Mountain Bike
La Mountain Bike
History
The modern mountain bike was born in the late seventies in California, after a long period in which adapted bicycles, called "clunker" (catorcio), were used to race downhill on forest roads. The first bicycle purposely built for off-road use is believed to be that of Joe Breeze, in 1978. Subsequently
Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly and Tom Ritchey joined in the "MountainBikes". In the early 1980s, the first mass-produced mountain bikes were sold, which at the time were little more than toughened racing bikes with straight handlebars and wider tires. In the twenty years at the turn of the year 2000, mountain biking has become one of the most popular sports, and the market and the birth of sports competitions based on mountain biking specialties have allowed continuous technological development, so today activities that a once they were not even thinkable.
The birth of the myth
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A prototype from the 70sList item 3The development of mountain biking dates back to the 1970s, when groups of cyclists from Colorado and California began to modify the classic bicycle by inserting: motocross handlebars, wider tires and brakes with better grip for the purpose of racing on dirt roads.
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The protagonistsTom Ritchey, Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and their friends began making history with their first bike rides along the streets of Marin County, California. .
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The descentsDownhill racing started in Repack in 1976, many of the off-road participants had already modified their old bikes by adding front and rear drum brakes and derailleur shifters. We ran into problems with using old frames for off-road driving. They weren't very strong and were two or three times heavier than they should have been.
The Types of Mountain Bike
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Croos countryList item 1They are mountain bikes specially developed for cross country racing. In the 1980s and early 1990s, XC mountain bikes had light steel frames and rigid forks. During the nineties they evolved, shifting to aluminum frames and suspension forks (typically 80–100mm). With the improvement of technologies and the use of carbon composites, full suspension bicycles with slightly greater excursions have also begun in XC, especially in the case of marathon competitions that require long stays in the saddle. The weight of a cross country bike can drop below 8 kg.
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All mountainList item 2All mountain bikes are dedicated to the recreational discipline also known as cycle touring. It is a compromise between the qualities of pedalability, descent, reliability and comfort. Generally they are full suspended with (adjustable) excursions of 140-150 mm, have a fork with 32 mm stanchions, a weight of 12-15 kg, a geometry that is stable enough for a non-competitive descent and that allows the cyclist to retreat for overcome steep sections, but which do not affect the pedalability uphill. Usually we find a double crankset with "bash ring" (chainring protection) with short ratios to tackle long climbs.
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EnduroList item 3Enduro mountain bikes are similar to all mountain bikes, but generally they are competition vehicles. They generally have 160 mm of travel, thru-axles to the wheels and forks with 34 or 36 mm stanchions for the greater rigidity required, rear shock absorber with piggyback, they can be single chainring and have a weight comparable to that of the all mountain.
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FreerideList item 4Freeride mountain bikes are intended for gravity, generally from bike parks. Relying on mechanized lifts (cableway or van), pedalability is almost never a necessity, unlike sturdiness and, secondarily, descent qualities. The 180 mm suspensions are mainly spring loaded, the frame and the set-up make them capable of enduring the abuses of the discipline. The wheels, 26 "or 27.5", are large and strong and weights can vary. In fact, some prefer to mount lighter components in order to occasionally pedal uphill; in these cases we speak of light freeride.
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DownhillDownhill mountain bikes are developed around the homonymous competition, a timed downhill race on variably fast and technical tracks. They have to sustain very high speeds, so they have a very stable geometry, with a long wheelbase and very relaxed seat and steering angles. The fork is dual plate, usually spring loaded, with 40mm stanchions to stay stiff and has 200mm of travel. Air suspension is also experimented, because lightness is an important factor for downhill bikes: less inertia means more acceleration and, above all, shorter braking. Even the wheels and the rest of the components are not completely devoted to strength as in freeride bicycles, but they are a compromise with weight. The wheel size is generally 26 or 27.5.