1980s market segmentation: ATB vs. MTB

[ferrus]

Re:

Exactly.
I think in the UK at least, ATB was often the preferred term of the more conservative brands who saw it as more relevant than the grandiose 'Mountain Bike' and maybe wanted to distance themselves from the notion of American hype. Fair enough really, not as romantic but appropriately descriptive of this awesome new type of bike's capacity.
There's no difference in the bikes, early bikes are sometimes thought of as ATB's simply because that was the time the term was in use.
I'm embarrassed to admit, I preferred ATB.

 

[Jamiedyer]

I agree with Ferrus, though also remember that Charlie and Gary Fishers first 'production' brand, was called Mountainbike and they were seen as off road bikes or Klunkers in the early days.
ATB sounds far more British to me, I like it

Jamie

 

[T'boo Ted]

I with "it's the same thing", I thought people called them mountain bikes because thats what they called them, but then some people thought that was a stupid name because only some people rode them in the mountains and ll terrain bike was a more apt name.. but mountain bike rolls off the tongue better and its what they were already know as...

it' like clipless pedals "why are they called clipless it doesn't make sense,or it does if you know why.

So not different things just a better name that was way less cool

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

ATB/MTB over here are one and the same, just depends which company used which, I don't know of any segmentation in the 80s as such but then so was too young to realise.
For me it was
Mountain bike* (full word)
and Road bike.

To me the first segmentation came as Front Suspension bike** and Full Suspension Bikes came along.
Which was turn of the 90s

Only then did target markets appear and then it was slow, probably around mid to late 90s (other than hybrid***)

It is probably best to look at the old catalogues and see what Trek/Marin/Specialized were calling things.


*MTB word came later as coolness stepped in, ATB was just another uncool way of saying it
**At some point became known as hard tail, I guess once full suspension became the normal and there was no 'rigid' bikes left, as they are also now called
*** Now known as 29ers ;-) or gravel bikes ;-)

 

[Ride604]

Re:

OMG!!! MTB is what mountain bikes are called in American English, and ATB is what mountain bikes are called in UK English. They are, and always have been, the exact same bikes!!!!! LMFAO!!!

 

[Jamiedyer]

Those funny old Brits

Jamie

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re: Re:

OMG!!! MTB is what mountain bikes are called in American English, and ATB is what mountain bikes are called in UK English. They are, and always have been, the exact same bikes!!!!! LMFAO!!!

No they've not. Proof is this post.
We had MTB and ATB and BSO over here.


Though ignore my post above of course ;-)

 

[firedfromthecircus]

There was a question mark over whether Mountain Bike (MTB) was a trademark in the early days. So to avoid the issue entirely some companies called their early bikes ATBs. Once it was realised that MTB was not a trademark ATB was quietly dropped. I read that in an old book sometime. ;-)

 

[danson67]

There's also the persistence of ATB driven by the direct translation of the French VTT (velo tout terrain).

I don't remember the French ever using "velo de montagne", velo montagnard" or " Le mountainbike" or such, even today.

All the best,

 

[kingbling]

The French never did play by the rules so whats new there. :mrgreen: