Mountain biking has multiple styles and disciplines, so everyone can find their fit. Each riding style comes with a specific bike to use, which is adapted to the discipline, to give the rider the best experience.
Each discipline varies. This gives riders a choice of whether they want to explore a trail that features mostly downhill sections. Or perhaps one with rock gardens and climbs. Regardless of a rider’s preference, there’s a discipline for everyone.
So, if you’re unsure which one is for you or what you’ll need to participate in it, this is the guide for you.
Downhill mountain biking is for adrenaline-seekers, involving traveling down a mountain or hill at high speed to get the fastest completion time. Gravity certainly makes it easier for riders to practice this discipline, and it mostly occurs in a designated bike park or resort.
Ski resorts are typically a popular choice due to the convenience of having cable cars to take riders to the top of the mountain, so they don’t have to pedal uphill.
The trails used for downhill are normally human-made and packed with jumps, beams and other features to make the course more thrilling for riders. This makes it an intense and dramatic sport to watch and participate in.
However, not all routes are difficult, so beginner riders can participate in downhill too, and the difficulty of each course is graded with a coding system similar to that used at a ski resort.
Downhill bikes come with full suspension with around 180-250 mm of travel. Due to the nature of the downhill trails, these bikes are designed to withstand serious force. They are usually heavy and resemble the structure of a motorcycle.
This discipline combines normal trails which may have small obstacles such as logs and jumps. However, unlike downhill, it features uphill sections, long-distance pedaling and very few obstacles.
Since cross-country sometimes involves going uphill at speed, these bikes are some of the lightest mountain bikes. They usually have a lockable front suspension with around 100-120 mm travel.
All-mountain sits between downhill and cross-country with blurred boundaries between them all. It is very similar to cross-country, but is more extreme with bigger obstacles, rougher trails and harder riding.
This discipline features both uphill and downhill cycling, but as opposed to cross-country, the emphasis is on the downhill segment and performing stunts. All-mountain bikes are similar to cross-country bikes, although they are typically heavier, so they can handle the tougher trails.
Enduro mountain biking combines elements of downhill, cross-country and all-mountain. Riders pedal uphill, but at their own pace so that they can complete the downhill portion of the course in a timed manner.
Most enduro riders opt to use a bike with full suspensions between 140-170 mm of travel. You can also use a lightweight cross-country bike as it will make riding uphill easier.
Off-road touring entails cycling long distances while carrying equipment. Riders who go off-road touring rarely use suspension, as the added weight can slow the bike down. The trails typically feature various types of terrain, for which riders use either a cross-country, enduro or all-mountain bike.
Most mountain bikers ride in a bike park. This is a designated region for mountain biking with managed routes. And within each bike park, there may be several trails for riders to choose from. Many beginners enter the world of mountain biking by taking a standard mountain bike on trails such as bridleways, multi-use paths and singletrack. But this depends on a rider’s preference. For instance, singletrack can range from a single path in a field to a technical track in the mountains. However, it doesn’t typically have many man-made features, and it’s usually multi-use so there may also be walkers around. So, it may be suitable for beginner riders.
The trails in bike parks are usually categorized, so mountain bikers can assess which path is best suited for them, based on their skillset. For example, green is usually for beginners, blue is ranked as easy, red is challenging and black is for expert riders. With this in mind, not all bike parks are equal, so you may be able to ride some of the black trails in certain bike parks but find a red trail more difficult at another destination.
Bike parks usually cater for many mountain biking styles and disciplines, and generally, an enduro or trail bike with 140-160 mm of travel will be suitable.
Your mountain bike protective gear will be dependent on the discipline, but to ensure maximum protection, you should wear: