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You know, mountain biking is something that has really takin a hold of my life. I never new I had a passion for it till the first time I hit a singletrack. I was wondering what yall’s first singletrack was.
Mine was almost a year ago. My friend Ben and I had gone to a car show and had not stayed long before we realized that there was only one hotrod there. My buddy asked me "hey you want to get out of here" I said sure and asked what he wanted to do. He brought up mountain biking. So we grabbed out bike and headed to River Legacy in Arlington, Texas and hit the dirt. Since then I’ve bike over 600 miles on my trek 3700 and have loved "almost" every second. Singletracks.com I think has played a part in it to.
So anyways lets get your stories
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My first mountain bikes were 1983 and ’84 Stumpjumpers that I bought when I worked at a bike store during those summers. Both bikes ended up being stolen from me. The first because of my own negligence, the second, the real heart break, through a cracked open Kryptonite lock. Neither of these bikes ever saw the dirt. They were kept spotless and used as heavy street riders.
It wasn’t until 1996, when I got a good deal on a new Fuji with a Manitou shock, that I discovered the joy of trail riding. A year later, I had upgraded to my original love, the Stumpjumper. I started expanding out into trails in other areas and states, including a ski mountain that earned me stitches in my elbow. 13 years later, and that ’97 Stumpjumper Comp still does everything I ask of it. All I’ve done is replace the fork, the tires twice, and a new bar and stem, but that was just for cosmetic reasons. It’s a solid bike that I’m sure will serve me well for years to come. As someone who rode marathons and long distance in my early teens,and that ain’t happening now, trail riding is the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike! -
OH my god,,,time flys,,,it’s almost been 10 years since my first outing on a mtn bike.Back then I was working in Vail Colorado and other mountain towns practically living in those places during the summers.Nothing much really goes on up there in the summer’s so when this dude was hired on with our crew to work the mountains we got to talking about bike’s and he mentioned that he mountain biked,well,I was most curious to hear about mtn biking from somone who did it since I had been out of the bmx riding loop for many years and wondered what mtn biking was like since I had only heard about mtn biking at that point.I scrounged up about $800 and after renting a few mtn bikes over about a two week period I bought one of the bike’s I had been renting,it was a Marin Pine Mountain hard tail XC steel frame that had an old Rock Shox fork with foam springs,hahaha.That fork did’nt really work too well to say the least…Anyway,dont remember if this was the FIRST outing,although it is one of the first that stuck in my memory during those first couple of weeks riding mtn bike’s..
The first ride I did was up the sevice road at Vail Mountain ski resort,I could’nt even pedal in granny gear from about half way up,that service road got STEEP at the half way point and only seemed to double in steepness the farther up the mountain we got…I mean,I hiked a bike alot of the way once we got past the half way mark up the moutntain and I was slip sliding just from the weight of the bike in certain parts of that trip from the steepness.Well,,,we made it to the top,I knew we were at the very top because the service road runs into the first aid station at the top of the ski resort,plus we could see into the back bowls on the other side of the mountain from up there,man what a view that was,I’ll never forget the rush I had looking over the back bowls valley and the millions of trees that seems to go on forever into the horizon in all directions,the cool mountain breez as thick as water it seems like,the swaying of millions of trees from the breez,and the sun setting over those purple mountains majesty…….OH crap,,,the sun setting while were on top of vail mountian 😮 ???All I had on was a t-shirt and gym shorts,even in the summer those mountains get cold as soon as the sun goes down,not to mention how dark it get’s in the middle of nowhere..We had planned on hitting some singletrack on the way back down,although obviously we were’nt going to do that in the dark without light,especially on a ski resort mountain where you could find yourself going down a black diamond trail before you know it..Let me tell you how dark it got on the trip down without light,I could not see my hand in front of my face even if I put it on my face,it was totally pitch black,we were riding soo slow back down that service road it wasnt even funny.The only way we knew we were on the service road was by looking up at the tree line that formed the service road, that was outlined by moonlight.If you’ve ever ridden in the dark like this then you know what it’s like to ride blindfolded and get thrown off your bike from running into rocks,tree stumps,pot holes and whatever else was either in the road or on the side of the road.We were riding so slow because we couldnt see the edge of the road where it dropped off,we could only wait till our front wheel would go off the edge somtimes to know that we were riding off a drop off,and let me tell you,that is SLOWWW RIDING….Finally made it back down the mountain,my hands were stuck on the handle bars holding the brake lever and hurt like hell,I wanted off my bike so bad but couldnt let go,we started back toward the room and somwhere back to the room I was able to get my finger’s to let go of the brake lever’s,shivering and perplexed by my first experience mtn biking,I dont even remember getting back to the room,all I remember is walking into the dark of night with my mtn bike………….The End…….hahahaha. -
Oh man,if you want to know my very first ride on a bike in the mountains and on a trail,then that would be on my grandparnts 3 speeds in the Colorado mountains up at Delani Buttes.Me and my brother raod those bikes up and down the hiking trails when were about 8 or 9 years old,back in 1975 or so when we would go fishing once or twice a summer.Of course,those bikes were not called mtn bikes,although neither were Gary Fisher’s first mountain bike’s,hahahahahaha.My grandparents carried those bike’s with them as they travled the states and canada and would go riding to take a break from fishing somtimes.My grandpa rode his bike back in the late 20’s,early 30’s when he was 10 or so to go fishing here in colorado..He has passed away,Man,,,if only I knew then what I know now???I would have asked him a million questions about that bike…..Or his FIRST ride??
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My first trail ride was just a little over a year and 43 pounds ago. Two buddies of mine mentioned that they had mountain bikes but they didn’t have people to ride with. That sparked my interest so I hit the web to find local trails. I found this site and figured out that there are a ton of trails within a 50 mile radius of my home so I went out and bought a Trek 4500 and hit the local trails.
I headed out to the local rock quarry trails…my little brother right behind me on his Mongoose bmx bike. 😆 We had never been on single track and it was a scary experience for the two of us (especially him) but we had a BLAST.
We both got hooked and it turned into an obsession. My bro and I still ride with those same buddies several times a week (my bro is now riding the Trek and I’m riding a Fisher 29er) We ride local all week and then travel somewhere every Sunday with my buddy and his wife. Mountain biking has honestly been a life changer for me.
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Great stories everyone!
My first singletrack MTB ride… hmm… rewind about 5 years…
Well I transitioned to MTB from skiing and mountain boarding during the summer. I mountainboarded many of the local singletrack trails, and finally one of the 2 guys who had built the local trail system from the ground up starting back in the 80’s (who happened to be a sort of life-mentor to me) talked me into trying those trails on a bike.
The system in question has a bunch of flatter, easier trails and a bunch of steeper, more tech trails. Did I get eased into the sport, and get shown all the beginner trails? Heck no! I got taken to the rough-and-tumble nasty stuff, and had to do a good bit of hiking. But Dean (the guy that took me) knew what he was doing, and the challenge of it all hooked me!
After a year or two of doing both sports during the summer I completely transitioned to mountain biking from mountain boarding because I realized I could cover much more ground much faster, and I could bomb down the hills at much higher speeds. 😼 😼
I’ve been riding mountain bikes ever since.
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spring of ’92 on a new Trek 830. Rode across the street to Birch Hill to ride the dirt roads. Over the following weeks I discovered numerous trails not located on the map (made by atv’s, snow mobiles and some deer runs) Did not know the term single track but the area i rode kept on expanding.
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Back in 2005 a friend asked if I was interested in going riding with him. Obviously the answer was yes. In order to do so I borrowed a Mongoose from my brother which was a "Wal Mart" special. I was pleaseantly surprised to see such amazing trails. I had absolutely no idea that trails of this caliber were so close to where I live and spend most of my time. They were perfectly maintained and exceptionally marked. I was clueless about riding clubs that did all the work. It was amazing fun and I was even able to traverse a few black diamonds. I impressed my buddy but more importantly I impressed my self. Eventually of course the Mongoose blew a rear hub among other things and I was now indebted to my brother. Money was tight but I was lucky yet again and had a friend who no longer rode and gave me his Jamis. This thing was an antique but did an excetional job. It wasnt until I hit a Suprbowl box that I bought my current Giant Ac for an unbelievable price. She has held up to every thing I have thrown at her for the last 5 years. Only now have I began upgrading and that was only to get lighter because I’m getting older. From improving my long climbs on hills to the slow motion falls learning to ride clipless it’s been great fun. The Jamis has been passed on to another new rider. My brother however has never wanted anything for the bike but I think I will surprise him with a new Trek in the Spring because he now talks of riding often. Next up will be some bike packing with a warm up camping trip to Allegripis trails in the spring. So glad I had a good friend to get me started. But isnt the time with friends what it’s all about anyway? See you all on the trails.
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I started riding a few seasons back…I tinkered with BMX in middle and high schools years back but never got too deep in it. Now I am so much into biking it is not funny. My garage is full of bike related items, spare parts, frames, and such…
My first singletrack ride for real was on a trail in Maryland at Gambrill State park. On this website it is labeled as a black diamond trail and really not too great for beginners. My buddy Tony took me there and he got quite a kick out of me falling and getting stuck in rock gardens and so on. He kept saying the whole time not to get discouraged though because that trail is the most challenging in the area. I wasn’t too excited that day but I also didn’t want to leave that trail that day. This season I enjoyed this trail much more and have a blast every time I go there. It is now one of me and the gangs normal trails.
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When I was very young my elder brother got his first ‘proper’ bicycle, a Hercules rod brake clunk that was very desirable at the time, (early 60s). I dreamed I could ride it one night, then went out and did just that, and then inherited it a year or so later. I had this bike for ages, and eventually stripped it down, painted it bright orange, and rode it everywhere. This is when me and a few friends would build up dirt jumps in the waste ground near where we lived, and started riding ‘offroad’. Not very successful given the hardware we had, but a lot of fun. Then when I was at boarding school in England, we used to strip bikes down to just frame, wheels, handlebars and saddle, no brakes or anything else, then run them down this steep hill near the school, over jumps and thru the trees until forced to haul up any way we could before running into a small ravine at the bottom. Lots of fun too, but this was soon banned by the school when one of the teachers saw us when he was out on a walk in the woods, and watched horrified as we had our usual series of serious crashes and spectacular tumbles. This was around 1971 or so, and after this, I started riding motorbikes and forgot bicycles for many years. Then, in 88′ or so, my son pestered me for what he called a ‘Mountain bike’, so I went out and bought him a new Motobecane thing for Christmas. I was fascinated when I saw this, this was exactly the kind of thing I would have loved to have had in my youth. I was in the Isle Of Man at the time, and I took his bike out for a ride up Sulby Glen along the tracks there through the bracken and alongside the creek. I had a ball! This was a total revelation, and even though I had a few good spills, I was smitten. I went out and dropped more than I could have imagined a bike would cost on a new non-suspended Diamond Back, and rode it to death all over the moors. Then I progressed from there, but will never forget the exhilaration of that first ride out on this new phenomenon: the "Mountain Bike", the answer to what I had been looking for all along!
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Spring of ’95.
I was 13, and I had saved my chore money all fall and winter. I had a plan.
I had ridden my cousin’s 15 speed Free Spirit Mt. bike around in his yard in September and I knew I wanted a bike to replace my aging Murray BMX bike and Schwinn Bantam cruiser.
I went into the local bike shop to see what a good entry level bike would set me back. There among the rows of shiny Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo’s and Diamondback Axis TT’s, I saw it. A Candy Apple Red Mongoose Threshold. $240.
I picked up a catalog and bought a red helmet, and walked the 6 blocks or so back to my parent’s house.
Over the next 5 months, I thumbed through that MY1995 Mongoose catalog. Drooling over the Amplifier, and the IBOCs. Memorizing specs of the RockadileSX. I kept the catalog in my backpack and pored over specs of bikes with my classmates at lunch. One kid had a Trek 820, another a Diamondback Topanga. We were total nerds over bikes.
Finally, at the end of February, I marched back into the store and plunked town 240 large ones on the counter and asked the shop owner if I could get a Candy Apple Red Mongoose Threshold. He sized me up, filled out his order pad and called up his distributor. When, he got off the phone, he took my money off the counter, shook my hand and told me to come back next Tuesday.
The weekend was pure agony, I’m sure my parent’s wanted to kill me, but I was beside myself.
Tuesday came. I think I might have set a land-speed record during the walk (or run) from school to the bike shop. The shop owner had my bike sitting in the window along Main St. It was a beaut.
I breathlessly thanked the owner after he showed me how to adjust the cantilever brakes, remove the front quick release (whoa!), and perform basic adjustments to the indexing (with indicators!) thumbshifters.
My first ride was straight to the park near my parent’s house, which had a huge hill for sledding, but it had been a dry winter in MD for snow, so the hill was bare. I put the bike in a low gear and mashed my way up the hill, slowly and unsteadily. I got to the top and took in the view across the town. I pedaled around the field up top and shifted through some gears, then I took a deep breath and pointed my handlebars straight down the hill. It might have been the best 25 seconds of my life.
I’ve been in love with riding ever since, and ridden many different bikes and with different disciplines. But I will always remember that first hill, on my shiny new Candy Apple Red Mongoose.
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It was the summer of ’95, on a family vacation in NH. I was 9 years old and had pretty much lived on my bike for years already, so when my dad asked me if I wanted to try out mountain biking on the last day before we went home, I was excited. We showed up at the Loon Mountain rental shop when they opened early in the morning, with thick morning fog hanging in the air. My dad told me how to use the 5-speed shifter, and the dual hand brakes, and we were off exploring the trails around the base of the mountain. I have vague memories of stopping on a lot of rocks and never actually making it up any of the steeper hills, but from that one ride I was addicted.
The following spring I got my first mountain bike for my birthday, a Fuji Sandblaster. It was fully rigid, 21 speeds, and heavier than a Huffy, 😮 and I loved it. A couple months later, we moved to a more rural area, and except during hunting season, I was riding trails just about every day. I memorized the locations of all the wild blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry patches along the local trails, and in the summers I’d ride around to them with my friends, taking breaks from mountain biking to stuff ourselves until we either couldn’t eat anymore or had exhausted the supply of berries.
15 years and 3 bikes later, living in Colorado and making the occasional trip to Moab, I’m as hooked on the sport as ever, and it all began on that happy, foggy morning in New Hampshire. 😃
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@ bluesharpbiker, Did you get a chance to go up the gondolas and bike down Loon? Did that back in ’93 what a blast. Have a lot of good memories of the White Mountains.
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My first outing was this year. At the time i was riding a Trek 820 to get around town and for exercise. A couple of buddies of mine are casual mtn. bikers and they asked if I’d be interested in riding with them out at 9 mile forest in town here. I was skeptical at first because I didn’t think i my bike or myself would hold up on the trails, but, they talked me into it and i went anyway. let me tell ya, it was like crack, I was hooked instantly! At first i struggled to keep up with them but then as my fear began to subside i was blowing them away on my 820! ( one has a super V and the other was on a GT full susp.) when we got back to the parking lot I immediately paid for a season trail pass ($25 incredible value!) and after a few weeks of riding the 820, I upgraded to a 4300 Disc, bought clipless pedals and shoes and some other goodies to make riding a little more fun. I also started looking online (this site included) for other trails in the area and have ridden just about all of them. Now I’m looking out the window and the snow is falling and theres about a foot on the ground, I can’t wait to get back out there!
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Nope, it was just a short ride for a few hours around the base. I was looking through their website and it looks like they don’t offer that anymore. I bet it would be fun. But I did get to ride the Whole Enchilada last year, so I don’t mind too much about missing Loon.
[url:39jqjamv]http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/enchilada.htm[/url:39jqjamv]
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LOL, my first outing on a ATB was in 1984, I’d just started working full time at a local bicycle shop here in Colorado Springs, called the "Bikery". The shop was located at Rockrimmion and Del Monico and just a little way from the shop was "lot’s of Open Space" around the Digital Co. building. We got in our first batch of Raliegh ATB’s, I bought a Mt. Crested Butte model, laced up some cool "bright yellow" 26" hd plastic BMX rims and went out to bomb the hills! Ya I did classic endo’s and over the bars, ect. but MAN it was just so much FUN! My boss, (shop owner), was a pure rodie and velodrome rider but he saw how much fun I was having and he built up a Ross ATB and we rode everyday before and after work!
Then we started entering NORBA "novice" level MTB races in and around CO. LOL, we sucked on the uphills but LOVED to bomb the downhills! We had a standing bet, "The first one to hit the brakes on a downhill bought dinner"!! Good Times! 😃 😼
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