| Mountain Bike, abbreviated as MTBs or ATBs (All | | | | speeds. They usually have 3 gears in the front. |
| Terrain Bikes) is a bike that are meant for riding | | | | The rear has 7, 8 or 9 gears. They also feature |
| on dirt paths or unpaved environments. They are | | | | disc brakes. This gives the rider better stopping |
| more rugged than road bicycles, and can handle | | | | power than normal rim brakes. They can also |
| more strain. | | | | take heavy breaking without wearing out soon, |
| The tires of the mountain bike are wider and | | | | and causing lesser problems. |
| knobbier than road bikes, for more grip and shock | | | | There are a wide range of tire types for |
| absorption. Front suspension for the MTBs is | | | | mountain bikes. Some styles include slick street |
| becoming the norm, and in today's mountain | | | | tires, sticky rubber tires, etc. Tubeless tires are |
| bikes, you can find front and rear suspension. The | | | | also gaining popularity in the MTB world for their |
| wheels are usually 26" in diameter, but this is | | | | pinch flat resistance. Some good MTB tire |
| slowly changing to 29" in the newer mountain | | | | manufacturers are Wilderness Trail Bikes, |
| bikes. | | | | Schwalbe, Kenda, Maxxis, Nokian, etc. |
| Mountain Bikes can be widely classified into four | | | | Mountain biking has become more of an |
| types. | | | | adventure sport by itself, and lot of equipment |
| * Fully Rigid | | | | can be found just for mountain bikers, most of it |
| * Hard Tail | | | | safety related. Protective gear that is worn by |
| * Soft Tail | | | | the rider is often referred to as 'Armor', and is |
| * Dual/ Full Suspension | | | | work to protect against injuries. 'Armors' may |
| Fully Rigid Mountain Bikes don't have any | | | | range from just knee and elbow caps, to full body |
| suspension, and their frames have fixed rears and | | | | padding. Usually, Downhill and freestyle bikers wear |
| a rigid fork. | | | | more armor, as their riding styles are more |
| Hard Tail Mountain Bikes have a suspension fork in | | | | dangerous and prone to injuries. Most of these |
| the front, and no suspension in the rear. A soft | | | | bodysuits also have special protection for the |
| tail Mountain bike has very less suspension in the | | | | spine, comprising of a set of plastic plates, |
| rear, and its frame has a flex in the rear, rather | | | | covered with foam. |
| than the pivot. A Full Suspension MTB has a | | | | Most bike parks require bikers to wear full face |
| suspension fork in the front, and a rear | | | | helmets, to protect against injury. These helmets |
| suspension as well, with a link that lets the rear | | | | a just like their counterparts used in motocross, |
| wheel move on a pivot. | | | | but are considerably more ventilated and lighter. |
| Until recently, MTBs had the same design and | | | | Most professional riders wear these by choice, to |
| geometry of Road Bikes. When mountain biking | | | | avoid head injuries. |
| became more popular, riding became more | | | | Some of the Mountain Bike manufacturers are |
| aggressive, and new mountain bikes with lighter | | | | Airborne cycles, Alpine design MTBs, Arrow |
| and stronger frames were created to cater to | | | | Racing, Dagger, Dart, Full Dynamix, etc. |
| the rider's needs and aggressive riding style. | | | | Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and |
| The New-age mountain bikes have 21, 24 or 27 | | | | Reporting on Mountain Bikes for Years. |