Mountain bikes are a great piece of exercise equipment, but unfortunately, most people don’t find the best mountain bike for them. There are a lot of people around us who saw a cool-looking full-suspension bike and bought a full-suspension bike even though they were only riding it on the road; seeing disc brakes looking cool and expensive, thought Disc brakes must be good, non-disc brakes should not be bought. These are blind consumption without purpose, and the result is more of a waste of money.
Bicycles and their spare parts are highly targeted inappropriate accessories that, no matter how advanced they are installed on the bicycle, will not perform their real role. For a bicycle, the frame is undoubtedly the most important, and mountain bikes are no exception. The frame is the soul of the car and plays a vital role in the handling performance of the car. What determines the stability of a car? What determines the cornering speed of a car? What determines the comfort of a car? What determines whether a car is better uphill or downhill? What determines how well a bike responds to a rider’s movements? The frame directly or indirectly affects all aspects of the car’s performance; the frame is the primary criterion for determining the performance of the car. However, when all kinds of picture frames are placed in front of you, do you know it? Do you feel dizzy? There are many types of mountain bike frames on the market, each type of frame has its specific purpose, and each type of frame has its enthusiasts, so how can you choose a frame that is suitable for your riding? The following article is written specifically to solve this problem.
Frameset Type
Over the decades, mountain bikes have produced many specialized designs. Most mountain bike racks today fall into the following categories: Downhill/DH, Dual Slalom/DS, and Freeride/FR.
Most current mountain bike frames fall into the following categories: trail frameset (cross-country/XC), downhill frameset (downhill/DH), standard racing frameset (dual-swing/DS), and freeride/FR frameset.
Of these types, off-road vehicles are more agile, and it can be said that off-road vehicles can handle all but the roughest and steepest terrain, including mountains and roads. Downhill and lap racing are highly targeted and can only be adapted for riding downhill and on well-designed tracks, not uphill and road riding at all. The freeride category is relatively new and falls somewhere between trail and downhill. At one extreme are more powerful off-road bikes and at the other are lighter downhill bikes. Since the boundaries between this type of car and other models are still relatively blurred, this article will not introduce it for the time being.
Hardtail, Softtail and Full Suspension
Dirt bikes are divided into 3 main categories based on frame design: hardtail, soft tail, and full suspension. Each design has its advantages.
Hardtail frames require little maintenance, are inexpensive, and are often the lightest frames in their price range. There is virtually no energy loss during the rider pedaling. The downside, though, is that it’s not as comfortable as a full-suspension frame, and at high speeds over rough terrain, the rear wheels can throw off the ground and the car can lose control.
The soft tail frame has a passive damper similar to the rear shock absorber at the position of the rear seat support. The principle is lengthy to explain, but it has the effect of making the vibration transmitted to the body slightly less, and the rear wheel has a tighter contact with the ground than a hardtail (but not as good as a full suspension. many users report soft tail feel and hardtail Same, just better control and grip), giving the rider more control. Like hardtail frames, soft tail frames lose virtually no energy during the pedaling process of the rider. This type of rack is heavier than a hardtail and lighter than a full suspension, and the maintenance required is also between a hardtail and full suspension, which is a compromise design.
The situation with full-suspension frames is more complicated. Depending on the design of the suspension structure and the performance of the rear shock, the performance of different full-suspension racks varies greatly. In general, the inevitable disadvantages of a full suspension car include:
1. It requires a lot of maintenance, and the rear shock needs to be set more accurately to achieve the desired effect.
2. It is 400-500 grams heavier than the other two racks at the same price.
3. Most full-suspension frames absorb a portion of the rider’s pedaling energy. But the comfort, grip performance, and excellent control in the bump quotient of a full-suspension car are unmatched by the first two racks.
When choosing a full-suspension frame, the rider must consider the advantages and disadvantages of the suspension. Some frames belong to old foreign products or imitations of domestic manufacturers, and most of them are low-grade products with a single pivot point, and the rear shock absorber lacks rebound damping. The suspension of these bikes can only help when riding in the mountains. When going uphill, the rider consumes too much extra energy. When going downhill, because the rear shock absorber has no damping, the rear wheel is off the ground when it rebounds, and Playing higher than the hardtail is helpful. (Here is a reminder: don’t be tempted to buy counterfeit products cheaply. Most of these products are just imitations of a shape, ignoring important details such as the performance optimization of the original design and the local reinforcement of the frame.)
For more info about trail frameset please visit our official website: https://www.trifoxbike.com/