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The evolution of MTB… once upon a time there was the Rampichino

MTB has changed over time, from the first Rampichino to today's bikes, the steps forward have been evident. but one thing remained the sex, the attitude and the desire for adventure and the search for the limit. today, as then, the MTB is an experimental means, which comes out of the traditional schemes of the bike.

Angel Suarez Commencal 100%
Two fingers on the handlebar just right for the style.

What has been the evolution from the Rampichino to modern MTBs?

It all began in a garage in a small town in America, where a group of reckless imagined being able to descend from the hills behind the house with a bicycle.

As often happens, it is insights of this kind that change the course of life, at least for many of us.

Imagine what would have happened if the Rampichino had not been invented.

I think the balance of this great discovery is certainly positive for each of us. Let's forget for a moment the technical advantages that the evolution of MTB has brought to the world of two wheels and let's dwell on the human aspects, asking ourselves how many fights we would have saved to snatch an hour in the woods, how many bones we would not have broken and how much money we would have saved ... however we also ask how many emotions we would have lost, how many fewer friends we would have met on the paths and uncovered places. I think the balance is certainly positive for all of us; therefore, we can safely say that mountain biking was a great invention.

What remains of that original medium? Can modern MTBs still be compared to the mountain bike from which everything was born? Or has evolution distorted them?

If we tried to browse some old issues of All Mountain biking we would have to answer no, in the eyes of a modern biker the vehicles of the beginning resemble little more than a supermarket gate; yet, for those who, like myself, lived through that era, certain models still arouse great charm, perhaps linked more to nostalgia than to real value.

from the Primo Rampichino to the modern MTB, the evolution of fat wheels has kept the spirit of the first pioneers unchanged

If, on the other hand, we tried to shift our attention to other details, by looking at the slogans of the advertisements, or the texts of the tests, we would see that there are many more similarities than one might think. Today, as then, the aspects related to adventure, speed and the search for the limit were present.Evolution has been a constant of MTB Certainly the references changed, in fact, what today would pass as the jump done in the backyard, then it was of great emotional impact, but the attitude with which it was done was the same, then as now.

048-August-1994-all-mountain-bike-scaled
A cover of all vintage mountain bikes… it was 1994, but the attitude hasn't changed

So, if we want to answer the initial question now, we could say that:

the technique went on, but the basic philosophy of MTB that prompted the first pioneers to imagine this bike and its evolution is still the same.

Let's try to think about some other aspects. MTB was born as an experimental means. In the nineties, frames of different alloys were proposed and with solutions that came out of the traditional bike schemes; all to try to make these first prototypes more reliable and performing on dirt roads.

In the early 90's the experimentation on the frames was looking for solutions to reduce the stress of the dirt road

There has been a strong experimentation on shock absorbing systems, on the wagons and on the braked bodies; each component has been revised and elaborated. This is because there was a spirit of strong inventiveness in those who approached this world.

Now that spirit has become an industry, but it hasn't stopped growing.

If modern MTBs no longer resemble the first Rampichino, it is precisely because evolution, which is the basis of fat wheels, has not stopped imagining, designing and building the bikes of the future.

This reasoning does not apply to the whole world of two wheels, a very special road bike has remained similar to itself, now the disc brakes have arrived with difficulty, but for the rest, geometric dimensions and anything else hasn't changed much.

But what is the advantage of this evolution?

Anyone who has personally experienced the development of two wheels knows very well that giant steps have been taken in recent years. Modern bikes are more reliable, safer and allow you to go where previously unthinkable. I'm not talking about the advent of electricity, even with a muscle today you climb better, faster and even on slopes that seemed prohibitive.

I have always enjoyed MTB, and every moment spent in the woods is a gift that I have given myself;

but I have to be honest and admit that with the current ones it's much more fun. The only regret is that with the passage of time the biker also ages, making it more difficult to fully enjoy vehicles that have so much to offer. But this aspect does not interest much, because for those who live the mountain bike with passion, whether it is vintage or modern, the refrain of an Alphaville song is worth it.

"Forever young, I want to be forever young, you really want to live forever, forever young ..." then take a MTB I add.



Written by

[email protected] Mountain bike travel editor and expert. Chiropractor and personal trainer, for years following some of the strongest national interpreters of enduro mtb.

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