Full Suspension MTB Frames
admin | Monday, May 4th, 2009 | Comments Off
Photo by Jonathan Shield
In mountain bike styles where the bike, and rider is put under extreme stress full suspension bikes have become increasingly popular. The bikes feature a fairly standard frame geometry however include rear suspension and may be further customised by the type of event the rider is interested in such as freeride (FR), Downhill (DH), Mountain cross or “4-cross racing” (4X).
Commonly, inferior mass produced high street bikes will also be full suspension as a marketing ploy and to give an impression of being ‘more expensive’, don’t be fooled!
Downhill
Downhill bikes can often be much heavier than other types of mountain bike due to there being less requirement for riding a heavy bike over great distances or the need for a lightweight bike to perform tricks. Most downhill bikes feature full suspension to help the rider out from the severe constant punishment of hurtling down a trail over bumpy terrain at high speed and with a frame geometry that leans back more than other MTB frames to allow for a more comfortable riding position.
Freeride
Freeride is a relatively new discipline which combines other aspects of mountain biking such as downhill, dirt jump and anything else the rider wishes to throw in.
Freeride frames are typically made of aluminium alloys or steel and are smaller than a standard downhill bike, although of a similar geometry. The bikes often have over sized parts to allow for increased strength and are borrow some setup aspects from dirt jump bikes to allow the rider to perform awe inspiring tricks whilst coming downhill at great speeds.
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