Mountain Biking, Culture and Society

This book represents the first critical examination of the social, cultural, and political significance of mountain biking in contemporary societies.

Starting from the premise that cultures of mountain biking are diverse, complex, and at times contradictory, this book offers practical and theoretical insights into a range of embodied, material, and socio-technical relationships. Featuring contributions from an interdisciplinary team of researchers, artists, and (Indigenous) community members with backgrounds in sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, community development, and coaching, chapters critically unpack the complex and contested nature of mountain biking identities, bodies, environments, and inequalities within specific settings. Via a range of international case studies from England, Scotland, America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, authors highlight how tensions and conflicts in the world of mountain biking initiate important conversations about climate change, colonialism, discrimination, and land-use.

This is essential reading for academics and practitioners in sociology, cultural studies, sport-for-development, and human geography.

Introduction: mountain bike culture as a 'structure of feeling'

Mountain biking identities

1 Exploring mountain bike coaches' perceptions towards learning to coach through story completion: coaching happily ever after?

2 Evaluating competitiveness as a personality trait among a sample of mountain bikers

3 The motivations, identities, and environmental sensibilities of contemporary e-mountain bike users: the people behind the power

LESLEY INGRAM-SILLS

Mountain biking bodies

4 A sociology of how things go wrong in mountain biking: falling into place

5 An exploration into the sensory experience of pain in mountain biking

6 Encounters with mountain bike trail centre spaces: experience landscapes

Mountain biking environments

7 Downhill MTB, digital media, and DIY urbanism: riding with Red Bull

8 Sustainable mountain bike trails: towards a holistic approach

9 No dig, no ride: repairing and caring for DIY-designed mountain bike and BMX trails

10 Air pollution as 'slow violence' during multi-day mountain bike trips

CLARE NATTRESS

The cultural politics of mountain biking

11 Women and barriers to participation in mountain biking: the impossible climb

12 Hegemonic masculinity and sexualisation in mountain bike trail naming practices: what's in a name?

13 Portrayals of ideals of authenticity in mountain biking multimedia: escaping to find yourself

14 Reflections on trails, mountain biking, and indigenous-settler relations in British Columbia: ride, (re)connect, and (re)build