The 5 Types of Mountain Bike Explained – How Do You Pick The Right One?

Mountain biking means riding a cycle in tough terrain or off-road. It is one kind of good form of exercise that helps to keep you fit and healthy. But to start mountain biking the first thing you will need is a good mountain bike. Variations of mountain bikes are endless. You just can’t pick any bike. You have to know about them and find out the best one that meets your needs. To help you in finding your desired mountain bike we have listed down some popular types of mountain bikes that you can have. Remember one thing, your goal isn’t to buy a cheap mountain bike, it will be to buy what you need in your budget. 

We will tell you about the bike types, which one is best for which purpose, and so on. So keep scrolling and learn about the mountain bike types. We hope our guide will help you. 

Different Type of Mountain Bike

Depending on bike suspension, tire size, weight, geometry, and rigidity, mountain bikes are grouped into three categories. Hardtail, Full-Suspension, and Rigid. In a simple saying hardtail means front socks, Full-Suspension means both front and back socks, and Rigid means no socks. In addition, socks have two different flavors. One is a wound steel spring, and the other one is air-sprung forks. 

Interested in knowing more details about these bike variations?
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Hardtail: Hardtail comes with a front fork sock that reduces upper-end fatigue. It also makes the steering comfortable on rough trails. Hardtail Mountain Bikes are also known as Front Suspension Mountain bikes. These are affordable and one of the best choices as the first-ever bike. Because this bike is super flexible, you can ride this on almost any trail. 

If you compare this with an entry-level full-suspension bike then it will be the top choice because any beginner can handle this better than a full suspension bike. And if we talk about the budget then you will get a high-quality hardtail bike in the amount of getting an average quality full suspension bike. 

Full-Suspension: Full-Suspension means a high-priced bike. It will have socks in both the front and back, so it costs a little high. A full-suspension bike is better than a hardtail bike. Because it will give you a better riding experience. Full suspension bikes offer good control of speed on the rough ground. Full-Suspension bikes come in various sizes and weigh. Usually, it weighs more than a hardtail and rigid bike. You can easily ride it on dirt trails and enjoy the technical terrain without pressuring your joints and muscles. 

Rigid: Rigid bike is suspension-free, it doesn’t have any front or back socks. This is the oldest type of mountain bike. Recently this type of bike came back with an updated version. The new rigid bikes are very lightweight and have an easy paddling process. These types of bikes are better than road bikes and safer to ride on pavement.

Types of Full-Suspension Mountain Bike

We discussed the full suspension mountain bike. Now we will tell you about some types of bikes in this category.  Starting from cross country mountain bike to downhill mountain bike, you will get to know about all the styles of full suspension mountain bikes here. 

Cross Country Bikes

Cross country mountain biking is the most popular type of mountain bike. These are lightweight than other types of mountain bikes and offer smooth shifting. It weighs between 9-12 kilograms. It’s best for climbing and its higher speed. If you want to cover a lot of areas quickly with faster ascents these bikes are great. A cross country mountain bike has a steeper head angle that makes it faster and better at climbing. Its efficient design catches the eyes of everyone.  It’s a little hard to control on steep descents. There are two types of cross-country mountain bikes you will find on the market. One is a cross country road bike, and the other one is a cross country trail bike. 

Cross country race bikes are efficient, fast, and least lightweight. This type of bike is nimble and fast to expedite on. It’s better to avoid high jumping and landing with this type of race bike. 

Cross country trail bikes are a bit heavier than cross country race bikes. But don’t think too heavy, it’s slightly heavy. You can ride it on dirty roads, or single-track trails and carry some needed gears with it. Usually, standard mountain bikes are in this category. 

DOWNHILL BIKES

Downhill bikes are specially designed to ride on downhill trails. It’s not lightweight, it weighs much more than any other type of full-suspension mountain bike. This type of bike allows you to fly down technical, or steep trails efficiently. Usually, this type of bike is tough and large. They also have wider rims, wider tires, and low-placed seats. They have a head angle that lets the rider control fast mounting. It weighs more than 15 kilograms.

Downhill bikes are improved for support, traction, and shock absorption. It features lots of travel in both front and rear suspension. There are no clips on the pedals on a downhill mountain bike so that you can easily leave the bike and jump if you face something unusual. When choosing a downhill mountain bike, keep in mind you have to select the toughest one, otherwise, you can’t ride it on the tough terrains and do a high jump.

ALL-MOUNTAIN/ENDURO BIKES

All-mountain or enduro bikes are usually used for serious riding. These come with a strong bike frame and have wider tires. Enduro bikes are very lightweight and maneuverable. So you will experience a faster riding experience. It will ensure you have better uphill riding than downhill riding.

Enduro bikes are less versatile than a Cross-country mountain bike or trail mountain bike. This bike can be easily ridden on technical, rougher, and complicated trails. Because it has a lot of travel around 150mm in the front suspension. Some regard enduro mountain bikes as cross country or trail mountain bikes on steroids. 

When you ride on the mountainous terrains with enough steep climb and fast descents you will enjoy a perfect ride. These are usually made for fast technical trials, that’s why it comes with a special device that doesn’t let the chain fall off. If you are serious about mountain biking, an all-mountain or enduro bike is the best type of bike you can use. It also has lots of rear gears, if you want to do quad-burning climbs then this bike is for you.

TRAIL BIKES

A bike especially built and designed with special wider tires and suspension is a trail bike. It’s very lightweight, versatile, and well capable of climbing and descending. It’s the most commonly used popular mountain bike. These bikes prefer comfort over performance. You can ride a trail bike on unpaved roads and rough terrain. This bike isn’t designed to participate in races. It’s usable for almost everything. Trail bike means a “do more bike”. You can do uphill climbing or descending to meet up with your friends. It has a mid-range of travel in the front suspension around 120-150mm. 

You can enjoy outdoor biking with this bike. It has a relaxed angle that allows the rider to ride during descents. It comes with shorter stems and a wider handlebar. A trail bike is a combination of fair weight, efficiency, and fun. If you don’t even have any experience in mountain biking or controlling a mountain bike still you can go with it. 

FAT BIKES

Fat bikes are specifically designed to ride over snow, sand, or anywhere where big tires are needed for maximum grips. It’s called a fat bike because of its oversize tires. It gives more traction in snow, sand, or any other less solid ground. A fat bike is a four-season versatile bike. It has a high-volume tire that has low air pressure, so it runs quite well with ultra-low pressure float over the snow. It’s popular as people consider it as the best for adventurous biking and it’s the truth. If you love off-the-beaten-track riding then it’s a fantastic bike for you.

A sturdy design and some racks to carry needed gears, what more do you want? It features all the benefits you should look for in a bike. Its fat tires make it look unique and different and everyone loves to have one.

Well, As you read the article till the end. I hope now you have a fair knowledge of mountain bike types.
Now before you want to make a purchase decision. I would like to suggest you to my awesome guide on how to choose a perfect bike to enjoy your riding moment.

FAQs

Ryan Ford

I am Ryan Ford, a mountain biking enthusiast who loves to explore the outdoors. I also like to go on adventures with friends and anything else that involves being outside. I love my bike because it gets me out of the house and gives me an opportunity to enjoy nature.