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30 Years of Change: The 1989 Gary Fisher Pro Caliber vs. The 2019 Scott Spark RC 900 World Cup

The 1989 Gary Fisher Pro Caliber vs. the 2019 Scott Spark RC 900 World Cup While checking through our June 1989 issue of Mountain Bike Action, we came upon the above photo of the Gary Fisher Pro-caliber, the bike which had won the XC…
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Throwback Thursday: Pedalfest Racing, 2014

It's hard to believe this was five years ago. This was from one of the Pedalfest races from May of 2014. The 2019 Pedalfest race series concludes this week. The final race of the season takes place today (Thursday, June 13th) with most of…
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Throwback Thursday: Never Too Old—Ned Overend in 2011

Ned Overend was still racing against the top cross-country pros in America in 2011, when we snapped this photo of him competing in Sun Valley, Idaho, at the USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships. As a matter of fact, Ned is…
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Throwback Thursday: World Cup Action, Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, 2015

That's Julien Absalon riding the Nove Mesto World Cup XCO course in the Czech Republic in 2015 in the photo above. The series returns there this weekend. Who will win is anybody's guess, but it probably won't be Julien Absalon, since he…
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Throwback Thursday: Pedalfest 2016, Lake Castaic, California

Racers battle up the hill in this shot from the Pedalfest race at Lake Castaic, California, in May 2016. The racing action returns to Lake Castaic on Thursday afternoons from now through the next few weeks. The biggest races start…
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Throwback Thursday: Pedalfest Race Series Returns to Castaic, California, Today

Former MBA test rider Spencer Rathkamp showed his competition how fast he was at the Pedalfest Race Series at Lake Castaic, California, in 2014. The race series returns to Lake Castaic (about 40 minutes north of Los Angeles) starting…
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Throwback Thursday: Finn Iles at Whistler, 2017

Finn Iles has risen to become one of the top downhill riders on the 2019 World Cup circuit. He's also one of the first such racers to use a 29/27.5 wheel combo on his race bike. This is a shot of him from the Whip-Off World…
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Throwback Thursday: Saddle Height, 1989

Mountain Bike Action editor Zapata Espinoza gave a demonstration 30 years ago of proper leg extension for mountain biking. The saddle position in our top photo here is a little too low, which can be seen by how much the left knee is bent.…
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Throwback Thursday: Mont-Sainte-Anne, 2013

World Cup racing, Marco Aurelio Fontana, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada. Photo: JK/Mountain Bike Action
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Throwback Thursday: Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, 2013, Nino Schurter vs Jaroslav Kulhavy

Nino Schurter (left) and Jaroslav Kulhavy (right) were battling for the advantage in the early part of the World Cup race at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, in this photo from 2013. Kulhavy was riding a 29er, and he had beaten Nino at the…
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: MUD RACING AT THE SEA OTTER, 2006

The Sea Otter Classic returns to Monterey, California, next week. Weather forecasters are saying there's a 40% chance of rain next Friday for the event. Here's some of the pro racing in 2006, when the Sea Otter pros had to deal with…
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Throwback Thursday: “The Blair Speed Project,” MBA, August 2000

Blair Lombardi: the woman who coached Missy Giove and Gary Fisher

The late Blair Lombardi was an amateur national champion in mountain biking who became one of the top mountain bike coaches in the world, coaching thousands of riders—including Gary Fisher and Missy Giove—to improve their riding skills for…
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Throwback Thursday: Aaron Gwin vs. the Photographers

A scary moment from Mont-Sainte-Anne, almost 10 years ago

This was one of the scariest photos that MBA photographer John Ker has ever taken in nearly 30 years of mountain bike photography. This was during the World Cup race at Mont-Sainte-Anne, nearly ten years ago. Aaron Gwin came flying…
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MORE FROM NAHBS

More Stuff from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Perfect weather outside brought the crowds to Sacramento for the second day of the NAHBS event. Many of the bike brands at the NAHBS event are ones that many mountain bike enthusiasts have never heard of before, such as Black…
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SMALL COMPANIES’ HANDMADE BIKES ARE THE BIG SHOW AT NAHBS

The North American Handmade Bike Show is in Sacramento, California

There are plenty of interesting bikes to be seen at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento, California, this weekend. This Olivetti bike (called the Wopcycle) looks like three different bikes depending on your angle of…
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NAHBS 2019

This Weekend in Sacramento, California

This Isen mountain bike has one of the most beautiful finishes of all the bikes on display at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Sacramento, California. Check back later this weekend…
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Throwback Thursday

Cam McCaul demonstrates his jumping skills at Bootleg Canyon, Nevada, in 2004. Photo: JK/Mountain Bike Action Martin Soderstrom pulls off a double tailwhip at Whistler, B.C., in the summer of 2009. Photo: JK/Mountain…
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Throwback Thursday: Mountain Bike Gadgets and Gizmos from 30 Years Ago

Early disc brake: While disc brakes are the norm in 2019, they were very rare 30 years ago, when almost all mountain bike riders were using cantilever-style rim brakes. MBA spotted this primitive-looking disc brake at a mountain bike…
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Throwback Thursday: People and Products from 30 Years Ago

Can you name these two riders? The guy on the left is MBA editor Zapata Espinoza as he appeared in our February 1989 issue, and the guy next to him is John Parker, the man who started Yeti Cycles and convinced John Tomac and…
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Flashback Friday: Seatpost from 1989

Spring-equipped seatpost
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Throwback Thursday: 30 Years Ago

How much things have changed in 30 years
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Throwback Thursday: The Bikes and Products of 1989

Good Old Days
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Throwback Thursday: The Bikes of 1989

In going through some back issues we found a buyer's guide to the bikes of 1989. It's easy to see how much mountain bikes have changed in the last 30 years. Notice for one thing the lack of front suspension, much less rear suspension. The…
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Throwback Thursday: Fork Design, Circa 1989

Paul Turner hadn't come out with the first Rock Shox suspension fork yet when Specialized came out with its Direct Drive fork, shown here as it was advertised in our February 1989 issue of Mountain Bike Action. The curved fork design…
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Throwback Thursday: Indoor Mountain Biking at Ray’s MTB in Cleveland, Ohio, 2011 (with Emily…

We're going back to November of 2011 with this photo
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Aaron Gwin Announces That He’s Moving to Intense Cycles

We had been hearing about this for weeks, maybe even months. We had even questioned Aaron Gwin himself about the matter. He had told us he couldn't reveal any information about his plans for 2019 until the end of January or he would stop…
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Throwback Thursday: Blind Faith

Sightless mountain bikers are getting a feel for the sport (from Mountain Bike Action, May 2001)

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The Passing of a Mountain Bike Legend: Dan Hanebrink

The late Dan Hanebrink, as he appeared in our October 1994 issue with his aerodynamic downhill mountain bike. We are saddened to report that Dan Hanebrink has passed away in Big Bear, California, as a result of complications of…
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Throwback Thursday: Looking Back to 1988

Mountain Bike Champions
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Throwback Thursday: The 1987 Raleigh Technium Mountain Bike World Championships

Mammoth Mountain, California,

In 1987, there were two races billed as the Mountain Bike World Championships. One took place in Europe, and the next one took place at Mammoth Mountain, California, the following weekend. As it turned out, Ned Overend won both the…
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