwAAOSwQfFhdVL3 The 1984 F.W. Evans/Saracen ATB was the first US style mountain bike to be manufactured in the UK. The very first bikes were built with Reynolds' 501 All-Terrain tubing from May 1984. On the first of January the...

Every December since 1982, cyclists have gathered at Wendover in Buckinghamshire for a day of off-road riding in the Chiltern Hills. The ride was started as a monthly event in by Geoff Apps in 1982 and December's outing soon became known as the 'Birthday Ride' because three of the riders had...

Those who know about cycling history and design often say that nothing is completely new. However, today's marketing people like to tell us that everything is new and ground breaking. One piece of modern marketing wisdom is that a bicycle with a low bottom bracket is more stable than one with...

In the early years of UK mountain-biking it wasn't clear whether mountain biking would become popular or remain niche like rough-stuff riding. By 1986 mountain bikes were to be found in most bike shops and makers like Muddy Fox, Saracen etc were sponsoring race events. However, there were no...

Back in 2013 Geoff Apps entrusted me to restore the fourth bicycle that he ever made, his 1981 Phase lll 700c Range-Rider prototype. Here are some photos of the bike as I received it back in 2013:

Blue Hippo Media have produced a documentary film about the history of British mountain biking. Called "Mountain Biking-The Untold British Story" it tells the story of mountain biking from a uniquely UK perspective. ‘Mountain Biking – The Untold British Story’ documents the evolution of...

What is exactly is a Mountain Bike? In his book "The Birth of Dirt" Frank J. Berto, the American writer states that a Mountain Bike should include six essential features below: 1. 26″ Tyres, at least 2″ wide. 2. Flat, roadster style bars. 3. Derailleur gearing. 4. Good brakes, using either...

There have been serious cases of brain damage were the bicycle helmets have been hardly damaged. This article taken from a US doctors website attempts to explain the problem: Bike-Related Concussions Are on the Rise As helmet wearing has increased, so have brain injuries among cyclists...

A weekend of classic retro-MTB riding in the Chiltern Hills. And on the Monday, for those who want to relive the classic mountain bike race events of the 80s and 90s the 'Summit26' retro & modern MTB sportive. Saturday 29th: Riding in the Chiltern hills led by Geoff Apps. Sunday: Chiltern...

The Aftermath: This event was held to mark passing of thirty years since the first mountain bike specific competition event, 'The 1984 Wendover Bash'. The 'Bash' was the first mountain bike specific event to be held in Britain and took place in Wendover woods on the 17th of June 1984. For the...

Do you remember the early beginnings of mountain biking in Britain? Do you have some old photos taken in 1984 in your loft, or some old cycling magazines that you could scan and post here? Whilst the history of the early years of American mountain biking has been well documented, if you search...