Mountain Bikes

Rugged bikes for off-road riding

Mountain bikes are rugged bikes for off-road use, but many people ride them on pavement as well. Mountain bikes feature fat knobby tires for comfort and traction, flat bars for great control, and low gears for easier hill climbing. Some mountain bikes have suspension for increased shock absorption. Do you need suspension? It depends on how and where you plan to ride.

There are several sub-types or categories of mountain bikes for different kinds of off-road riding:

The light-duty recreational mountain bike is designed for pavement, dirt paths and light duty mountain biking. These tend to sit the rider a little more upright. They have the capability of riding on dirt but aren’t durable enough for tearing up the trails.

A more aggressive rider or racer would consider a more durable hard-tail mountain bike that can climb and descend the off-road terrain that comes along with mountain and cross-country biking. These mid- to upper-range hard tails range from $700 and up.

Full-suspension mountain bikes are designed for cross country, all mountain, free ride and down hill terrain. These bikes differ in having different geometry, different amount of suspension travel, and different materials to accommodate the various types of terrain a rider prefers to ride on. These bikes start in the $1500-2000 range.

Over the past few years vendors have introduced different size mountain bike wheels designed to perform better on different types of terrain.

Come in to talk to us. We can fit you to the best style bike for your needs.