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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
MOUNTAIN BIKEs? |
CAN someone explain the differences of the bikes? what is a XC bike? .............a FReeride bike? .....DH.....? ... AM? Mountain bikes used to be all-around bikes and can be ridden anywhere and in any condition. But advances in technology and in the manufacturing process has afforded the specialization of mountainbikes for the intended purpose that a biker has for his bike. That's why nowadays, the different kinds of mountainbikes can be a bit confusing esp for a first time buyer trying to determine which bike to get. Mountainbikes are defined by their intended purpose. Trailbikes. A trailbike is the best choice for a vast majority of riders.This category allows the rider to ride in various conditions around the mountain,may it be trails,climbs,jumps/drops (3 feet or less) and descents. The design of trailbikes give emphasis on pedaling efficiency,versatility,durabil... and comfort.These bikes are built to handle agressive and technical riding and can travel at higher speeds in rough terrain compared to what cross country bikes can handle.Weight range is around 25 to 32 pounds and the component spec favors durability than lightweight. Suspension travel ranges from 4 to 6.5 inches and some hardtails also fall in this category.Trailbikes capture the original spirit of mountainbiking,that is being able to ride and explore or "get lost" on purpose by using only one bike. An All-Mountain bike falls under the category of trailbikes and it is setup to provide the best compromise to handle everything, anywhere. XC=Cross Country. Cross country bikes are set up to be very lightweight esp for racing. It is designed for pedaling and climbing efficiency.XC bikes can handle moderately technical terrain and cannot handle jumps and drops bigger than the occassional bunny hoping.These bikes border on being fragile and will not withstand repeated flat landings and solid impacts into trail obstacles. Weight range is 19-27 pounds and suspension range is 3-4.5 inches of wheel travel and most lightweight hardtails (no rear suspension,around 4" front suspension travel) fall under this category. XC bikes are best for endurance racing and races in "groomed" trails. FR=FreeRide or Black Diamond. Black Diamond is the trail marking used at bike resorts to signify the most difficult runs usually for experts only. Black Diamond or FR bikes used to be a cross between Trailbikes & Downhill bikes and set up with strong frames with strong but heavy components to handle the beating of descending down extreme terrain, doing jumps,big drops and insane stunts. Nowadays,blackdiamond bikes no longer try to be both trailbike and downhill bike,and their design focuses on stability and maneuverability in the extreme trails they are intended to be ridden. Suspension ranges from 6.5 to 8.5 inches of wheel travel altought some come in burly-built hardtails. The headtube angles are slacker (than that of trail bikes) for descending stability but wheelbase is shorter (than in DH bikes) for better handling in tight technical trails. Front forks used for FR bikes are commonly triple clamp/dual crown but some use long-stroke single crown forks. Weight range is 30 to 50 pounds. These bikes can handle the maximum abuse that a rider's body can withstand without damage.FR bikes are built to be strong but they are not breakable.Also,they are expensive and the FR rider must also factor replacement cost of components. DH=Downhill DH bikes are designed to harness the force of gravity to be able to descent down the mountain at high speeds. DH bikes used to be bikes that can be pressed for FR and All-Mountain riding,but DH racing has made these bikes very specialized for the purpose of goind down the mountain in the fastest time possible.Technology and advanced manufacturing processes have made it possible to build lighter DH bikes.Lighter DH bikes have increased acceleration and momentum and make it easier to maneuver/handle in technical descents. The components are lighter but rather expendable because in DH racing the rider's team can replace broken and worn components at the bottom of the course, in effect,it give DH racers the "breakit,replace it" attitude that the average mountainbiker cannot afford. This erodes the usefullness of DH bikes because if you beat your DH bike up, you cant expect to win racers. Weight range is 35-45 pounds while suspension range is around 8-9.5 inches of wheel travel. AM=All-Mountain. (Described above in the Trailbike category) PS: You asked about XC,FR,DH and AM only so I wont include description of the other two categories (Urban/Dirt Jump bikes and Mountaincross/Dual-Slalom bikes) Source(s): I am a mountainbiker and own a trailbike with around 3.5 inches of travel. I ride moderately rough off-road terrain and also use my bike for commuting to work. Mountainbikes are my passion and i spend a lot of time reserching on the internet and reading magazines about mtnbikes and the sport. You may want to check out Mountainbike Action at http://www.mbaction.com/ or grab a copy of the magazine in either digital format from the site or in print from newstands. Most of the info I used here come from articles in the magazine esp the differentiation of mountainbikes commonly found in March issues when thay include a buyer's guide and tips in choosing the right bike. They make great bike and component reviews,tech tips,riding techniques and a lot more fun and informative stuff about mountainbiking. XC is Cross Country - Ride up the hill & down it. You want a lightweight bike. Freeride is more stunt-type biking. You do jumps & drops & obstacles. DH = Downhill. The bikes have lots of suspension & are very heavy, but it doesn't matter. Usually you drive to the top of the mountain and only go downhill. AM = All Mountain. It is between a XC and DH, built to handle rougher terrain than a typical XC bike. Here are more in-depth descriptions XC = http://mountainbike.about.com/od/mountai... Freeride = http://mountainbike.about.com/od/mountai... DH = http://mountainbike.about.com/od/mountai... AM= http://mountainbike.about.com/od/mountai... they are built for different purposes. XC (Cross country) bikes are very light, low travel bikes designed to stick to the ground and go fast AM (all mountain) bikes have more travel and are built tougher. these are the bikes you do jumps with. FR (free ride) bike are monsters bikes with 6-8" of travel and belong in the air. crazy people use these mainly to jump off cliffs and pull huge gaps. its insane. DH (down hill) bikes are built like tanks. they have up to 12" travel and are used a lot for DH racing. |
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