Cycling is a hobby for many which improve heart health, breathing, immunization and much more. You may be overwhelmed with the choices and brands available in the market, but it’s an individual choice to select the right one that matches with his/her preferences.
While choosing the best brand for mountain bikes, you should look into few important factors like types of mountain bikes, frame and wheel size, gears and brakes, material quality, brand reputation, price and warranty details. Let’s discuss each parameter in detail!
Table of Contents
1. Types of Mountain Bikes
There are 4 to 5 different types of mountain bikes.
- Trail Bikes – This is by far the most common style of mountain bikes that do not fall in any specific racing category. It’s a perfect choice for those who ventures out regularly and considered as an all-rounder that can be used for local trailhead riding and low key climbing and descends. These are worth buying and can be a great gift for your little ones.
- Cross-Country Bikes – Cross-country bikes are designed specifically for fast riding with an emphasis for uphill climbing. This style focuses on high efficiency and low weight and is ideal for competitive racing. It comes with a suspension of 80-120mm both front and rear side to overcome the obstacles – rocks, loose gravel etc while riding.
- All-Mountain Bikes – This style is specially suited for steep climbs and sharp descends and comes with more technical features so that they perform well on steep surfaces. Mountain-bikes are usually lightweight. The suspensions are around 140-170mm and frames are lowered to enhance the speed and stability.
- Fat Bikes – This style features wide and oversized tires which provide excellent traction on surfaces such as snow and sand. In this, the tire size may vary from 3.7-5 inches and choose the best one depending on the requirement. These fat bikes are perfect for beginners because of the wide tires and to move conveniently in a line.
- Down Hill Bikes – Of all the mountain bikes, downhill type bikes are the specialized ones. It features 65° steering head angle, long, and the sticky compound wires for comfortable usage. To add on, it has a suspension of 180-220 mm and a metal coil spring absorbs the shocks when you travel on hill areas at high-speeds.
Important Features of a Mountain Bike
1. Suspension Type
Suspension type of a mountain bike determines the type of surface the bike is suitable for riding. Suspension forks offer many advantages in trail riding, because the wheels can go up and down, they stay in contact with the ground even in most bumpy terrains.
They offer more speed with controlled and safer rides. Most bikers like bikes with good suspension. Suspension fork located at the front is relatively simple compared to the rear suspension that is bit heavier and complicated. If you buy rigid bikes, you get a certain level of suspension because of their fat tiers which can float on the bumps only if you don’t pump them way too hard.
Another amazing thing offered by a bike with good suspension is lowering the amount of beating picked up by your body.
a) Rigid
This type of mountain bike does not come with any suspension. These bikes are less expensive compared to the other mountain bikes and are easier to maintain. But they do not provide the comfort like suspension bikes and have less moving body parts which limit their usage only on decent trails.
Fat bikes usually come under the rigid category because they already have wide tires that absorb the shocks efficiently.
b) Hardtail
Hardtail suspension bikes come with a suspension fork only in the front and having a hard tail. They are lighter, requires less maintenance and less expensive than the dual or full suspension bikes. Their front suspension mechanism can be locked to form a full-rigid bike to prevent from compressing.
The light body weight and less movable body parts make them ideal for cross-country riders who chase speed not deadly downhill trails. Their half rigid nature still offers plenty of comfort to go for biking on different off road trails.
c) Full-Suspension
Full suspension bikes feature a front fork and rear shock absorber to absorb the impact of the bumps which in turn lowers the impact on the rider. They are heavier and more expensive than their hardtail brothers. If you want a bike dedicated to ride on dirt trails which will be easy on your joints and muscles then you should not bother about spending some more on full-suspension bikes.
You will also see that your rear wheel is sticking better to rocks and stones compared to hardtail ones, and body feels more energetic on long rides as it takes less of a beating.
2. Wheel Size
The wheel size of the mountain bike determines the traction it provides and how easily the rider will be able to roll over rough surfaces.
- 26 inches – Although, 26 inch wheels were the standard wheel size for adult mountain bikes in the past, it has been replaced by 27.5 inch wheels. 26 inch wheels are still available are they are quite nimble and efficient.
- 27.5 inches – This has become the standard wheel size for mountain bikes because it provides a middle ground between 26 inches and 29 inches so the rider can enjoy the best of both worlds.
- 29 inches – 29 inch wheels are more difficult to maneuver through twisting trails compared to the 27.5 inch wheels. They are a lot heavier and slower to accelerate, but they do cover the terrains easily.
- 24 inches – Mountain bikes for kids and children usually have 24 inch wheels and are suitable for kids aged 10 to 13 years.
3. Frame Material
The frame material of the mountain bike determines the weight, strength and durability of the bike. Nowadays, bikes are made up of several materials and differ in price.
- Aluminium- aluminium alloy is the most widely used frame material for mountain bikes. There are different grades of aluminum used in the framing. They make good looking; strong, affordable bike fames that wont rust. Some high end bikes also use full aluminium frames to make the bike more light weight.
- Carbon fiber- carbon fiber frames are a new introduction in making mountain bikes. They are super light weight, best vibration dampers and fully resistant to corrosion. They are also strong and work as good as any other material until you crash it against rocks, because they tend to be more prone to impact compared to metal frames.
- Titanium- a strong yet lightweight material that make comfortable frames which are impermeable to rust and corrosion. They are usually used in aircraft manufacturing and holds up to a lot of abuse and hardcore dirt riding quite well. Only disadvantage is that they make one of the costliest frames.
- Steel- steel is known for their durability and strength, though it is used less commonly in making of bike frames. They are quite heavy and offer good riding qualities.
4. Gears
Mountain bikes are available in single speed as well as gears ranging from 22 to 30 to allow them t