Greatest year for Mountain biking?

[Bikeshopowner]

In my honest opinion it has to be 1989, XT 2 has arrived with 2 finger levers and thumbies and from that day on some of the most beautiful MTBs ever made started to arrive!

http://www.bikeman.com/content/view/1056/47/

Take a trip here and open the PDF on the '89 XT catalog and there you have it!

 

[tintin40]

1990-93

 

[pete_mcc]

1991/2, everytime! The boutique builders were at their height, suspension had just started XTR, XC-Pro and Campag OR were out together, the big racing teams were big, Tomac was at his height as was Gould and Baker, and Juliette Bustamenti (or Bustaplenty as we called her) won our school diving competition (never has a single sports event been watched so closely by so many boys, especially the springboard final) - what more is there to want!

 

[FairfaxPat]

Has to be now.

 

[Sidewinder]

Have to agree with pete-mccwith 91-92 I was still racing then (and 3st lighter) and there was so much going on then new designs and ideas every week.and e-stays ruled

 

[MikeWarner]

I would agree that around the 1992 period was very important. Suspension starting to become something other than a gimmick, high end components flooding the market, MTB Worlds being televised etc.

 

[cchris2lou]

1991/1992 gets my vote too .

 

[mattbrown]

92-94

 

[doctor-bond]

Yep, 1989 was good: by 1991/2 things were more together, but from a UK perspective, '89 occupies that sweet spot between the amateurish early days and things getting too suspended and corporate.

The components were still well built then too [although I've got an uncurable hankering for '88 with its ubrakes and quality freehubs. And, it was a very good year for small town girls and soft summer nights .....].

 

[Elev12k]

From a tech perspective: Another vote for 1989. For the exact same reason bikeshopowner says.

Imho great advancement since then are better tyres. Not equally impressed by other innovations.