Photo by Renegade_Paul
Hardtail MTB Frames are a tried and tested standard and come on bikes we buy for kids from halfords to cross country (XC) bikes which are probably the best selling types of mountain bikes on the market today.
Hardtail bikes are a tried and tested staple and remain reliable today (where full suspension can be costly and unreliable) which is why they continue to sell well
Photo by Jonathan Shield
In mountain bike styles where the bike, and rider is put under extreme stress full suspension bikes have become increasingly popular. The bikes feature a fairly standard frame geometry however include rear suspension and may be further customised by the type of event the rider is interested in such as freeride (FR), Downhill (DH), Mountain cross or “4-cross racing” (4X).
Commonly, inferior mass produced high street bikes will also be full suspension as a marketing ploy and to give an impression of being ‘more expensive’, don’t be fooled!
Picture by andy_c
Jump and Street MTB Frames are vastly different from any other king of MTB Frame. Whilst having to maintain being as lightweight as possible these frames also need to be built to last due to the huge amount of torture they will be put under. Jump and Street frames are also designed with a sloping bar towards the back and short seat in order for this to be out of the when when tricks are performed. Other modifications often include over sized bars, single gears and bash guards.
If you’re pulling some big airs, mad flips or other sick tricks you may want to think about buying from a selection of action cameras to record all the footage to watch back at a later date or maybe include in that home made MTB film?
Photo by Malias
Road Bikes (or racers as we used to call them back in the day!) are road racing bikes. They are generally made of very lightweight materials, have thinner wheels and drop handle bars. The design, much like that of triathlon bikes is created for maximum aerodynamics both in bike and rider posture.
Picture by Scott92116
Triathlon bikes are very different to your standard MTB. Although similar to road race frames, they are designed to optimize aerodynamics. The bikes are designed with aggressive geometry which means almost vertical tube angels, a low stem and handlebars which are relative to the saddle, which again increases the aerodynamics. The bikes will be made with an oval or teardrop cross section, handlebars may be flat and wheels will have less spokes than normal. Add this to the carbon fiber parts and this makes for an extremely lightweight frame.
Picture by Djenan
BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross however these days BMX’s are used for much more including vert and most commonly street. The bikes are generally much smaller than a standard MTB frame which enables the rider to perform tricks much easier and they usually have 20″ wheels.
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