Exploring The Different Types Of Mountain Bikes
Riding is a way of life to many. If you are a newbie in this field or even a guru, you may experience challenges in selecting the right mountain bike for the kind of terrain you want to ride through. Note that not every bike is designed for biking down the hill or up the hill. And for this reason, various mountain bike manufacturers have continued to unveil new and more sophisticated types of mountain bikes to cater to your needs.
What makes the difference between the various mountain bikes is the kind of suspension used to make a particular bike. The three distinctive suspension features include:
- Full suspension
A bike with a full suspension has shocks both at the back and the front. You can maneuver through rough grounds and dirt trails with ease and at speed using this kind of a bike. The full suspension features make the mountain bike to be heavier, making your ride more comfortable and hence less tiring.
- Hardtail
Hardtail bikes have shocks in the front only. The front suspension makes your riding easier on a rough trail since you are able to keep your hands steady on the handlebars.
- Rigid
The rigid mountain bikes are not fitted with any suspension. In the old days, rigid bikes were the trend but used to be quite heavy. Today, this type of mountain bike has been made lighter and hence easy to pedal unlike in the old school.
Without further ado, and putting into account your bike needs, below is a list of the different types of mountain bikes that you can choose from.
1) All-mountain bikes
If you are looking for a bike with stronger frames and a full suspension, then this is the right one for you. You’ll probably hear other people referring to it as an Enduro bike. You can ride it both uphill and downhill since it has about 140-160 mm of travel to enable you to overcome technical and hard obstacles. On average, an all-mountain bike weighs between 25 and 35 pounds.
2) Cross country mountain bikes
This bike is light and mainly designed for speed. It is the most common and widely known type of bike with two kinds that you can easily find in the market, and that is the race and the trail mountain bikes. The suspension of a cross-country bike is relatively short and hence less bouncy. However, it can retain enough strength to steer through rough terrains that you may across in your expedition on long-distance or walking trail routes.
3) Downhill mountain bikes
Built to sustain a smooth ride in rough terrains and jumps up to 20ft high. They are usually heavy with a big suspension of about 180-220 mm. Since you can’t ride such a bike uphill, you can have it hauled up the hill in a vehicle and then ride it downhill.
4) Freeride mountain bikes
Just like the downhill bike, the Freeride mountain bike has been devised to increase the ease of maneuvering. It is built for technical stunts such as jumping and hence lighter than even the downhill bike. It has a suspension of about 160-180 mm, enabling it to sustain any downhill or uphill trails.
5) Folding mountain bike
If you are those people who cannot leave their bikes behind, then you should get yourself a folding mountain bike. It is extensively light and very portable such that it can fit in your car trunk or suitcase.