I guess my 1st "proper" MTB was a Raleigh Lizard that I bought back in 1990 and took out on proper rides in the wilds (as well as trips to the chinese takeaway)
Before that I was busy jumping around on and breaking various inappropriate bikes on the fields next to my parents house, but not really MTB, more a poor kids effort at BMX when he didn't have a proper BMX to ride on.
In '92 we left uni, moved the Somerset and I got us £100 Halfrauds Hybrids. They were good for hacking around lanes and tracks. But then I started looking for more bridleways, hacked over The Gap in the Beacons and it inevitably fell to bits. Wendy still has hers.
In '98 I got a "proper" mountain bike - A UK built Radford. It got some upgrades like a sus-fork and this made it much better! I still only biked a few times a year - being mainly into hiking and camping.
Then 4 years ago I started biking more and more and two more bikes later, here we are.
Back in the late sixties/ early seventies me and me mates used to build "trail" bikes from whatever we could get our hands on for free (skips, dumps, older siblings, etc.).
Weekends would be spent riding the Clwds or Delamere and such.
With flat bars, chunky tyres, single speed and fixied they would be regarded as niche these days.
Hired a Kona 2 or 3 times at Mabie Forest in 2005 when I was staying at my folks looking for a job. Didn't buy my Kona until Feb 06.
mid 1980's borrowed a mates slingshot handlebar silver muddy fox, maybe a courier, he was trying to sell it to me but i thought it a fad that would never catch on at the price being asked, and stuck with my off road motorbikes .. bought a Scott Sawtooth in 1987 and continued spending far too much ever since
90, have a look at my history in pictures
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-mtb-history-whats-yours#post-334034
'92 i *think*. Might have been '91. I'd been doing a fair bit of acid for a few years back then so it's all a bit hazy. Which is probably why my old man gave me his discarded Al Carter Professional (some things i *do* remember heh) in the hope it might help me get my shit together. Which, of course, it did 
I started when I was a young kid - but never even knew I was mountain biking cos mountains had not been invented then, I have lived all my life on the edge of Cannock Chase and we all used to ride various trails in the late 60 - early 70s, I then got interested in gals! then had a Halfords special during the early 80s, then had a another Halfords special then met into some workmates who converted me to proper bikes about 2000 so all in all 9 yrs serious but could easily state over 40yrs on and off..
I used to go off roading on my BMX for years but got my mtb in '88-89?
No cheese bits back then.
I only converted to squashy forks and gears 9 months ago. Old age, you see! 
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