Much of the time, you get what you pay for when it comes to mountain bikes. Figuring out which top of the line mountain bike really is a good buy can be quite hard, even if owning the best bike you can afford is a good idea. As a rule, it is best to look at the quality of the components, and how well the bike fits you and the way you ride to decide on the right model.

A mountain bike is a bicycle with a sturdy frame, wide tires with large treads, horizontal handlebars, and gearing, essentially. Off road, they offer much better stability and traction than a street bike’s narrow tires and lightweight frame can. But that’s not all they are for, even though these bikes are called mountain bikes. They can also be ridden cross country, or on trails with no surfacing or with gravel. They’re also good for city streets that have uneven or broken paving. Just look out for large rocks and roots. For any application where you’ll need strength and stability, choose a mountain bike. These bikes are probably heavier than you’re looking for, if you do most of your cycling on flat areas with smooth pavement.

Look for High Quality Build

Top of the line mountain bikes will offer quality construction, as well as using good materials. While many manufacturers will try to sell you frames and components based exclusively on the materials that make them up, don’t be fooled. It’s feasible to make a bad bike frame from titanium, just as it is possible to make a good one from steel or aluminum. While prestigious materials certainly come with a much higher price tag, quality of manufacture is more important, whether you are buying a frame, some gears, or new wheels. In place of of rim brakes like the ones on road bikes, look for bikes with good suspension and higher quality disc brakes.

Light-weight Frames are In

Lighter frames mean there’s less for you to pull up steep slopes. In some materials, however, lightweight frames and wheels also mean that you sacrifice strength. A certain loss of stability is also unavoidable. That is why mountain bikes are nearly always more heavily built than road bikes. The newest and hottest composites used to make trail bicycle frames are materials like Kevlar (the same material used for bullet proof vests. These materials are also made use of for other parts of the bike, as they are intensely light-weight and very robust. However bike frames made with carbon fiber and Kevlar are extremely difficult to repair when damaged.

Titanium, the best and most pricey material for bike frames, offers the light weight of carbon fiber with strength that may outdo that of the toughest steel alloy frames. It’s also the most rust-resistant material for downhill frames. All these benefits come with an astronomical price tag, as you would expect.

Reliable Suspension is a Must

Good suspension can reduce the “whippiness” you sometimes encounter with lighter materials like titanium and aluminum. Front only or both front and rear supension are available on quality mountain bikes. When you choose your bike, be sure to try it out to make sure that you have the right fit, and that the weight feels good to you. If you decide you want to have a bike made elsewhere, such as an online order, make certain you know exactly what you are getting, in terms of materials, weight and frame size.

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