Climbing Frames

A mountain bike, mountain bicycle (a.k.a. MTB) or ATB (All Terrain Bicycle) is a bicycle designed for mountain biking, either on dirt trails or other unpaved environments. In contrast, road bicycles aren't rugged enough for such terrain. more...

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Mountain bikes have fat, knobby tires for extra traction and shock absorption. In recent years front suspension has become the norm and full front and rear suspension is becoming increasingly common. Some mountain bikes are also fitted with bar ends on the handlebars, but with a recent trend in riser handlebars (as opposed to a flat straight handlebar) fewer riders use bar end extensions. The bikes normally have 26 in (559 mm) wheels although since 2002, some models have been available with 29 in (622 mm) wheels. (The name given to a rim diameter in inches is different from the rim's actual size. See below, at Tire Sizes.) The larger wheels are said to roll better over obstacles, but critics cite increased rolling resistance and a lack of variety in aftermarket tires and forks (which are becoming more readily available). The larger wheel diameter also increases rotational weight, resulting in slower acceleration.

Designs

Mountain bikes can be classified into four categories based on suspension:

Hardtail: frame with no rear suspension, often has a front suspension fork; Fully Rigid: sub-type of hardtail, with a rigid fork; Dual or Full suspension: front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock and linkage that makes the rear wheel move on pivots.; Soft Tail: frame with small amount of rear suspension, but activated by flex of the frame instead of pivots.;

Discipline oriented bike designs

There are several different styles of mountain biking, usually defined by terrain, and bikes to suit those styles. All of the bikes in this category fall into one of the above four categories and bikes of each of the above style can be found almost any of the following categories.

Cross Country (XC) Mountain Bikes tend to have only a small amount of suspension (usually 80-100 mm) on the front and/or rear, and are fairly light. This is achieved via the use of lightweight materials in both frame construction and components. As a consequence of their lightweight material they are often weaker than other bikes. Suspension, both front and rear, is typically provided by pneumatic (air) shocks and forks, which saves weight. Some XC bike models have no suspension at all and use a rigid front fork; saving weight and relying more on rider skill to negotiate rough terrain. XC bikes are often as light as 20 pounds (9 kg), or as heavy as 30 pounds (14 kg). XC riding is one of the more common types of riding and in its extreme form can be entirely uphill, hence the lightweight rigs. Cross country terrain typically is considered as having as many, or more, ascents than descents and does not include any kind of stunt riding.; Enduro (or "All-Mountain") Bikes are generally heavier than XC bikes, typically weighing between 30 and 35 pounds (14 to 16 kg). These bikes tend to feature greater suspension travel, often as much as 150 mm of front and rear travel, often adjustable on newer mid and top range bikes. These bikes are designed to be able to ascend and descend mountains, integrating the climbing abilities of XC bikes with the suspension technology of freeride bikes.; Freeride Mountain Bikes are similar to Enduro bikes, but with less emphasis on weight and better suspension. Freeride bikes tend to have up ample suspension, with 8 or more inches of travel fairly commonplace. The componentry is built from stronger, consequently heavier, materials. Freeride bikes are designed to be more versatile than any other bike. They are somewhat capable of being ridden uphill; however, their moderately steep head tube angles make them difficult to maneuver while angled up hill or traveling at a low rate of speed. yet also effective on technical downhill trails. Frame angles are typically steeper than those found in downhill bikes. This enhances maneuverability over and around small objects. Freeride bikes typically range in weight from 30 to 45 pounds. Freeride biking usually includes some degree of natural terrain stunts such as hucking (ramping) and is usually more comprised of downhills and stunts, with uphill travel usually for the purpose of reaching this terrain, hence the necessity for a freeride bike to be able to travel uphill somewhat efficiently. The most durable (and expensive) freeride bikes are designed almost solely for hucking and are incapable of any comfortable level of uphill travel. It is common for freeriders to frequent lift accessed riding terrain, offered at ski resorts during the off season, or simply walk their bikes uphill.; Downhill Mountain Bikes typically have 8 or more inches (200 mm) of suspension travel. They are built as light as possible for racing and range from 45-35 lbs. They are very strong, and due to the typically large, high gears and long, soft travel, are suitable only for riding down dedicated downhill trails and race courses. The suspension is set to sag around 30% front and 50% rear of full travel, creating ample traction around bumpy corners. The head angle is often as slack as 64 degrees. Competition downhill mountain bike racing is where most mountain bike technology is innovated, as most bike manufacturers sponsor a number of riders. Downhill biking is just as it sounds, downhill. Most riders who ride exclusively downhill do so in competitions or ride almost exclusively on lift accessed terrain. Due to the high speed nature of downhill riding most bikes only have one chain ring, a large bash guard and a chain guide. Downhill mountain biking is the most high profile category of competition biking.; Trials Mountain Bikes are set up very specifically for the purpose of bicycle trials. They typically have no suspension at all, though some still make use of some form of it. Competition rules require bikes to have multiple gears for competition, but most riders never use their shifters. Many non-competitive riders run single-speed, choosing a fairly low-speed, high-torque gear. Most modern trials bikes have no seat at all, as the rider spends all of his time out of the saddle. These bikes are significantly lighter than almost all other mountain bikes, ranging from 15 to 25 pounds. This makes maneuvering the bike much easier.; Dirt Jumping, Urban and Street Mountain Bikes lie somewhere in between a trials bike, a BMX bike and a freeride bike. They are typically very strong bikes, with 0 to 4 inches of front suspension, no rear suspension, and as many as nine gears and as few as one. Tires on these bikes are usually fast-rolling, slick or semi-slicks.; Single-speed Singlespeeding is as much a life style as it is a type of mountain bike. A singlespeed is a mountain bike with one set gear ratio. The gearing ratio depends totally on the terrain being ridden, the strength and skill of the rider, and the size of the bike (a bike with 29" wheels often requires a different gearing than a bike with standard 26" wheels). Often singlespeeds are fully rigid, steel-framed bikes. These are typically ridden by very fit individuals on mild to moderate cross country terrain.; Mountain Cross or "4X racing" is a relatively new style of riding where four bikers race downhill on a prepared, BMX like, track, simply trying to get down first. These bikes are generally either full suspension with 3 to 4 inches of travel, or hardtails, and have, typically, quite strong frames. They run a chainguide on front and gears on the back. They have slack head angles, short chainstays and low bottom brackets for good cornering and acceleration.; North Shore Mountain Biking originated in the hilly, slick, rocky terrain of Vancouver, Canada's north shore, thus it was coined "north shore" riding. Because of the almost, if not completely unridable terrain, riders began building bridges over swampy or muddy areas. These bridges evolved into complex, oftentimes extremely challenging, man-made stunts. Because stunts are often narrow and may require the rider to move very slowly regardless of width, north shore riding requires immense balance and bike handling skills. North shore bikes, such as those by manufacturer Norco are much like freeride bikes in their geometry and downhill bikes in their componentry makeup. Because north shore stunts have evolved to not only include simple and complex bridges but also large drops and high speed descents through a series of stunts north shore bikes commonly have as much travel as downhill and freeride bikes.;

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