What to look for when buying a Mountain Bike
Looking to get down and dirty off road in the cycling world, then a mountain bike maybe for you. The mountain bike opens up many worlds of cycling that are unable to be used without such a piece of kit. From countryside trails to muddy forest tracks, downhill courses to cross country paths the mountain bike has them all covered.
The go anywhere nature of an MTB (mountain bike) is provided by a hand full of key changes over its road going counterpart. However, as things get more extreme bikes become more specialised and up the ante of what is required, that said there are a handful of key ingredients to look for whatever the mountain bike.
Key features:
- Frame shape - most MTBs have what appear to be a standard style frame size and geometry and things only really change as you progress into more disciplines of MTB requiring some serious modifications
- Suspension - MTB suspension is your friend and not only does it absorb the the lumps and bumps while off-road but it gives consistency with the tyre contacting the ground (which in turn helps with grip and control).
- Tyres - It’s all about that tread pattern. MTB tyres are much more knobbly to give better traction coupled with their width giving a greater surface around for better grip and stability.
- Handlebars - flat and wide is the way with most MTB handlebars. Their width gives greater and more accurate control to navigate off-road and really adds to the riders balance. Plus the greater width gives more leverage when needing to dig deep and pedal hard up hill really allowing the rider to use their arms to tear up muddy slopes.
- Gearing - With the sheer variety of terrain you can cover off-road cycling you’ll need gearing to help you for all eventualities.
- Brakes - For general off-road cycling v-brakes are the order of the day on many MTBs, however with more extreme riding comes the need for increased power and consistency with braking. Hydraulic disc brakes are the last word in mountain bike brakes and give powerful braking whatever the conditions.
From light off-roading to extreme downhill, the mountain bike is what you’ll need to really open up the terrain in front of you. Equipped with classic frame geometry, soft suspension, grippy tyres, a ton of gears and powerful braking you’ll be setup to go where the road won’t take you.
Why not check out our range of mountain bikes today with Click Cycle.
