What Style of Mens Mountain Bike is Best For You?

With the worldwide explosion of the exciting recreational and competition sport of mountain biking, a plethora of mountain bike styles has evolved. With so many choices, it's well to take a little time to evaluate just what type of bike will suit your needs. In other words, how you plan to use your mens mountain bike will determine the type that's the best fit for you. Some knowledge of the various types should help in leading you to the right selection. Here's an articles we came accross that should prove helpful.

Mens Mountain Bikes - Which Style Is For You?

Over the past 30 years or so many manufacturers have begun producing specialist mens mountain bikes, as the popularity of the sport grew. Nowadays you can choose between several styles of mountain bike, as each style is designed for a different style of riding. Before you buy a bike you need to decide which style it is that you prefer.

Mens mountain bikes are generally made using lightweight materials, and they have advanced brakes, gears and suspension systems. They can be divided into four categories based on the suspension systems.

These systems are as follows. Hard Tail, which is a frame with only front suspension. Soft Tail, which is a frame with only rear suspension. Dual or Full Suspension, which is a frame with both front and rear suspension. And Fully Rigid, which is a frame with either fixed rear suspension or no suspension.

There are several different styles available as well, including Trail bikes, Freeride bikes, Cross Country (XC), and All Mountain (AM) bikes.

Cross Country (XC for short) bikes are lightweight and generally only have a small amount of suspension. They are aimed at riding on climbs and have fast turning capability.

Trail Bikes are a mixture of Cross Country and All Mountain bikes. They are good all round bikes for all elements of mountain biking.

All Mountain Bikes provide fantastic suspension. They are designed to be able to ascend mild to moderate inclines and descend steep declines. These bikes are perfect for all levels of rider, adults or children.

Freeride Bikes are similar to downhill bikes. They are built to focus on strength rather than weight. They have good suspension and are built from strong, heavy material. They are extremely good for riding technically downhill.

The choice of which mountain bike to invest in firstly comes down to personal preference of riding style. You must decide how you want to spend time on your bike. Do you want to ride smooth flowing trails, climb big mountains, ride stunts, descend technical downhill courses, or just have all around fun? There are plenty of mens mountain bikes covering all of these options so you just need to find one that feels right for you that is within your budget.

Tags: biking, Cycling, Mountain Biking, recreation and sport, sport, sport and leisure