MTB-live.com Your mountainbike website. you will never bike alone

As the name connotes is a 'do anything' discipline that include  everything from downhill racing without the clock to jumping, riding 'North Shore' style ,that is,elevated trails made of interconnecting bridges and logs and generally riding trails and/or stunts that require more skill and aggressive techniques than XC.

The  Freeride bikes are generally heavier and more amply suspended than those use in  XC riding however,they still managed to retain their climbing ability.It the rider that adpot what ever style of riding he prefers. "Slopestyle" type riding combines big-air, stunt-ridden freeride with BMX style tricks and it is a genre that is becoming increasingly popular.Their courses are normally built at popular  mountain bike parks and include jumps, large drops, quarter-pipes, and other wooden obstacles.Multiple lines are present within the course with riders competing for the judges point by choosing lines that most suited their particular skills.

This is basically the same as urban BMX or called Freestyle BMX.Here the ridres perform tricks by riding over man made obstacles.The bikes are the same used for used for Dirt Jumping, having 24" or 26" wheels.THey are very light many about 25-30 lbs and typically hardtails with front supension between 0-100 millimeters.Style and execution are emphasized here just as in Dirt Jumping and Trials.

This riding consists of hopping and jumping bikes over obstacles, without putting  a foot onto the ground. It can be performed either off-road or in an urban environment. An excellent sense of balance is needed to do this. The emphasy is on techniques of effectively overcoming the obstacles.Street-trials in contrast to competition-oriented trials is similar to  Street and DJ where doing tricks with style is the essence. Trials bikes are totally different from mountain bikes. Since they use either 20", 24" or 26" wheels and have very small, low frames, some types without a saddle.

Is a name giving to the art of riding bikes over shaped mounds of dirt or soil and going airborne.The main aim is that after the rider has riding over the "take off" he will become airborne and attempt to land on the landing.Dirt Jumping can be done anywhere the bikes are generally smaller and more maneuverable hardtails so that the tricks i.e the backflips  are easier to do.The bikes are also simpler this is to ensure that there are fewer components to break or cause injuries to riders.

This is a sport in which riders compete either on a separate tracks,as in Dual Slalom or on a short slalom track as in 4X.Bikes usually uesd in this categories are hard-tails,though the last World Cup was won by a full suspension bike.The tracks have dirt jumps, berms, and gaps.Professional in this category tends to mostly concentrate on either downhill mountain biking or 4X/dual slalom because they are very different.Some riders like Cedric Gracia still still do 4X and DH though this is becoming an uncommon sight as 4x takes its own identity.

Biking in this category typically produces 125-180 millimetres  (5-7) inches of rear and front suspension travel.They usually have stronger component than XC models this do not impair with its suitability for climbing and descent on a lot of different terrain.

This is by far the most popular form of mountain biking and it is the standard for most riders.This generally connotes point-to-point riding or riding in a loop this may include descent or climbs or variety of terrain.A normal XC bikes weigh about 9-13 Kilos(20-30 lbs).It usually have 0-125 millimeters (0-5 inches) of suspension travel front and sometimes in the rear.

The history of the sport will be uncompleted wihout mentioning the contributions of the cyclo-cross in Europe,the Roughstuff Fellowship in the UK and the modified heavy cruiser bicycles used for freewheeling down mountain trails in Marin County, California.But,it was in the late 1970s and 1980s that the road bicycle companies took notice of the sport and start manufacturing monutain bikes using high technology lightweight materials.The first major production mountain bike in the world Stumpjumper was introduced to the world in 1981 by Specialized.By the 1990s and 2000s mountain biking moved from being an obscure sport to been a mainstream.

5.Water Supply:Water is very important to mountain bikers especially in the backcountry>these are got from simple water bottles to water bags with drinking tubes in lightweight backpacks.An example is the Camelbaks

6.GPS Navigation Device:This device is often added to the handle bars and is usually used to display and monitor progress on the trails.This is often downloaded from the internet or pre-made mapping systems.It is used to record the trails the biker is climbing,keep note of time taken for the trips and other useful data.

This device is often handheld,with a color screen,rugged and water proof with IPX7 design.

7.Pump:This is used to inflate flat tires.

8.Bike Tools and Extra Bike Tubes: Because of the rough and far from civilization mountain bikers often ride they have take their  own bike tools and bike tubes in order to repair flat tires and  other mechanical faults.


9.Pedals:The pedals are of different sorts from the simple platform pedals, where the rider simply places the shoes on top of the pedals, to clipless, where the rider uses a specially equipped shoe with a sole that engages mechanically into the pedal.Ridres are now avoiding the toe cages(clips) as they take a long time to get out than the clipless or platform in case one should fall in the rough trail.


10.High Power Lights:High-power lights these are based on LED technology,this useful for  mountain biking at night.