What does MTB actually mean?
steve_sordy
Posts: 2,453
My wife asked me a question this morning: "why does MTB stand for Mountain Bike, what does the "T" stand for?" Oh she got me there! I doubt it stands for the "tain" in mountain! :oops:
I've been riding an MTB for over ten years and have read loads of different mtb mags and been on several forums, but this has never come up, or I just never noticed if it did. I guess everyone either just knows or assumes that everyone else knows and don't like to ask. Or in my case, just accepted that MTB stood for mountain bike and never questioned why!
I know the French acronymn for MTB is ATV, which when I was in France I was told by a Brit stood for All Terraine Velocette. Sort of makes sense until you realise that "All" is not the French word for all! It really ought to be TTV!
But it got me thinking; what could MTB stand for? My best guess is Multi Terrain Bike.
Any other offers? Anyone else owning up to not having a clue? :oops:
I've been riding an MTB for over ten years and have read loads of different mtb mags and been on several forums, but this has never come up, or I just never noticed if it did. I guess everyone either just knows or assumes that everyone else knows and don't like to ask. Or in my case, just accepted that MTB stood for mountain bike and never questioned why!
I know the French acronymn for MTB is ATV, which when I was in France I was told by a Brit stood for All Terraine Velocette. Sort of makes sense until you realise that "All" is not the French word for all! It really ought to be TTV!
But it got me thinking; what could MTB stand for? My best guess is Multi Terrain Bike.
Any other offers? Anyone else owning up to not having a clue? :oops:
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Not a clue. Maybe it just sounds better than MB?I don't do smileys.
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Parktools0 -
Mountain Terrain Bike0
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...and motor torpedo boat0
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...although I doubt if torpedos were unpowered or that they were launched from rowing boats.0
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..possibly Made in Taiwan Bikes0
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Keep em coming!
All great ideas, but does anyone actually know?0 -
The French for MTB is VTT, Vélo Tout Terrain.
MTB is MT= mountain, B= bike.Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"0 -
When I started mountain biking back in the mid-80's the bikes were known as ATB's - All Terrain Bikes.
Before long that changed to MTB which I have always understood just meant MounTain Bike. Maybe the abbreviation should be MtB?“Life has been unfaithful
And it all promised so so much”
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JBA wrote:When I started mountain biking back in the mid-80's the bikes were known as ATB's - All Terrain Bikes.
Before long that changed to MTB which I have always understood just meant MounTain Bike. Maybe the abbreviation should be MtB?
Same here mid 80's ATB rider. ATB sales is the company that owns Whyte Bikes going back to 87.
We in the UK called them ATB's over the pond MTB'sNow where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"0 -
JBA wrote:When I started mountain biking back in the mid-80's the bikes were known as ATB's - All Terrain Bikes.
Before long that changed to MTB which I have always understood just meant MounTain Bike. Maybe the abbreviation should be MtB?
That feels right, as it would account for why I always thought the T was for tain.0 -
robertpb wrote:The French for MTB is VTT, Vélo Tout Terrain.
MTB is MT= mountain, B= bike.
That all sounds good to me.
Supported by JBA too.0 -
I’ve always understood it as MounTain Bike as well.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
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MT is a known abbreviation for mountain anyway, So I would agree with it being Mountain BikeCannondale Trail 27.5 | 2015
Titus El Chulo 27.5 | 2017
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slc123 wrote:MT is a known abbreviation for mountain anyway, So I would agree with it being Mountain Bike0
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Sniper68 wrote:slc123 wrote:MT is a known abbreviation for mountain anyway, So I would agree with it being Mountain Bike
That's the same as the original UK 'All Terrain Bike' which I think was more fit for perpose.Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"0 -
My understanding is that MTB is an abbreviation, not an acronym.0
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yonny wrote:My understanding is that MTB is an abbreviation, not an acronym.
An acronym is an abbreviation that forms a speakable word - eg NATO, NASA. Some go on to become fully-fledged words in their own right - laser, radar.
I'm not sure how this advances the conversation though. I suspect that MTB will be one of those abbreviations that people post-rationalise to whatever they believed it meant, rather than having any formally defined genesis. In context it really doesn't have to stand for anything other than being a quick way to convey the concept of a bicycle capable of dealing with rough terrain.Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
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Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere0