Why Buy A Full Suspension Mountain Bike?

Year after year mountain bike manufacturers come up with better, lighter and cheaper products to make them more attractive to consumers. You may be considering a full suspension mountain bike for your next purchase. In this case you will find the following sections of this article very helpful.

One of the most important questions to ask yourself is what type of terrain will you be riding on? If you are going to be riding cross country maybe a full suspension mountain bike is not warranted and a hardtail will better suit your needs. However if you are going to be riding downhill or on rough terrain a full suspension bike might be right up your alley.

Decide on the amount you want to spend a keep to this figure. Ideally, you should aim to buy the best bike that fits within your budget. It is often suggested that if you have less than 500 euros to spend on a bike you might want to look at a hardtail bike as full suspension models are more costly. Another option would be to look at buying a second hand full suspension bike at a reduced price.

If you determine that a full suspension mountain bike is what you need and want then consider the different frame designs. Single-pivot, sweet-spot and horst-link are a few popular designs and each has their advantages and disadvantages. The best way to truly understand the difference is to go to a few bike stores and test ride the different designs. The bike store guy will be more then happy to explain and point out the pros and cons of each design.

Remember that full suspension bikes are heavier than hardtail bikes. Full suspension frames are a little heavier and they carry more parts than hardtails so be prepared to pedal around a little more weight on the trail.

Browse through some of the many online mountain bike forums, where you can learn find out what other riders are saying about their own bikes. You can learn a lot from the experiences of other people.

Do not forget to factor in your maintenance costs into the equation. Full suspension bikes require a little more maintenance and for the do it yourself type you will need a few extra tools.

Finally, take a test ride as many different mountain bikes as you can before making a final decision. Also bear in mind that you can also test ride a full suspension mountain bike with the front and or rear shock locked out, to simulate the effect of a hard tail.

For a lot more information about selecting the best mountain bike, visit Roue VTT, a really interesting site full of great articles on all aspects of mountain bikes and related equipment. Also take a look at Roue VTT which has a further selection of useful facts and figures.

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