Designed to accommodate monster-width tires, fat bikes are pretty darn fun to ride in the snow. Many Canadian ski resorts, ski areas and even national parks are adding winter fat-bike specific trails to their roster, along with rental options to give it a try.
Each bike has a list of specs and a rough sizing chart on mec. There are lots of tech specs and features with mountain bikes. When it comes to wheel size, the most important thing is how you like the way they feel underneath you. The best way to understand the difference is to try them out yourself on a demo ride.
Check out what to wear mountain biking and the mountain biking gear checklist to learn more. Mountain bikes get bashed around and see more mud than commuter or road bikes, so a bit of TLC is in order. New bikes have a break-in period, just like all new vehicles.
We recommend bringing your mountain bike by for a quick check of the bolts and front and rear shocks after the first 40 hours of riding. Cables, housings, pads and calipers shift and stretch too, so our mechanics can take a look and adjust as needed. Date October 19, Date September 22, Date September 14, Skip to content Skip to navigation.
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How to choose a mountain bike. How to find the right size : A good fit makes a big difference. Understanding suspension and wheel sizes : Some pros and cons to know about.
Essential bike gear : A few basics to pick up and work into your bike budget. Shop all mountain bikes. Cross-country riding. What to expect with cross-country bikes: Suspension : Hardtails are common, but there are also full suspension models. Front travel can range from —mm; rear travel ranges from —mm. Wheel sizes : Usually 29ers for plenty of rollover, but there are some Shop cross-country bikes.
Wheels will be tough yet lightweight. More carbon fibre means less weight, while components are likely to be high quality, lightweight and tough items from respected manufacturers. As well as bikes from big brands, there are numerous smaller manufacturers providing high quality, specialist machines.
Suspension units will use extremely high performing and adjustable dampers, often with special low friction coatings. Tyres will be highly adapted to the task at hand, with plenty of traction and speed.
Wheels may start to use different construction methods and more exotic materials such as carbon fibre to provide low weight and strength. For racing use, hardtails are still preferred by many, but full suspension designs are becoming more popular. They tend to have around 80—mm of travel at either end, usually equipped with a lockout switch that helps prevent the suspension sapping pedalling energy on smoother sections of trail.
Cross-country bikes tend to use larger diameter 29in wheels, combined with lightly treaded, low-volume and fast-rolling tyres for maximum speed. They tend to use steeper head angles combined with longer stems and narrower bars for quick reacting handling and to place the rider into an efficient pedalling position.
The downside of this type of geometry is that it can make bikes harder to control on steeper descents, especially when combined with shorter-travel suspension and skinnier tyres. Cheaper cross-country bikes will use alloy frames, but carbon is the default choice for top-end race bikes.
They tend to have a very wide range of gears to allow steep climbing as well as a high top speed. They use shorter stems and wider handlebars to help improve control at speed, while tyres will have more aggressive tread. Trail hardtails — sometimes known as hardcore hardtails — will use strong frames matched to a fork of around —mm travel.
Full-suspension trail bikes will use anywhere between —mm of travel at either end. Aluminium is the choice of frame material for more affordable bikes, while top-end machines use carbon fibre. Some more boutique frame builders may use steel.
Double chainrings have largely fallen out of favour, and have been replaced with 1x-drivetrains that offer a wide gear range with simpler maintenance and better performance. Trail bikes may use either 29in or b wheels. As a rule, 29in wheels are more stable, while b give a more involving and dynamic ride. You might also come across plus tyres, which pair a b sized wheel with a wider rim fitted with a large volume typically 2.
Buy one if: you like hitting descents as much as you like climbing and need a machine that can do it all. Enduro is a racing format in which the descents are timed, but you still have to pedal yourself around the course.
That means that these bikes are designed to perform exceptionally well down steep and difficult trails but are still light and efficient enough to pedal back to the top. Most use around mm of travel at either end, paired to tough wheels and reinforced tyres. The suspension units they use are usually still air-sprung but tend to be heavier duty with a wide range of damping adjustments to tune their downhill performance.
Coil shocks are gaining some favour again for their reliability and consistency for prolonged hard-riding. Bear in mind, that this adds weight, complication and additional potential points of failure. Note that OE original equipment units can be a different often lower spec than similar-looking aftermarket ones. Quality damping and a decent air spring will do far more for you than any amount of extra travel. You will benefit from a dedicated trail helmet, with its greater coverage, stronger construction and decent peak.
You may also want a backpack, plus glasses for warding off flying crud. Then there are sticky shoes for flat pedals, or mountain bike specific shoes, cleats and clipless pedals. You may also want to tune your gearing, and almost certainly to customise the shape and size of your cockpit.
Get the right size First up, everything else is secondary to the right frame size. Choose a wheel size Diameters have settled to an easy, binary choice of Choose hardtail or full-suss The rear shock, bearings, linkage and extra manufacturing complication of full suspension all cost money.
Keep some budget back You will benefit from a dedicated trail helmet, with its greater coverage, stronger construction and decent peak. On the upside, this all still counts as upgrading your bike!
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