There are many different types of mountain biking such as: trial, free ride, downhill, enduro and cross-country. There are also different types of bikes corresponding to the disciplines of mountain biking.
One of the toughest kinds of mountain biking is Trial; it is a type of mountain biking where riders attempts to pass through an obstacle course without setting foot to ground by ‘bunny hopping’ and ‘track standing’ on the bike; it was derived from motorcycle trial. It requires extremely good balance and skill.
Probably the most dangerous type of mountain biking is Freeride. Which is a discipline of mountain biking combined with downhill and dirt jumping. It focuses on tricks, style, and technical trail features. The most famous event this disciplines is “Redbull Rampage” which involves riders finding the most stylish and creative line down the side of a cliff and jump 73 feet over an canyon. With every ride riders put their life on the line and push the limits.
If you want to point your bike downhill and go as fast as you can, downhill is for you. Downhill is a kind of riding in which you try to ride on the toughest terrain as fast as possible. Whistler bikepark is the biggest and the most famous downhill bike park in the world. It’s heaven for mountain biking; there are many downhill races during the summer event “Crankworx” in the whistler bike park, such as “Fox Air Downhill” and “Canadian Open DH”.
When you are super competitive and want to race all the time, Cross-Country might be for you. Cross-country is the only type of mountain biking which is an Olympic sport. It became an Olympic sport in 1996. Cross-country mainly involves climbing rough forest paths and easy single tracks.
Now it’s time for the best kind of mountain biking in my opinion-Enduro; which combines the endurance of cross country and the skill and techniques required from downhill; it’s a true all around type of riding. Enduro is also a type of racing which consists a number of downhill sections and a number of uphill sections which are not timed.
If this sport sounds interesting for you, you can join the mountain biking team at our school. Sign-ups start February, 2017; come join us. If you want to hit some trails you can go up to Burke Mountain before the shooting range at the yellow gate. So now that you know, go hit some trails.
Feauture photo courtesy of pinkbike
Photo courtesy of pinkbike/Matt Wragg
