[Closed] How long have you been MTBing?

Just occurred to me I’ve been taking peanut butter sandwiches

Are you Prepack rider?

25 years ish I think for me. There wasn’t really a definitive start date. I remember getting my first 26” bike for Xmas, but don’t remember how old I was.

Got my first "ATB" I think in '89 for my 13th birthday. Been hooked since the first wet and filthy ride that winter round the local woods.

Are you Prepack rider?

*

I don’t know but going with ‘maybe’ 👍🏼

General loadout circa 1991 would be:

✅ PB sarnie in foil
✅ Zefal water bottle (500ml)
✅ Flourescent-green metal frame-pump
✅ triangular frame-bag with puncture-kit and stamped multispanner/tool/dirty rag

*edit AH! Haha penny dropped.
*actually mine was a 1990 bike so could have been that year.

I’ll celebrate this year anyway

Since '89. Used to ride around Bristol on my Specialized, in trainers, jeans and a jumper 🙂

My rear under the bottom bracket rear 'u' brake sticks in my mind coz it was so pants..89ish i reckon..doing NEMBAs early 90's so sounds about right.

Rode a Marin hire bike out of Frosterley in Weardale on a youth camp in June 1991. Later that weekend I asked a girl to go out with me; she's now my wife.

About 1986 for me, also a ‘Dawes hand-built’ lugged Reynolds 500 chromo thing with thumbshifters, Biopace, 21spd. Also bought from somewhere in Glos. maybe Halls in Barton St.?

1986 for me. Raleigh Maverick.

May 1987 for me, bought a Marin Bear Valley from Shockwave.

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Got a Turbo Levo and an Enduro 30 years later

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Still get a buzz out of every ride

Youngster here, first MTB was a Marin Bear Valley SE from Chevin Cycles in 1992. Saved up and put a pair of Rockshox on it about six months later I think (the gold mag ones). Loved that bike.

since the late 80's with a break in the the 90's for full on sex drugs and rock and roll addictions and carnage, now addicted to bling singlespeeds, but there is less chance of dying in a public toilet, with a needle in me.

My 1988 Rockhopper had that ridiculous rear brake

Had a yellow Townsend the year before, so going with 1987 as my MtB start date

BMX as a kid, then got my first ATB in 1991 ish. Townsend somethingorother....Promptly got nicked about a month later.

I then left Leicester and moved to Halifax a year later when I was 15/16 but stupidly didn't get another bike until I was about 19, another Townsend that was actually borrowed off my GF (now wife) but then she wanted it while she was at uni. Next bike I got was a Raleigh Dyna-tech borrowed off her brother in about 1999. Eventually bought my own in 2003 GT Avalanche and the real MTBing started.

1993 for me. Bombing around the western end of Salisbury Plain with a school mate, happy times!

1991, the year I learnt to ride a bike aged 25.

Used to thrash round the woods on my old racer about 1970 to 1974, bent and broke just about everything. At one point had solid studded tyres on it were as bad as they sound although no punctures! Stopped cycling for a long time then bought a Raleigh Activator (I didn't know any better!) for just pottering around on about early 90's. Met my long term riding buddy shortly afterwards who had a Marin Team Issue and it grew from there. Specialized Hardrock, various Marin's, Cove Hustler for years, Ghost and now a Pivot. Happy days!

1994 bought my first MTB from a mate, he went on to win the lottery and I'm still riding. I win.

May 1988, if my memory serves me correctly! I was nine and had just got a scholarship, so my Dad spent some of the money I was saving them on two MTBs, a 24” wheeled Peugeot for me and a 24” framed Emmelle for him (he was rather tall).

Had a bit of a break in my uni days and twenties for rock and roll etc (bike got stolen on literally my first day of lectures at Bristol and bass and bands took over...)

September 91, I was off work with shingles.
Walked into bike shop when I was feeling better & saw a bright yellow Avanti Montari for $700 & decided I'm having that.
GS200 groupset with biopace & plastic cantis. Weighed a tonne, but never layed a spanner on it in the 3 years I thrashed it.

30 years roughly. And just realised in that time I've only had 6 mtbs.

1986 for me. Raleigh Maverick.

This.

What colour was yours? Mine was the dark red with steel wheels and sidepull 'brakes'

Actually it was probably 1987 if I'm honest, but don't want to appear as the Jonny come lately.🙄

Dawes "Rough Trade" was my first mtb, so I guess that puts it early 90's. In "interference lime gold" 😂

I'd reckon since '89 or '90. After playing on BMXs for a while, got what would probably be considered a BSO now - a £90 mail order hi-ten steel jobby - but rode it all over our corner of the north Lakes. Can remember riding that bike to primary school in the next village, along the road in the morning and back over a bridleway on the way home. '92-ish it died and I got a grey and yellow Marin Palisades, then an Indian Fire Trail when I started racing a bit in '94-95ish. Diamondback and Karrimor series races first, then Polaris in the late 90s, then Adventure Racing from 2000 onwards...

1991 I think when I got a Ridgeback 603gs for my birthday.
That was stolen and I got a GT Timberline (in zebra splatter) on insurance.
Then a 94 Cinder Cone with quadras in my a-level year...still got that frame 😎

I now live in one of the worst counties for mountain biking (pembrokeshire) but still love it and have been lucky enough to earn a bit of my living through the sport.
30 years this year...I’ll probably celebrate with a ride!

March 1989, a Muddy Fox Courier '88 in the sale from Mike Cookson Cycles in Manchester. Should have bought the Kona Cinder Cone next to it really, but it was £70 more. All the usual shite from that period, e.g. crappy chainstay U-brake, but I did like the paint job. Replaced 15 months later by a Cannondale 3.0 that I still ride round town.

Does taking raleigh grifters up to the woods to do sick jumps count as MTBing?
If so, then since about 1983ish
If not, then since about 1996ish after defecting back from being a roadie for a few years

“Rough Trade”

Interesting name! “I’m going to the woods for some fun with my Rough Trade.” Could be misconstrued.

Late 70s me and a mate took our road bikes (me on a Raleigh Arena) round the local woods and on a new housing estate building site. Sands not much cop for jumps, but scaff boards laying around can be employed.

BMX was taking off but I wasn’t sure it would last. We did use my mates old bike as a makeshift bmx as it was tiny.

Then rugby, cameras, girls, “playing” in a band at uni and classic car restoration became distracting hobbies.

Buying our first house in 93 meant I could cycle to work so I got a “mountain bike”. It was a Zed Overdrive- bloke in the shop said it was a Dawes brand but never been able to confirm- prob just sales talk!

Apart from commuting road local bridlepaths & country treks as the Mrs got one too. We even took them to Centre Parcs😳 on a holiday.

Then first decent MTB was a GF Sugar 1 in c 2002 and MtB for me took off (unlike me, still can’t jump). So quite a while but loads of gaps while other stuff and life get in the way.

This.

What colour was yours? Mine was the dark red with steel wheels and sidepull ‘brakes’

Actually it was probably 1987 if I’m honest, but don’t want to appear as the Jonny come lately.🙄

Mine was light blue. I believe it was a 1985 model. Also sidepull brakes and with steel rims I often joke it was like braking was an option I’d not ticked.

I had been riding a BMX off-road for about 2 years before that after realising I was rubbish at ‘stunts’ etc

The Maverick was on offer in 1986 and so traded the BMX for it.

Just did a quick tot up and I’m now on my 15th MTB.

Simple answer is about 1985... my mate/ex scout leader got me up Wenslydale on something that was called a MTB then I found the flying down the other side bit ... then in a bout of uncharactaristic sense I worked out I'd kill myself in no short order..

Then by 1989 ish another cycling bud got me back into it and I ended up with a Saracen something... that got stolen then a old 531 frame and Judy's off my mate and it was a bit on/off depending where I was living. Non in Libya then winter in Calgary was skiing... then a bit of a peak in Norway and had a 2nd bike (Al framed rigid) with spikes for riding over the bay in winter then hardly anything for 7 yrs in Paris before returning to the UK and the 531 frame is still as far as I know locked in a shed/bin storage at my old appartment.

I had a Giant hybrid with childseat about 10yrs ago which was the first time I actually had a helmet (oops) then things took off again about 6yrs ago when Jnr started riding.

So either 2014 or 1985...

Am 42 done mostly snowboarding. I'm a covid mtber so been mtbing for about 9 months or so. Been riding and old 26 hardtail. I've got a great full suspension bike on the way in the next two weeks. Cant wait!

Rode a Marin hire bike out of Frosterley in Weardale on a youth camp in June 1991. Later that weekend I asked a girl to go out with me; she’s now my wife.

Ah, Weardale Mountain Bikes, would always pop in when traveling back from my parents caravan in Stanhope and lusted after the Kona Explosif that always seemed to be in the shop window. Went on a couple of Sunday rides with the owner (Ian Perrin?) on my Saracen Tufftrax Limited Edition - black with splatter graphics and 500LX gears, thought that bike was the absolute dogs. Happy days and thirty years ago!

Messed around in the woods around 84 / 85 on a Raleigh Striker. Got distracted by a Raleigh Equipment, I think, road bike until I got my first mtb, an Apollo, around 88. Soon graduated on to a Raleigh Moon Run. Went to Uni and had my dad's old road bike that I resprayed and rebuilt, then first pay packet I went and put a deposit down on a Klein Pulse Comp.

So over 30 years and have only had 5 mountain bikes to date. Itching for a new one mind...

Early 70s I was riding off road on a modified flat bar tourer. Early 1980s I modified a 10 spd racer for offroad use with upturned bars, lower wider gearing and cx tyres. first 26" wheeled 3x7 mtb early 90s

Started in 1986 on a bike that I don't remember the name of but had the one piece bar/stem with triangular stem. First nicer bike was a Cannondale M400 in 1988.

I always consider 1992 the year I started 'mountain biking' as this is when I did my first race at Cannock Chase.
I was riding a Townsend kitted out with a 200GS group set and a green marble effect paint job. The frame was at least 2 sizes too big using the standard parental 'it's OK, he'll grow into it' methodology.

Good times. I still like to keep it simple these days by riding a steel singlespeed hardtail for the majority of the time 😛

Uhh, which Townsend @Paul-B

I think we may have had the same bike

‘92 on a catalogue bought Falcon ‘atb’.
Then my first proper bike (Cannondale F500) was bought in ‘95 thanks to my student loan!

1989 on a rented Dawes here - headed up High Street above Ullswater. Cue a few friends buying various Saracen or Dawes at school, I was also getting support from Orange Sails, who also happened to have a good few early Clockwork's kicking around at the sailing club...

First bike bought in 1992 at uni and off we go..

I bought my first MTB ,a Klein Mantra in 1999 .I remember it well-I was working on the offices above Charing Cross station on a Sunday and stopped off on the drive home at Evans in Waterloo,to treat myself .

‘86 on a red Falcon mtb.

A friend bought a very early Muddy Fox. We hired bikes from Elterwater in maybe 1984? Then I bought a Muddy Fox Courier when they were released in 1985?

But weirdly I would only say in the last year or so that I really vent committed to cycling. I either thought I wss a climber or to busy parenting to really commit you cycling.

Early 90’s for me, not sure what year. I had a fluro ATB from makro for Christmas, i was probably 8 or 9 it was too big for me then, would probably be about right now. Started buying MBUK 92 or 93 and ‘upgraded’ to a Raleigh team edition which looked like an mtrax but was made of pig iron. I was still young enough to have to have the size my dad said I needed so ended up with a 21” which would still be too big now, I had a huge crash on it and he finally agreed to get me a bike that fit which started my obsession with 90’s GTs only cheap ones though I had an outback, then a tequesta in 96ish which I kept until I was in my 20s

Got an ex-hire Raleigh montage in about '89, which i had until about '93 when i snapped it on some steps in Edinburgh.