|   "Trail" vs. "Cross Country"/"XC" vs. "All Mountain" bikes? | tjl
Dec 15, 2002 8:33 PM | | Having not followed the mountain bike market for a few years, I have a question on marketing classifications of mountain bikes. It used to be that most midrange and high end mountain bikes were cross country bikes, meant for riding most types of off-road situations, but not specialized for any type, except for a few "downhill" bikes that were made for downhill racing (and appeared to be rather poor for going uphill due to high and back cyclist position, heavy weight, etc.). But now it seems that there are many more marketing classifications:
Trail
Cross Country
Freeride
All Mountain
perhaps others
What exactly do all of these terms mean? |
| They mean whatever you want them to. | Fast feet
Dec 15, 2002 8:49 PM | | They're kind of meaningless.
But here's my take:
In terms of the lightest total weight, lightest listed first and heaviest last (generally).
Cross Country (racing)
Trailbike
Freeride/ All Mountain
Downhill
This ranking also is the same in terms of suspension travel in inches(or lack of it for the first or second categories). |
| I'd agree | laffeaux
Dec 16, 2002 11:43 AM | | ... and here's a bit more detail.
Cross Country (racing) - light bike with minimal travel (if FS). Really meant for going fast, but may not be the most durable especially for heavy riders.
Trailbike - rider is more interested in riding any trail than having the lightest bike in the world. A bit more suspension (4 inches or so) if FS. Very durable but pretty light bike.
Freeride/ All Mountain - bikes designed to be abused. Durability takes preference over weight. If it's FS there can be a lot of travel. The bike will go anywhere, although it's not going to be as fast uphill as other bikes. However it will survive downhills, jumps, and riding off of buildings.
Downhill - the bike has one purpose: going downhill fast. They are expensive, heavy, and durable. If you like to ride up ski lifts and down hills as fast as possible, this one is the bike for you.
Also, many bikes fall between categories. There are bikes that that are "trail bike / light free ride" what that means is that they do both pretty well - i.e. it's not durable enough to jump off of buildings, but it's a bit lighter than most other freerides. The scale as a continues one, and bikes can fall anywhere along it. There are a few well marked points, but many bikes don't fall exactly on those points. |
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