Near Burlington, Vermont there is a weekly mountain bike race that attracts hundreds of riders. A couple of guys from a LBS that specializes in older bikes and fixies enter these races on their fixed gear bikes. That's right, single track mountain bike races on fixed gear, old school, bikes AND THEY ARE KICKING ASS!

One week one of these dudes posted the fastest time out of 300+ riders. The other guys racing had state of the art, full suspension gear!

They should be legends in this community.

i really enjoy stories like these. any more?

well, I can add that the way one of them goes through the technical parts of the ride is on his back wheel. I'm told that he does a wheelie and sort of unicycles through. Also, he mostly gets by the mtn bikes on the corners, they slow down, and he gets by by having more "snap". He stands up and just roars right by them.

Fixed ROAD bikes? Crap! They rock, dude.

Is there such a thing as an old school MTB yet?

no, not mtn bikes. Old road bikes!!

You bet, I even own one--and it's singlespeed. Mountain bikes started out quite different than they are today, not only were they rigid, but the geometry was seriously more relaxed. Anything from the late-70s (ie, the very beginning) to the mid-to-late-80s can be probably be considered old school.

Wow, inspiring.
I'm looking to build an off-road bike in spring or summer, and am torn - I'm thinking either 3-speed freewheel or fixed. Now I'm starting to lean towards fixed. I think if anything I would really miss trackstanding and the like.

That's a great story. It's got to be hard going down really steep hills and getting thru rock gardens. Maybe they just do it cyclocross style and run in the slow parts. Have you got any pix?

So are you saying they are fixt mtb's or road bikes with 700c knobbies cx style?


If I remember correctly there is a group down here in Harrisonburg VA that dominate mtb races on there ss mtb's.

they ride old Raliegh road bikes with cx tires. One found wider tires that he uses sometimes. they can spin at amazing speeds downhill. One told me that just letting go at that stage was the hardest psychologically for him. Just go downhill at warp 9 and your legs windmilling at who knows what rpm....