MOUNTAIN BIKES

Shopping for mountain bikes should start with determining what your needs are. What kinds of trails will you be riding? Do you need an ultra-light cross-country race bike or a burly gravity warrior? Searching for your new mountain bike will start with clearly defining what your list of must-haves looks like, determining what category of mountain bike that falls into, then narrowing down your search to that perfect bike. Mountain bikes come in a wide variety of suspension travel, component selection, frame material, and many more options. What are some popular types of mountain bikes?

Trail and All-Mountain - While there is some debate as to the exact travel range defined by Trail and All-Mountain bikes, Jenson USA defines this category as mountain bikes having suspension travel between 120mm and 150mm. Trail and All-Mountain bikes tend to be some of the most versatile bikes available. Mountain bikes in this category are designed to tackle nearly any trail as they are light and nimble enough to not hold riders back while climbing and they have a progressive geometry that allows for ripping descents.

Cross-Country - Cross-country, or XC mountain bikes are designed to perform over long distances. These bikes are built to be lightweight and help get the most performance out of your climbing ability. These bikes can be hardtail (no rear suspension) or full-suspension. Cross-country bikes tend to have shorter suspension travel which helps keep the weight down as well the suspension bob to a minimum.

Downhill / Gravity - Downhill mountain bikes have the most suspension travel of any category of mountain bike. These bikes are designed to attack the most aggressive black diamond and double black diamond runs on the mountain. They are called gravity bikes because they are designed to go downhill as quickly and stylishly as possible. Gravity bikes have 170mm or more of suspension travel and tend to focus more on reliability under extreme conditions than weight savings in the component selection.

Jenson USA has a wide selection of mountain bikes of all different categories. We try our best to make finding your dream bike as easy as possible. We are riders just like you and we know how important selecting a great mountain bike is. If you have any questions at all, hop on a call or a chat with one of our expert Gear Advisors today at 888-880-3811 so that we can help you find that perfect mountain bike.