When you think of mountain biking, you probably think of Red Bull, tank tops and 15-year-old children doing no-hand backflips over the Grand Canyon. But you shouldn’t. Instead, you should think of thickly moustached Colorado dirtbags pushing their improvised bicycles to the top of a hill, and racing each other down, with little to no braking capabilities.
What started off as a way to explore new terrain and laugh at your mates has since turned into a commercial cash cow. We reckon somewhere along mountain biking’s history, the spirit got lost, and so did the style…
When primitive mountain biking was first beginning to gain a foothold in America, dirtbag riders adhered to a strict uniform – cycling caps, heavily patched synthetic puffer jackets, thrashed denim and a pair of old tennis shoes. Cast your eyes over any images from this era (we recommend doing so through @wendecragg12 or @presta.94) and you’ll be greeted with some of the best examples of Americana you’ve ever seen.
The mountain biking originators were a stylish bunch, so to show our appreciation, we’ve put together a list of seven items that wouldn’t look out of place hurling it down one of Colorado’s many mountainsides.
Santini UCI Official Cycling Cap
The definitive marker of any bike enthusiast is their headwear, and if it isn’t short-peaked and with a load of bright branding on the side, they’re not really a cyclist. For our cycling cap, we’ve gone as dirtbag as possible – £8 from a brand we’ve never heard of before. Maximum steeze.
You’ve got to imagine this Patagonia Nano Puff in a state of absolute distress. Patched to high heaven, heavily discoloured, with grease all over the sleeves, and probably pretty smelly too. But these symptoms aren’t indicative of misuse; quite contrarily, they’re markers of lifelong memories. And any good dirtbag mountain biker would point out their jacket’s imperfections to you like a badge of honour.
Shirting of any kind is an important part of the dirtbag biker uniform, but flannels in particular reign supreme. This one is in a beautiful green hue, and if we know Stan Ray, it can definitely withstand a few battles to emerge from the inside of thorn bushes.
For any high-speed, high-impact activity that became popular in the ’70s, denim was the fabric of choice. Hardwearing, stylish and unmistakably American. A good pair of dirtbag denim should soak up bike grease like no tomorrow, and accompany you on all your wildest adventures. We’re big fans of the wash on this Stan Ray pair.
Back in the ’70s, clipless shoes didn’t exist. Cleats didn’t exist. Toe clips didn’t exist. Basically, specialist cycling footwear of any kind, didn’t exist. This meant you had to work with what you had, and usually, you had a pair of battered Nike or adidas running shoes. Not all that dissimilar from this pair of adidas SL72 PT, which are like a regular pair of SL72, but with reinforced bits. Can only come in handy when pedalling an improvised deathtrap.
Early mountain bikers loved expressing themselves via pin badges, usually acquired from the areas that they’d ridden their bikes up, or down. Hence, the presence of this A Young Hiker mountain pin. Would look great on the side of a filthy cycling cap.
END. x Levi’s Mount Rambler Ringer Tee
Ringer tees were cool in the ’70s, and they’re definitely still cool now. Especially if they’re this Levi’s x END. collaboration one.
