| Your very first ride down the steep slopes of a bona | | | | these days, too. Most of the bikes seen around town |
| fide mountain on a rock strewn trail on an old bike will | | | | seem to be mountain bikes or some hybrid of the |
| undoubtedly leave you convinced to the necessity of | | | | mountain bike. Fact is, mountain bikes are made for |
| purchasing a strong and resilient mountain bike frame! | | | | comfort. What they add to genuine off-road riding |
| It, as your body will attest, is going to absorb a lot | | | | (shock absorption, easy gearing, and responsive |
| of shock. If you invest in a good mountain bike | | | | handling) may be essential but what they add to |
| frame, it will do even more: it will actually absorb, into | | | | street riding (shock absorption, easy gearing, and |
| its metal and components, much of the shock that | | | | responsive handling) is no less appreciated by the |
| would otherwise move readily into your own | | | | casual rider. You will even find mountain bike riders on |
| components! | | | | most any of the long, multi-day road tours so |
| Design and construction of mountain bike frames has | | | | increasingly popular. You will not, probably, find these |
| advanced centuries in the last couple of decades, | | | | riders among the front pack though: a mountain bike |
| really. What is available today only remotely | | | | frame is not made for efficient road usage, even if it |
| resembles the first so-called mountain bikes some of | | | | does add comfort. |
| us rode in the early nineteen-eighties. Today, | | | | Getting a mountain bike frame that's right for you is |
| mountain bike frames are available in geometries and | | | | possible either in person at a good bike store or |
| materials unimagined two decades ago. What you | | | | online if you know your size and usage requirements, |
| need is going to be a combination of your own body | | | | but the vastly different frame geometries make |
| and your individual intentions. If you like the thrill of | | | | riding a bike before buying it more important than |
| high speed downhill rides, you will need a vastly | | | | ever. The traditional triangular structure of a road |
| different bike than if you ride on level trails. If your | | | | bike frame is frequently drastically skewed on today's |
| preference is to avoid going over rocks, you will | | | | mountain bike frames, rendering the triangle almost |
| need a different bike than someone whose eyes light | | | | unrecognizable. Shopping at a good bike store will put |
| up at the sight of a boulder strewn pathway. Think | | | | you in touch with bike professionals who will be able |
| about what you enjoy before you go shopping for a | | | | to recommend the right geometry for your unique |
| mountain bike. | | | | physique and your own unique preferences and |
| Mountain bike frames spend a lot of time on roads | | | | strengths as a rider. |