Mountain Bike Types - Cross Country (XC) Bikes For The Great Outdoors

By Michael Berrer


Cross country biking easily the most popular mountain biking sport today. Most of published trails you see are XC trails. Out there on any weekend are thousands of XC riders who cannot wait to get out of the city. If you have a helmet, a bicycle, and the thirst for adventure then there is no reason why you shouldn't be in off road biking. The popularity of the sport of mountain biking today is because of XC biking. If you want to get into the sport, find here out what mountain bike types - Cross Country (XC) bikes are.

The XC MTB has the latest setup among the various off-road bicycles. Being lightweight does not mean lack of robust construction. XC rigs are designed to traverse in all types of terrain thus reliable engineering and design is very important. With advances in materials engineering, today's off road frames are easily lifted with one hand but are incredibly strong.

Typical XC MTB geometries are either soft tailed or hard tailed. A hard tailed rig has a suspension fork while a soft tailed kit has rear as well as front shocks. Suspension systems are the most recognizable feature of mountain bikes. Without a suspension system, all XC rides would be extremely uncomfortable, painfully bone jarring activities. Disc brakes whether cable or hydraulically actuated are getting common and offer superior stopping power over older systems.

A lightweight setup is advantageous to the rider. One is able to get high power to weight ratios which gives an edge on acceleration and hill climbing abilities. Some trails are so steep that it is often necessary to carry the bike rather than pedaling your way up uselessly.

The greatest thing there is on lightweight setups is on the rider's endurance. Off road riding is more of an endurance sport rather than one that relies on technical skills. With a lighter MTB, one is able to cover a longer trail without needlessly tiring one's self out.

Cross country riding is the only mountain biking sport that is recognized by the Olympic Games. The sport was first introduced during the 1996 Atlanta, Georgia Summer Games. The NORBA, or the National Off Road Bicycle Association is the governing body of the sport here in the USA.

If you want to taste the great outdoors and be physically fit at the same time, cross country biking is the best sport for you. The worldwide popularity of this sport means only good things for riders. Prices for decent setups are going down each year. So get one of those mountain bike types - Cross Country (XC) bikes now.




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