On Mountain Biking: An Essay by Rhett

On Mountain Biking

Since the beginning of man’s reign as the forerunner of the food chain an odd realm of mental evolution has occurred: the continuous and insatiable urge to explore, to find the limits, and to push past those limits; generally declining to accept the mundane. Nothing exemplifies this theory quite like the mountain bike. Mountain bicycles are an economically and ecologically sound mode of transportation, complete with their own cult following and sovereign history. In a world plagued by obesity, soaring gas prices, and man’s loss of the primal joys provided by nature, the bicycle may prove itself to be the ultimate form of movement.

            To begin an insightful voyage into the lush world of the rough and tumble two-wheeler known as the mountain bike, a gander from the historical perspective encompassing the roots and evolution of the bike may prove to be enlightening. The rise of the culture may be closely correlated to the advancement of mountain bikes themselves—that culture being subsequently divided into its own sub-groups all with their own distinct styles and attributes. Many of those who have embraced the aforementioned culture, like tour guides and event organizers, may have found economic benefits associated with supporting the popular sport. Since the conception of the sport bikers have found prejudice in the eyes of many hikers and environmental support groups, who set sights on the mountain biker, probably as a result of extreme jealousy, shooting often fictitious and unsupported claims the way of the riders who have since become a stronger and sufficiently supported entity in the realm of recreation.

            The bicycle, since its initial introduction in 1861 as the ‘velocipede’ by one Pierre Micheaux, has seen many evolutionary, some revolutionary, changes in both its physical and social state of being (Wilcockson, pg. 21). Cycling began as a pastime of the wealthy and through popular interest began to trickle its way down through the European caste system. Walking into a modern bike shop and seeing the carbon built racing frames for the athletes of today, one would be hard pressed to imagine the unwieldy wooden behemoths which once, not so gracefully roamed the earth. As Michaux’s contraption gained favor and production started to take off, the technological advances begun and have yet to subside. The cycle timeline has seen many various trends and fads come and go such as the giant wheel of the ‘penny farthing’ design, the family oriented tandem, and later the ten-speed whose effects are still felt, for good and ill, today Women have added one certain phenotypical trait to the cycle; the trademark concave top-tubes associated with female specific cycles. These down slanting tubes where incorporated to allow adequate clearance for a lady’s skirt or dress as she rode (Wilcockson, pg. 27). Now super-light alloy bicycle frames equipped with 27 speeds and hydraulic disk brakes are not at all uncommon. A giant leap considering the original bike design lacked such rudimentary accoutrements as pedals (Wilcockson, pg. 21).

            Imagine a scene much like that of the mythical Wild West cowboy; a close relative of the mountain biker– at the end of a long day of hard riding, a camaraderie of riders sit around the campfire telling stories and folk tales involving various anecdotal mishaps and omnipotent hero figures whose fable bears remembrance. One of those legends is that of Edoardo Bianchi, who, in 1885 founded Bianchi Bicycles, an Italian bike company that is still building high quality bikes to this day (road-bike.co.uk). Bianchi has been credited by many as having created the first mountain bike in the year of 1915; the headwaters of World War One. Employed by the Italian army, Bianchi produced a collapsible bike that was outfitted with front and rear brakes, and was even available with an optional machine gun turret (road-bike.co.uk). Although apparently successful with the army, the idea was buried deep in the muddy trenches of the war and was not re-excavated for around sixty years. Emerging from the haze of the 1960’s Bianchi’s vision was revived and the mountain bike as we know it was spawned by a group of innovative neo-hippies from northern California just searching for a new way to get their kicks.

The bicycle has been and is used by many different people in many different ways. Some use the bicycle for commuting, others for work, and still others for sport and recreation. One example of employed cycles is that of the urban bicycle-mounted police officer (Figure 1).The fact that many people have needed mounts with specific capabilities at some point caused a definite division of bicycle types including but not limited to: the road bike, the BMX bike, and of course the mountain bike—all of which have their own special attributes, sub-categories, and quazi-cult followings. Among the most technologically advanced and definitely the most versatile type is the mountain bike or all-terrain bike. These rides are built to handle whatever obstacle man or nature puts it their paths be it rocks, roots, mud, or pavement; they are the quintessential Swiss… or Italian Army Bike!  Much like the theory of biogeography, that is, when an organism, or in this case machine, is isolated from its brethren it will individually adapt to better suit its own new environment. Thus, due to the emergence and progression of different riding styles that have stemmed from geographic allocation, the mountain bike has split into its own increasingly specialized factions.  

            Downhillers demand heavy duty frames capable of withstanding substantial abuse with suspension systems capable of soaking up tremendous blows from fast jumps, huge drops, and rigid rocks. One in question of the importance of the high travel suspension may be inclined to ask Josh Bender, climb jumping extraordinaire (Figure 2). In the world of downhill racing the entire purpose is to get to the bottom of the mountain as fast as possible, so all the obstacles encountered are hit with considerable force.  Cross country racers need to be light and fast, built with longevity in mind, which has prompted such innovations as the 29” wheel due to its decrease in rolling resistance. Cross country races usually last around two hours and are performed in various conditions that usually consist of rugged and beautiful scenery. A trials bike needs to be spritely; light, compact, and easy to throw around allowing the rider to hop, skip, and jump through and over nearly impassible obstacles. Some of these riders have been known to bunny-hop, or jump, their bikes as high as five

feet from flat ground!   

Mountain bikers, generally social animals, have formed many clubs, organizations (none of which seem particularly organized), and teams, all of which have one common goal: rally and ride. As with other enthusiasts of other sports, cyclists have created their own subculture in the underbelly of the action sports community. The first media coverage given to mountain bikers was in the form of the Fat Tire Flyer; a mountain bike magazine which debuted in 1980. According to Charlie Kelly, original publisher as well as one of the pilgrims to explore the brave new world of all-terrain cycling, the Fat Tire Flyer began as club newsletter and eventually morphed into a full fledge magazine chronicling current events, riders, and new technology (Kelly, sonic.net). Today there are a plethora of monthlies to satisfy the curious rider. Amongst these are Dirt Rag, Bike, and Singletrack. In the vein of The Lords of Dogtown, a popular skateboard biopic, Billy Savage created his film Klunkerz, which provides a glimpse into the ancestral beginnings of mountain biking (Klunkerz.com).

In a 1970’s era Marin County, California Kelly, Gary Fisher, and Joe Breeze, along with the other forefathers (and mothers, mountain biking doesn’t discriminate) of mountain biking organized the first actual mountain bike race on a hill dubbed Repack for its uncanny ability to heat, liquefy, and drain the grease from the coaster-brake style hubs of the bikes of all those individuals daring enough to take a trip down the radical gradient of its gnarly face (Breeze, Bicycling). From those sparks a raging inferno was formed which quickly spread not only throughout the United States but the world. In fact, mountain biking became so popular that it actually became an Olympic event in the 1996 Atlanta Games (Goldman, Boys’ Life). With the widespread adoption of mountain biking has come the widespread acceptance of mountain biking for its economical advantages.

Mountain biking introduces money into economies in numerous fashions. The global manufacturing company, Giant Bicycles who sells bikes in more than fifty countries, is a good example. Engineers design the bikes at their Taiwanese headquarters, which are subsequently produced in factories located in Taiwan and China. After production the bikes are then shipped, disassembled to reduce shipping costs, to which ever shop orders them, where they are then set up and fine tuned by a mechanic to be sold. According to a 2002 article of the Denver Post, Giant bicycles grossed 425 million dollars in the year 2000 (Pate, Denver Post). A 2009 article from the New Internationalist magazine proposes the idea that due to an increase of stateside demand, an increase in production automation, and an innate yearning for American made products bicycle production be brought back to America. This relocation would of course provide more jobs for American citizens (Tucker, New Internationalist). Aside from workers and mechanics Giant employs 32 professional cyclists who live, train, and ride on company dollar in return for the invaluable publicity and promotion they provide the company (giant-bicycles.com).

As the tourism sector expands its reach, mountain bike tourism is following in its draft, becoming an important economic driver for many towns. Places like Oakridge and Bend, Oregon are truly beginning to embrace the effects of exploiting the sport. Oakridge, a busted logging town, now claims to be the “Mountain Biking Capital of the Northwest” and is banking on mountain bike tourism to re-inflate their flaccid economy through events like the annual Mountain Bike Oregon rides which takes place in their locale (ci.oakridge.or.us). Some already prosperous ski resorts like Whistler, B.C and Mt. Hood in Oregon, continue to make money through the summer months by offering their bare ski trails and lifts to the earthy tires of voracious mountain bikers. 

            When a race is put on in the vicinity of a small town the temporary influx of patrons provides a substantial bonus for local businesses. Such is the case with the Echo Red to Red cross country race in Echo, Oregon. In 2008 the population of Echo was 666 people (city-data.com). The second annual Red to Red race brought just over 300 riders, all of whom are physiologically required to eat, drink, and sleep into town for the weekend. This event raised about $1500 for the local Kiwanis group and sold an untold number of bottles of wine at for the local viticulturalists of Snow Road Winery. The owners of Snow Road Winery, Llyod and Lois Piercy, actually provided the land on which the race takes place, without which the race would cease to exist. Contrary to the connotations the alias all-terrain bicycle infers, locations for riding are often found wanting or all together non-existent.

            Many trails are deemed off-limits to cyclists due either to uncooperative hikers unwilling to share trails or the mostly erroneous accusations of environmental destruction caused by biking. Such is the case around Mt. Tamalpais, California; one of the mountains from which the sport sprung. There hikers have not only successfully pushed legislation prohibiting cycles on many routes but have been known to actually set traps in attempts to injure unsuspecting cyclists, thus deterring them from continuing to ride in the vicinity (Koeppel, Bicycling). However, a great number of trails are peacefully cohabitated by hikers, bikers, and horse-back riders. Due to trails of this nature research has been possible which helps to defend bikers against such unwarranted claims. These complaints often include soil degradation, trail widening, trail rutting, and the spread of invasive plant species. Studies show that responsible bikers cause little or no more damage to trails than do hikers, and a considerably smaller amount than horses whose trampling hooves and great weight crush everything in their broad paths. Whilst they trample, they may transport potentially invasive seeds in their intestinal track which is usually evacuated in less than desirable locations (Pickering, Journal of Environmental Management).

            Mountain bikers are, in general, a green group of people. Many of whom band together to form non-profit, volunteer organizations with goals usually aimed at building and maintaining sustainable trails, as well as preserving the natural habitats fostering them. The Echo Hills Trail Builders are a good example of such an organization. This non-profit group, based in the rural desert area of eastern Oregon, builds and maintains a trail system which is open to the public for hiking, biking, and other forms of natural escapism.  Brian Cimmiyotti, mountain bike racer, mechanic, and founding member of the Echo Hills Trail Builders had this to say about his dusty lovechild: “We want to build trails that benefit the public, to ride, and to organize events to help raise money for local organizations such as the Kiwanis.” On a macro scale the International Mountain Bicycling Association focuses on encouraging mountain bikers globally to apply sustainable and responsible cycling practices. The IMBA Mission Statement: “IMBA creates, enhances, and protects great trail experiences for mountain bikers worldwide (imba.com).” So, contrary to the beliefs of many, it may be surmised that mountain bikers are builders and protectors, in lieu of the reputation as klutzy destroyers.

            In addition to benefitting the natural environment, cycling has great health benefits. As a low-impact, extremely enjoyable cardiovascular activity, it opens doors for general health promotion. According to a study included in an article of Economic Times magazine, during one hour of “high intensity cycling” one may expect to burn around 600 calories, depending on the rider compared to. This ride could be a commute to and from work or an all-day off road epic; cycles hold no prejudice. People riding bikes to work instead of driving would, as an added effect, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and save the rider a ton of money;  all while participating in a worthwhile pastime! In a country plagued with obesity and a world threatened by the ill effects of burning fossil fuels, perhaps cycling could offer a healthy and cost effective transportation solution. Some metropolises have attempted to promote the notion of cycling as an advantageous mode of transport by actually providing urban, high traffic areas with ‘communal bikes.’ Many European countries have attempted this scheme, most failing due to theft (Wilcockson, pg. 17). This was also more recently attempted in Portland, Oregon whose program met a similar fate; extinction due to the predation of petty thieves (Skipping Stones). The mountain bike is like the SUV of the cycle world; it can go anywhere, anytime. Mountain bikes provide freedom as well as mobility.

             No, mountain bikes are not the only type of cycle on the market. And no, they are not for everyone, but those whom they do suit, those with the hunger to get out and get gone have the ability to break through the boundaries and go where ever adventure beckons. This can all be seen through the scope of a critical lens surveying the sport. Mountain bikes and the culture surrounding them have formed a purposefully evolved, economically and ecologically sound microcosm. Because of man’s insatiable wanderlust and constant and undeniable need to achieve perfection, mountain biking technology has seen an exponential boom, elevating it to its current paramount. The supreme hardiness required by the sports participants have been reflected and manifested in their functionally radical machines.

Rhett Whalen