You’ve probably all heard the term “mountain bike”, at least once, and equally probably you’ve got one, maybe through collecting petrol station or supermarket points or simply bought because “with one of these you can go anywhere!”.

But how many know about its history? Its origin? How did this bit of equipment that created an alternative to the classic, ever popular road bike come about?

Well, according to the most credible legend, in the mid ‘60s, the hippy period, a group of young (and probably bored) Californians decided to ride down the famous “fire roads” in Marin County, from the crest of Mount Talmapais, through the Madrone Canyon to Fairfax.

The problem was, however, that normal bikes broke down after a few metres and didn’t have enough braking power to allow downhill riding without risking your neck. So they recovered some old and very sturdy bikes designed back in 1933 by Ignaz Schwinn and used mainly by couriers and paper boys.

The Schwinn Excelsior (as the jewel was called) was slightly modified and given gears and may be considered (according to the legend) the forerunner of the mtb.

On 21st October 1976, the legendary Repack was organized by the Talmapais Velo Club in Marin County, in California. The first ever downhill race involved a height loss of 400 metres over a 2,000 metres long course.

To “repack” means to restore the grease burnt in the hub due to the steep slopes along the course. The first winner was a fireman from San Francisco, who realized on crossing the finish line that he was the only one left in the saddle. This gave rise to countless experiments to develop the simple antique model. Much of the merit should go to a certain Gary Fischer. Attracted by the legendary race, he took part in it and held the track speed record of around 25 mph for years.

The last Repack was run in 1984. At a certain stage Fischer thought “why only pedal downhill?” and fitted his Schwinn with a 5 speed gear hub, redesigned the geometry of the frame and improved the brakes, thus clearing the way for the mtb that we all know today.