In order to choose the right bike for your trip to the mountains, you need to imagine what exactly you are going to do there. Rough terrain requires one type of bike, while downhill obstacles require a completely different type of bike.
What is a mountain bike
Conventionally, all types of "mountain" bikes are called MTB, that is, Mountain Bike, or mountain bike. In Russian, this type is called a mountain bike, MTB, and sometimes they just say "mountain bike".
There are several types of mountain bikes, but riding them all involves stress, fatigue, and sometimes adrenaline. Various gear shifters, damping devices, improved braking systems and other optional extras are designed to make it easier to navigate difficult terrain.
Types of bike shock absorption
The better the shock absorption of the bike, the easier it will be to ride on difficult terrain. There are the following types:
Full suspension is a bike that has shock absorption not only on the front fork, but on the rear of it.
Softtail and hardtail are two types of cushioning, but both are about the front fork.
Rigid is a completely rigid bike, with no cushioning at all. The least suitable option for mountain trips.
Downhill
Downhill is a whole cycling discipline that includes downhill skiing, overcoming various obstacles, jumping over rocks, over logs, maneuvering among trees, and so on. Naturally, before going downhill on a downhill bike, you need to go up there on it.
Usually a downhill bike is very reliable and quite expensive, as the life of a cyclist sometimes depends on the equipment. These are usually full suspension (that is, the seat is not connected by the frame to the rear wheel, but is instead damped), suspension with a large travel, and a reinforced front fork. Such a bike requires the most durable parts. Its weight is rarely less than 13-14 kg.
Trial
Trial is overcoming obstacles, and speed is secondary here. On these bicycles, people jump over concrete slabs, cars, pieces of logs and other objects. It is the trial bike that can be called a two-wheeled friend to the greatest extent, because during the trial it seems that the rider and his projectile merge into one whole. Trial bikes are usually hardtails. They are distinguished by their particularly low weight, and their reliability is no less than that of downhill models.
Cross country
Cross Country is cross country skiing. A bike for this discipline has a relatively light weight, excellent cushioning, and perfectly tuned equipment. The lightest frames are installed on such models.
Leisure
The most common type of bike is the outdoor MTB. It is he who can most often be found on the streets. This is a relatively inexpensive model on which you can take simple cycling trips, commute to work and to the store. Choose such a bike if you are not going to participate in anything extreme.
