Golden Times of Mountainbiking?: 5 things that were definitely not better in the past!
Laurin Lehner
· 23.04.2025
We bikers tend to romanticise the early days of biking. Psychology knows that negative details fade over time, while positive impressions linger - this is called fading affect bias. These nostalgic thoughts often arise in times of rapid change (technology, politics, environment). Recalling the past gives a sense of orientation and control. This makes memories more pleasant than they perhaps really were.
Incidentally, humans are the only beings who are aware of their transience. The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said: "Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards." We look back in order to bring order to chaos - but this looking back is always coloured by the present.
But now back to biking in the early days. These five arguments speak against it.
5 reasons why we shouldn't cry after the "Golden Times of Mountainbiking".
1. rubbish material
Narrow handlebars, little travel, lousy brakes and frames that bend like cardboard straws. Even retro fans have to admit that modern bikes are so much more powerful and fun. The spread of the dropper post was still a long way off.
2. trail poverty
Back then, we had to make do with hiking trails and were even less welcome than we are today. After all, the sport was still young and acceptance among other trail users was low to non-existent. Trails created especially for bikers were as rare as steel frames on downhill bikes.
3. embarrassing rag
The 90s were known for their questionable fashion trends. The spandex spook in neon colours, often combined with sweatbands on the forehead and wrists, lasted a long time. But it wasn't just the fashion that was rubbish, helmets and protectors are also much safer today than they were back then.
4th bike park lull
Germany's first bike park was created on the Geißkopf in 1999. Others followed in Todtnau and Winterberg. However, the first bike parks cannot be compared to today's facilities. They were often purely downhill trails. Today, there are dozens of parks with a variety of trails for all skill levels.
5. little content
If you wanted to find out about your passion in the golden age of biking, the only options were magazines, festivals or later VHS tapes. Today, you can shop for wear parts and accessories online from the comfort of your own home, watch World Cups on demand or configure bikes from your sofa.
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Laurin Lehner
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