Europeans love to bike (though not necessarily off road)

I took a trip to Europe recently and although I didn’t get a chance to mountain bike while I was there, I thought perhaps writing about biking might allow me to write off the cost of my trip as a “business expense.” (IRS auditors take note: this is a joke 😉 ) Anyway in Germany …

I took a trip to Europe recently and although I didn’t get a chance to mountain bike while I was there, I thought perhaps writing about biking might allow me to write off the cost of my trip as a “business expense.” (IRS auditors take note: this is a joke 😉 )

Anyway in Germany I saw all kinds of folks riding bikes in the streets – old women, businessmen in suits, teenagers, even middle aged couples. The commuter bikes people rode seemed well suited to the task – chain guards to protect pants legs, upright geometry to keep an eye on traffic, and simple (or no) gearing for the flat city streets. One thing I noticed, though, was the lack of mountain bikes.

In the US it seems that mountain bikes are a pretty standard choice for commuters since they can go anywhere (on or off road) and are great for hopping commuter-unfriendly curbs. Of course most mountain bikes chew up your pants legs and their fat knobby tires aren’t really all that efficient on the road. While commuter bikes and hybrids are available in the US, most people shy away from them either because they’re uncool or because they already have a mountain bike sitting in the garage.

All this leads me to a question: is mountain biking more popular in the US than in Europe? Obviously road cycling is a popular spectator sport around Europe but do many regular people hit the trails on weekends? I know Bombardier and Prophet have done some mountain biking in Germany so the trails do exist – but are they popular?

I attempted some “Google research” about mountain bike sales in Europe but I wasn’t able to find much. The one bike shop I poked my head into in Italy had a few low-end mountain bikes but a ton of commuter bikes and motorized scooters. Cars are definitely smaller and in shorter supply in Europe so I imagine it’s tough to haul the bikes out to the local trailhead for weekend rides. Plus if you’re cruising around on your bike all week, who wants to ride for fun on the weekend? It’s like taking your car out for a Sunday drive despite driving 1 hour each way to work Monday through Friday. Sure some people still take Sunday drives but it ain’t as popular as it used to be.

My sense is that of all the European countries, the UK probably has the biggest interest in mountain biking and I’m not sure why. The Alps touch several European countries and seem like a natural place for off road riding while the UK, for the most part, is pretty flat. Go figure.

I’d be interested to hear from some Europeans about the mountain bike scene, particularly since my perspective is entirely based on a single short trip around the continent. What countries have the best trails? Is mountain bike racing big there? What are the best mountain bike brands?