I Pionieri del Downhill

[@realmahadeo]

I have no words. This is a beautiful video and so fun to watch. hope all of these guys are OK and no major injuries. they are all probably grandfathers by now but hopefully still riding

[@Bluhawaii]

A really nice comment, man👊

[@kolossskateboards5855]

@@Bluhawaii Probably no grandfathers to see here b/c presumably all their balls got crushed before they got to reproduce

[@goku445]

err it's only 30 years old.

[@AlexanderOrion]

Love coming back to this video from time to time.. the steel balls of the riders were stronger than the bikes. Legends!

[@Bluhawaii]

I do the same thing too😂😉

[@rickeur]

3:21 Short handlebars, small wheels, high saddle, full speed drifting in this corner this is what i call vintage Downhill

[@1ytcommenter]

and only cantilever brakes. no disks back then.

[@iain8837]

Just shows you it's 99% rider skils!

[@dyslexiusmaximus]

@@iain8837 yeah i hear people all the time say they could be faster or do a feature if only they had the right bike. meanwhile im doing all the A lines at speed on my dads 100mm 2009 giant coz i cbf riding up hill. yes its easier on my 150mm yeti but you cant blame the bike. Fabien Barel destroyed my time on my local DH track on a 150mm bike while i was on a better suited 210mm bike.

[@rogsoll]

Gary Fisher Lever Betty FH2 is the bike ;-)

[@JohnDoe-jy1kn]

Holding the front wheel in-between your legs to straighten the handlebars. We've all been there.

[@rarrue2007]

3:17

[@mitnoxin]

That corner at 3:22 is the stuff of legends!

[@Bluhawaii]

🔝

[@jasperhusmann6888]

While watching this i just need to remind myself how incredibly buffed with awesome tech todays mountainbikes are. that course would be no problem at all for me (or perhaps my bike), even though i´m a really bloody noob when it comes to riding technique and experience.. just the fact that those guys didn´t have dropper posts makes it so much harder to get down that hill without crashing or going otb... respect though for those people who paved the way for us modern riders!!!

[@Bluhawaii]

nice comment friend👊

[@polystyrene_gangster]

can't help but think why nobody tried to just lower the saddle; it just wasn't usual I guess

[@Bluhawaii]

@@polystyrene_gangster no, only because they also had to pedal in certain stretches of the path 💪👊

[@polystyrene_gangster]

@@Bluhawaii contemporary DH races also feature sections where pedaling gives an advantage but I believe they all just stand up and pedal like that. I think the advantage of a lower saddle in terms of manoeuvrability outweighs the disadvantage of the reduced pedalling efficiency? Not true for enduro and XC obviously.

[@Bluhawaii]

@@polystyrene_gangster Hi, races were different once. they were mixed routes and there was a lot to pedal, especially in the climbs. 💪👊

[@simonburgess5929]

Fantastic. Love the one of Greg Herbold loosing his rear tyre then continuing 'on the rim' (near the end. )

[@Bluhawaii]

Already... that circle could only shatter into a thousand pieces.💪👊

[@i_onep2069]

Душевное видео)) Есть чем восхититься и над чем посмеяться

[@yd2712]

Sure the technology was rapidly evolving, but the technique was moving even faster. What a difference a few short years makes!

[@Bluhawaii]

the first films are from the 80s. we are talking about 25, 30 years ago ;)

[@shaunf836]

oh wow! the rider functioned as both the suspension and brakes!!! … haven’t had bull bars for some time. thanks for the throwback!!

[@Bluhawaii]

😂👊

[@jozefwroblewski9757]

These lovely crazy men on their primitive bikes🤣 Respect!

[@Bluhawaii]

Yes dude total respect!

[@Pushing_the_cathinone_limits_]

Perfect piece of nostalgia . Gives me a warm glow remembering these days. We've come such a long way but I can't let these times go. Thanks for the video

[@Romin.777]

I bet you still have some vintage bikes too. :))

[@raymondphipps8147]

Best 12 minutes of cycling iv ever seen, whole thing was a hall of meat

[@Bluhawaii]

I agree👊

[@phrixos2826]

and bone

[@jny78]

These were the test dummies for such an amazing sport. Thank you so much

[@phrixos2826]

indeed, well said!

[@Romin.777]

Years later you convert your 90's bike for some bikepack adventure and o boy, what a thrill they still offer. I never went beyond 26 inch tyres. :))

[@Bluhawaii]

yes, they can still have their say ..😉

[@putatulogeh2809]

These riders are real badasses. They literally have bad ass pains after the event. Respect.

[@Bluhawaii]

😂someone has also left us the balls🤣👊

[@buggs9950]

2:31 Back on his feet before he stopped, straight back on the bike and off. What a boss!

[@LastGreenBear]

Complimenti! Hai fatto un ottimo lavoro. E pensare che al giorno d'oggi, addirittura a livello amatoriale, c'è ancora chi si fa le pippe mentali per la gomma più o meno scorrevole, il freno a singolo o doppio pistoncino, l'ammo con 10 mm di escursione in più, la bici da 5000 altrimenti non vale la pena comprarla... sicuramente ad alto livello gli accorgimenti tecnici erano importanti anche negli anni '90, certo è che questi erano bikers con le palle. Oggi molti (ma non tutti) sono quasi sicuri che sia il mezzo a fare la differenza.. tutti in fila a comprare l'ultimo modello anziché stare sui trails a fare esperienza.

[@Bluhawaii]

Grazie Stefano, sono d'accordo! Stai sui trail e non farti prendere per il culo dal marketing!💪👊

[@sgkots]

I did the same in 91-92. Still alive, not much more wise, just ageing 😁

[@Bluhawaii]

🤣

[@phrixos2826]

i feel ya, am still riding, just not as hard!

[@Bluhawaii]

@@phrixos2826💪👊

[@sgkots]

@@phrixos2826 yeah. DH, XC, and some roadbike as well, which I thought was for pussies when I was 18 🤣 Now at 52 am a cat 😂😂😂

[@YARDDREG1]

Haha only just realised no disc brakes back then great video RAW 💯 👍🏼

[@Bluhawaii]

just that? Didn't you notice the handlebars and saddles? 😉👊

[@YARDDREG1]

@@Bluhawaii Fink I was mainly focused on that they couldn’t stop 😂 but now u mentioned it bloody hell brave souls lol

[@Bluhawaii]

@@YARDDREG1 😂

[@jamesstevens2362]

I remember flying downhill on dirt tracks on my first MTB without any suspension. My hands and wrists would ache for days! Good times!!

[@Bluhawaii]

🤣I too have some memories of this kind 💪👊

[@trailsdetails4061]

This video is an absolute gem, thanks for sharing this!

[@TheBrakusa]

First guys doing full send on rigid forks and drop bars - absolute legends! I salute those pioneri del downhill! Also take notice what impact simple coil fork made, wow. This video is a gem showing bike tech evolution.

[@Bluhawaii]

thank you man 💪👊

[@tomkleins6889]

Thanks for that great video! Wurbauerkogel at Windischgarsten is where my spend my time as student. That's when I bought my first "real" MTB, a red KLEIN, still with stiff fork and U-brake behind the crank set.

[@Bluhawaii]

Good times 💪👊

[@markrooke8905]

The crashes look so bad because of the additional 20ft that the riders fall from their saddles. Some amazing cornering, pure skill with little help from advanced tech. And I would love to see how big the cameras were that they had for the onboard clips.

[@Bluhawaii]

At minute 5.37 you can see the shadow of the camera they used. Nothing else unfortunately

[@Велодело]

Жёсткие велосипеды и жёсткие люди тогда были. Молодец, дева, не растерялась и ногами добежала до финиша пока переднее колесо решило погулять.

[@crowhunter134]

Ufff que bueno!!!! Viendo a Tomac, que clase! Sin olvidar a Tomi Misser!!! Hoy en día a nadie de le ocurre bajar con una rígida de 26” y rueda lenticular trasera 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Bluhawaii]

todos ocupados pensando en la última horquilla o amortiguador, cuadro, manillar, etc. pero si no tienes estos..🏀🎱🤣👊

[@fedeseakayak]

It was the normal thing at the time, those were the top bikes, top riders and top techniques. No shitty era for me. The foundation of what we are living today. 🙌

[@Bluhawaii]

I agree, good life!👊

[@Mark-ci3kt]

no sorry i can not see the technique you speak of .... john tomac was good

[@jbird3214]

​@@Mark-ci3kt no technique? I doubt amatures would be able to ride those dinosaur bikes anyway near as quick!!! I'm not knocking the technology of the time............but some of those bikes look seriously out of place in a competition setting :/ I'd struggle on them to ride to my local shops ;) these geezers smashing it 👌

[@a.m.k.74]

Cool retro mountain bikes .

[@johnwatson8192]

Great video, thanks. What was the gap time in the early days? It looks as though it was a mass start by the time they got part way down. Who is rider no 97, he showed some remarkable skills.

[@Bluhawaii]

sorry friend, i can't find the answer for you. thanks for the comment 👍👊

[@markmccall9027]

Part crazy. Part absolutely useless brakes. Love this.

[@hansdampf3468]

It's like the Group B of mountain bikes.

[@mauriciogomes2616]

mano, muito da hora......desenvolveu muito o esporte de lá pra cá....

[@daviddyer9066]

After crashing last week on the A30 at 2 am going downhill and my Derailer snapping off and going into my back wheel Concluding my cycle to Cornwall from London this video is making me feel a lot better thank you

[@Bluhawaii]

damn I'm sorry

[@daviddyer9066]

@@Bluhawaii your video really helped, thank you

[@Bluhawaii]

@@daviddyer9066 I am really pleased 💪👊

[@hansy3]

Amazing.

[@adrianoadriano4730]

Meraviglioso video Marco....io ancora ho mia KHS 96´ l´amo da vero ----steel frames , cantilever , full rigid......una bike per sempre.......molte cadute sono state causa dalla tecnica di guida piú di la bici.......complimenti e grazie👍👽

[@Bluhawaii]

Non mollare mai!! 💪👊

[@nicholasbonando6399]

Tutto questo è fantastico!!

[@iakusz]

jeesus brah, imagine: no shock absorbers, tall saddles, must have been tough!

[@Bluhawaii]

😂...narrow handlebars, no brakes and non-existent tires 🤦‍♂️

[@francesco7848]

veramente interessante (e anche molto divertente..) sembra quasi incredibile che siano passati solo 20-30 anni visto il divario tecnico di mezzi e abbigliamento con i nostri tempi. credo che chiunque ami la bici e in particolare la MTB possa apprezzare molto questo filmato. onore al merito per questi temerari precursori del Downhill.grandi.

[@Bluhawaii]

completamente d'accordo! ciaoo!

[@MickeySpex]

Man I remember these old days. I enjoyed every race at the time. Johnny T, Missy Giovy Jimmy Deaton and Greg H-Ball Herbold -Heros

[@Bluhawaii]

welcome to the dinosaurs then! 🤣💪👊

[@MickeySpex]

@@Bluhawaii Yeah you named it. 😂👍🏽But I still ride my bike downwards😎 Faster and faster until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death!

[@thedoggoesskrrrt]

Aside from the race itself It also shows how steel frames withstand these type of terrains Like look at those frames so much thinner than most of Xc frame these days

[@jswong8200]

For that reason I've just built myself a "new" bike with individual parts sourced from several online shopping portals, to remind me of my most fun biking days back in the early-90s. I got myself a lovely chromoly frame using sexy skinny 28.6mm Reynolds tubing for the front triangle, no bends and curves and gusseting or aero features. Managed to locate a pair of really retro Deore XT 7-speed rapidfire brifters exactly like the one I had in my early-90s bike, and I managed to obtain a rare and retro Deore DX 27.0mm seatpost that fits nicely in the thin-walled chromoly frame. 27.2mm posts were too "wide" for these skinny tubes! The only non-retro stuff I had on this retro-modern chromoly frame are disc brakes and 27.5" wheels. I even used a square-taper BB with BSA cups (none of that press-fit nonsense here!) and a retro 90s Sugino Impel MTB crankset that's a Deore-equivalent back in its day. Up front I went with a cheap but lightweight Suntour Epixon air shock instead of a rigid fork, just to keep up with the times. The fork is not bad for its price, weighs just 1.6kgs and has remote lockout and rebound adjustment. This bike rides amazingly well. The chromoly frame with its skinny tubes feels incredible and lively. Love it to bits. Totally reminds me of the joy of riding fire trails back in the 90s in my old town..

[@BrownianMotionPicture]

@@jswong8200 That sounds like a great build.

[@DilbertMuc]

Yes, but the aluminium rims were a soft noodel because double wall was not invented yet.

[@afandianto]

No suspension No fullface helmet No disc brake That was brutal

[@Bluhawaii]

yes! only 🎱🎱😂

[@ektherising]

Bad geometry too.

[@jonatasxzx]

Only stupid

[@goku445]

@@ektherising yea, they look like road bikes.

[@kentchalut6666]

What if we put some sort of suspension device on in order to absorb some of the shock 🤔

[@Bluhawaii]

🤔🤔 uhmmm it looks like Paul Turner thought about it before the others.

[@S3dINS]

Look at all that fluorescent Lycra. I miss my GT RTS

[@pedalleveoficial]

A inesquecível e a melhor decada!👏👏👏👏✌

[@Bluhawaii]

💪👊

[@roberttrench465]

Ita amazing that no one even thought of lowering their saddles.. how did it take so long for riders to figure that out !

[@Bluhawaii]

this is a question that many people have asked themselves ... someone already used the quick release in some races. think the first serious dropper post, came out in 2010. The Rockshox Reverb. They also had very tight handlebars and nonexistent brakes...on the other hand, they had a lot of 🎱🎱😂👊

[@1ytcommenter]

actuallly the first downhill races had quite a few passages in it that were flat and where you had to pedal quite a bit. I can remember some "downhill" races that has also some light uphill passages back then.

[@FENIXRC]

Grandes guerreros 💪 👏🏼 saludos ✈

[@Akabutch66]

Riders without shocks, driving down the stairs, have balls to drive it at that speeeeeed.

[@Bluhawaii]

you can say it strong

[@southernaccent]

Man do I really appreciate my hydraulic 4 piston brakes, suspension, dropper post, 29'er tires, 800mm bars, long/slacked/low...... bike right now.

[@Bluhawaii]

eheh...who do you tell ..👊

[@torsten4757]

best about this isnt the strange colored chlothing, either its the fact nobody holds a smartphone up in the air, good times, god bless

[@blairrighton6270]

only H-Ball would continue to race without a tyre.... one of many legends of the halcyon days of the sport

[@ColonelBummleigh]

Super.

[@ELECTRON1CK]

Я не могу остановиться ржать😂😂😂, правда только в начале видео, потом то все уже серьёзней😁

[@Bluhawaii]

Я рад, что вам понравилось. невозможно устоять перед некоторыми сценами 🤦‍♂💪👊

[@luisrossless]

Does anyone know who is the one at minute 3:20? He is a good runner, he saved that curve well

[@Bluhawaii]

no but it is the most beautiful passage. 🔝

[@teschio975]

Temerari! Ricordo ancora il dolore ai polsi sulla specialized hard rock.. Comprata nel 1991.... Sembrano passati 100anni

[@Bluhawaii]

solo ai polsi? 😂

[@ForeverOld_]

Supercool how brainless and fullspeed these dudes rock the courses 👍🏼

[@Bluhawaii]

little brain but many 🏀🏀😂💪

[@semmtexx]

Fucking amateurs.

[@lossantoscity3249]

My Dad was one of the audience of this "Dangerous sport". He said during these times Riding Bikes on these type of terrain is insanity and just extremely terrifying during this era. Fast forward 30 years later even 10 year olds rides trails twice as hard as these. Crazy how much changed.

[@Bluhawaii]

@@lossantoscity3249 ooooh yesss! 👊 a greeting to your father!

[@lIoIlb]

If they just took their saddles off they wouldn't have their weight so high and tip over so easily

[@TheHkf]

good old days

[@Bluhawaii]

yes dude!👊

[@andotzkurenai2883]

no aid of suspensions! pure skills!!

[@Bluhawaii]

And many 🏀🏀😂😉

[@Jurica-mtb]

So cool. Fearless. 💯🤘

[@ninostraser6723]

Yust Great!

[@bryans3287]

A couple GT LTS mountain bikes in there somewhere?

[@Bluhawaii]

Hmm no, I don't see any. that model is around 1997.

[@georgw1557]

Marco, thanks a lot for the compilation, super great reminder,😀 Took my 1993 Raleigh with Manitou Front for a ride in the Karwendel last summer-- guess what happened 😂 And yes, still without dropperpost or quick release

[@Bluhawaii]

😂 wow..mythical! you went back in time💪👊

[@doxielain2231]

This just makes me realize how amazing modern optimised bikes are, and this is why I have 5 bikes. Well, 6, but my mid 90's rigid is on the wall

[@Bluhawaii]

😂 yes, mine is hanging too 💪👊

[@gregtaylor6146]

best place for it tbf

[@joeschmoe303]

I can’t stop smiling and laughing at this entire video: 1. The balls on these dudes are made of steel 2. The talent (and some lack of) is impressive 3. Skinny tires, buckling wheels, terrible forks, terrible brakes, no rear shock, no dropper… 4. EXCELLENT crashes

[@Bluhawaii]

🤣🤣certainly it's hard not to laugh 💪👊

[@1ytcommenter]

kind of Evel Knievel XD

[@phrixos2826]

@@1ytcommenter TOTALLY! Evel

[@sylv_ain]

These guys were mad.

[@djmtbiker3495]

Ride Hard Ride free this stuff is sweet and sick

[@rabrumf]

Full rigids!! It's like riding a gravel bick on a downhill course!

[@petesmitt]

with tyres that didn't grip and brakes that didn't stop..

[@pchykins6680]

unbelievably brave men they are!

[@Marc28031984]

It’s crazy to think about on which bikes they’ve accomplished that. 🤯🤯

[@Bluhawaii]

yes! 🙃😂

[@UenoLocker54]

Lycra shorts and rigid bikes. Now this is some good mtb.

[@59plexi]

those were the top of the line bikes too folks...you may be laughing now, but thats what you would of had at this time....the bikes kept evolving...better every year.....

[@Bluhawaii]

Undoubtedly it was the best that existed at that time....reached desperation, someone threw the bikes😂😂

[@Stive_Fox]

Чуваку, который ехал на голом заднем диске - аще зачот!!🤘😎

[@TheNIX001]

I remember my first time downhill with dudes and a hart tail bike...no control at all. Next time with the right equippment was like heaven

[@T0MINATOR]

Old but gold

[@patrick6788]

Around 2:15 those stairs and the lift in the background still exist.

[@klimenz]

Aaaa... This is exactly why I wasn't into MTB in 90's... They were crap back then. Now we're spoiled for choice - thanks to those mad pioneers.

[@CharlesNotBronson]

Anyone know the song around 6:12?

[@Bluhawaii]

Motocross by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

[@CharlesNotBronson]

@@Bluhawaii Hey! Thanks!

[@Bluhawaii]

@@CharlesNotBronson 😉

[@ЗонаОтдыха-ц8в]

Ahah...Nice! It gives me smile :-) And this a pioneers of action vid too. Thanks.

[@Bluhawaii]

thanks friend👊

[@luisangelblancascruz8549]

Respect 100%

[@victoralbertogarciaherrera3975]

Sin frenos de disco, sin doble suspensión, nada de carbono.... realmente amaban más ese deporte que su integridad física 🤟🤣

[@Vazquez12able]

The bike technology has come a really long way in the past 20 years.

[@Bluhawaii]

You can say it out loud! these?🏀🏀 maybe not enough? Mine have shrunk a little 😂😂💪👊

[@mr_jag_]

perfect example of what happens when you ride mtb with high saddle

[@cheeseburger7852]

the heros

[@jimhays2772]

Reminds me of those nutty early pre Wright brothers films of guys trying to fly on crazy ass contraptions .

[@willgilbert138]

Imagine going back in time and letting one these guys rip that first course on a modern 29er FS with a dropper.

[@Bluhawaii]

Sensible comment! sure, it would probably be lightning bolt and put someone today to shame.. 😉💪👊

[@michalotron]

3:24 ok, that was badass!

[@Bluhawaii]

Yes man the most beautiful clip!

[@supercalifragilistic5010]

Mtb now: NOOOO MY BIKE NOT FULL SUS UWAAAAAAAH😭 Mtb forefathers: Suspension? You speak funny my friend.

[@Bluhawaii]

🤣 It is just as you say 👊

[@Stive_Fox]

Заметно изменение велосипедов и экипировки))) но по началу слишком высоко седло ставили, вот и падали на кочках!!☝️😎

[@crislee4057]

Did Peaty Race in one of these?! 😂

[@Bluhawaii]

I do not believe..🙃👊

[@micktyger5601]

real men with huge balls !!!!!!!

[@phrixos2826]

those were the days, hours in casualty shoulder dislocated shoulder, gas & air, smile on face, painkillers!

[@GameplayerSolCley]

Gracias!

[@jordimolinsmarin4926]

Background music?

[@Bluhawaii]

I added them in the description. I should have done this before ... why didn't I think about it? 🙃🤦‍♂

[@DjNikGnashers]

Man it was hard to ride fast on those old bikes, with long stems and narrow bars. If only we knew then what we know now.

[@Bluhawaii]

it would have been nice to see ..

[@riccardoguerra7066]

😂😂😂💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@deniscotroneo4124]

Queti si che erano veramente fuori.... Però che tecnica 👏

[@Bluhawaii]

e che 🏀🏀!!😂

[@6matteo806]

I fratelli Wright del gravity Gente con le palle... Almeno prima della gara...

[@terremoto3046]

Al minuto 5:40 si può notare la compattezza della go-pro....

[@mikehawk9626]

OUCHY😳👍🏻

[@SimonPedersen1]

They seemed a bit tougher then

[@Bluhawaii]

...just a little more 🏀🏀😉👊