Mens Mountain Bikes – Different Bikes For Different Riders
From the 1970′s onwards mountain biking has grown in popularity, which resulted in a number of companies making mens mountain bikes. There are numerous styles of mountain bikes suited to different types of cycling, so before you select a bike you must decide on which type you favour.
Mens mountain bikes are manufactured using high-tech lightweight materials. They have technical gear systems, advanced suspension and brakes. Mountain bikes can generally be categorised into four main styles, depending on their suspension.
These are Fully Rigid, a frame with a rigid fork and either fixed rear suspension, or no suspension. Hard Tail, which is a frame with only front suspension. Soft Tail, that is a frame with rear suspension activated by the flex of the frame rather than pivots. And Dual or Full suspension, a front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock.
There are loads of different categories of mountain bikes on the market as well. They include Trail Bikes, Freeride bikes, Cross Country (XC), and All Mountain (AM) bikes.
Cross Country (XC) mountain bikes are usually lightweight and only have a small amount of front and/or rear suspension. They are aimed at using on ascents and have fast turning capabilities.
Trail bikes are a mixture of an All Mountain and a Cross Country bike. They are excellent all-round bikes for covereing each aspect of mountain biking.
All Mountain bikes provide a good level of suspension. They are aimed at climbing mild to moderate ascents and descending steep downhills. These bikes are ideal for any level of cyclist, whether adult or child.
Freeride Bikes are similar to downhill bikes. They are built to focus on strength rather than weight. They have excellent suspension and are usually built using strong, durable materials. They are extremely good for riding technically downhill.
Which mountain bike you choose to invest in boils down mainly to your personal style of riding. You have to decide how you prefer to spend time riding your bike. Do you want to ride up big mountains, descend fast, technical downhills, perfrom stunts, ride gentle trails or have a go all round? There are lots of mens mountain bikes on the market covering all activities but it’s up to you to decide which one feels the best that is within your price range.
