Bike Types
Clearing Up the Confusion - Mountain Bikes
Bike
types used to be easy to distinguish. Companies made bikes in
order to meet a few different needs.
Bike manufacturers are still meeting needs, but the thing is there are more and more bike categories being developed.
In the early 1970's some guys began modifying their fat tire cruisers for downhill racing. As mountain biking took off as a sport, more and more people people joined in on the fun. Now mountain biking makes up about half of the worlds bike sales.
Since mountain biking has grown into a full blown sport,
many different mountain bike types have developed to serve various
purposes.
It can get intimidating when you walk into a bike store and see so many
kinds of bikes.
Mountain bikes are designed for off-road purposes, and it's clear that there is some very diverse terrain out there. Not only is the terrain diverse, the kinds of trails people prefer vary from biker to biker.
For this purpose, bike companies have developed trail bikes, cross country bikes, downhill bikes, freeride bikes, and dirt jump bikes.
Whoa! It can really be hard to keep all these different mountain bikes strait. Below is an informative overview of bike types with YouTube® videos to illustrate the differences.
Cross Country Mountain Bikes (XC)
There are two kinds of Cross Country mountain bikes: hardtail and full-suspension. Click on the link below to learn more about this topic.
Cross Country bikes are designed for off-road trails and are the most popular of all mountain bikes. They are designed to ascend and descend trails making this kind of bike ideal for all kinds of riding.
Cross Country bikes are also lightweight (20-30 pounds), making those steep climbs a little more doable. Although they are designed to be light, XC mountain bikes are also made to be durable. These are the most versatile of all mountain bike types.
If you are just getting into mountain biking and don't know what kind of bike to get, I suggest taking a "hardtail/cross country" mountain bike for a spin at your local bike shop. You will get the most for your money. This video is of a Cross Country MTB race.
Trail Mountain Bikes
Trail bikes are almost a subcategory of cross country bikes.
They are tuned for more technically challenging trails and
function in very much the same way as Cross Country bikes.
The advantage and disadvantage of a trail bike comes from its soft suspension. Soft suspension means that the bike easily absorbs terrain. Trail bikes can handle very rough terrain well, but riders loose some pedaling power as a result.
Downhill Mountain Bikes
Downhill mountain bikes are designed for descents only. Try climbing a hill with a downhill bike and you'll understand what I mean. Many mountain resorts open their lifts to downhill mountain bikers during the summer months to get them to the top of the mountain (lift tickets are about $40 per day). If you don't like climbing hills, but love the rush of adrenaline, you might want to consider downhilling.
Of all the bikes out there, downhill bikes have the most suspension (about 7-10 inches of suspension travel). They are also the most durable weighing in at over 40 pounds. Since they aren't made for climbing they can weigh more. Almost all downhill bikes are equipped with disc brakes.
Freeride Mountain Bikes
Freeride mountain bikes are a compromise between downhill and cross country bikes. A freeride bike is designed to pedal like a cross country bike so it can be used to climb hills, but it weighs almost as much as a downhill mountain bike.
Because freeride bikes are a compromise, they don't perform quite as well on downhill descents (like downhill bikes), and they don't climb as well as cross country bikes. The advantage is that they do both relatively well.
Dirt Jump Mountain Bikes
Dirt jump bikes are beefed-up BMX bikes. In fact, they are BMX bikes that barely make it under the category of "mountain biking". Most have the small 20" wheels, but 24 inchers are not uncommon.
These bikes are extremely durable in order to take the force and impact of landing jumps. Also, the suspension is usually just a tad bit softer than cross country bikes. Dirt jump bikes are also used for street riding and slalom races. One distinctive feature is the low saddle.
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