Just wondering how the peeps on here started MTB'ing, was it racing? by chance? I started in 97, moved from the Wirral to NorthWales and bought cheap bike to get fit. Loved it, ended up upgrading to a Marin and not looked back. Even did the local race scene until foot and mouth put an end to it.
Here (yes, it's footpath, but I was 14 and we didn't care back then)
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=394060&Y=382690&A=Y&Z=120
Early 90s working through the Munros
We had done all the easy/accessible ones and it was becoming a pain to bothy/bivvy the remainder because they were monopolised by big groups, SAS-types and bothy rats who were there for more than a day or two.
So we had the idea of getting one of those new-fangled mountain bikes and riding in to the mountains. It worked really well; bike in, hide the bike in the undergrowth or by some rocks, climb the hill, ride out again and back in time for tea and cakes.
1996 Up and down the Wrekin/Acle wood near telford. Bl*ody loved it.
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Crystal Palace Park in 2001 as i lived just down the road.
On a Spesh Hardrock that i bought on a whim as i worked in Waterloo next to the Evans store. Still have it and it's sat in the office behind me for occasional lunchtime pootles. Everything else is 29er now but i'll never sell the Hardrock. May retire it at 10,000 miles, it's on 8200 at the moment.
!987 as an alternative to windsurfing when there was no wind. it was a Marin Bear Valley
Shared a student house in Huddersfield (1989-92) with a bloke who had one. I had a go on it and liked it.
As a kid I liked riding my bike (10ish), we had the Bristol/Bath cycle path on the doorstep and some nice off-roading bits (tractor trails). 14ish and I had more freedom and loved being able to go places, Castle Coombe mainly, on the bike.
Met some like minded people at college which showed me what mountain biking really was and how to grow some balls! Riding down the Portway rock, etc.
Got driving license and never touched a bike for a bout 13 years... Got back into it due to depression, helped me a lot and will NEVER give it up! 😀
1986. Painswick beacon, Cotswolds, emmelle cougar pos. Had ridden my bmx round those trails for 2 years prior. Still riding there now and again today! Washing up in the royal William(cranham) got me my 89/90 kona explosif eventually.
[url= https://maps.google.com/maps?q=53.413446,-1.533151&hl=en&num=1&t=p&z=15 ]Loxley common[/url]
[url= https://maps.google.com/maps?q=53.44896,-1.543837&hl=en&num=1&t=p&z=14 ]followed by Wharncliffe woods[/url]
1996 in Bristol.
Then soon after getting that bike I moved to Holland for a few years.
In the Forest of Dean. Way back we messed about as kids in the woods but mountain biking came along years later. My first ATB would have been end of the 80s, frame miles too big, bar ends to make a highland cow envious. Didn't progress to a [i]MTB[/i] until later in the 90s 8)
1987 Plymouth coastal area around Plymstock .
I was working in the area and bought my first ATB in Plymouth.
A Dawes Wildcat ,it was teh awzums 😀
1989 as an additional way of staying fit for my Martial Arts training. First bike was a s/h Saracen bought from a local lad who was saving up for a Kirk. I think I ended up with the better of the two bikes, but mine was not nearly a cool!
About 1990, on a Muddy Fox Sorcerer, in The Vale of the White Horse. Progressed to an Orange Clockwork until it was nicked 🙁
1990 on the Quantocks. I was 10.
In 1991 I did my first race, also on the Quantocks.
I'm almost 33 now and I still ride on the Quantocks pretty frequently 😉
1992, Torquay.
Spring of 1991, in Winnipeg, Canada.
Liked dirt, so sold my road bike and bought a mountain bike. Road as much as I could, from river-side paths, to forest floors, to beaches.
proper mountain biking?
probably a ride up Roseberry Topping and over to Captain Cook's Monument in the early 90s.
I started when I went to Sheffield Uni in '91. A group of the lads in my hall of residence had mountain bikes and I took the piss out of them mercilessly (along with the other non-lycra wearing blokes) until they challenged me to go on a ride with them.
I wanted to get fit and loved being out in the countryside anyway, so after a really tough & scary ride up Endcliffe Park, to Stanage Edge & Blacka moor I was hooked. Bought my first bike with my student loan a few weeks later & never looked back. Changed my life & I'll never give it up either (no matter what the missus says!!) 🙂
1986/7. Hired one from Andy?? ( Andy who I think now runs/ owns Biketreks in Ambleside) who had three MBK's?? in a shed in Elterwater.
Did the classic Under Loughrigg route.
Loved it and have never looked back.
North Downs and around Limpsfield Chart and Crockham Hill, on the Surrey Kent border, late 80s and 90s.
Buxton
'88/'89
Used it for riding over Long Hill for my Saturday job. A chap who worked for my Dad had some involvement with the Tim Banton/Andy Spencer Peak District guide book so got a copy of that and started exploring. Twas a Spesh Hard Rock that now lives at the mother-in-law's.
1993, A mate at school had a Raleigh with Scott unishock suspension forks (48mm of travel!) and I thought it was the coolest thing - persuaded my parents I could spend my life savings on a specialzed rockhopper fs. Started riding around the isle of white.
Peak District, above Ladybower, on a Claude Butler, in a baseball cap, with a backpack and a 2L "coke" bottle filled with water.
I rode some really excitingly steep rocky stuff on the route down to the road around the reservoir too but only because my brakes wouldn't stop me.
😀
April 1991 up the Sidlaws on a Raleigh Yukon 😕
nearly bought an early mountain bike in 1987 but my dad decided a new bmx would easier to maintain....rode my first mtb in 1990 when our youth service got a new fleet of specialized rockhoppers...the bug then bit and i worked as many paper rounds to buy my first mtb a couple of years later...a raleigh shaftivator...(seemed like a good idea at the time as it had front suspension)...after a few years of shame on that i bought my first proper mtb in 1996...a marin eldridge grade...by then i was well and truly infected by the mountain bike bug!!
Salisbury Plain and South Devon, some time in the 80s. Crikey. That's a long time ago.
Initially on forest trails and coastal runs around Annan in 1989 with the occasional trip to Mabie forest and around the woods near Hoddam Estate where the ranger chased you on a quad bike!! Quality training that was! We also used to sneak into a local open cast mine of a sunday and razz round the quarry, which was awesome, but we always ended up filthy and getting hosed down by my Mum!! Jeans/Trainers/no helmet of course...
All on my beloved yellow and white Raleigh Maverick 1988, it doubled as my "ATB" and paper round bike until it passed away from over use and being pretty crap in 1997. It sadly resides in landfill now as my folks dumped it when they moved.
Wiltshire, 1988
1996 taking the fun (and forbidden) route through Wimbledon Common on the way back from work in the centre of London. I was riding a secondhand full rigid bike bought just to get to and from work, the name of the frame was something like 'American Renegade', it had a pink/grey fade, lugged tubes, biopace chainset and u-brakes. I started buying magazines to find out more about mountain biking, and was hooked.
Then properly in 1997/98 when I started Uni in Telford/Wolverhampton - also up the Wrekin/Ercall and over to Cannock and various Shropshire hills.
1989 when I moved to Shrewsbury on my own and wanting to get fitness back.
Bought a cheap Townsend from Mellor Cycles and been riding ever since.
1996. Parents bought a house with 4 acres of woodland with (cheeky) trails in it. 5 years after that I found that Huddersfield uni DH club had it's practice trail 10 mins ride away from said house (Storthes Hall).
12 years later they still live there and I'm still [s]riding[/s] buggering about in those woods when I go visit....
1991 - Reading University - blew my 'got to live on for the year money' on a Purple Cannondale M500. Yum Yum.
The University Cycling Club were very accomodating - meet outside the library on Wednesday afternoons - or Sunday Mornings (late) and then head out past Pangbourne, sometimes to Crowthorn / Swinley - plus the odd race.....
1985 on my road bike and bought my first mtb in 86. I started riding the road bike over the South Downs as a short-cut to decent roads but then decided I liked riding where there were no cars. And I'm still riding the same routes today. I'm lucky enough to have a commute which I can vary anywhere between 6 and 26 miles with only a mile of it on the road. I'm not really a mountain biker at all just someone who happens to use one to ride around the countryside.
Rode an Overburys fellrider that me and a mate borrowed from them after the Bristol buike show in 84? He bought one I bought a raleigh maverick and we explored the Mendips .It was great in those days because you didnt see anyone else on a bike offroad .The trails above Burrington Combe were mine
Started 1997. My first bike was a steel Rockhopper that I saved up for.
Most of my rides were in the local woods (Hogback in Beaconsfield and Hodgemoor not that far away). Also spent a lot of time in Burnham Beeches but bike theft was rife being close to Slough, including my Rochopper. In fact I think all of my riding buddies had a bike nicked there! We also used to build jumps in some woods between Stoke Poges and Burnham. There were also a load of jumps built in some woods near Chalfont st Peter. High Wycome BMX track was popular too as was Slough especially after they filmed a Sprung section there.
The MBUK team turned up at Burnham Beeches a couple of times as did Nigel Page was he was sponsored by Rotwild. Rob Warner used to ride at Hodgemoor sometimes because the dirt jumps were pretty good and big too...the rythem section was well long.
They were great times, hanging around on the sketchy jumps etc.
Yorkshire Dales 93-95 there abouts. At that time, I thought that walking in the local Dales was a bit lame and of no interest, but didn't want to traipse up to the Lakes/Scotland all the time. MTBing kind of livened the Dales up a bit and made the whole thing more acceptable as it was relatively new, exciting and you could cover lots of ground.
Started MTBing in the Alps in 97 as an alternative on climbing hols, when the weather was bad.
First Bike was a GT Timberline
Around 1980 - on a BMX in the Welsh mountains where I grew up. I was 7 and knew no fear.
Got my first proper MTB around 1990.
For me it all started with sneaking out for a cheeky ciggie on my BMX - in Richmond Park (the horror!!) which must have been '88/'89. Got more and more keen on the riding on mud and less keen on the fags. Good move. Went further afield to Oxshott, Esher etc until i decided it was killing me on a BMX so got me a garish Saracen (Trekker) in 1990. Awesome. Frightening to think of the miles covered in those days, thought nothing of 5,6, 7 mile ride just to get to some dirt. Anyway got me a Zaskar in the late 90's (still best ever bike btw) when riding got a bit less XC and a bit more gnarr so more riding on N Downs / Surrey Hills. How my shiny German car would cry if it ever knew people cycled on roads and not just fettled with gears in car parks.....
I remember a guy at Burnham Beeches who had a ball burnished Zaskar with Judy DH's, Looks cranks, Maguras and massive Azonic riser bars. It was the coolest thing that I'd ever seen!
Ironically before I moved down south, I lived in the middle if the Dalby forest and had no interest in riding bikes!
I've had a few breaks from bikes but always come back to them...around 2000 I decided mountain bikes were rubbish and rode BMX instead but I was rubbish at street and I got mugged at uni for my bike. Then randomly decided in 03 that I wanted another bike so put my student loan to good use! Had another break in 09 due to the recession and a lack of funds. Built another bike up last year and can't get my head around what I did when I wasn't riding!
Early 1970s. Me and my brother would take our pre war single speed bikes out on off road trips with a rucsac containing a frying pan and sausages. . We'd build a fire, fry said sausages, brew tea and savour the moment. Happy days.
Fast forward to student days in Edinburgh in the mid eighties. I had a summer job working at Robin Williamson Cycles. My Colnago road bike got stolen, with the insurance, which was within a week of expiry, I bought the first Rockhopper in the country and went on to meet and ride with guys who became lifelong pals.
Tea leaf didn't see that coming. 😀
First proper mountain biking experiences in 1991 at Sheffield Uni. Realised I could ride from Endcliffe Park straight out to Stanage Edge & the Peaks. Completely trashed my cheapo bike but had a great time doing it.
May have bumped into HeadPotDog on the trails though no idea who he or she is.
Bought a bike to get to work and generally ride around on in the mid 80's, it was a Trek but I can't remember if it was an 820 or 830. First ride that I would recognise as being properly off road was a couple of months after buying it and was a 14-15 mile loop from Wendover. From that point on me and a mate went pretty much every weekend.
'68 Thorner woods
Newcastle, Norn Iron
here
On a rigid steel bike with caliper brakes in 1993
Bought my 1st mtb in 1986 from a shop I still buy bits from, a claud butler! At the time I was off-road m/cycle racing so went into the Peaks to do a climb I flew up on the enduro bike. Needless to say I didn't fly up it , returned a broken man and put the bike back in the shed for a few months until it was nicked. With the insurance money I bought a Saracen Tufftrax with the rear brake on the chain stay [ask your dad ] and finally started riding properly. When I asked the salesman in the bike shop how the Saracen compared to the Butler he had sold me 6 mths befor he replied ,'That was a stone axe compared to this'! I have been cynical about technological claims ever since.
Used to ride my 24 inch wheel Raleigh up and down the flat bridle way outside my parents like any kid.
november 1998 aged 11 id been a good kid and dad offered to buy me a magazine. Spotted this cool cover of Dave Cunningham doing a massive tabletop on mountain biker international and decided that looked cool.
read that mag cover to cover and decided i wanted to do that and have a good bike. Saved every penny for a end of 99 stumpjumper comp as my first proper bike and started getting my mates into it at school.
never stopped 🙂
Dunno, guess I'm young enough that bikes have always been 'mountain bikes'.
Started using them beyond just cycle paths and BOAT/RUPP style trails in South Derbyshire arround 2002, sold my boat 6 months later, bought a carrera and a year after that headed off to uni in Sheffield.
Christchurch NZ- as teenagers in the 70's, used to ride our bikes on the Port Hills, loads of sheep tracks and old unmade roads.
Mountainbiking on mountainbikes? Same area, mid-late 80's..
Three years ago, rewired a house as a hommer thought id get a bike as a cheap hobbie. how wrong I was
June 1991, on a youth group camp in Frosterley, we hired a bunch of Marins. I was 13.
That evening I asked a girl to go out with me. We're married with kids now.
88/89 around Dalby and the North York moors. Took a road bike sabbatical between 96 and 2008 😯 but I'd say I'm now 50/50 mtb and road
I has riding a hybrid on the odd bridleway in the early 90's but I can pinpoint the seminal moment when this became mountain biking:
It was 96 and I'd been on a management training course on the mendips and was riding home. I decided to ride down a bridle way at full pelt and crashed breaking a tooth.
1. Riding fast and risking it was fun for its own sake
2. I needed a proper mountain bike!
[i]1996 Up and down the Wrekin/Acle wood near telford. Bl*ody loved it. [/i]
Funnily enough me too but 5 years earlier! Still have a mess around there when I am back in the UK!
1987, palisades trail, 1 months apprentice wages up Hampsfell, Cartmel Fell and Coniston Old Man. Still love it [even more perhaps]....
This was my playground as a child in the 60s; http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit/caerlaverock/ It was a farm in those days and we used to ride across the merse and sands of the Solway estuary. I rode these tracks and roads till I got my driving licence and then there was a biking gap till 1980 when wife became pregnant with child number 1 necessitating me to cycle to work and her to have the car.
Then in '88-89 son and I started riding in the local forest and then Mabie. A mate needed to get fit for a job interview/medical so we started riding more at Mabie.
My bike at that time was a Rudge bi-frame; http://www.lfgss.com/thread84511.html. A few Raliegh Mustangs followed by an M-Trac followed before I bought my son a Trek 8000 which we shared for a while until I got my Bontrager Priv. This I rode for 16yrs till the b&b she'll have up and I bought a Blue Pig frame to add to my '05 Kona Dawg.
So a quick recap; started at Mabie in late 80s, add in a bit of Ae. In the '90s ventured over to GT, down the Lakes, got the maps out and went exploring everywhere and anywhere within a reasonable distance of home 😆
Growing up on the Isle of Man had some advantages!
in 1991, I had some mates who were well into biking, so i borrowed an old Dawes Ascent and went on my first ride with them
It was 30 miles, wet, cold and it nearly killed me - but i loved it!
I then bought the Dawes for £70 and painted it black and white with Hammerite! Just like a Dogz Bollox, but not quite as classy
6 months later, I bought my first 'proper' mountain bike - a Raleigh Dyna Tech Mission.
Rode and raced regularly for 6 years and then discovered women and drink
Got back into it with a bang in April 2011 - the best decision i've ever made 🙂
For my first mtb ride, late 80s, think i was 11 or 12. 11 of us hired some ridge backs from a bloke in the village and set off to tackle garburn pass! 10 hours, 5 puntures, and 3 snapped chains later, we made it home. never looked back, it was great growing up in staveley.
Was 1993, living in West Wycombe, bought a steel (v.harsh)Muddy Fox and mainly rode West Wycombe, Naphill/Downley Common and Hughenden area, and not much beyond because an hour or two was all I could take.
There are some good trails round that way, but I never fancied taking that bike up any real mountains or somewhere rocky.
First proper "mountain" bike ride, with front suspension, was an all dayer out of Rhayader c2000. Fantastic.
Somebody lent me a Saracen Rufftrax, I rode up Penrith Beacon - ace, but damn heavy and the brakes did not work.
.
Then some chap called Lester, from a company that had just started up called 'Orange' (they were sailmakers...) had a couple of bikes at the sailing club, I borrowed one and got halfway to Glenridding on the singletrack - I was HOOKED....plus the bike was the coolest looking thing you ever saw...
Late 80s some time, replaced my BMX with a very bad raleigh mountain bike, then replaced that with a fairly nice carrera which I still have. Barely recognise what I do today as a continuation of that, though...
So then I stopped for years, but restarted in about 2009 after I broke my hip- needed the exercise to sort out my leg. Revelation- tyres that grip, forks that boing, brakes that actually brake.
1991 Muddy fox pathfider around the pent lands
Formby, Merseyside, 1985, Saracen Conquest.
1st MTB race - Brinscall near Chorley in 1985.
Got an image now of 90s Northwind riding past 90s maddyutah!
Mostly pootled around local footpaths with my sister(didn't know it was forbidden).
Then got into mtbing properly after coming back from a fantastic skiing holiday, wondering where I could capture that feeling of being in the fresh air, countryside, with good friends, doing exercise with a buzz. So my skiing pal and I, we headed out to the Peak District. Quite a learning curve in the late 1990s.
Never looked back.
Christopher Harrison's back garden circa 1972.
Felt sure those steps were doable but a fixie trike and the wrong tyres were my undoing.
'87 in Whistler, I swapped the Xt 600 for a Nishiki and started hitching the bike on the back of the chairlift on 7th Heaven as Id spend the day watching my mates ski on the glacier, then Id ride down the fire roads and little tracks back to the village, then ride around the village and the lakes.
2000 in Brechfa before the trails got marked out, mate took me out as he had been riding there for years. My COUGH barracuda snakebite's COUGH components completely seized after the first ride so built up my own over the next couple of months, never looked back since.
1992, Luton, aged 14. We used to ride out to Chicksands every Sunday right up to 18 and blast round all day, before riding back. Good god we must have been fit back then!!