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1. HISTORY

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Mountain bikes may be everywhere right now, but they are still a young form of transport. It's only since the 1970s that the history of mountain biking began.

By then, the first mountain bike, and all mountain bikes for that matter were anything more than badly modified street bikes.

And every time you saddle up, it's worth remembering that the features we love on our bikes now were nothing but the stuff of impossible dreams right back at the start.

We've grabbed some mountain biking facts that should prove intriguing. After reading this, you will know everything (almost) there is to know about mountain biking.

Well, and before anything else, if you're now all ready to take on the road, make sure you have the right mountain bike for a beginner, the right MTB gear and shoes, and also (more than anything) a great mountain bike helmet. Let's ride.

The (real) beginning of the history of mountain biking

To get to the start of things with purpose-built bikes, you need to go back to the early 1970s, to California.

There's a place called Mount Tamalpais ('Mount Tam' to locals, and anyone who knows anything about the region) that was home to some seriously hardcore bike riders.

These guys took old bikes, standard 'paperboy' bikes made in the first half of the twentieth century, and turn them into mean, lean racing machines. This is when the history of mountain biking began.

And then, rather than do the sensible thing and race them at a tarmac track, they threw them onto Mount Tam.

They then raced down in the dirt, for a total of 52 turns on a downhill slope that was nothing short of challenging.

The strain on your body would have been immense. Just imagine riding a Penny Farthing around a junkyard and you're a little closer to what it must have felt like.

Undeterred, the races became popular. More and more bikers got involved. Mountain biking history was about to begin. For real.

They took it to the races with precious little regard for their safety (most of the riders wore denim because that was the toughest stuff you could wear back then - there was no such thing as proper mountain biking clothing).

The riders hurtled down Mount Tam, setting records and generally breaking the frames of bikes that used to deliver the morning papers to suburbia. Was it tough? You bet.

Today, we've got bikes that cost thousands, and are better designed than most cars. We've got it made.

Back then, you were on top of a rattling piece of metal (they were known as 'clunkers' to the riders) and your only goal was to survive the race (the secondary goal was, presumably, to win).

Early Mountain Bike Riders:

An early rider called Charlie Kelly, in love with riding clunkers down the track, decided to start a race event on Mount Tam.

He kept the whole thing reasonably quiet at first (for some reason the authorities didn't take to the frankly quite dangerous event) but eventually named the race the 'Repack' and started to advertise it.

It was called the Repack because of the need to 'repack' the hub brake of your bike by the time you'd finished.

It was common for the racers that the brakes would simply burn as you made your way down Mount Tam, with a trail of smoke behind every rider.

Before the first Repack race, MTB bikes had never been anything more than a hobby.

People had tried to modify bikes for years of course, and some had attempted the dangerous task of getting down dirt tracks on them.

But the racing aspect (which is the true spirit of the sport) was born with Kelly on Mount Tam. The Repack races ran from 1976 to 1984.

This was the kind of event that was not made for mountain bike beginners. It's important to remember this distinction.

Before Repack and the growth of it, all (both competitive and hobby-based) people were creating basic berg climbing bikes (whatever that could be).

The key events of the early 70s in California allowed the hobby to grow into a competitive, recognized sport that eventually made its way to the Olympic Games.

The first mountain bike

If we're not counting the improvised stuff around before the 1970s, Mount Tam is where we need to go to find the first 'real' MTB.

Charlie Kelly stumbled on something that would prove to be incredibly influential, and he was starting to become a little frustrated.

He and his friends loved heading down the hill on those old paperboy bikes, but the damage that the bikes endured was just too much, and he would find that the bikes were ruined after just a few rides.

The clunkers couldn't cope, and aside from the smoke that would come from the burning grease, he found that the frames were just shot to pieces due to the terrain being a little rockier than what they were used to.

So he contacted a friend. He asked someone called Joe Breeze to design him a bike that could manage the job of helping racers set records.

Joe Breeze took on the challenge and designed what became the very first mountain bike.

In 1977 he created that first frame, which was designed on top of a Schwinn bike from 1941. The history of mountain biking would never be the same again.

He ended up creating 9 more frames, all of them inspired by the Schwinn bike. To make it tougher, lighter, and capable of managing Mount Tam, he used steel alloy tubing. Then he did the one thing that helped to solidify the whole legend.

He looked at the frame, and ran twin lateral tubes across it, but diagonally. This was, of course, an attempt to make a bike that could stand the intense impact of a tough downhill and aggressive course.

But, it also served as a way to brand the bike visually.

To finish off the first-ever purposefully designed one, Breeze added some modifications and new parts that made the new bicycle special visually, as well as performance-wise.

The 'Breezer' bike was then put to the test on the Mount Tam course. Mountain biking history as a sports specialty was just about to begin.

Repack and that first mountain bike

That first mountain bike, the Breezer number 1, won the Repack race. Breeze rode it to the win. And that changed the history of MTB, for real.

This showed that his design was sound because it was noticeably tougher and more responsive on the track.

Kelly rode Breezer number 2 and that model is currently one of the most prized in the history of bikes.

It's on display at the Marin Museum of Bicycling, in Fairfax, California. And that first one, the one that Breeze rode? That's at the Smithsonian Museum.

What made the whole clunker thing take off was a TV show that aired in the late 70s.

The show Evening Magazine featured the Repack race, and it also showcased some of the famous figures of the time, including Breeze and Kelly.

The show included footage of one rider falling on a switchback. (Check out a visual history of the mountain biking timeline right here).

The tight turn caused no damage other than scratches to the frame of the bike, but it's arguable that the show, and that footage, crystallized the image of the whole sport being dangerous and incredibly good fun.

These wheel machines were very simple, and nothing like the bikes used nowadays. On top of that, the riders in races like the Repack wore their normal clothes.

Denim and plaid were the closest things to safety wear. And no one wore helmets or headgear of any kind other than the odd baseball cap.

Mountain Biking History: From Europe and to the USA

While Breeze and Kelly created the first purpose-built bikes, the first-ever off-road bikes (perhaps the first true bicycles made to be ridden over on wild terrains) have their origins in the eighteenth century.

The Swiss Army Bikes, which were bikes to be used by soldiers in mountainous areas, were the very first recorded examples of hill-climbing bikes.

They were meant to carry heavy loads as soldiers traversed hills and peaks, their rides giving them the edge over foot soldiers.

Of course, these are not used today, but they're as far back as the whole thing goes in the sense of cycles used for off-road pursuits. The first regiment that used a Swiss Army Bike was in service in 1891.

Then the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the US Army were the next to see the use of a bicycle similar in nature and purpose. The regiment rode from Missoula, Montana to Yellowstone in 1896.

These were modified, just like the Swiss bikes, for use off the beaten track. As the world entered the 1900s, Cyclocross riders would take their bikes off-road.

Cyclocross hasn't gone away and is still an immensely popular sport today.

But back then the bikes were a lot heavier, and when riders had to pick them up and carry them across harsh terrain, it was a major physical challenge.

The first Cyclocross championships happened in 1950, and this spurred on Cyclocross enthusiasts to create a sport that would have clear links to the modern sport.

And it would only be about 20 more years before Breeze and Kelly kick-started the more recent phenomenon of biking as a racing pursuit.

Specialized Mountain Biking History

The next big thing to happen in this amazing sports history timeline is the ascent of Specialized.

This company was founded by a bike enthusiast who spent some time importing bike components that he couldn't locate in the US.

Things changed later in the 70s when Specialized focused on different areas. This meant the creation of its bike parts.

The main reason why Specialized has a place in history is of course due to its production of mountain bicycles.

It was the first company anywhere in the world to mass-produce bikes made to be ridden on mountains.

This happened in 1981, just a few years after the Repack phenomenon exploded. The Stumpjumper is a major off-roader.

While it may have been created first back in 1981, and while it may not be in the same league as some of the top bikes out there today, it is still very special.

Every kid or adult who buys a factory one today is buying something that was made possible thanks to the production of The Stumpjumper.

Mike Sinyard founded Specialized, and he at one point did state that he wanted to make a production bike, but that it had to feel like it 'was a custom bike'.

Perhaps the best thing about The Stumpjumper (1981 edition) was the gears, a 15 speed Suntour set.

Any biker who remembered the Repack races would know that to go from a 'coaster' downhill bike to a production 15-speed model was a major feat. It was a testament to how MTBs had progressed.

Stumpjumper: Ahead of its time

Amazingly, for such an important and groundbreaking machine, it had no suspension.

Perhaps this can be put down to the learning curve manufacturers would find themselves on in the years to come, but it was certainly an interesting omission.

The reaction to The Stumpjumper was originally perhaps a little less than ecstatic. Too many retailers it looked like a BMX bike, and nothing more.

But Sinyard arranged for 500 to be shipped to the US from the factory in Japan in 1981.

The price (considering its relatively specialist nature) is reasonable. If you wanted the bike in its entirety, you had to pay $750.

For just the frame, you would cough up $395. In 2018, that $750 is worth around $2000.

The first 125 of the Stumpjumpers sold out in just six days. Things have changed, and the Stumpjumper is still available today, but in a vastly different form, for obvious reasons.

The bike has its place in the story due to it being the first mass-production MTB. While it may not be the best bike in the world, its legendary status is assured.

From Japan: Kuwahara

You can't have an MTB history book without mentioning Kuwahara.

The legendary Japanese company was founded in 1918, and after some hard work by the founder (Sentaro Kuwahara) and his family (he allowed his children to take part in the business), Kuwahara began to make a name for itself.

The Kuwahara brand became well known in the early 70s when it first started exporting BMX bikes to North America. Then E.T. happened.

The Spielberg movie happens to feature BMX bikes in it, and they were Kuwahara bikes. For much of the world, and especially Europe, this was the first time that BMX bikes had been seen, let alone ridden in such an exciting manner.

This made Kuwahara a household name, and as a homage to the movie, a special 'E.T. Edition' of their BMX bike was recently made available.

E.T. was important, simply because top BMX riders of the day did the stunts for the movie.

Later on, Kuwahara branched out into mountain bikes, and things took off there because the brand managed to have its bikes feature heavily in some major championship events.

Finally, in 1991, the Kuwahara team won its first UCI MTB Series in Switzerland.

Kuwahara's history is a big part of the whole sport's history and overall. The push behind its teams and its place in popular culture have made sure of it.

Competitive arena

Most people now know MTB has a competitive culture. The first real competitions that had any kind of international feel to them started popping up in the 1990s and 2000s.

The first UCI Bike World Championships took place in Colorado in 1990.

Just as they do today, winners were allowed to wear the famous rainbow-colored jersey. Cross-country, downhill, and four-cross (where four riders race downhill to the finish) are the events involved.

A cross-country team relay was added to the World Championships in 1999, addressing the growing popularity of the discipline.

Perhaps one of the most exciting international events in the world is the Red Bull Rampage. That classic event has had some flak in recent years due to the danger the races pose to competitors.

However, this hasn't stopped it from becoming world-famous. One of the most intriguing aspects of the event is the fact it is invitation-only. Held in Utah, the race first ran from 2001-2004.

It was then canceled due to the danger involved. It returned in 2008, and a venue change helped to bring the contest back to international attention.

Perhaps the most attractive feature is the prize money. Along with the invitation-only kudos, winners can expect an impressive prize. In 2015, there was an incredibly generous prize fund of $100,000.

Some key facts about mountain biking

We all love the sport, and there's a ton of factual information out there that makes our practice even more fun.

Knowing this stuff will give you a fuller appreciation of the genius behind the whole machines and industry and the way they are today.

Right now, MTB has several categories that make it a complex sport and pursuit.

These categories are not exhaustive (there are bound to be more obscure activities out there) but just looking at the list shows how it has changed from what it was in the 70s:

These classes (and the sets of these classes) served to make the sport even more exciting. The first-ever national championships were held in the USA.

This wasn't until 1983, with the competition gave the sport some much-needed stability and respect.

A few years later there was more respect and recognition with the first International Cycling Union World Championships.

Extreme Mountain Biking

If you're looking for the extreme stuff, then you might want to grab your oxygen supply tanks for 'The Yak Attack'.

This is currently the highest bike race on the planet and if you want to take part, you have to travel to Nepal.

There's one slight issue that you may want to be aware of if you're thinking of trying the race. It's a long race, with riders having to travel a total of 400 km.

While those guys in California in the 70s were trailblazers, the bikes they rode were still modified cruisers (apart from those that Breeze created of course).

This meant that those riders who rode up Mount Tam (rather than catch a truck that took them to the start) were incredibly fit.

The climb was excruciating because the modified bikes were never meant to go uphill.

Bike racing is now a massive sport and has Olympic events, but the biggest race is still by far one that is held in Norway.

This race is 53 miles long, but the amazing fact about it is that it can attract up to 15,000 entrants.

The Birkebeinerrittet is one of the most popular events in sport, and the definite king, size-wise. As regards the longest race, you're looking at the great Tour Divide race.

This one is an absolute classic and a real part of the history of mountain biking. In total, riders manage to travel over 2,700 miles. It's a true long-distance race and one that runs from Canada to Mexico.

One rather intriguing fact (and possibly one that will surprise many) is that there are many senior (in age) competitors.

There have been examples of bikers winning major championships well into their 70s and 80s.

Mountain Biking in 2020 and beyond

To say the sports changed since the late 70s and the Repack days would be an understatement. The newer machines have systems on them that would put most cars to shame, in their ingenuity at least.

Creating a bike that is both light and incredibly tough, as well as stable and fast enough to compete is no small feat, and modern designers have taken their work to new levels of innovation.

Frames are lighter than ever while remaining tough and durable. The suspension (unless you're the kind of rider who doesn't want suspension) is responsive and quick.

And the speeds the bikes can reach are phenomenal.

There are not that many places to go in design, other than faster and lighter. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about modern MTB's is that there are many styles now.

Designs have now been developed so that they even fit certain disciplines.

So you can have bikes that are perfect for cross country, as well as bikes that are crafted for downhill and freeride events. And you can also buy a bike that is made specifically for stunts.

That's stunts for MTB's, not BMX bikes, in case you were wondering. They're different things.

Downhill mountain bike history is another thing, long and complex, and there are incredibly expensive bikes made just for that style. We can only see the whole MTB becoming more popular.

With competitions held by brands like Red Bull, and technology moving at great speed, expect it to become even more important.

Get your bike and have your say in being a part of the history of mountain biking.

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The History of Mountain Biking - Mountain Biking Planet

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Discover all there is to know about the history of mountain biking. Explore and check out some really amazing mountain biking facts.

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2. TRAINING REQUIRED FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING
* Endurance
*climbing
*strengthtraining
*Rest and recovery
*Nutrition
*Training tools
*Start sweating

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It's that time of year where most mountain bikers are thinking about preparing for next season's rides instead of just the next ride. It's easy to get couch locked when the weather's bad, watching endless GoPro footage from last year and race highlights on YouTube, but right now is the perfect time to get ready to hit the bike when the season picks up again.

We've covered fitness topics on Singletracks for years, and we're going to summarize the greatest takeaways from previous posts and consolidate them here. Look for more fitness topics in the coming weeks as well.

In this podcast from July 2017, we cover some basics about mountain bike fitness. There are some helpful tips on where to start and how to maintain your mountain bike fitness. Greg Heil, Aaron Chamberlain, and Jeff Barber discuss how to take it slow if you've been off the bike for a while, planning for long-term goals and races, and cross-training.

Let's look at each topic more closely now.

Endurance

Endurance and cardiovascular capabilities are lost quickly in the off-season, and sometimes with work and life's daily tasks, it's challenging to build during the on-season.

Of course the best way to increase endurance is by increasing the distance of our normal rides, bit by bit. The overload principle is one of the most basic theories in fitness and says that in order to improve, we must continually make our workouts (or rides) more challenging since our bodies will adapt to our current challenges and ride intensities.

In Paxton Wiers' story about how he trained for his first endurance mountain bike race, he used a base phase of 12 weeks to build a solid foundation of endurance, followed by a phase where he incorporated anaerobic training to build power.

Wiers incorporated probably the most practical approach to fitting more miles into his week: he started riding to work regularly, which is 17 miles away. That gave him 34 miles a day, multiplied by how many days per week he chose to ride.

In a Singletracks podcast in April of 2018, cycling coach Ben Turits shared his tips on building endurance.

In another podcast from 2016, Singletracks talked about training to improve better endurance.

Turits trains mountain bike athletes and those who want to achieve specific fitness goals. He starts by identifying the goal and working it into a training plan. Ideally, he wants the rider to be able to mimic the goal during training, but if that's not possible, there are creative ways to accomplish training goals without riding the actual goal distance or time in training.

"As a coach, you have two dials you can turn: Intensity and volume," says Turits in the podcast.

Intensity is of course how much effort the ride or workout requires, and volume is that ride distance or total time. If your schedule doesn't allow volume, you can up the intensity, says Turits.

Turits spoke of a client who wanted to finish the Leadville 100 in under ten hours, but only had six hours per week to train. Since they couldn't turn up the volume they turned up the intensity. It worked and the client finished in his goal time.

This can mean instead of longer rides with less elevation gain, you could hit a few rides per week with more elevation and a shorter distance.

Or, you could session a certain hill or sustained climb for intervals, which are a recommended method for boosting endurance.

Climbing

Some people hate it and others thrive on it, but every mountain biker has to climb at one point or another.

Climbing ability goes hand-in-hand with endurance, though climbing also includes a technical aspect.

Either way, none of us like to be the one that the group is waiting on at the summit.

In this podcast from June of 2018, we shared our tips for better climbing.

First off, there are a few simple modifications that can be done to a mountain bike to enhance its climbing ability. By choosing a set of handlebars with a lower rise, or taking out a spacer or two under the handlebars, it will shift the rider's weight forward for more weight on the front end of the bike.

Jeff Barber said in this podcast that weight position is one of the biggest factors for him when it comes to climbing.

"For me, getting in the right position when climbing becomes key," he said.

Barber says that it's ideal to put your body weight where power is transferred to the ground. For climbs, that's the back wheel. By staying seated and also adjusting your body weight forward on steep sections, it should help to keep traction on steep and loose climbs.

Red Bull commentator Rob Warner talks and practices climbing tips in this video, also.

Opening your suspension is another technical tip that can help when the climb gets bumpy and loose. Locking out suspension is a good idea on fire roads and buff climbs, but when things get a little bumpy, it's more helpful sometimes to open the rear shock and allow the bike to contour to roots and rocks.

In this past article, a contributor gives his nine best tips for climbing as well.

Intervals (mentioned above) are also a great technique for fat burning - which can ultimately help improve climbing. Power-to-weight ratio is important when it comes to climbing ability.

"Losing weight and maintaining the same power is going to make you a much faster rider uphill," said Aaron Chamberlain in the podcast about climbing.

Another physical tip is to keep posture in mind. By keeping a straight back with the shoulders open, the lungs will also open up more and should allow you to take in more oxygen.

Lastly, practice makes perfect. Pick a section of trail that is troublesome and session it until you have it down. If your tires are slipping, try to keep your hips lower or planted on the seat. If the front keeps coming up, lower your chest toward the handlebars. Body position can determine whether you conquer the slab or have to dab.

Strength training

Strength training plays a very important role behind the scenes of mountain bike fitness. By adding strength training into your routine regularly, you can become more powerful on the bike and more resilient.

One of the best benefits of strength training in relation to mountain biking is increased bone density. The anticipation of broken bones is probably not the most motivating factor for working out, but the payoff is definitely there.

Wolff's law indicates that form follows function, but in less confusing terms and applied to the situation, it means that bone structure will follow bone function. When bones are subjected to stress, like weight lifting, or doing a pull-up or pushup, the body will respond by increasing the amount of bone tissue and density.

Your legs are also not the only busy muscles when you're mountain biking. Your chest, shoulder, and back muscles play important roles in controlling and handling the bike on unstable descents. Similarly, the core muscles are very involved during cornering, pumping, and stabilizing your position on the bike.

James Wilson talked strength training and fitness in this recent Singletracks podcast.

"You don't want to train muscles, you want to train movements," says Wilson. This means that compound movements like a squat, pushup, or pull-up, which trains back, core, and bicep muscles together is going to serve your fitness better than a strict-arm bicep curl, which is really only intended to make your biceps look better instead of function better.

Becky Parker recommends cross-training in this piece. We can't be on our bike every minute and getting into other sports can be a good way to prevent burnout or over-use injuries.

Rest and recovery

This topic can be a hard pill to swallow during the summer when it's go time, but it's just as important as any other element in fitness. If you're doing two, three, or even four rides per week, your body needs a rest day.

That doesn't mean that you're confined to a couch. Get out for a short ride to the coffee shop, or a stretching or yoga session, or a light workout to get the blood flowing again. The effort on an active rest day should focus on movement though, not pushing your limits.

One of the best ways to kickstart recovery is by myofascial release, otherwise known as foam rolling. If you're not used to foam rolling, then you'll probably grimace with pain at first when you put all of your weight on one muscle and roll it out with a piece of foam. But the results are worth it.

In this post by evo.com, you can learn the benefits of foam rolling and how to do it. Foam rolling can push lactic acid out of the muscles and loosen tight fascia that cover the muscle. By loosening the fascia, it can help loosen tight muscles and relieve imbalances. There are also helpful tips for hip, hamstring, and forearm recovery in this post.

Yoga and proper stretching can help reset your body and make you a better mountain biker too. Unfortunately, the position our bodies are in on a mountain bike are similar to the positions that they're in sitting at a desk, and there are a lot of negatives to sitting down.

Our chest and abdomen muscles can become tight, along with the hamstrings and other core muscles that may develop imbalances and lead to injury or pain in joints.

In this post from 2015, Helena Kotala shows eight different yoga poses that can help us mitigate imbalances, short muscles, and pain.

In this podcast, we talk about the frustrating topic of mountain bike injury and recovery. It's something that we'll all face sooner or later, given enough time participating in the sport. It's important to remember to ease back into it, start small, and set realistic expectations.

In this post, AJ Heil shared five tips that helped him recover after a major injury. For Heil, the healing time was a chance to catch up on old or less frequent hobbies, plan more mountain bike adventures for the future, enhance his self-care, and stay positive.

Nutrition

In this article, Cianna Swanson shared her strategies for nutrition for an endurance race. This involves properly fueling the body with the right nutrients.

Swanson relies on carbs primarily for endurance racing, because our bodies can burn carbohydrates easier than fats and proteins. It's still important though to take in enough of the latter two nutrients since your body will metabolize different macronutrients at different exercise intensities.

Coach Turits also shared a few nutrition tips in the podcast mentioned above.

"You need to be eating every 30-45 minutes during an endurance race." The same can also be said for cross-country rides with a constant work pace in order to avoid a blood sugar crash.

Hydration is of course also important since we're all sweating when we ride. With sweat loss, comes sodium loss as well, and riders should be taking in sodium as part of their nutrition to avoid cramping.

How to make it happen

While it's not the answer a lot of us want to hear, hiring someone to assist with goal setting and progress might be what we need to hit the mark.

"A lot of people don't know what they're paying for when they're buying a cycling coach," said Turits about his role as a mountain bike coach. "Really what you pay for when you get a coach is somebody who is building a relationship and providing an objective point of view. I help organize people's lives so that training fits in there."

A coach can help set and narrow goals, devise a plan, and hold a rider accountable so they can focus on exactly what they need without any of the extra stuff.

If you can't afford a coach, the next best thing is to find someone to ride with that is faster than you. Riding with others that are faster up or downhill will usually provide a greater incentive to ride to your full potential and not slack on the climbs or push your limits on descents.

As Paxton Wiers stated above, another way to fit more riding in is by making it a practical portion in our lives. By ditching the car and opting for a bike when it's possible, we can build endurance, save time during the week, and be a little happier and healthier during the process.

One more way to dedicate more time to fitness is by cross-training. A lot of us that live in mountain states probably already do this come winter time when we strap on a board or skis. Although the benefits aren't very direct, it's another way to get exercise outside when the conditions aren't right for mountain biking.

Another way to cross-train when the trails are snowy is by picking up a road bike, since any bike is better than no bike. The benefits are much more direct and the muscle groups, at least while climbing, are very similar. Road biking is also another way to improve endurance since you can stay in a climbing zone longer than you often can on a mountain bike.

Training tools

Training tools aren't an absolute necessity for improving your MTB fitness, but they can help with positive reinforcement and tracking actual progress.

A heart rate monitor can help you stay in the optimal cadence and intensity. Crank-based power meters can also help you dial in a pace and intensity, and even a freebie like Strava can at least help you stay on top of your ride distances.

In this video, GMBN talks about heart rate monitors and how to use them.

In this video, Colton Lock goes over two popular heart rate monitors, the Wahoo Tickr and the Garmin Premium Soft Strap.

Crank-based power meters are another way to get accurate power data. Quark, Stages, and Race Face all make power meters. In this review, Aaron tests a power meter by Rotor. He connected it to his Garmin to get real time data when he went on several big rides.

Although data can be a great tool, be wary of its pitfalls, says Ben Turits.

"Data is great for focused workouts and for holding people accountable to what they're doing, but sometimes it can be a rabbit hole."

Strava is free on any smartphone, and we all know what it does. It can be a useful app to record ride distances and estimate power and calories, but the data there is often just an estimate. Don't get lost in the rabbit hole of comparing yourself to others, either, since your body is different than everyone else's.

Start sweating

There's a lot of information in here. Remember to start small, set achievable goals, and keep going. With a little time, perseverance, and sweat, you can make it happen.
Your turn: Which mountain bike fitness topics would you like Singletracks to address? What are your fitness and endurance questions?

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Mountain Bike Training: How to Build and Maintain MTB Fitness, Strength, and Endurance - Singletracks Mountain Bike News

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It's that time of year where most mountain bikers are thinking about preparing for next season's rides instead of just the next ride. It's easy to get couch locked when the weather's bad, watching endless GoPro footage from last year and race highlights on YouTube, but right now is the perfect time to get ready to hit the bike when the season picks up again.

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FAMOUS PERSONALITY
JOLANDA NEFF

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Jolanda Neff is a cross-country superstar from Switzerland. Jolanda won the mountain bike cross-country World Championship title in 2017, is three-time XCO World Cup Champion, three-time XCO European Champion, five-time Swiss XCO Champion, and the winner of 12 XCO World Cups.

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4.EQUPMENT REQUIRED
*Mountain bike ,helmet, eye protection, hydration pack, bike shoes, clipless pedals, bike gloves, padded bike shorts, repair kit, first aid kit

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Mountain Bike

The first piece of equipment you'll need for any mountain bike training ride is a properly fitting and well-maintained mountain bike. Bikes are available for every type of rider and trail condition and you can choose a bike with full suspension or front suspension, disc brakes or V-brakes, different wheel sizes and frame materials.

If you are just getting started, visit a local bike shop that specializes in mountain biking to learn more and get a bike fitting. If you have a bike already, be sure to properly maintain the bike and perform a pre-ride safety inspection before hitting the trail.

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Must-Have Mountain Biking Gear and Equipment

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The first piece of equipment you'll need for any mountain bike training ride is a properly fitting and well-maintained mountain bike. Bikes are available for every type of rider and trail condition and you can choose a bike with full suspension or front suspension, disc brakes or V-brakes, different wheel sizes and frame materials.

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* A sport that is very dengerous and exciting . I think mountain biking is enthralling whether it be in spite of or because of its risk. to answer a question is......yes it is recognition as sports and its considered an extreme sport

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It's a vedio of mountain biking ride