In our March 1997 issue we ran a story about how gravity  riding was rapidly gaining popularity and ski areas were fast becoming the new hot-spot destinations for mountain bikers. Twenty years later our predictions proved correct, with places all over the world catering to gravity junkies with chair-lift access to some of the most fun trails anywhere. In 1997 mountain bike companies began to embrace the demands of riders searching for gravity-specific bikes. At the time, we called these bikes “velo-schussers,” or “wheel skiers.”
Basically, they were the primitive versions of the downhill bikes we know today. These are a few of our favorites that appeared in that now-infamous issue.

Excerpt from the 1997 issue: Ski areas are the new destination for mountain bikers. Beginners and experienced dirt riders are rapidly discovering the thrills and convenience of riding a lift to the top of a mountain, then bombing down groomed fire roads and singletrack all day. Americans have spent 100 years distilling the toil from everyday life; why should mountain biking be any harder than mowing a lawn? Well, if you can spring for a lift ticket, a day’s worth of pedaling through the forest could fall within those parameters. Hey, you get a workout, but all your energy isn’t wasted on a grueling ascent. Every huff and puff and every teaspoon of lactic acid can be put to glorious use busting berms, leaping water bars and carving corners.

Toby back in the day: The Iron Horse team captain stopped by to show us his new Iron Horse prototype, but we immediately put him to work. If anyone knew how to shred an early downhill bike, it was this world-class suspension ace. Toby is still at it today and is heading up the development of Box Components, a company that makes innovative drivetrains. For a full review of the new Box One 11-speed system, check out the test here.

ProFlex Beast: ProFlex never intended to make a downhill bike, but when the company introduced the Beast, its natural habitat became evident very quickly. It handled well with excellent cornering and climbing manners, but its real specialty was descending. With Magura hydraulic rim brakes, a Girvin fork and a Noleen NR2 coil shock, this thing was ready to rumble right out of the box. The testing went well for all but one of the MBA wrecking crew, who came up short on a double jump and proved the Beast could take a beating without suffering more than a scratch.

Kona King Kikapu: Kona had spent the year working closely with Marzocchi to develop the Kikapu, a flagship bike that was one of the first to come stock with the silky- smooth, coil-sprung Bomber fork. The unconventional linkage (for the time) featured a floating drivetrain suspended with a Fox Alps shock and had a whopping 4 inches of travel. The King Kikapu had a wealth of good handling traits, and we proclaimed it had the plushest suspension in its class.

Mike King’s GT STS Works: This was the ultimate weapon for summertime ski slopes at the time. Only 20 racers in the world had access to these frames and RockShox Boxxer forks back in 1997. The bike came complete with a full Shimano XTR setup bolted to the thermoplastic carbon frame. It was very drool-worthy.

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GET MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION