Lately, mountain bikes or all terrain bikes have gained tremendous popularity as an excellent recreational sport rather than being restricted as an adventure sports. Here is a quick guide and an overview on mountain bikes.

·         What is a mountain bike?

Essentially speaking, mountain bike is a bicycle that is designed for rough and tough use on rugged terrains, forests, mountains, deserts, riverbeds or for cross country treks.

·         How does it differ from traditional bicycle?

Several factors differentiate a mountain bike from traditional bicycle. Foremost difference is its higher durability factor, which is decided by the ratio of weight of the bicycle to the weight of the rider. Besides its durability factor, a mountain bike differs from an ordinary bicycle in respect of type, size and quality of tires, shock absorbers and handles bars.

·         What are the types of mountain bikes?

Depending upon the type of terrain to be explored and the safety features, companies manufacture different types of mountain bikes such as downhill bikes, free ride bikes, cross country bikes, trail bikes and other specialized mountain bikes.

·         Which are the major brands and manufacturers?

Gary Fisher, Kona, Mongoose. Iron Horse, Scot, Giant and Cannondale, among others

·         What are the requirements to ride a mountain bike?

You must be adventurous and physically fit. You should also have a basic know-how to repair the bicycle otherwise; you might get stranded in uncivilized locations.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 8:31 am and is filed under Mountain bikes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.