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Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

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Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#21

Post by maxerickson »

ghaff wrote: post #11
Theodores wrote: post #5

This is great history, however there is more to the craze of mountain biking than these tales of pioneering legend. History can be taught as 'kings, queens and their wars' or it can be told in terms of economic and social things. With the mountain biking craze not much has been written about why it did take off like it did - really very few people knew who Fisher, Breeze, Ritchey et al. were. People just wanted a mou…

It's hard to say why certain types of activities take off. Inline skating (aka Rollerblading) came out of nowhere to become a very popular activity by the late 80s or thereabouts. (It predates that but that was around the time it really took off in the US.) Today, my observation in at least the places I live and visit is that it's essentially gone away--in spite of the increased availability of paved rail trails and…

I think a lot of the kayak story is price. And portability (so to speak anyway).

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#22

Post by sliverstorm »

scarecrowbob wrote: post #15
eplanit wrote: post #8

Aside from all the other interesting history, it's great to recollect the pre-spandex, pre-"fashion" days of the sport.

I don't see why spandex is fashion. I don't wear it because I look good in it (I think it looks dumb, and I'm old enough to start to have a belly), I wear it because it's hot in Texas and it is the least amount of clothes I can wear and still feel like I have enough clothes on. Now, bar ends and disc brakes, that's fashion. :D

disc brakes are not fashion, man. I hemmed and hawed about them a few years ago, and now I'm never going back. Rim brakes come nowhere near the control and stopping power, which I am indescribably grateful for as I'm rocketing down my local rockbed trails.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#23

Post by sliverstorm »

plq wrote: post #14
vondur wrote: post #6

As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off…

Are you sure about the rear suspension? Yes, it can save your wheel in some situations (which you should really be avoiding as an amateur), but %99 of the time it's unnecessery weight that also happens to eat some of the power that'd normally go to the wheel. (I'm not a competitive biker, mountain or otherwise, I'm just curious)

All depends on your terrain. My local trails are rock gardens, often with broken rock ranging from softball to football size. I still ride a hardtail, but I can tell you the shocks & bumps are so bad that I spend a lot of the ride down with zero traction.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#25

Post by valas »

plq wrote: post #14
vondur wrote: post #6

As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off…

Are you sure about the rear suspension? Yes, it can save your wheel in some situations (which you should really be avoiding as an amateur), but %99 of the time it's unnecessery weight that also happens to eat some of the power that'd normally go to the wheel. (I'm not a competitive biker, mountain or otherwise, I'm just curious)

In some terrain, rear suspension is advantageous both in climbing and descending. When descending, it keeps wheel planted on the ground for better control and braking. When climbing rough terrain, it similarly can keep the back wheel planted for better traction.

Some folks also get bikes with rear suspension because it limits stress on the torso and knees when hitting bumps.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#26

Post by alistairSH »

plq wrote: post #14
vondur wrote: post #6

As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off…

Are you sure about the rear suspension? Yes, it can save your wheel in some situations (which you should really be avoiding as an amateur), but %99 of the time it's unnecessery weight that also happens to eat some of the power that'd normally go to the wheel. (I'm not a competitive biker, mountain or otherwise, I'm just curious)

It's not about saving the wheel, it's about keeping the rider fresh. Mountain biking on rough terrain is hard on the body. Look at elite level races - most of them switch between hard-tail and full-suspension, depending on the terrain. And for those of us who just play at racing, a full-suspension bike can take the edge off a long day of riding.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#28

Post by PhasmaFelis »

vondur wrote: post #6

As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off…

I'm glad to see people encouraging cyclists, but I am struggling not to get angry that you call five thousand dollars "reasonably priced" with a straight face.

You can get a solid entry-level mountain bike for $400. It is probably not suited for professional racing, but it's a perfectly good machine. If you check out used bike stores, you can find some excellent machines in good shape for less than that.

I know you mean well, but linking these absurd prices out of context turns people off of cycling who might have really enjoyed it.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#29

Post by taude »

scarecrowbob wrote: post #15
eplanit wrote: post #8

Aside from all the other interesting history, it's great to recollect the pre-spandex, pre-"fashion" days of the sport.

I don't see why spandex is fashion. I don't wear it because I look good in it (I think it looks dumb, and I'm old enough to start to have a belly), I wear it because it's hot in Texas and it is the least amount of clothes I can wear and still feel like I have enough clothes on. Now, bar ends and disc brakes, that's fashion. :D

Disc brakes, fashion? You must not be riding the right trails.

Re: Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

#30

Post by ghaff »

maxerickson wrote: post #21
ghaff wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to say why certain types of activities take off. Inline skating (aka Rollerblading) came out of nowhere to become a very popular activity by the late 80s or thereabouts. (It predates that but that was around the time it really took off in the US.) Today, my observation in at least the places I live and visit is that it's essentially gone away--in spite of the increased availability of paved rail trails and…

I think a lot of the kayak story is price. And portability (so to speak anyway).

I think it's more that it's technically easier--especially for a single person (and lighter/easier to load and unload from car/get in water for that single person). And, yes, Royalex has gotten to be a terrible price but given the same materials, kayaks aren't necessarily cheaper.
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