The Great Mountain Biking Video

Officially endorsed by NORBA, the National Off-Road Bicycle Association

The first mountain biking instructional video ever made

The Great Mountain Biking Video

Champion racers and pioneers of the sport teach you to choose a bike, climb, descend, race and keep it all running.

Released on VHS1988
Running time55 minutes
Directed byMark Schulze
AwardNational Telly

Watch the full film — $3

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A how-to film for a brand-new sport

In 1988 mountain biking was barely ten years old, and nobody had made a film that taught it. This was the first.

It started at the races. Mark Schulze and Patty Mooney both entered as beginners, and Mark filmed the races as well as riding in them. Along the way they made friends with the pros, and the pros agreed to be interviewed. That’s how The Great Mountain Biking Video was born.

The result is part lesson, part time capsule: the agony of the climbs, the free-flight of the descents, and the racing, gear and friendships of the sport’s early years.

A group of mountain bikers riding together at Noble Canyon in 1987
Riders on the trail at Noble Canyon, 1987.
Five riders in bright 1980s jerseys climb a dusty fire road through the chaparral
Climbing at Mission Trails, 1988.

What you’ll learn

  • Choosing the right bike for the riding you want to do
  • Riding technique on steep climbs and fast descents
  • Racing strategy from riders who were winning races
  • Bike maintenance to keep you rolling on the trail
  • Harmony with your bike, the part the pros say matters most

Tips from the riders who built the sport

John Tomac racing his mountain bike in 1987
John Tomac, 1987.

Race day at Mammoth

The film’s race footage comes from the Mammoth Kamikaze Downhill and the Rockhopper South race, back when the sport was in its adolescence. Mark shot the races and raced in them too, and so did Patty, both as beginners alongside the pros.

Mammoth is also where they met trials rider Ot Pi Isern. He went on to ride in their next two films, Ultimate Mountain Biking and Full Cycle: A World Odyssey, where he rode in Athens, Greece. Tinker Juarez joined him in Ultimate Mountain Biking.

A racer in a Giro helmet launches over a dirt jump past a Scott USA banner under the Mammoth gondola
John Tomac in the dual slalom at Mammoth Mountain, 1987.
Ot Pi Isern riding at Mammoth Mountain in 1987
Ot Pi Isern at Mammoth Mountain, 1987.
Patty Mooney in goggles and a purple fleece rides the slalom course past a crowd
Patty Mooney races the dual slalom at Mammoth, 1987.
A smiling crowd of riders with their bikes at the start area below the Mammoth ski runs
Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze at the start, Mammoth Mountain, 1987.
Two riders on the slalom course, one in a white jersey in front and one in a green jacket behind
Mark Schulze racing the dual slalom, 1987.

Behind the camera

Broadcast-quality video gear was heavy in 1987. The camera, its case and the tripod went up the trail on a hand truck, and every shot was set up by hand. These are slides from the shoots. Mark also built the first mountain bike helmet cam, which you can see him wearing here in 1988.

Mark Schulze operating a camera for The Great Mountain Biking Video
Mark Schulze on camera, 1988.
Five riders in helmets pause their bikes along a rocky ridgeline
Regrouping on the ridge at Mission Trails, 1987.
A rider in a red and white Giro helmet with legs splayed wide as his bike goes out from under him
The flying W, 1987.
Mark Schulze wearing his helmet camera rig
Mark Schulze in his helmet cam rig, 1988.
Chris Dornsife in a Giro helmet pushes a hand truck loaded with a camera case and a red tripod along a dirt trail
Chris Dornsife wheels the camera gear to the next setup, 1988.
Next to a camera on a red tripod, a rider squirts a water bottle over Chris Dornsife’s face
Chris Dornsife gets an owie rinsed out between takes, Mission Trails, 1987.

The original 1988 VHS box

Front of the original VHS box: The Great Mountain Biking Video title over a rider in a teal shirt hopping his bike, with the NORBA seal below
The front, with the NORBA seal.
Back of the original VHS box with the film description and portraits of Ned Overend, Martha Kennedy, John Tomac, Julia Ingersoll, Tinker Juarez and Kevin Norton
The back, with six of the riders.

The film first came out on VHS in this green-to-yellow sleeve, billed as the complete guide to one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The back promised helicopter views of the experts on the hills, singletrack from the rider’s point of view, and the pros’ own racing and training tips.

“Hammer” up steep hills and “Rip” down amazing cliffs.

From the back of the box

The 2025 remastered edition

Patty Mooney re-edited the film in 2025 with cleaned-up picture, new cuts and a new soundtrack. The original lessons are all still here, now woven together with footage from almost four decades of mountain biking.

For riders who were there, and for riders who want to know where it all started.

Three riders with their bikes on a dirt road, one reading a map
Patty and the boys check the map, 1987.

Free clips from the film

Martha Kennedy

Her full interview from the 1988 film.

More from the film

A second clip from the 1988 film.

About the film

Format
Instructional and sports film
Running time
55 minutes
First released
1988, on VHS
Original VHS
ISBN 0-944060-05-6
Remastered
2025, by Patty Mooney
Award
National Telly
Endorsed by
NORBA, the National Off-Road Bicycle Association
Directed by
Mark Schulze
Studio
New & Unique Videos®

Two ways to see it

Watch it here

Stream the complete remastered film on this page with a one-time payment. No subscription.

Unlock the full film for $5

Screen it or license footage

For bike shops, clubs, festivals and classrooms, or for 1980s mountain biking footage in your own project, ask us about licensing.

Ask about licensing

See the rest of the series on the Mountain Biking & Bicycling Films page. Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze are San Diego filmmakers and the co-founders of New & Unique Videos, making independent films since 1985.