They say bike riding is a skill you never forget. There's so much choice when it comes to buying a bike that it's a feeling similar to learning to walk all over again.

While road biking and commuting get a lot of attention, mountain biking draws a passionate group of people who love the outdoors and the thrill of racing down steep descents on narrow dirt tracks.

The specialised mountain bike was born in California, in the hills of Marin County in the north. Down south in Los Angeles, biker Mark Langton was building downhill trails in Malibu in 1969, long before “mountain bike'' was even a twinkle in Gary Fisher's eye.

Gary was one of the pioneers of marketing specialised frames for off-road bicycling.

Langton still remembers him walking around the Long Beach bicycle show in 1981 with a frame on his shoulders, saying, “Do you want to buy one of these?''

By the late 1980s, Gary's company made $11 million or Dh40 million in sales. After a spell of trouble, it was bought by Trek and, today, Gary Fisher bikes are sold around the world.

Close to an epiphany

Langton has raced professionally and was the editor of Mountain Biking magazine for eight years.

He describes his first experience of hitting a downhill trail on one of those purpose-built bikes: “It was like an epiphany, even though I'm not at all a very religious person.''

Langton, 50, still rides all the time. He, along with riding colleague Ezra Dweck, conducts a free mountain-biking class on the first Saturday of every month.

He also offers tours and private lessons for a reasonable fee.

Across town, in Temple City, an equally trim 45-year-old, Ron Mckiernan speaks of his first mountain-bike ride with the same reverence.

Mckiernan is the manager of Temple City Bike Shop and has worked there for 30 years.

A self-confessed adrenalin junkie, Mckiernan was not prepared for just how exciting mountain biking could be. “I had this really strange feeling,'' he says, adding: “And then I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty nice. And it doesn't cost me anything.'''

Both riders love how mountain biking lets you experience the wilderness in a peaceful, respectful yet thrilling way.
Southern California offers year-round riding weather and several beautiful trails.

Buy instead of hiring

Visitors to the region should consider taking a mountain-biking class or a guided tour as a way to see the sights as a local. Some shops offer bikes on hire.

Mckiernan, ever the great bike salesman, suggests buying instead of hiring. “Bikes are very affordable [in the US]. Buy one and take it with you.'' Then, with a grin, he adds: “Or you could have somebody ride it home.''

He recommends spending around $400 (Dh1,469), which buys an entry-level mountain bike. This can seem expensive, especially since chain stores sell seemingly better-equipped bicycles for half that price. But Mckiernan cautions against this.

Choose it right

“If you're looking for something to ride back and forth to school — to last you about one year — any bike will do. If you're planning on riding it off-road, mass-merchandised bikes won't last,'' he says.

So the first step in making the complex decision is to get to a bike shop. They are usually run by people passionate about cycling, who offer suggestions on equipment, test rides and bike fitting.

Some brands to look for, according to Mckiernan, are Specialised, Diamondback, Trek, Giant, Cannondale and Felt.

Mountain bikes range from $400 (Dh1,469) to several thousand dollars. As you go up the ladder, frames get lighter, components get better and, often, suspensions offer more travel.

Even at the entry level, the bikes can take an amazing amount of abuse and need only occasional lubrication and cable tightening.

But bombing down hills is not good mountain-biker etiquette, and Langton, a member of an advocacy group called Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (Corba), has had to work hard to keep trails open to bikers.

Ecofriendly, this

One of the biggest criticisms of mountain biking is that it is damaging to the environment but Langton doesn't think this is true.

“Studies show that mountain biking has no more impact than hiking and less impact than horseback riding,'' he says.

When trails are in desert areas, mountain bikers often use heavy-duty tubes and carry several spare tubes.

With quick-release wheels and portable pumps, fixing a flat is easy, and moreover, mountain bikers are expected to be self-sufficient.

Don't let all the equipment put you off though, because after the initial expenses are over and done with, mountain biking's ratio of cost to pleasure is so skewed it feels almost illegal.

But, no matter what level of equipment you choose, never leave out the helmet.

—Gautam Raja is a US-based freelance writer

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By Gautam Raja, Special to Unwind

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