There is a little about the different types of mountain bike and road bike that are available in the UK.
Mountain Bikes
There are roughly 6 types of Mountain Bikes available:
Cross Country (XC) - these bikes are super light-weight and designed for speed.
Trail - an all day bike that is comfortable to ride and fairly lightweight. If you are starting out in mountain biking and intend to ride on a weekend basis, a trail bike is probably the place to start when comparing options.
All Mountain - the 'do it all' category is fiercely fought over with the big mountain biking companies producing new lines of bikes that are designed to be relatively agile going uphill but great fun to ride coming down the other side. The geometry on these bikes is more relaxed and provides a more 'heads up' riding style than an XC bike.
Free Ride (FR) - aggressive bikes for demanding situations. These bikes are designed to be ridden hard. Expect a Free Ride bike to have between 6 - 7.5 inches of travel front and rear.
Downhill (DH) - as the name suggests these bikes are designed for riding and racing downhill, fast!
Jump/Street/4X - these bikes are small framed, strong, and designed for control.
Road Bikes
Commute/Flat handle bar – Generally these are ‘Sport’ style road bike with flat wide handlebars.
Cyclo Cross – XC racing on a road style bike with a slightly more robust frame, more ‘off road’ brakes and fatter tyres.
Hybrid – These bikes strike the balance between road bikes and mountain bikes, allowing you to cruise comfortably on the road but still follow the local bridleways if it takes your fancy. Perfect bicycle for mixed use leisure cycling.
Sport – Whether you ride on the road to train or simply escape, these bikes will take you where you want to go fast.
Traditional – If you are a purist who loves all things retro these are the bikes for you.
Time Trial/Triathlon – Built specifically for the rigours of racing against the clock. Very flat back positioning on the bike with stretched aerodynamic handle bars.
