Cross-Country Mountain Bikes vs Trail Mountain Bikes
Differences between Cross-Country Mountain Bikes and Trail Mountain Bikes
A lot of people usually find it hard to identify the
correct mountain bike for them. Although choosing a bike may all depend on your
riding style, the terrain you will be riding on and who you will be riding
with, getting the right bike that fits your style is tricky. The trail mountain
bike and the cross-country mounting bike are quite identical and can easily be
confused at first glance. There are
several areas where you can find a significant difference between the two
bikes. Physical features of the bikes such as the length of the stems, the
width of the handlebars, the braking system, the suspension travel, and tires
are normally taken into consideration when identifying these types of mountain
bikes. You can find all your mountain bike parts and accessories below on the Blue Sky Cycling website.
The Handlebars - The cross country mountain
bike has a narrow handlebar. Since the
cross country bikes are built for maximum speed and agility, a narrow handlebar
enables the rider to get a feel of what the front wheel is doing. It is also
quick to steer around corners. A wide handlebar on trail bikes gives the rider
enough leverage to maneuver technical terrain. It helps the rider not to be
thrown around when going through rock gardens.
The Stem length - The cross country mountain
bike features a longer stem length of approximately 90mm - 100mm. The long stem
positions the rider in a posture that pushes the rider's body further forward
for enhanced grip on flat terrain, and maximum acceleration. On the other hand,
the trail bike has a shorter stem length of approximately 40mm -80mm. A short
stem keeps the rider's posture laid more backward for better stability during
steep downhill riding.
The Suspension Travel - A cross country
mountain bike has a shorter travel of suspension than the trail bike. A shorter
travel of suspension enhances a quick uphill sprint. For real fast
cross-country mountain bikes, the comfort of the rear suspension has been
eliminated to boost pedaling efficiency.
A longer suspension travel provides comfort and easy crawling
capabilities over obstacles.
The Head
angle - Due to a longer suspension travel in the front, trail
bikes also have a wider head angle which is good for down hill riding. It positions
the front wheel far much ahead of the rider making the bike stable even on
steep downhill maneuvers. On the other hand, the short suspension travel on a
cross-country bike forces it to have a narrower head angle which makes a cross
country bike more twitchy when riding on steep down hills.
The Brake Rotor - A trail bike has a
relatively large brake rotor compared to the cross country bike. A large brake
rotor of about 140mm - 160mm is key to a more powerful braking system, which is
essential when down hilling at a fast speed. Due to its wide surface area, a
large brake rotor is less likely to overheat and cause brake failure than smaller
brake rotors. Since cross-country mountain bikes are quite twitchy on the
downhill ride, a powerful braking system will only make things worse.
Therefore, its brake rotor is much smaller and less powerful.
Tires - A Cross-country bike has
smoother tires to enhance faster rolling for maximum speed while the trail
bikes feature wide and heavily threaded tires for better grip and stability on
unstable grounds.
Apart from the
physical features of theses mountain bikes, they can also be identified by
their capabilities, or what they can do better than the other. For example,
cross country mountain bikes are slower on the descent and faster on climbs and
flat surfaces. Trail mountain bikes are slower on climbs and fast and fun to
ride on down hills. Considering the overall speed, the cross country bikes are
far much faster than trails bikes. While the trail bikes can take a corner
quite aggressively with more grip, the cross country is able to maneuver
sharper corners with more agility. The trail bikes do break faster and more
precisely. The cross country bike is lighter and quicker in acceleration and
steering while the trail bikes are heavier and optimized for descends. Today's mountain bikes have become extremely specialized
in terms of their intended use. On one extreme you will find the cross-country
racing mountain bikes. On the other extreme, you will find the downhill racing
mountain bikes. The trail mountain bike sits in between the two types of bikes
and tries to serve the purposes of both ends but to a limited extent. How to set up your mountain bike is important. Click to check out how to set up a mountain bike. Or you can watch a quick video below that will show you the steps...
You can tell the difference between them by having a closer look at the handlebars, the stem length, the suspension travel, the brake rotor, the tires, and the head angle. The handle bars vary in length with the shorter ones for cross country bikes and the longer ones for trail bikes. Long stem length creates the appropriate body posture for cross country bikers while short stem lengths pull the cyclist backward for safer down hill riding on the trail. A long suspension travel is fit for trail bikes while cross country bikes feature a shorter travel on the suspension. Trail bikes have a large brake rotor for a more powerful breaking experience while cross-country bikes have smaller brake rotors. The tires on a cross country mountain bike are thinner relatively smoother for maximum speed compared to trail mountain bikes which have rougher and wider tires for better grip on technical terrains. With all these features in mind, you can easily tell the two types of mountain bikes apart. If you have any questions please feel free to leave us a comment. Thank you!
Blue Sky Cycling"Mountain Bike Parts Specialist" |
2530 Randolph St. |
Huntington Park, Ca 90255 |
(323) 585-3934 |
www.blueskycycling.com |
2 comments:
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Great info on cross country mountain bikes! thank you!
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