Also known as allbicycle"'>specialized bike designed to tackle the courses they most frequently ride.
Buying a bike is a very personal choice. There are multiple factors to take into account, including your budget and what you plan to do with your bike. Depending on your experience and cycling style, you can get either a serious off-roader or a simple hybrid. It all depends on how advanced a rider you are and where you plan to go. Read on. Learn what's out there, what all those terms mean and what's hot right now.
Suspension Categories
Mountain bikes typically get categorized by their suspension level. Below are the basics.
* '''Hardtail: '''No rear suspension. Usually equipped with front suspension forks.
* '''Fully Rigid:''' A sub-category of hardtail. It has a rigid fork.
* '''Dual or Full Suspension: '''Front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock and linkage causing the rear wheel to move on pivots.
* '''Soft Tail:''' Has little rear suspension. Activated by flex of the frame instead of pivots.
All About Suspension
Suspension allows the bike wheels to move up and down to absorb small bumps, while keeping the tires in contact with the ground for better control. It helps the bike absorb large shocks when landing jumps. Both front and rear suspension systems have two essential elements: the spring and damper. A spring allows the suspension to move up when the wheel hits a bump and to quickly back down after it passes the bump. The damper controls the spring so that it doesn't bounce out of control after each bump. It allows it to bounce just enough to absorb the shock. The trick is to good shock absorption is finding the right balance between the spring rate and the damping.
