Mountain Bike, abbreviated as MTBs or ATBs (All Terrain Bikes) is a bike that are meant for riding on dirt paths or unpaved environments. They are more rugged than road bicycles, and can handle more strain.
The tires of the mountain bike are wider and knobbier than road bikes, for more grip and shock absorption. Front suspension for the MTBs is becoming the norm, and in today’s mountain bikes, you can find front and rear suspension. The wheels are usually 26″ in diameter, but this is slowly changing to 29″ in the newer mountain bikes.
Mountain Bikes can be widely classified into four types.
* Fully Rigid
* Hard Tail
* Soft Tail
* Dual/ Full Suspension
Fully Rigid Mountain Bikes don’t have any suspension, and their frames have fixed rears and a rigid fork.
Hard Tail Mountain Bikes have a suspension fork in the front, and no suspension in the rear. A soft tail Mountain bike has very less suspension in the rear, and its frame has a flex in the rear, rather than the pivot. A Full Suspension MTB has a suspension fork in the front, and a rear suspension as well, with a link that lets the rear wheel move on a pivot.
Until recently, MTBs had the same design and geometry of Road Bikes. When mountain biking became more popular, riding became more aggressive, and new mountain bikes with lighter and stronger frames were created to cater to the rider’s needs and aggressive riding style.
The New-age mountain bikes have 21, 24 or 27 speeds. They usually have 3 gears in the front. The rear has 7, 8 or 9 gears. They also feature disc brakes. This gives the rider better stopping power than normal rim brakes. They can also take heavy breaking without wearing out soon, and causing lesser problems.
There are a wide range of tire types for mountain bikes. Some styles include slick street tires, sticky rubber tires, etc. Tubeless tires are also gaining popularity in the MTB world for their pinch flat resistance. Some good MTB tire manufacturers are Wilderness Trail Bikes, Schwalbe, Kenda, Maxxis, Nokian, etc.
Mountain biking has become more of an adventure sport by itself, and lot of equipment can be found just for mountain bikers, most of it safety related. Protective gear that is worn by the rider is often referred to as ‘Armor’, and is work to protect against injuries. ‘Armors’ may range from just knee and elbow caps, to full body padding. Usually, Downhill and freestyle bikers wear more armor, as their riding styles are more dangerous and prone to injuries. Most of these bodysuits also have special protection for the spine, comprising of a set of plastic plates, covered with foam.
Most bike parks require bikers to wear full face helmets, to protect against injury. These helmets a just like their counterparts used in motocross, but are considerably more ventilated and lighter. Most professional riders wear these by choice, to avoid head injuries.
Some of the Mountain Bike manufacturers are Airborne cycles, Alpine design MTBs, Arrow Racing, Dagger, Dart, Full Dynamix, etc.
By: Muna wa Wanjiru
Posts Tagged ‘Full Suspension’
Types of Mountain Bikes for Riding on Dirt Paths
December 30th, 2009Giant Mountain Bikes for the Massive Feathery Touch
December 29th, 2009Giant mountain bikes are the leaders of true excellence in the field of superior mountain bikes. They are more than what they should be. These massive mountain bikes are perfect road companions. When you are planning to plunder the rough terrains of the mountains, the giant bikes are there to provide you with a firm support so that when you ride you have fewer chances of stumbling and falling.
Giant Mountain Motorbike – The Perfect Companion On Trails
The massiveness of the bike does not mean that the vehicle has weight. While constructing the bike, the prime intention of Giant is to help you maintain a low center of gravity along with lower paddle feedback. With full suspension and great technology, these mountain bikes make you move with confidence and ease.
There is no time to rest as you go through the list of advantages of giant mountain bikes – no power loss, no breaking influence, no paddle kickback along with a linear rising rate and exceptional traction. The bikes manufactured in Australia are massive maestros with the ability to fight the battle of hazardous mountainous journey. This particular bike type has been portrayed in one of the episodes of Good Morning America.
These giant motorcycles introduced by the Giant Company would cost you a little more than the regular mountain motorbikes, but what they offer is worth the price. These bikes offer both strength and comfort and they just rule the motorcycle market with overwhelming qualities. They are perfect companions and have been received numerous awards for their superior quality and outstanding performance.
These giant mountain bikes are more preferred for their durability rather than style. This is because the materials used to make this category of road rulers are simply the best of the lot. Giant bikes are meant for both recreation and competition. While the design is executed, the company follows a quality control process and the sort of customer service they provide sets a high level for other companies to meet.
The giant with its matt black finish and usual characteristic features astounds passers by with its magnificence in style and stature. Balance of strength is what matters the most in case of all mountain bikes and when talking of giant bikes on the mountains, the strength is well distributed throughout this mechanism on wheels.
These giant varieties boast of the lightest mid-range frames you would hardly notice in case of other bike varieties. The fork, brakes and the wheels contribute to the total weight of the bike and the rest is all light and easy to manage.
Usually anything massive gives you a feeling of extra weight and you feel hesitant in managing the mechanism. Only these world-class giant mountain motorbikes make you feel light and comfortable to ride on. Therefore, it is time to say YES! to giant mountain motorcycles.
By: Robert Sheehan
