Mountain bike

Historical:

The first mountain bike appeared in the United States in the 70s under the leadership of Tom Ritchey, Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher. It is initially a beach bike on which a bicycle drivetrain was added, in 1979 the mountain bike (MTB) was born, indeed the raised handlebar of the cruiser is replaced by a flat one which gives the aspect of MTB we know him today. With the arrival of this new type of equipment, it is a new sport and new practices which quickly become popular, in 1990 the world championship in downhill and cross country is followed by thousands of enthusiasts, in 1996 the Cross country mountain biking enters in the Olympic games.

In France, it is the Sunn brand which, since 1989, designs and markets inexpensive mountain bike up to the top of the range. In the 90s, the Sunn team will be one of the most popular and prolific in terms of victories with big names such as Miguel Martinez and Christophe Dupouey in cross country mountain biking and Nicolas Vouilloz or Anne-Caroline Chausson in downhill mountain biking.

Mountain bike practices:

In recent years, many variations have appeared and have generated many technical developments. The originally 26-inch wheel diameter can be today 27.5 or 29 inches. The cantilever or v-brake brakes have been replaced by hydraulic disc brakes for better stopping power in all conditions. Some suspension models can be locked on the handlebar by the cyclist. The tubeless allows to roll at low pressures for a better grip without risk of puncture by pinching. Here are the main disciplines:

Cross-country or XC mountain bike:

this type of use is the most versatile and the oldest. The cross-country mountain bike can be rigid, semi-rigid (only a telescopic fork) or suspended (telescopic fork and shock absorber). In this practice, automatic pedals are used.

Downhill or Downhill mountain biking (DH):

for this discipline, the mountain bike must be robust and the travel of the fork and shock absorber important in order to support jumps, shocks and vibrations. The pedals of this type of MTB are generally flat with studs.

Enduro mountain biking:

this practice is a hybrid between cross-country and downhill. The geometry of this type of mountain bike is generally close to that of an XC mountain bike but the suspension travel is greater, the width of the tires corresponds to that of DH mountain bike.

Dirt bike:

it can be rigid or semi-rigid, its frame is shorter than that of an XC mountain bike, it is fitted with smooth tires for use in town or on skateboard equipment.

Trial mountain biking:

this type of mountain bike is equipped with a rigid fork, a very low saddle and a compact geometry, this practice consists in making often impressive figures.