I think it was somewhere like 2008?
YMMV but in my mind that was the end of purely functional bikes , and into the shareholder upgrade cycle*
I note a few of my less faddy mates holding onto bikes from that era. Me too, a rockhopper. HS 33 though, yikes
How about you?
*sic
Oh I could add I also have a Yeti AS-R and 575 from about that time . And I used to have a MK1 Blue Pig too, which was a little later but was also a bit of a throwback in many ways
Late 90s for me - when Marin properly nailed the cross-country full suspension bike and disc brakes where becoming main stream.
Marzocchi bought out the Z1 Bombers (are derivatives) which were so much better than anything else on the market at the time.
And then there were the fabulous Mavic Sunset rims...
I thought the question was going to be about when the scene was best. If the question is when were the bikes best, the ancer is undoubtedly now! (Though most people are over bikes - a 170mm FS with mazzgrip Assegais might be the fastest in a steep Enduro, but dragging it about day to day isn't fun!)
The question is about whatever you want it to be 🙂 but I was talking bikes I guess.
I build the Blue Pig on NOS 321 Disc Ceramics, but those sunsets looks cooler
I thought the question was going to be about when the scene was best.
I thought that too but it depends on which "scene" you're referring to...
In the late 90's, XC MTB was huge. I remember some events being so oversubscribed in the Sport category that they had to split the field and have two races (each with 150+ riders)!
XC died off quite dramatically but 24hr racing was big for a while, the days when folk would download the Mountain Mayhem entry form at midnight and cycle or drive to Pat Adams' house at 5am to be sure of getting an entry!
Then that died off a bit but gravel is now big...
It just goes in cycles (no pun intended).
Same in road - road racing has died off massively, Sportives were huge for a bit and are now just ticking along at a sustainable level, maybe some folk have transitioned to gravel...
Bikes - now
DH racing - also now
DH racing coverage - a few years ago
Now. No matter what kind of riding you enjoy. I'm ignoring racing... I think it's increasingly a separate thing from "mountain biking" these days... and I can see why many people miss the days when you'd be racing the same course as the pros, often on the same day.
With my rose tinted glasses on 2012. Reality 2025.
mmm... interesting one. I'd say it has to include tubeless, as pre-tubeless is a bit old-school (even though I still run tubes). Reluctantly I guess it's the 29" era, in which case it should be a bit more recent as geometry really improved after about 3-5 years of 29ers being a thing, and suspension really stepped up to the next level.
But pre-gravel, and pre "90% of blokes at trail centres riding Ebikes". So what's that - 2017-2019?
Even though my preferred MTB era is 26", disc brakes, 2x drivetrains and the like - so about 2007-9.
For me it's when a decent* full-sus bike was available at non-silly money.
My '94 Cinder Cone was used for everything; XC, days out, DH races etc but was compromised by being a hardtail with elastomer forks.
My 2001 Stinky could genuinely do everything (not well compared to modern bikes) I wanted to and it didn't cost too much.
Every bike since has improved on the Stinky but in smaller and smaller ways.
So turn of the century for me.
1997.
Sometime when folk were happy to ride over wet leaves.
When Kranked 2 came out. About 2 years after Z1 Bombers were launched which was no coincidence. '98-99?
I think it was a sweetspot of media-inspired aspirations and skill reality not being too far adrift, bikes being good but not silly levels of tech/£, and it all still feeling relatively new and open as well as there being quite a few of us riding in any area, making trails etc.
I had a size L Chameleon with Z1s, Azonic bars and Kujo DH tyres, 1x8. It was an all-day XC/trail bike one day and did the jumps (they were a lot smaller back then) and DH runs another day. 80s MTB used to cover the whole range between XC and DH so that wasn't a new thing and you can get way better bikes that cover that range now, but it felt like the 'jumps + trails hardtail' thing was the first 'peak fun MTB' era.
Now. Been riding mountain bikes 30+ years and current bikes are bloody brilliant, even crap ones. Little local scenes of building cool tracks is better now than it ever was, trail centres, uplift centres/bike parks, pump tracks appearing all over the place. Best of all I still ride with mostly the same people I did 30 years ago.
Bike-wise, now but starting late 2010s for me. By then we had LLS, droppers, tubeless, 1x with a useable range. Most bikes were much better than they had been 5 years previous, now they're a bit better than 5 years ago, but really not much. Riding-wise I'd say now as well - so much variety in riding now.
Scene-wise. Well mid- late 90s was surely when it was at its cultural peak.
I enjoyed the 2010s era, I dropped out of uni, spent the last of my student loan on a second hand 2009 Specialized Pitch with the U-turn forks, adjustable from 100-140mm travel, rode 3 or 4 days a week whilst unemployed, looking for a job. Scouring youtube for low quality vids of local trails which always had mr brightside as the song choice, the coastal crew were taking off and so were scott voltage bikes, I enjoyed it all the way through to around 2015 when specialized dropped the first levo, I bought a 650b specialized enduro that year and still ride it now, I definitely felt there was more than just a shift around then from MTB being a fun pursuit to becoming something else.
Nowadays trails seem bombed out, the old school trail fairies are no longer doing maintenance (Atleast near me) or building new trails and keeping them on the downlow/hidden to prevent the tiktok kids coming along and sticking a massive jump in the middle of it to take videos and get social media points. Speaking of social media, gone are the days of people just highlighting their local trails and riding spots, showing off trails etc, everything seems to be super wide angle canadians going at breakneck speeds off of 40ft northshore drops, berms getting blown out by schralpers and the rest just seems be a constant regurgitation of pulling whips and and seshing jumps.
I feel like MTB has gone from a collective of niche categories each with their own strengths and weaknesses, to a collective of categories of who can be the most extreme and out-do everyone else. And marketing departments have tried to capitalise on this with every new bike release including "confidence inspiring geometry" shpiel
Theres an old fart I watch on youtube, he just vlogs XC rides around north yorkshire, sometimes can be pretty boring, but I appreciate that fact because it's a slower pace and overall more enjoyable to watch, whereas watching somone like jono jones or tommy c hype in it's self is overwhelming showmanship and style points farming
In terms of (non E) bikes/tech I dont think anything meaningful has happened in about 5 years. Ignoring covid/evergiven shortages, I think you could buy everything on my trail bike in 2020ish, and I've got no desire to change or upgrade it.
But that doesnt mean that the subsequent years are worse, because all that stuff is still for sale, just that they have plateaued.
In terms of doing racing/events, I guess the ebb and flow are always going to happen, whether the type of event that fits your skill set and fitness and bike is popular may just be luck. If you love 24 hour racing or enduro or bike orienteering or having a single speed category in an XC race, I guess your options are more limited than in their respective heydays.
In terms of riding for fun, there is no way any time in the past could be better than now (or this summer, its wet and muddy right now); and next year will be even better. You just need to go to the right place on the right bike and that is easier than its ever been to acheive with more possible options to make anyone happy.
(Though most people are over bikes - a 170mm FS with mazzgrip Assegais might be the fastest in a steep Enduro, but dragging it about day to day isn't fun!)
You just haven't got enough bikes!
Too many peak years.
Probably 2011/12 on a Yeti ASR5. Barn stormin' bike for its vital statistics.
What @DaveyBoyWonder said!
I've had the good fortune to always live somewhere where there's good riding, and there's always been a bit of a scene - previously maybe more towards the xc/trail side of things.
However in recent years since COVID it just seems huge, particularly anything involving enduro tracks or jumps. Such an ace relaxed friendly vibe at all the spots I go to regularly, people of all ages and backgrounds having an absolute ball all together in the woods or on the moors or at the jump spot. It's brilliant.
Does there have to be just one "peak"?
I reckon there was a real buzz to he 90s as both the MTBs and the riding/racing were a bit new and novel. Early 2000 - 2010s everything had matured and the bikes were improving and events (both big and small) were a little more organised and less organised on the fly, plus the interwebs was making life easier generally, finding routes, places to ride, people to ride with etc...
Since then it's mostly been 'good' being an established activity has it's downsides now and both the creeping in of silly big-ticket bikes and "new-golfers" sometimes take the shine off, but that's not new.
I think MTBing (and bikes in general) follow the fortunes of wider society, while conspicuous consumption in gaudy surroundings are on the up shiny, overpriced bikes and sexy destinations are in the spotlight. As we're facing a bit of a global downturn I can see more scope for cheap thrills where Hipsters curating their bike-packing trip across Northumberland on a 90s MTB is still as interesting as Red Bull Swigging back-flippers to me, it's all bikes, it's all good.
Bike-wise I think around 2019/20, most things since then have just been tittivating an already great bike for marginal gains.
I think it's quite hard now to buy a bad bike at most price points (but still easy to buy the wrong bike!) and components are so good now that things just seem to work and keep working for the most part even at the entry level.
Scene-wise I don't know because I'm not really part of it/one but for the sake of argument I'll say around the same time because that was the last time I went to Morzine/PDS and it didn't feel too busy and full of people trying to be heroes.
I feel like MTB has gone from a collective of niche categories each with their own strengths and weaknesses, to a collective of categories of who can be the most extreme and out-do everyone else
To an *extent* I agree, or at least that's the most visible element ont socials. There was an article about Matty Active on here a while back, saying as much - that something is being lost (to gravel?) in the relentless sendification of the sport.
However
Sends are in fact a lot of fun. Fun to do, and fun to progress with - even if you don't ever get beyond mid pack mincer level like I am.
As I've got older and slower at xc riding, progressing my jumping or other technical riding skills is actually still something I can work on and see progress.
2018, just before my first child arrived 🙂
All day rides in the peaks, leaving at the crack of dawn, getting home washing the bike, dinner then bed are absolutely not a weekly thing for me anymore!
For the UK I reckon there was a really good spell around 2014, 15, 16 when the bikes were really getting good, there was still a pretty varied racing scene, entry level bikes and £1000 bikes were better than they'd ever been. UK enduro was still really doing its thing and being exciting and driving stuff forwards, kickass national series (plural) and EWS rounds, and more and more people embracing offpiste riding and such- like, none of that was new but it was becoming <normal>. A bunch of this stuff really started earlier but this was kind of it coming to fruition I think.
I know people look back fondly on the early days but I just always remember why I stopped. I'd go back to the riding world of the 2010s in a heartbeat but you couldn't drag me back to the 90s or 2000s, no thank you.
Biking (for me) has never been better than 2025. Bikes are fabulous, and the trails are just out of this world. I’ve been biking for 30 years, but have never enjoyed it as much as this year.
Full disclosure - I’ve mostly ridden my e-bike this year, which means ive ridden about 3 times more than any other year. I struggle to see a downside.
The thing is, mountain biking was different in the mid 80s. A great day out was the Purbeck hills from the sandbanks ferry, along the cliffs and barrows to corfe then back through the forest and heath. Fully rigid, 15 gears and you could still get away without sun screen. I loved it to bits and it was peak MTB at the time for me.
For me the next peak was the mainstream arrival of disc brakes, made super techy riding really fun and possible
Lastly the advent of light, reasonably priced full suss bike. For me the fsr120 was just bonkers good, I could ride somewhere like Torridon all day, it was easy to carry and I could ride everything I wanted, go fast enough to scare myself and still feel good at the end.
And it didn't make the Purbeck hills a slog or boring, I could put slicks on it and ride a col in the Alps.
I guess it depends how old you are and what exactly you're idea of a good day out is
Now. Bikes are great , eBike to help with getting older and me and my mates can afford more holidays.
I think it was somewhere like 2008?
Good, ****ing lord, no...
I'm not even convinced we've reached peak yet... And I've been riding since 1990...
I had a very interesting conversation at the Malverns Classic last year, whilst working, when a 3 decade long hero of mine came up to me and just started talking to me, and it ended up being 10-15 minutes of a 2 way reflection on just how much better Mountain Bikes are now than they were back then, and indeed have ever been... And that knowing how good modern MTB's are, and in particular eBikes, if he had to go back to those retro bikes from the 90's he'd, in his words, "give up and take up running instead"...
The industry legend in question...? The one, the only, Hansjorg Rey!
Coming back to the point... Yes, there is (and almost always has been) too much marketing bollocks around, and there's too many vested interests in planned obsolescence... But almost everything is better now than it has ever been, from tyres to geometry, suspension to drivetrains. We're just starting to see gearboxes genuinely challenge the established (and highly vulnerable) derailleur setups, especially on eBikes where they make even more sense.
Culturally...? Yeah, I'd argue we've passed the peak... I visited the FoD Pedalabikeaway centre the other weekend for the first time in about 8yrs as a rider, and my god things have changed! I used to frequent the place regularly, but it has definitely become more of a place to entice the families and the new riders in (not a bad thing) than a place for well seasoned riders to go and take a number of different trails in... I'm not a snob by the way, just have definitely noticed the trail centres are appealing more to the newbies and families than seasoned riders these days, as have some of the bigger MTB events too... Which, I guess, is where the money is, and they are businesses after all.
There are other things that I do miss, for sure too... When a "Mountain Bike" was just a Mountain Bike, and everyone rode together pretty much (even the sadists on singlespeeds!)... These days the fragmented visions of what actually makes Mountain Biking what it is to various different people, mean there's soooooo many different sub genres that according to the marketing men, never the twain shall meet! Thankfully, that's not fully the case (I'm off out tomorrow with a big group for a pre xmas ride, there will be full power eBikes, SL eBikes, unpowered conventional MTB's too) but riding has definitely splintered somewhat... I need to ask "what's the plan" before any ride with mates these days, so I can choose the most suitable bike to ride for said occasion... So I know I'm a part of that problem too... But... I still maintain that the bikes themselves are soooooo much better, and we still haven't reached the peak yet!
And then there's the Elephant in the room that is "Gravel" riding, which, let's face it, is just the MTBing we did back in the 90's that has gone through a fashion makeover to appease those predisposed with a love of lycra and deep section carbon rims...
So there's definitely an argument that the culture was better some time ago, as is often the case when such fringe hobbies mature... But I'd argue it was sometime before 2008 myself. The height for me was probably not long after the start of Singletrack mag and the forum, back when the 24hr races were absolutely everything (whether you were interested in racing them or not, they were the pinnacle of sociable MTBing in the UK at least)... I remember STW forum meetups for rides where we'd have to split into 4 or 5 groups (each still with upwards of 12 riders in each) with forumites meeting blind but then forming real life friendships to counter the anonymity of their internet personalities! But then I look back on the riding I did as a kid in the mid 90's too, with my mates, when none of us could drive so we'd ride a 20-30 mile round trip to get to the trails, and ride 15-20 miles off road too, fuelled only by Ginsters and Wine Gums purchased from petrol stations... And I'm sure the likes of Charlie Kelly, Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher, Ned Overand (no, not Ned actually, he's made FAR too much money out of the scene and off his former friends' backs) would argue that the culture was best back in the Repack days, when the bikes were as rudimentary and unsuitable as they could possibly be almost, but the scene was pure and undiluted...
Anyway... Enough of my musings...
For me probably somewhere around 2016-17, before geometry got too LLS.
For natural riding I think the peak is now - the local scene near me are building amazing trails. And places like Cannock are full of brilliant off piste stuff.
For trail centres - the scene was definitely better 10-15 years ago. Funding seems to have disappeared, and so many are looking old and tired, and getting destroyed by ebikes straight lining all the climbs.
I'm liking the thread
Mid to late nineties for me.
For natural riding I think the peak is now - the local scene near me are building amazing trails. And places like Cannock are full of brilliant off piste stuff.
Eh? Purpose built bike trails are now considered "natural riding"? When did that happen.
I think it's today. Bikes are so good and there are so many places to ride.
In about 2004 I had a Merlin aluminium hardtail for my birthday. Deore, hydraulic brakes, coil forks. I think it was over £500. It still works. A similar spec bike would cost about £1,000 now, so that's not crazy inflation for 20 years if you want to keep that budget.
If you want an amazing trail bike that can be fun from a gravel bimble to a BPW black, you can get one. It will cost more, but it's better.
Balance bikes, shotgun seats and kids bikes are in another league.
If you want 20 year old tech and spec, you can still get one and it will cost a lot less.
My tubeless DD tyres never puncture.
My wheels never lose true.
There is so much riding. Trail centres, bike parks, overseas resorts are growing.
For me personally it'd probably be 1992. I was an MTB mad teenager and spent as much time as possible riding my bike, reading MBUK, hanging around the local bike shops and dreaming of going to The Malverns, dropping in to the bomb hole and hanging out with The Wrecking Crew listening to James. Genuinely felt like we were all in it together and felt the same.
Bike wise it's got to be post Charger Pike at the very least? Probably around 2020 before Covid whacked the industry?
Interest wise, who knows? Still plenty of kids riding around here, same for E-bikers. When was peak for racing (riders and crowds)?
For natural riding I think the peak is now - the local scene near me are building amazing trails. And places like Cannock are full of brilliant off piste stuff.
Eh? Purpose built bike trails are now considered "natural riding"? When did that happen.
How many trails have you ridden that weren't built by someone? How did the bridleways/paths in the mountains get there...
2014-2018 imo. There was a real buzz around advancements in bike tech with bigger wheels, droppers, geometry etc. XC, enduro and DH were going strong. Bikes were expensive but much more reasonable than now. Off-piste tracks weren't quite as hammered as they are now so there was still a fair amount of loamers in the hills.
And controversially it was before e-bikes. Purely in the sense that it caused my local riding club to collapse and a good group of mates to split in two.
For trail centres - the scene was definitely better 10-15 years ago. Funding seems to have disappeared, and so many are looking old and tired, and getting destroyed by ebikes straight lining all the climbs.
Much like the Sportive scene. The good / well-known trail centres (Llandegla, Glentress) are continually busy, on the up, see some steady (if usually unremarkable) investment. The "bad" / less well-known ones have dropped off the edge of a cliff which prompts a spiral of decline.
("bad" is probably a strong word, I'm not sure any were bad as such but maybe "less rewarding").
How many trails have you ridden that weren't built by someone? How did the bridleways/paths in the mountains get there...
I'm pretty sure the bridelways and paths weren't purpose built for bikes, but does that mean you're agreeing with me that these trails you're describing definitely aren't "natural" after all?
How many trails have you ridden that weren't built by someone? How did the bridleways/paths in the mountains get there...
I'm pretty sure the bridelways and paths weren't purpose built for bikes, but does that mean you're agreeing with me that these trails you're describing definitely aren't "natural" after all?
I'm talking about people riding a new line down a hillside, raking a few corners and exposing a few rocks. Perhaps building a few drops over over some fallen trees. Not manicuring it with a digger and shipping in building materials. I would class these as natural trails yes. More natural than half the peak district bridleways which have been sanitised to make them rideable by bikes and horses.
As a singlespeeder I'd say 2008/9
As a 24hr racer I'd say pre-covid, it's dropped off massively and suddenly since then (which is very odd as ultra running has gone mad in the same time period) Although bike packing seems to be getting ever more more popular
In terms of just the sheer number of people out on bikes maybe now? But, at a risk of sounding a bit snobby, a lot of them aren't 'proper' mountain bikers, far too many ebikes, far too many just trying to be trendy I guess, all being cool and riding enduro stuff for a few hours on holiday, very few doing it with the passion and sense of adventure we did it with back in the day, all day every day, very few in middle of nowhere with a map and a bag of emergency rations.
The last few times I've been to the lake district I have been very surprised by the lack of bikes in the fells. That's definitely past it's peak
For natural riding I think the peak is now - the local scene near me are building amazing trails
Eh...
Some point just before COVID.
Ebikes are now taking over and mountain bikes are declining.
Thegrneralist, I think benman lives in Swindon, quite near Nationwide IIRC
In terms of mtb’ ing making its way into popular culture/ fashion, I’d say late 1980’s to 1993.
Bikes: today.
'Scene'? Despite living in MTB 'heaven' now, there's something to be said for going to the likes of Chicksands circa 2006 and just dicking about for a day. Sessioning stuff seems to be a thing of the past. 'Enduro' has resulted in people just wanting to blast down trails as fast as possible, braiding etc. No-one seems to want to stop and fanny about on a drop / tech feature etc any more. Also if I never see footage of some dork blowing up a berm, or POV footage, it will still be too soon 😀
Bikes - for about the last 10 years or so, bikes are vastly more capable compared to what they were like in the couple of decades before that. Bikes of the nineties especially, with hindsight were pretty rubbish (despite even my own nostalgia for them). How more of us didn't hurt ourselves more frequently is probs a bit of both luck and capability (of ourselves and the bikes) than we'd probably admit to. I don't spend every other weekend fixing something I'd rather be riding, I don't have to rebuild forks every weekend, I don't have to realign V brakes, I don't have to wear a massive camelback, just to accommodate the tools and a couple (at least) inner tubes, just wash them and put them away ready for the next ride. Just amazing
I've never really been a 'scene' sort of rider, I do most of my riding solo, and I'm pretty content with that, having said that, the SS champs, the Dusk till Dawn's, and 24 hour races were pretty cool times. Something I'd not appreciated before about those days was the memories they gave my kids, both have super strong and very fond memories of camping (endless summers obvs) staying up into the wee hours and the kindness and generosity of the MTB crowd they met - free schwag!
Bikes: today, for same reasons mentioned by others. Things are still improving. As a taller rider, perhaps I'm still seeing improvements in 'proper' sized bikes for taller riders in the bigger brands (some smaller brands had that nailed earlier), but improvements are still happening in both geometry and tech.
Riding? For me, pre-kids so that's 2011-12. There were still frequent big away days in our riding group - not just trail centres, but actual old skool XC rides into the hills. I owned both a DH bike and was a frequent SSer, and had consecutive weekends riding both. Weekend doing first aid patrolling at Nevis Range followed by a weekend at SSWC in Ireland was quite a contrast. Also my first couple of years of proper Alps trips with both Mrs a11y and mates. Riding is different now and arguably more fun trails with the explosion of trail building, but certainly not as frequent or as varied.
The year before the term 'trail centre' entered the vocabulary.
I know it’s all subjective but for me it be mid 90’s to early 2000’s. Yea bikes are better now days but back then what we rode were the latest bikes and we’re happy with them.
You’ve had all the marketing trends of XC, downhill, free-ride, enduro, down country but it’s all just pissing about on bikes for the majority of us.
Thegrneralist, I think benman lives in Swindon, quite near Nationwide IIRC
This wasn't even funny back during peak MTB.
And folk wonder why this forum is dying on it's arse
For natural riding I think the peak is now - the local scene near me are building amazing trails
Eh...
Is it really that hard to understand the difference between a new steep line scoped out down a hillside, a few rocks exposed, a few corners raked in - and a fully armoured trail centre? I'd say one is the use of a natural line which is already there, the other is purpose built trail where there perhaps wasn't a line before.
How natural are landrover tracks built across a hillside, long distance purpose built gravel trails, or santised bridleways suitable for horses, bikes and wheelchairs? But I bet a lot of folks would class these as natural trails...
Just before it became possible to push a button that enabled you to walk your bike up a hill with your hands on the bars gently guiding the front wheel. Or maybe it was just before people started spending hundreds on plastic film that stopped their frame getting scratched. Bless.
My wheels never lose true.
Good point that I hadn't thought of, even the ones I build myself are always fine.
Might also be because...disc brakes, you'll never notice the odd mm out of true.
Aluminium nipples can be a step back though, they need to be built right for a start, and even then corrosion gets them eventually.
Bikes are peak now, but ebikes filtering the casuls is / will be very bad for bike development, destroys the market. So we could really be at peak xc bike, for example, as there is little incentive for innovation.
Enduro / trail bikes peaked mid 2010s - that type of riding is much more linked with racing and events than others, as enduros are so fun and accessible. Feels like missed opportunities as that discipline has so much potential to be creative with formats and ideas for events, but has stalled for a variety of reasons. Access laws in England being one that you can't really do anything about in the here and now.
I think answer is....
the 90's which introduced the beginnings of the mountain bike specific technologies for braking, suspension and frame design
or maybe it was the naughties where that technology was refined from being expensive and rudimentary to commercial and sophisticated
however, maybe it was the teens where the technology was incorporated into fully usable bike packages
then again ... the twenties have seen those packages adjusted to be totally usable machines as the complete package for all riding scenarios, and also the introduction (for better or worse) of incorporated motors
Hmmm. 🤔
My heart says some time around 1997 but my head says today.
Bikes are peak now, but ebikes filtering the casuls is / will be very bad for bike development, destroys the market. So we could really be at peak xc bike, for example, as there is little incentive for innovation.
If anything we're at peak enduro and trail bike if those are going to become electrified in the future stopping future development.
XC bikes continue to improve as competitive racing will keep them non-electric; and the non-racers will have something akin to, but hopefully better pedalling than, a modern trail bike for them to buy.
Peak MTB is next year when you've bought all this cool new stuff that'll make everything betterer. That's literally how the bike industry survives.
XC bikes continue to improve as competitive racing will keep them non-electric; and the non-racers will have something akin to, but hopefully better pedalling than, a modern trail bike for them to buy.
I don't think XC bikes need to improve - not for the general consumer at least. Their resurrection will come about from disaffected gravel riders cottoning on to light, simple MTBs being more appropriate for many of the trails/routes they're riding.
But, at a risk of sounding a bit snobby, a lot of them aren't 'proper' mountain bikers, far too many ebikes, far too many just trying to be trendy I guess, all being cool and riding enduro stuff for a few hours on holiday, very few doing it with the passion and sense of adventure we did it with back in the day, all day every day, very few in middle of nowhere with a map and a bag of emergency rations.
I don't agree with this at all. A month ago I spent a week on Devon with my family. My son and I found a local hand built freeride park with the nicest group for kids who were there for seemingly the whole half term. Chatting with my son and I, hypping him up to clear some doubles, and giving the biggest cheer when he picked up the courage and went for it. It reminded me exactly if what made me fall in love with the scene in the mid 90s.
There's a council run bike bike park near us that is absolutely buzzing on a weekend, full of everything from families to groups of kids. It's a brilliant vibe.
I have no real time for gatekeeping, no such thing as 'not real mtbers' - anybody on a bike is another potential advocate, another potential riding buddy. And there are loads of them around now. Be they on a normal bike or an e bike. We're all just out to have fun.
Bikes are no question better than they ever were. My teens in the late 90s were spent swapping FSA cranks, trying to get Onza Sharkbites to grip, truing 521s, warrantying Marins, and putting chains back on.
We've never had it so good!
XC bikes continue to improve as competitive racing will keep them non-electric; and the non-racers will have something akin to, but hopefully better pedalling than, a modern trail bike for them to buy.
I don't think XC bikes need to improve - not for the general consumer at least. Their resurrection will come about from disaffected gravel riders cottoning on to light, simple MTBs being more appropriate for many of the trails/routes they're riding.
Already happened really as the current XC bikes are miles away from the 100mm, low front efforts of the past. I did the whole gravel loop and ended up on a modern carbon XC full suss via a carbon hard tail. Not sure I would have done is XC style hadn't already changed.
I personally dont see the point of a flat bar gravel bike but they are popular and are getting close to replicating those XC bikes of the recent past.
For XC riding - which I would describe the terrain and trails you would see in an XC race, whether marathon or olympic, and pretty akin to a classic trail centre; the modern bikes are better in every way. Geometry that can enjoy rather than survive a downhill, wheels that dont collapse on landing a jump, 2.4 tyres that corner superbly... traits that 10 years ago would be describing a trail bike now available in a 25lb race-capable machine.
however to some, XC means heading out for 10 hours with a pork pie and OS map, or as Scotroutes says, gravelers who want a bit more tech; they are probably better served with something more light duty and faster rolling and maybe better road manners.
Oh, I've no doubt that another "new" niche will be identified and named. It's all part of the marketing.
As a singlespeeder I'd say 2008/9
As a 24hr racer I'd say pre-covid, it's dropped off massively and suddenly since then (which is very odd as ultra running has gone mad in the same time period) Although bike packing seems to be getting ever more more popular
In terms of just the sheer number of people out on bikes maybe now? But, at a risk of sounding a bit snobby, a lot of them aren't 'proper' mountain bikers, far too many ebikes, far too many just trying to be trendy I guess, all being cool and riding enduro stuff for a few hours on holiday, very few doing it with the passion and sense of adventure we did it with back in the day, all day every day, very few in middle of nowhere with a map and a bag of emergency rations.
Congratulations on defining your version mountain biking.
2025, soon to be 2026.
No one is forced to upgrade or replace anything, we're more than a decade past the death of the 26er and people are still riding and maintaining them. There is still brand new 9sp stuff on the shelf, the world continues to turn. We're free to pick and choose what new products or ideas we want.
IMHO, anything else is rose tinted nostalgia for our youth, no amount of carbon or electronic gadgetry can complete with the highlighted memories of those sunny rides from 20 years ago.
For the 'scene' I've no idea.
For me, I'd say now. I class myself as an MTB'er - I've been riding them long enough.
Am I a 'mountain biker' in the sense that munrobiker is, no? Not that I wouldn't ride the stuff that he does, I'd love to.
But I ride mtb's on varied terrain.
I class emtb's as part of mtb'ing, others might not. But they go on the same rides to the same places that I'll ride my normal mtb's.
The past two/three years I've ridden more miles than I ever have before and am in the fortunate position to be able to pick whatever sort of bike takes my fancy.
So yeah, it's now
Im going to say 2020, as thats when my current bike was made 😃
I personally dont see the point of a flat bar gravel bike
Just as comfortable on the "just riding along" bits, more control on the "ooh, this is a bit tasty" bits. But that's a whole other thread.
It's difficult to say. I think there was a peak where there was a balance between accessibility and ability of the available mountain bikes. Probably from between when the Marzocchi Z1s were introduced and tapered forks being widely adopted by manufacturers.
During that period you could just get a bunch of randoms together and everyone would be able to go for a ride together. It could be you had someone on a £400 entry level Kona and someone else on a £3000 Santa Cruz Heckler but the trails and the bikes were such that everyone could go out together and have a good time.
Nowadays I'm not so sure. In 1997 I was a 16 year old turning up at Glasgow Mountain Bike Club without much of a clue but a decent enough bike to come along on the group rides. Nowadays it would be a kid with an £800 Decathlon Rockrider. Could they just pitch up at a club if everyone else was on Deviate Highlanders and Santa Cruz Nomads (and riding trails designed with these bikes in mind)?
And that's before we even mention ebikes and the potential barrier for entry that creates.
I'm not sure if the results of the poll STW did about rider ages is reflective of mountain biking as a whole. If it is even close to being accurate I'd say we are not in a golden age right now, more like we're in the beginnings of a death spiral as age and injury removes more and more riders from the pool.
(even the sadists on singlespeeds!)
Oi! Masochists, shirley.
Anyway, early 90's.
I'm not sure if the results of the poll STW did about rider ages is reflective of mountain biking as a whole.
No, I don't think it is. Not evidence but as a snapshot - last weekend 2 of us riding XC saw 10 other riders out. 2 groups of 3, all in their 30s I'd say, on non-e bikes. A group of 3 mid-teenage, 2 non-e and 1 e-bike, all nice full sussers from only a few years ago that you could get at good prices now. One lad on a top end e-bike riding solo, late 20s I guess. So me and my mate were the oldest (49 & 50).
Average age on pinkbike - I'd guess about 30?
Bikes - Now, obvs.
Riding, for me, 2001-2003. Finish college at 3, at the DH track by 4, dig/ride till it got dark.
Just watched DMRs recent look back vid, almost cried with all the nostalgia. *sniff
Now. Bikes are better than they have ever been and though I have a lot of nostalgia for the 90s I don't want to go back. I'm enjoying riding more than ever and for me trail centres, bike parks and uplifts have just made things better and better as the years have passed. I wish I wasn't getting so old but that's just life
No, I don't think it is. Not evidence but as a snapshot - last weekend 2 of us riding XC
I was at Dirtfarm, pretty quiet on the uplift but there was one bloke maybe around my age (50s) a couple of ebikers who may have been 30s, a young lad and his dad, a family of three with just the kid riding while dad waited at the uplift to push his bike to the top and mum near the bottom taking pictures and another young lad who had been dropped off for the day. So it's not all old farts, STW doesn't reflect reality on the ground (thank god 😀 )