Just because you know how to ride a mountain bike doesn’t mean you can get just any type, model, or brand that you wish. There are various types of mountain bikes whose make and features are designed for a particular purpose, whether city, mountain or cross country trailing.

If you want to which one to get, let us discuss the different types of mountain bikes according to function and purpose.

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Trail Mountain Bikes

Trail bikes are the Swiss army knives of mountain biking. They are capable climbers as well as descenders. In order to make trail bikes more versatile, they have more suspension, gravity-oriented components (such as chunkier tires for better traction and larger brake rotors), and more relaxed geometry than their cross-country cousins. Could you see yourself going on all-day epic rides in the backcountry as well as riding around town and on your local trails? Would you rather measure your rides in smiles and grins than seconds? You need a trail bike if you love mountain biking uphill as well as downhill and are looking for the occasional drop or jump.

Downhill (DH) or Freeride Mountain Bikes

Downhill bikes are designed to handle steep, gnarly terrain, fast speeds, big drops, and jumps. If you’re riding one of these bikes, you’re usually looking for another way to the top of the trail, either hiking, shuttling or a chairlift. These bikes are designed to go downhill only. When you don’t even care about pedaling uphill, have the trails and terrain to support high speeds and airtime, and the skill level to handle yourself in these situations, then a downhill bike is what you’re looking for.

All-Mountain or Enduro Mountain Bikes
This category could be called the burly cousin of the trail bike. In the all-mountain bike format called “Enduro,” climbing is necessary, but only the downhill sections are timed and scored. All-mountain or enduro mountain bikes are perfect rigs for those who want to earn their ride by pedaling, but are really in it for the downhill, where technical terrain and airtime are involved. As a matter of fact, an all-mountain bike can handle doing some laps at a bike park or even on shuttle-accessible terrain if you want to skip the pedaling.

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Cross country mountain bikes are designed for those who place a high priority on pedaling performance. Uphill crushing, lung-busting machines are bred for endurance and efficiency. Cross country bikes have the most similar geometry to road bikes. The pursuit of efficiency and lightweight is not without tradeoffs, however. Cross country bikes trade-off downhill performance for efficiency and weight. Climbers and riders who prioritize climbing over descending will benefit from cross-country mountain bikes.

Having chosen the kind of mountain bike you want, how do you choose from the various bikes within these categories once you are in the right neighborhood? In this case, brand and price definitely matter, but if you want to be more scientific, you can compare geometry and specs. Reach, head tube angle, and chainstay length all affect how a bike fits and rides. All this talk may seem like a foreign language to you, so write down a few notes on these differences, and hit the trails! The best way to find out what works for you is to ride the bike.

Now that you know the various types of mountain bikes, you can now choose the right bike to use on different occasions and purposes. So which mountain bike are you eyeing on your next ride?

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