| times people participating in specific disciplines of | | | | for cross-country is more for its ability to climb hills |
| cycling will buy a specialized mountain bike, designed | | | | and mountains than in an aggressive approach to |
| for the discipline. While cross-country, enduro and | | | | downhill racing. Due to their lightweight construction, a |
| freerider are the most common disciplines for | | | | specialized mountain bike for cross-country will not |
| mountain biking, over the years variations have arisen | | | | usually stand up to jumping and other rides on harder |
| given greater need for a more specialized mountain | | | | trails. |
| bike to meet the demands of the cyclist. To help | | | | Freerider bikes care less about weight than |
| meet the specialized needs, various suspensions are | | | | suspension as many times riders use a lift available at |
| used to help the rider maintain control throughout the | | | | a ski resort during the off season or walk their bikes |
| course on which they are riding. | | | | up a mountain before beginning a rapid descent. With |
| Typically, mountain bikes have wider tires with typical | | | | this specialized mountain bike typically having full |
| 26-inch wheels. Although on some of the more | | | | suspension they can take on the many jumps |
| specialized mountain bikes, a 29-inch tire is used to | | | | associated with this discipline of mountain biking. |
| help achieve better speed. Suspension from fully rigid, | | | | Some of the strongest specialized mountain bike |
| on which no suspension is used, to hardtail suspension | | | | seen is used for urban and street riding and dirt |
| which may of some give in on the front form, but | | | | jumping. Usually they have several inches of front |
| nothing in the back and softtail which uses no | | | | end suspension and none on the back end and tires |
| additional suspension methods except for additional | | | | are typically slicker 24-inch and 26-inch diameter. |
| flex in the frame. There are also bikes with full | | | | Many riders will have up to nine gears on this type of |
| suspension, which have a softer ride with suspension | | | | bike while others will choose none. Other types of |
| in the front and back, along with flexibility built into | | | | discipline involve single speed specialized mountain bike |
| the frame. | | | | riding along with downhill, mountain cross and trials. |
| Cross-country mountain bikes typically have lighter | | | | Bikes used in trial are either stock or modified and |
| frames and while they may have full suspension, it is | | | | are the lightest of the specialized mountain bikes, |
| typically pneumatic on the front and rear to save on | | | | weighting between 15 and 25 pounds for better |
| weight. The idea behind a specialized mountain bike | | | | maneuverability. |