When it comes to mountain biking, everybody who takes part does it for a different reason. It could be that they enjoy the leisurely rides along the countryside, it could be that they want to keep fit, or it could be that they want to take part in extreme biking. Whatever your reasons are for taking part in mountain biking, when you look back into mountain bike history, you will see that it wasn't always as popular as it is today.

The History of Mountain Bikes

One of the main reasons why mountain biking is more popular today than it was in the 1970's for example, is because the bikes today are designed much better than they used to be. The way they are designed now has made biking more accessible to more people. So whilst it may still have been popular back in the 1970's, these days it is much more accessible to a wider range of people.

If you were to look at when mountain biking first started, you will notice that it was in California where a group of enthusiasts got together. They decided to try out downhill racing and that was the main type of mountain biking that was enjoyed right at the beginning. Today it is still as popular, but it is not the only type of biking enjoyed by enthusiasts these days. The tracks that were ridden along were exactly the same back then as they are today, it is only the bikes that have really changed.

The main trouble with the bikes when they were first designed, was that they were not overly sturdy. The bikes today are built to withstand practically everything that can be thrown at them. This makes them ideal for extreme biking. The frames have been made lighter, yet stronger at the same time. There are also more gears on mountain bikes today too. Riders first started to change their bikes when they wanted to adapt to downhill runs and routes. That is how the typical modern day mountain bike started out.

The bikes that were mainly on sale when mountain biking was first created, were ones that were created only for the road. So that is where they were mainly ridden. People did start to take their bikes off road, but it was not as popular. It was the enthusiasts within California which changed this and they thought about creating a bike that could handle all terrains.

So overall the main reason why you can now enjoy mountain biking off the road over all kinds of different terrain is down to those enthusiasts in California. It all started back in the 1970's and thanks to those enthusiasts mountain biking is now more popular than ever before. An experienced cyclist or technician can approximate what you need just by looking at your body frame