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You call them if you want Mountain Bike

How much the world of mountain biking has changed since its origins. We untangle ourselves in a jungle of acronyms that often confuse us. let's try to do some clarity

Scott Spark RC Lars Forster
© Scott Sports / Raineduponmedia - Scott Spark RC Lars Forster

All mountain, trail bike, downcoutry, enduro…. How many names to describe the classic Mountain Bike; a vehicle with two wheels, pedals, and some other components.

 From the beginning the very idea of ​​Mountain Bike was an idea that came out of the traditional schemes of the bike; to understand this concept it is sufficient to take for example the way in which the canons with which the looms were made were upset. The original thought was to have a tool to go where you wanted, valid for the ascent and the descent.

The first to stand out were the dher; in the short term it was understood that in order to go fast downhill, characteristics that were difficult to combine with the climb were necessary; then inexorably the fragmentation of the sector increased. More and more specialized means were born and an increasingly different concept of MTB also among users. A situation that has certainly brought many benefits, the current means are incredibly fun; but that at the same time has sent us poor bikers into confusion, unable to understand which is the best way to meet our needs.

So let's try to make a short vademecum, which is updated with the new solutions that have appeared in recent years.

Cross country front

In the beginning it was the mountain bike ... so let's start from the category that comes closest to what was the means from which everything took shape. We are faced with vehicles that, except for some changes, are very similar to the bikes of the early 90s.

The diameter of the wheels has changed, the materials have been updated and the components have a much higher quality level; but in general a front of 2022 differs little from one of 1992

In this category there are also entry level models, those relatively cheap vehicles designed for those who want to get closer to this world.

Full cross country

Scott SparkRC 2022
Scott SparkRC 2022

It is the category that has undergone the greatest evolution in the last two years. Initially these were vehicles with geometries and characteristics similar to the rigid models, but with greater comfort. As a consequence of the change in the layout, there was a very strong design push; also helped by the experience that the manufacturers have gained with all mountain and trail vehicles, categories which we will discuss later. The modern full Xc have more excursions, more open angles and in general more stable and fun means are born. But don't make the mistake of thinking of these models as trail bikes:

because they remain race vehicles designed for nervous competitions with pedaling as the core business. For this reason they remain ideal bikes for the agonist and for those who have the climb in their heart.

Down country

La Lapierre Zesti tr, an excellent example of Down Country

You could define this type of bike as the 'push' version of an xc bike. In some cases we are faced with models that derive from the latter, in other cases there is an ok design. In both cases, the structure provides a rear excursion of approximately 120 mm and 130 mm at the front. They are very fun bikes, suitable for a very wide audience; some wink at the world of trail biking, while others retain a soul closer to the xc family. They are all doers, but they maintain a hiking heart in which the climb plays an important role. With some of them it is also possible to take a ride in the bike parks, provided you have a good technical level and few demands from the point of view of performance.

Trail biking

Trail bikes remain the best for those who interpret MTB as an adventure.

It is a phase of models that has great appeal abroad but suffers a little at home. In recent years, I struggled a bit to frame these models; they were often too close to the enduro sisters, making it difficult to perceive the greatest benefits on the climbs or the best playfulness in the more undulating sections. Now that the vehicles dedicated to enduro competitions have become more muscular and downhill; these vehicles with excursions that are around 140mm / 1500mm return to have their place.  

They are the real all-rounders, suitable for a very wide audience; the biker with a good technical background will find a vehicle able to make him have fun everywhere and the beginner will be able to ride in total safety

Enduro

Let's clear the field of doubts immediately: these are the Mountain Bikes I prefer

Enduro MTBs remain my favorites

They know how to get on well and downhill they have become airplanes that allow you to go anywhere. But I think it has become a type of vehicle dedicated to people who compete and with a good level of training; the geometries allow you to climb well; but the weight is felt (more or less around 14kg) the bobba fork and the friction of the tires is felt a lot; at the same time the very downhill project makes the enduro bikes of the means with which you have to make speed, attack the descent and look for advances to round off the curves as much as possible.

Freeride

Cam Zinc with his new Devinci da Free ride

Very popular at the beginning of 2000 they had been almost completely supplanted by enduro vehicles. In recent years they are back in vogue, thanks also to the choices made by some international free riders such as Semenuk and Cam Zink; solutions we told you about in this article.

They are the bike park bikes par excellence; solid with generous excursions but with a driveability within everyone's reach, we'll see if they can carve out their own space again.

Dh

Valentina Holl
The queen of MTB remains the DH bike, for many but not for everyone

Let's finish with the queen of Mountain Bikes, after the xc bikes they are the longest-lived means of the off-road world. They have always maintained a very exclusive and somewhat counter-current feature; the idea that he wanted the mountain bike as an all-round means of getting on and off was banned from these models.

They were born immediately with the aim of going fast downhill, means that are practically impossible to pedal but capable of giving great satisfaction

If I had to recommend this type of vehicle, however, I would do it only for those who want to compete and want to ride only on black tracks. This is because their low and long geometry makes them performing downhill, stable in any rock garden and on the biggest jumps; but difficult to drive and not very fun in all other conditions.

Conclusions

As you will have understood, the panorama is really articulated, making it more difficult to orient yourself. The advice I can give you is to choose a vehicle trying to understand what you want to do with it, not paying attention to the image. If you are an agonist, it will be easier to opt for a vehicle suitable for you; but if you are an enthusiast who likes to go for a walk with your bike, then forget about the vehicles created for competitions; take into consideration all the others, evaluating your choice by looking above all at the type of routes you do the most.

We will soon analyze the different types of mtb in more detail, trying to best describe their strengths and weaknesses.



Written by

[email protected] Mountain bike travel editor and expert. Chiropractor and personal trainer, for years following some of the strongest national interpreters of enduro mtb.

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