Mountain Biking In Its Various Forms

Mountain biking is a great way to have fun and stay healthy and fit. If you think mountain biking is all about racing, then you probably have very little information about mountain biking. Mountain biking can be classified into various types. Let us have a look at some of them in brief.

Types of Mountain Biking

Cross Country riding is the simplest of the lot. It involves concentrating on long distances rather than physical exertion. The riders need to be fit enough to travel long distances.

Enduro riding is an extension of cross-country riding but in this, you have longer and harder terrains to cover. Most of the trails go beyond 20 miles or more. Enduro riding consists of individuals racing, teams racing or sometimes even competing with each other as part of a marathon. Recently many challenges or tournaments have been organized which has led to the increase in the popularity of enduro racing. Some of these races are The Test of metal, the rat race etc. Every year more than a thousand participants participate in these races, which go beyond 70 kms or more. In the USA and other countries, there are many specialized tracks, which are designed for such a race. The main objective of the race is to test the endurance of the person and his stamina.

Single speed racing is similar to the other races, except here there is a bike with just one gear. This ensures simplicity and fewer mechanical problems.

All mountain racing is a mix of cross country riding, trail and downhill riding. You have to ride both up and down the mountain as the name suggests. All mountain bikes are full suspension bikes with a suspension travel of 140 to 160 mm. The weight of the bike is a balance between cross country and free ride rides.

Downhill biking is racing down the mountain as fast as you can. Generally, you would be going fast anyways if you were going downhill, but in this form of sport, you are lifted by means of a ski or a shuttle to the top of the hill and then you race downwards. You need to have bikes with more of suspension in both front and rear.

Street/urban riding is a more risky affair and should not be tried by beginners. This involves jumping, riding and doing tricks over man-made obstacles like ledges, benches etc. Riders do a lot of tricks like stalls, grinds, spins, box jumps and the 180, 360 degree flips.

Dirt Jumping is again a type of riding where you jump over man-made dirt bumps and do tricks while you are in the air.

So these were the different types of mountain biking, choose your style and get set go.

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