A Klein Attitude, a Cannondale Super V, a Nishiki Alien, a Manitou FS, a Alpinestars Cro Mega, a Specialized M2, a Trek 8000 or a Scott Pro Racing. If any of these bicycles sound familiar to you, it means that you know your mountain biking. And we’ve got just the thing for you at Sea Otter Europe where you can relive the sport’s golden age with its spectacular classics race. And even if they don’t ring any bells, you can’t miss out on this trip back in time to the beginning of MTB. When the handlebars were barely over 50 centimetres wide, when you had to brake with every one of your fingers, when riding with your tyres at 3 bar was the safest thing and when the chainset was always bigger than the cassette. It was a whole other time.
The first double suspension bicycles, the time when titanium was the most coveted material and when no-one thought to do without the front derailleur. Riders survived in the mountains without GPS and followed routes based on paper maps and memorised instructions. When they got home they couldn’t see their segments on Strava or share photos of the outing on Instagram. What are we saying! They probably couldn’t even take photos. Nothing less than repairing a puncture was the norm and everyone knew how to put a patch on an inner tube. Every outing was a small adventure because you were, almost always, alone in the mountains. Without a mobile phone or internet, you had to have at least a small sense of autonomy, physicality and knowledge of mechanics if you didn’t want a bike outing to turn into a nightmare due to unexpected circumstances. The era that forged the most passionate and dedicated riders – a generation of pioneers in a sport that today is luckily for the masses.
Participate if you can and if you can’t participate, don’t miss out
There are two ways to enjoy the event. If you have a bicycle (or in other words, a relic) from 1995 or earlier, don’t hesitate. Dust it off, give it a servicing and join the party that is the Sea Otter Europe classics race. You’ll have six laps ahead of you in a XC circuit, in which you can demonstrate that your retro bike (and it’s owner) is still in top shape and be part of the Sea Otter Europe event with the most distinctive atmosphere. The world of classic, retro and vintage bicycles is booming, and as they become increasingly more valued and sought after, this event is proof of it
No classic bike in your garage? Well, you can still get involved by flaunting the mountain biking gear that you used not so long ago. You’ll be able to see a whole living museum on our sport: no 29” wheels, no tubeless tyres, no disc brakes, no trace of carbon and more than debatable geometry. In just a few places on the planet will you have the chance to see these bicycles and all just a stone’s throw from the Sea Otter Europe exhibition. You can skip between seeing the past and present of MTB with the sector’s latest developments; all without leaving Girona. It’s the closest thing you’ll have to time travel.
The event takes place on Saturday 9 June at 3.30 p.m. You can register at TicketOci (places are limited) and if you fancy taking part, be sure to also prepare your best classics finery. It’s the only opportunity you’ll get to show off that OF3 jersey or that Shoei helmet that you’ve had stowed away for years. Or perhaps you’ve got some other vintage gem that you want to amaze us with?
