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A mountain bike is designed for off road use and over the last 10 years has become the most popular type of bike sold in the UK.
It is rugged and offers the riders a comfortable upright position. Many bikes perhaps do not see much of the rough stuff, however many do and the sport has gained popularity as riders tackle organised races and many ride daily.
This site offers you useful guides to help you pick the right bike, we have also pulled in product feeds from the likes of Wiggle, Halfords and Evans Cycles – these links jump you straight to the bike you want.
Types of Mountain Bike
Before you get started you need to ask yourself what type of mountain bike do you need. The types of riding you fancy doing will steer you in a certain direction. If you want the comfort of a bike for canal and forest fire roads but will never really take it off road then consider a cheaper hybrid bike. Mountain bikes are designed solely for off road with large tyres so riding them on sealed surfaces can be hard.
If you are convinced you are going to take your new steed off road, then you need to decide at what level of off road riding you will undertake. For example if you ride mainly in a flat area with smooth off road tracks then a hard tail mountain bike is definitely going to be a better (and cheaper) option. More: Choosing a Mountain Bike
However, if you fancy going a bit more extreme, you can get a full suspension mountain bike which has suspension at the front and back. These allow you to hit bumps faster and keep the wheels on the surface (stay gripped) which helps you ride faster and brake more effectively.
