First Mountain Bike in Europe? 1976 Klunker on GMBN Tech.

[Spudly]

Quite, I can remember bringing home my first ATB in 1990 and enthusiastically telling my Dad about mountain biking - and him just grunting and saying they used to call it rough stuff in his day and they didn't need special bikes for it either.

This must have happened in households all across England, my dad said exactly the same to me, he and my mum having been members of the CTC for absolutely years before I discovered what bikes were, I half thought he was joking tbf until I saw stuff online and realised he wasn't kidding

 

[Tsundere]

I can't really agree with the any mountain any bike will do

Any mountain + any bike = mountain biking, of a sort, but not necessarily good or enjoyable mountain biking.

 

[Tootyred]

We called em " trackies" in our part of the world. Had my first in probably 1976! Think it was a phillips premiere, with cow horns on and racer levers bent flat in a vice!

My dad did the same in his day in the 1940s!, except with rod brakes

 

[Spudly]

Heres one for you whilst we're on this subject, this pic was taken in 1972, ten points for who can guess who it is

 

[Dr Dremel]

Eric Burdon getting out of this place?

 

[pete_mcc]

We called em " trackies" in our part of the world.

We always called them Trackers and Trekkers. I once had a Vindec Trekker bike - 29er (700c), gripshift (sturmey archer), extra wide bars (cow horns), dropper post (chrome steel post that slipped if your arse hit the saddle too hard). Very ahead of it’s time.

 

[Tootyred]

VINDEC! Now there's a bike. Never had one but a guy 2 doors up did. Fantastic.

 

[pete_mcc]

f*ck yeah.

 

[Tootyred]

Nice

 

[longun]

But it was the first bike called a mountain bike, the video does explain they're not claiming to be the first folk to ride off road. The broad history of off road ride riding,including the popularosation and marketing from Charlie etc is to me at the top, fair enough the rough stuff,tracker etc was doing there stuff but it worries me how many on here dont regard the efforts of these guys and always talk it down! Why the hate? It's not like charlie has made millions from it, ffs support the guys that helped make it what it is today.