ALEX EVANS BIKERADAR TECH EDITOR

Some people would argue that the evolution of mountain biking has created the need for plenty of terrain- and rider-specific genres of bike. Others would say that this is industry-driven; by offering unique selling points, manufacturers are able to sell more bikes, more easily. The cynic in me is inclined to agree – especially when there are mutterings of emerging categories such as ‘upduro’, ‘downcross’ and ‘freetrail’ (none of which have manifested in a bike you can buy… yet). But which came first? Was it the proverbial chicken of riding style or the unhatched egg of bike type?

Indulge me for one second as I pop on my rose-tinted glasses to reminisce about a time gone by. A more youthful and enthusiastic Alex was lucky enough to own four bikes. My road bike clunked grumpily down gravel tracks and my beloved Giant Trance cross-country bike was pushed to within an inch of its life on terrain way too gnarly for its intended purpose. My jump bike not only frequented the local skate park and dirt jumps, but was ridden (uncomfortably) to the shops. My downhill bike took me on missions over field, mountain and doubletrack, amassing far more miles than its gravity-focused form really should have allowed. My desecration of these bikes’ intended uses was driven by necessity rather than desire – how was I supposed to enjoy cycling’s multiple pleasures on the extremely limited number of bikes that a Saturday-job salary could afford?

And I wasn’t the only person pushing the limits of what bikes were able to do, in the name of fun and adventure. Maybe that answers the chicken and egg conundrum – it certainly seems to me that rider demand has driven evolution, and the industry has responded. Because of that, we no longer have to go through the pain of taking inappropriate bikes on rides. I’m excited to see what the future of mountain biking looks like, driven by all our weird, wonderful and very specific needs.