How Do You Roll?
Mountain bikes can take you almost anywhere. The question is: “Where do you want to go and how do you want to get there?”.
Cross Country (XC)
If you want to get point-to-point off-road as easily as possible and you rarely allow your wheels to leave the ground – you want a “cross country” bike. XC bikes come in a plethora of varying frame styles (geometries) – some much more efficient than others. “Race” bikes tend to be lower and leaner and thus faster and more efficient. Some XC bikes have full suspension – like a dirt bike – this is great for comfort and control. Others are “hard tails” – suspension in front but not in back. Others are referred to as “rigid” – meaning they have no suspension at all.
All-Mountain
An “all-mountain” or “enduro” bike has a more “relaxed” geometry when compared to an XC bike. This affords the rider greater control when descending a tricky trail section. This same geometry difference causes the all-mountain bike to be a less efficient pedaling bike than the XC bike – therefore a bit slower on flats and climbs. But they still pedal nicely. This style of bike is the most versatile of the mountain bikes. They do everything well. They just don’t necessarily excel at any one particular thing – except fun of course! You can find all-mountain bikes in full-suspension or hard tail models.
Downhill
These are the bikes you see in online videos jumping gorges and flying straight down canyon walls in Utah. These are also the bikes you see people pushing uphill. They are really good at one thing – descending fast! They absorb larger bumps and are easier to control when speeding down a mountain. But they are usually very heavy and they pedal like a cow. Downhill bikes are almost exclusively full suspension.
Dirt Jumpers
Dirt jumpers often look like BMX bikes. In fact they are very similar. They are designed for “airing” – jumping. Light and easy to toss around, yet built to take a beating, these bikes are great for doing tricks at a pump track or for riding downhill “flow” trails. But, again, they are not great pedaling bikes. Sure – they are fine for cruising around town looking for a stairwell to jump. But don’t try to tour around Europe on one. Dirt jumpers are usually hard tails, sometimes rigid, and rarely full suspension.
