2. Overview
Mountain
biking is a extreme
sport. It is a hybrid
between motocross
and BMX riding. It is
by far my Favorite
sport. Riders love to
build there own
jumps and ride them
with buddies all day
until its too dark
3. History
Mountain biking
originanated in
Kamloops BC. The
original riders include
Wade Simmons, Brett
Tippie and Riche Schley.
All of these riders still
ride today. The person
who invented the
mountain bike is very
debatable as many have
claimed it.
4. Rules
While there is no written rules in Mountain Biking
there is many unwritten rules that riders need to respect.
• Respect the Trails or Jumps
• Fix what you destroy
• Be respectful of others and there riding
There are many race events and slopestyle events that
have there own specific rules. Weather it be the type of
armor or how you are judged it can change
5. Types of
Bikes
My three bikes for 2011 (Left to Right: Dirt Jump, Slope style, Downhill)
The type of riding you like to do can drastically change the bike you
ride
• Dirt Jumping – Only suspension in the front (around 4 inches), one brake,
one gear
• Slopestyle – Suspension front and rear (4 inches on both), 2 brakes, 5-6
gears
• Cross Country – Suspension front and rear (5-6 Inches on both), 2 brakes
(20-30 gears)
• Downhill - Suspension front and rear (8 inches on both), 2 brakes, 9-10
gears)
6. Safety
The safety equipment people use is
personal preference. Many people use a lot and
some use little. Full face helmets are becoming
more and more popular and neck braces now
available. Some people will wear shin and knee
pads, and some people will wear just knee pads.
Its all what people choose to wear
7. Safety Issues
Mountain biking is an extreme sport. The risk is very high.
Getting hurt is constantly an issue. I have gotten 2
concussions, broke both feet and broken my leg. The
sport is just so fun I couldn’t stop. The energy rush of
flying through the air can not be compared to anything
else for me
8. Where to ride
There are many places
to ride your bike. The
forest seems to be the
most popular. There are
many developed trail
networks all over
Kelowna. There is also a
bike park. Many secret
locations also exist.
9. Types of Riders
Mountain biking is a very diverse sport. There
are the weekend warriors who just ride for
fun, Tuesday night cross country riders who like the
exercise. The dirt jumps who build jumps and ride.
Downhillers require shuttles or chairlifts and the
free riders that ride skinnies.
10. Proper
Technique
When riding something new you always
want to make sure you know what your riding
before you ride. If you go off something blind
you could end up in trouble
11. Style
Developing style into your riding is
something that many riders strive to do.
Maintaining proper bike control while riding
makes your riding fun as you develop skill to
move your bike around and be more playfull
12. Tricks
Riders add in tricks to what they do for fun
and to train for competitions. There are so many
tricks that everyone does there own unique
moves. Many rides try really hard to just huck
tricks everywhere which isn’t favored in
competitions, you need to be a solid rider
13. Digging
Digging and maintaining jumps is some of the
most important part of our sport. Most of the time
nothing is given to us and we have to build it
ourselves. Building gets you respect in the
community and allows more opportunities. Some
riders dig more than the ride. Its part of the sport
so do it.
14. Sponsorship
and Promotion
Harrison Mendel 1st Place
Junior Advanced (Top level
for under 15)
Many of the top riders have sponsors that give
them budgets for travel and competitions. Being a
sponsor rider for many Companies like Transition
Bikes, Silver Star Bike Park, Deity Components and
Cyclepath Kelowna I know my role in properly
representing companies all over the World
15. Web Videos
After being injured I took up cinematography. Helping my
friends out with videos on the internet to promote
themselves. This is huge in mountain biking and the
Videos produce a lot of views
Video of Me before injury and Silver Star Bike park (Red Jersey, Red
Helmet, Green and Blue Bike)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln-L8Al9JtE&feature=related
Video I produced of Jeremy Weiss Bas van Steenbergen
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/233784/
Video I produced of Jeremy Weiss (filmed while in full leg cast and crutches)
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/215968/
16. Credits
All photos in presentation of Harrison Mendel
Photos by
• Mike Kirk
• Kai Wendt
• Bryce Piwek
• Matt Butterworth
• Brad Walton
• Laurence CE
Cinematography by
• Harrison Mendel
• Matt Butterworth
