2018
MOUNTAIN BIKE BUYERS GUIDE
Mountain Bikes
This is where you go to get away from it all. When you ride off-road, the possibilities are endless. From steep, technical trails to fast and flowy singletrack. Whatever your ambitions might be, give yourself an advantage with a Giant bike that’s made to fuel your off-road adventures.
Front-Suspension Mountain Bike
From dirt paths to singletrack, front-suspension mountain bikes (or hardtails) keep you confident and in control. These bikes provide a smooth comfortable ride with knobby tires and are great for cross country riding, smooth forest trails or any moderately smooth off road adventure. These bikes make great first time mountain bikes and come in a variety of different models depending on what type of riding you'll be doing.
Full-Suspension Mountain Bike
Full-suspension (or FSR) mountain bikes are great for enduro or all-mountain trail riding and sit between hardtails and downhill specific models. These models are great for single track where the width of the track is approximately the width of the bike and will make climbing up or bombing down hills a breeze. These bikes are the kings of trail and cross country riding with specific models being offered depending on where exactly you'll be riding.
Downhill Mountain Bike
Downhill mountain bikes are a form of full-suspension bike that are specifically designed for riding down steep mountains or rocky trails. These bikes are relentless, fast and aggressive for the demanding sport of downhill racing and feature large double crown front suspension and coiled rear suspension. They have a heavier frame and more rugged components than a traditional FSR bike in order to take the beating of riding down a mountain slope.
29 Inch Mountain Bike
29 inch mountain bikes (or 29ers) have big 29 inch wheels compared to standard 26 or 27.5 inch mountain bike wheels. These larger wheels offer more stability, roll over bumps more easily offer a more comfortable riding position and are slightly faster than smaller wheels. The trade off being that larger wheels come with more weight, acceleration is slower than smaller wheeled bikes and larger bikes can be more award to control on narrow paths.
650B Mountain Bike
650b mountain bikes are mountain bikes with a wheel diameter of 27.5 inches. These bikes sit comfortable in the middle of 26 inch bikes and 29ers giving you the best of both worlds. Mountain bikes with 650b wheels are quickly replacing 26in bikes to become the new standard. They are quicker than the smaller wheels and can get up to speed faster than 29ers.
FatBikes
A fatbike or fat-tire bike is a type of off road mountain bike with over sized 3.8in tires or wider. These bikes distribute the weight of the rider over a larger area allowing for travel over loose or unstable terrain such as sandy beaches or snowy trails. These bikes are great for a smooth comfortable ride and offer a great way to stay active in the winter when you otherwise wouldn't be able to ride a bike with thinner tires.
Unsuspensed Mountain Bike
Unsuspensed mountain bikes are all-terrain tough and provide a fast and smooth ride on rough challenging roads. These bikes will take the edge off of bumpy roads making them feel smooth again. This category also include many fatbikes as their wheels provide a smooth ride with no suspension needed.
Mountain Inspired Hybrids
Follow your own path where ever the road leads you with mountain bike inspired hybrids. These bikes feature mountain bike like front suspension, wider tires a flat hand bars for an upright position. They're lighter and more casual than a mountain bike yet are capable enough to take on dirt paths or gravel trails. These bikes give you the best qualities of a mountain bike with the speed of a road bike making them great for town-to-trail adventures.
Dirt Jumper Mountain Bike
These bikes are built to go big by providing a bombproof ride in the street, park or on dirt. Dirt jumpers can come suspended or unsuspended and are designed for the sole purpose of pulling off tricks and catching big air. These differ from a normal mountain bike by having a lower dropped seat, small single speed crankset and lower more compact profile as well as smaller 26in wheels.