Choosing a High Performance Mountain Bike

There is no shortage of high performance mountain bikes on the market today. The options are multiple, even from within each distinct category: cross country, all-mountain, and downhill, just to name a few. Nevertheless, there are a few characteristics to look for, regardless of type.

Since most new mountain bikes these days are equipped with suspension, this will play a huge part in the feel of the bike. The fork should be plush and confidence-building, smooth and supple. If you have an opportunity to test ride the bike you’re interested in, all suspension components should be adjusted to your weight, and perhaps even riding style in order to get an accurate judgment. A test ride without doing this is not a fair test of the bike and might be worse than no test ride at all. As far as fully suspended bikes go, there are different types of linkage that will deliver different characteristics, depending on the rest of the geometry of the bike. It seems the true test for fully suspended mountain bikes today is whether they are increase your confidence on the downhill and yet retain enough stiffness to leave its climbing ability minimally compromised. As a general rule, designs that place most of the moving parts more or less in the center of the back will improve the lateral rigidity of the ride. However a caution is in order: lateral rigidity is not a good thing if it requires a suspension so overbuilt that the bike feels sluggish and heavy. The geometry has a lot to do with fit, but also with a bike’s overall performance.

Today, Sram has given Shimano a good bit of competition when it comes to a spunky, technically sound, and easily maintained drive train. Both work wonderfully, particularly at the high end. Thus, it comes down to personal preference to some degree. However, brakes are a different story. There are lots of brake manufacturers out there making good brakes; hydraulic disc being the current standard on high performance mountain bikes. Quality brakes today have excellent modulation capabilities, and unprecedented stopping power. They should also be fairly quiet most of the time, and somewhat easily maintained; meaning they should hold the seal on the closed system most of the time and only require bleeding very occasionally.

Aside from all the technicalities, it is really quite simple. A high performance mountain bike today should be just that; it should feel comfortable, responsive, lively, and reliable. If the bike stops performing, it should be the rider that stops it. Again, depending on the type of mountain bike and the type of rider, some bikes are going to perform better on certain terrain than others. Nevertheless, if the two are matched appropriately, the results should be superior riding capabilities.