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What do you believe is the biggest break through in technology for the sport?
I can’t really decide on my pick for mountain biking itself but i think the biggest one for all the outdoors sports would have to be Camelbaks. I dont know what i would do without mine i can’t imagine just going back to water bottles. ha ha
what do you guys think?
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The overall progression of the sport has amazed me, the aggressiveness of bike designs, gear designs, trail designs, all this has done very well to keep up with the aggresivness of riders in general.
For me, I have enough bike/ride/gear options available right now to keep me intrigued for a long time. But if I have to choose one I vote for decent Disc Brakes! Awesome, anyone else who lives and rides in an extremely wet environment knows what I mean- -
I hate to wear a camelback and avoid it if possible. Sometimes the ride is too long and the water too supply too short to not wear one. But overall, I’d agree it is a great idea that goes beyond MTBing.
For me, the clipless pedal is the key to it all. I’d rather have that than suspension.
Disk brakes are nice too.
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Yeah clipless pedals are probably the most crucial for me, though I imagine they showed up on road bikes way b4 mountain bikes?
I’m gonna say the front suspension fork. Once again, these probably showed up somewhere else first (motorcycles perhaps?) but the forks these days are lightweight, low maintenance, and provide just the right amount of control over most terrain. Imagine how different today’s hardtail bikes are compared to the original clunkers…
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"trek7k" wrote
Imagine how different today’s hardtail bikes are compared to the original clunkers…
Amen to that statement.
Hard to say that one particular innovation has been most important because they are so completely different. Start with frame material and strength – those old clunkers were probably heavier than most of todays DH bikes with obvious differences in frame strength. The suspension is looking more like motocross bikes. When I bought my FS bike (2001 Cannondale Scalpel) the suspension was 3" and that was basically all there was, save for big giant DH bikes – now thats considered XC racing and 5" – 6" is "all-mountain".
To me one of the biggest or most important changes is the advent of disc brakes. I weigh in at about 220# and hard a very hard time with old cantilever brakes. Even the diff between v-brakes and disc was huge for me.
BTW – Mongoose….old school?? Really?? I love the FS DH bike in your new avatar! 😉 😆
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"trek7k" wrote
I’m gonna say the front suspension fork. Once again, these probably showed up somewhere else first (motorcycles perhaps?) but the forks these days are lightweight, low maintenance, and provide just the right amount of control over most terrain. Imagine how different today’s hardtail bikes are compared to the original clunkers…
I think i could agree with that trek there’s been many a time when the only thing keeping me from tasting my front tire is that bit of travel in my fork. I think one of the oldest and most basic features should be up there now that i think about it, we can’t forget about having multiple gear ratios and being able to change them with that flick of a switch where would we be without them?…probably at the bottom of the hill haha.
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I disagree on Front Suspension. My first mountain bike in 1991 had a steel crown fork and mountain biking was a blast – suspension or not.
I think the greatest advance in mountain biking was index shifting. If you have ever tried to ride an older mountain bike with friction only thumbshifters you will know what I mean. OK Ok I ride a lot of singlespeed miles now. But think of all the hundreds of thousands of cyclists that would have never slung a leg over ANY bike ever again if the shifting was not as easy and flawless as it is today.
The mountain bike boom was well underway when affordable suspension finally got to be worth having (about 1998/1999/2000 time frame in my opinion).
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It doesn’t qualify as mt bike inovation but the exceptence of the helmet. Back in ’92 when I first bought a mt bike I was talked into a helmet. Most of the riders I saw back than still did not wear one. Over the time that changed. It is very rare to see someone out on the trails without one now.
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Ok being from the "old school" era i would have to say in order of importance….
1. Good index shifting 1:1 Sram 2:1 Shimano ( not Suntour)
2. Suspension that works (not elastomers) (Girvin/ Proflex)
3. Hydraulic disk brakes that work.
4. Strong double walled rims that don’t collapse over a bump
5. light weight structures (frames) and components (Aluminum/Titanium/Carbon) optimized for mountain biking….
#5 people will know what i am talking about in the 80’s when mountain bike were first around these behemoths weights a svelte 40 some odd pounds without suspension and anything nice…
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Man, suspension, disk brakes, thier all good but I have to say Stans no tubes system. I swear God himself uses this stuff. I havent had 1 flat in 2 years since using it!!
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Late jumping in here, but I’d have to vote for frame technology. Whether you’re talking about composites or metal alloys, lighter, stronger frames have made it possible to do things nobody could have envisioned 20 years ago.
I have a full suspension Fuji Outland Pro that weighs about the same as the Raleigh I used to race on the road back in the early 80’s, and it’s tough as nails. Oh, yeah… Somebody mentioned helmets. Back in those early 80’s road race days, nobody wore them, which may explain why my wife thinks I’m brain-damaged for riding a mountain bike.
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