Types of Mountain Biking

Article by Rob Lucas









A sport which uses bike that comes in many types; mountain biking is that sport. The different types include cross-country, touring, all-mountain, urban street, downhill, trials, four-cross, dirt jumping and freeride. Each type of biking involves various corresponding techniques that you can learn and train for to be able to join a competition. For each particular type also includes a different type of bike that suits the category best.

Cross-country biking is the most standard form of biking for athletes since it only involves biking from a point to another on terrain with both uphill and downhill slopes. Touring, on the other hand, includes biking on a single track of a dirt road but over a long distance. This type of biking has become more popular today. All-mountain biking, as the name suggests, include biking on mountains and thus uses bikes specifically adapted for ascent and descent. Urban street biking is a type which includes freestyle or doing tricks using bikes and several platforms which are usually man-made. This is the same with the freestyle done on motorcycles, although bicycles are lighter in weight. Downhill biking is the most dangerous type, since, again, as the name suggests, it involves cycling on a steep downhill terrain. It is dangerous in the sense that it is most prone for injuries and accidents. Trials is almost similar to urban street, but only includes jumping and hopping the bikes on obstacles. When you wish to venture into this type of biking, you have to have a good sense of balance since you are not allowed to land your feet on the ground when jumping. Four cross is an event where the bikers compete using separate tracks, while dirt-jumping is like trials but involves ?taking off? over land mounds or dirts and making a good ?landing?. The bikes usually used in the dirt-jumping are smaller and should easily be maneuvered. Lastly, freeride as the name implies, is a type of sport where you can do anything that you want.

Each type of mountain biking may be different, generally however, for the said sport, you still need a lot of accessories that will make you ride more comfortable and more enjoyable. Some of these accessories include proper clothing, gloves, shoes and glasses for protection; hydration systems to keep you hydrated; pump, bike tools, high power lights and GPS system so you will always be prepared for whatever you may encounter on your trail. Lastly, different they may seem they also all pose a risk for safety that you must not take for granted.



About the Author

Rob Lucas, author of this article is also interested in outdoor gear and recommends you to please check out outdoor gear price comparison if you liked reading this information.