Mountain bike

A mountain bike, mountain bicycle or ATB (All Terrain Bicycle) is a bicycle designed for off-road riding, either on dirt trails or other unpaved environments; in contrast, road bicycles aren't rugged enough for such terrain.

Related Topics:
Bicycle - Off-road - Trail - Unpaved - Road bicycle

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Mountain bikes have fat, knobbly tires for extra traction. In recent years front suspension has become the norm and full front and rear suspension suspension increasingly common. Some mountain bikes are also fitted with bar ends on the handlebars, but with a recent trend in riser handlebars (as opposed to a flat straight handlebar) fewer riders use bar end extensions. The bikes normally have 26 in (660 mm) wheels although since 2002, some models have been available with 29 in (737 mm) wheels. The larger wheels supposedly roll better over obstacles but this comes at the expense of less manoeuvrability and significant uptake is stymied by the limited selection of tyres and forks on offer.

Related Topics:
Suspension - Bar end

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There are newer Mountain bikes have either 24 or 27 speed derailleur gears.

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In French a mountain bike is called a VTT (vélo tout-terrain: "all-terrain bicycle").

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