The first bikes used for descending were known as "klunkers" or "paperboy bikes": cruisers using balloon tires and coaster brakes, a sturdy bicycle, designed by Ignatz Schwinn[7]
in the depths of the Great Depression, that could endure abuse that
could damage other bicycles, by adapting features from the Henderson and
Excelsior motorcycles his company had built during the 1920s, including
a heavy "cantilevered" frame with two top tubes and 2.125-inch-wide
(54.0 mm) "balloon" tires from Germany. Innovations like the fat-tire
Schwinn with derailleur gears by Russ Mahon[5] of The Morrow Dirt Club in Cupertino at the 1974 Marin County cyclo-cross and Gary Fisher's[5]
1975 use of a tandem rear hub (from a flea market) with internal steel
drum brake and threaded for a freewheel derailleur cluster developed the
sport and by 1979, two organizers and competitors of the Repack
downhill, Charlie Kelly[5] and Gary Fisher founded the company which named the sport, MountainBikes.[8]
As mountain biking grew enormously during the 80s, downhill riders
continued to use either rigid or limited suspension travel (under 2
inches (5 cm)) bicycles, and purpose made downhill bikes were not made
until the 90s. Some of these innovations included dual crown suspension
forks and disc brakes, as well as very elaborate .
Later, riders from all disciplines of cycling began focusing on
downhill. Particularly, many BMX racers made the crossover, including
champions such as Daniel Solano (Team Tomac Bikes), and Brian Lopes.
Their influence is seen in the increased difficulty of many courses,
especially the big jumps and drops aspect of downhill. The coming of age
for downhill biking was its inclusion at the first UCI Mountain Bike Championship, held in 1990 in Durango, Colorado.