Different Types Of Mountain Bikes

A mountain bike should always have a proper full suspension system. It is important because it helps absorb the shock when going over rugged terrain and helps to provide a smoother ride. You will find that full suspension bikes have both a front and back suspension. Hard tail mountain bikes have a shock system in place of the front fork and a solid rear fork. Bikes without a suspension at all tend to be fairly lower end mountain bikes.

A cross country rider will need a bike with both descending and climbing ability. The rear suspension will only move about 4 inches so that it doesn’t cause a problem when trying to climb uphill. Cross country bikes have 28 gears as standard which provide a wide greater options for travelling over different terrain.

If you are a more technical mountain bike rider you will probably need a trial bike as they are a little more robust. The movement in the suspension can be between 4 inches and 7 inches. Uphill pedaling will be more difficult but you will in general get a much smoother ride. You will need to decide whether it is worth having a smoother ride against the struggle of pedaling uphill. Trek Track Bikes is a great place to look on the internet for all terrain bikes.

If you will mainly be using your bike for going downhill you can expect up to 8 inches in suspension movement. It is these type of mountain bikes which are specifically designed for racing downhill. A downhill bike with more movement in the suspension is easier to control going downhill but a lot more difficult to pedal going uphill.

Another variety of mountain bike would be the dirt jump bikes. A dirt jump bike are used for jumping and only have a front suspension. These type of bikes are built for speed and usually come with 16 gears.

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