Different Kinds of Mountain Bikes
A full shock system is critical on a mountain bike. It is important because it helps absorb the shock when going over rugged terrain and helps to provide a smoother ride. You will find that full suspension bikes have both a front and back suspension. If a mountain bike has a solid rear fork and a suspension at the front they are often called hard tailed. Bikes without a suspension at all tend to be fairly lower end mountain bikes.
If you are a cross country rider you will need to make sure that your bike has both descending and climbing ability. The movement in the rear suspension system is only about 4 inches so that it does not cause a problem when trying to climb hills. When travelling over different terrain a greater number of gears are require to make it easier to navigate, because of this most cross country mountain bikes have 28 gears.
Trial bikes are a little more robust from your standard mountain bike and they are intended for use by more technical mountain bike riders. The movement in the suspension can be between 4 inches and 7 inches. This will mean that you get a lot smoother ride but it is more difficult to pedal uphill. You will need to decide whether it is worth having a smoother ride against the struggle of pedalling uphill. Additional information can be found online at Trek Track Bikes.
If you will mainly be using your bike for going downhill you can expect up to 8 inches in suspension movement. It is these type of mountain bikes which are specifically designed for racing downhill. A downhill bike with more movement in the suspension is easier to control going downhill but a lot more difficult to pedal going uphill.
