Top 5 Cross Country Mountain Bike Buying Factors

Mountain Biking has evolved over the years into a sport with many riding styles and divisions. As new riding styles have developed, bike manufacturers have altered their existing bikes or created new ones suited to the different types of riding. When buying a mountain bike you should be sure that the bike matches the style of riding you will be doing. In addition, there are many other factors to consider before making your purchase. This guide will help you with the top 5 most important decisions you will make when buying your new cross country mountain bike.

1. Hardtail or Full-Suspension

This is one of the biggest decisions to make when buying a XC (cross country) mountain bike. Some people prefer a hardtail bike meaning that it only has front suspension. The benefits of hardtail bikes are that they are lighter, typically climb better, and are easier to ride on a road if you have to commute. Having a rear shock can absorb a lot of your riding energy while climbing hills or commuting on paved roads. But, there are many riders that prefer having a full-suspension bike because it is more comfortable on rough trails, handles better on downhill areas or while moving fast, and gives a more plush ride.

Some important things to note are that full-suspension bikes are more expensive, have more moving parts (which adds additional points of failure), and require more maintenance. If you get an expensive rear shock it will most likely have a lockout feature which can be activated using a lever on your handlebars. This can be a very nice feature to have when climbing steep terrain or commuting on paved roads. However, most of the cheaper, lower-end shocks do not have a lockout feature.

2. Drivetrain

The drivetrain of a bike consists of the chain, crankset, cassette, shifters, and derailleurs. It is what transfers your pedaling into forward motion. It is important to have a drivetrain that suits your needs. If you are buying your bike to race you will most likely want all high-end components because they are lighter, stronger, and more reliable. If you are just riding your bike for recreational purposes it can be nice to have high-end components but if you want to cut the cost of your purchase down quite a bit you can go with cheaper low-end components. Here are some useful

Chain

There are not many differences between different chains. Some have been engineered to be lighter by having hollow pins, some are meant to be stronger so you don't break links while riding, and some are designed to shift more smoothly and prevent chain suck which is where your chain does not properly disengage from the chain-ring and ends up getting stuck between the chain-rings and your bike frame which can damage your bike's frame if it happens too much.

Crankset

The differences between the low-end cranks and the high-end cranks are weight and rigidity. The higher-end cranks are more expensive because they are made of lighter and stronger materials. The harder you ride the more rigidity you will need so that you don't break your crank or have too much flex while pedaling. The chain-rings of higher-end cranks will be made of aluminum or may even contain some carbon to make them strong and light whereas the lower-end cranks will have steel chain-rings which are heavy but still strong.

Cassette

Cassettes vary typically in weight. Low-end cassettes are heavier and may not shift as well as the higher-end cassettes. Hi-end cassettes are precision engineered to shift smoother and be lighter/stronger.

Shifters

Low-end shifters will not be very easy to shift and will usually not shift as fast as the high-end ones. Again, as with most components, the high-end shifters will be light weight, have more adjustments, will shift faster, and will require less effort to shift than the low-end shifters.

Derailleurs

Low-end derailleurs will have plastic parts, be noisy and slow while shifting, and are more likely to fail than the higher-end ones. A high-end derailleur will typically have all metal or carbon parts which makes it more durable and stiffer, it will also shift more precisely and quicker than a low-end derailleur. If you have cheap derailleurs you will most likely have certain gears that make lots of noise or gears that you cannot shift into without a lot of effort.

3. Brakes

When you are flying down a singletrack trail the last thing you want to fail is your brakes. There are three main types of brakes to choose from when buying a new bike. There are the standard V-brakes, or rim brakes as they are now called, cable-actuated disc brakes, and hydraulic disc brakes. Each has it's own advantages which we will now discuss.

V-brakes (Rim Brakes)

These are most definitely the cheapest option for brakes. Braking is achieved by pads that squeeze the outer rim of the wheel to produce the necessary friction to stop the bike. These brakes typically perform well in various conditions such as mud, rain, or dust but typically the stopping power is reduced when the brakes are subjected to these other conditions. If you are riding in deep mud or water you are very likely to get your rims dirty which will decrease your stopping power. Rim brakes are easy to maintain and changing brake pads or making adjustments yourself is relatively simple.

Cable-Actuated Disc Brakes

Cable-actuated disc brakes provide more stopping power than rim brakes and are less affected by adverse conditions such as mud, rain, and dust. Braking is achieved by pads applying force to a rotor which is attached to the wheel hub. The pads are actuated when you pull your brake lever and an attached cable makes the brake pad rub on the rotor. The rotor for disc brakes is located in the center of the wheel and is usually not submersed in water or mud like your rims are so the braking remains fairly consistent. Cable-Actuated disc brakes are typically easy to maintain yourself and they have a smoother braking modulation than the Rim brakes do. Meaning that your tire will typically lock-up less which means more traction on the trail.

Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Hydraulic Disc Brakes pretty much work the same as their cable-actuated cousins but typically require less effort to engage the brakes because of the physics of hydraulic pressure. More force can be applied to the brake with less effort on the part of the rider with hydraulic disc brakes. The one downside to hydraulic brakes is that maintenance can be substantially more difficult if you have to change the hydraulic fluid and bleed the brakes. It is typically recommended that you have your local bike shop do this for you although there are kits you can get that make it easier to do at home.

4. Seat

Having a comfortable seat is very important. Most of the seats that come with bikes are not very good so you may just want to buy an after-market seat anyway. Ride the bike for 5-10 minutes and see if the seat gives you any problems. You will need to ride the bike much longer than that to determine if the seat is going to be comfortable or not though. There are saddles of many different shapes, sizes, and softness. If you know other people that have bikes you can ask to try their seats out for a while to see if you like them or ask your local bike shop what they recommend. If your seat is uncomfortable you are not going to want to ride your bike very much.

5. Pedals

It is important to determine which type of pedal will be best for you. There are platform pedals, toe clip pedals, and clipless pedals. Each has benefits and disadvantages which we will look at.

Platform Pedals

These are what most bikes come with. They are basically what the name implies, a platform that you put your foot on to pedal. There is nothing to keep your foot from coming off the pedals while you are riding. This can be an advantage if you are about to fall off the bike you can jump off and hopefully prevent serious injury. The disadvantage is that your feet could slip off while pedaling hard causing the pedal to spin backward and hit you in the shin which is very painful. Also, platform pedals do not provide efficient pedaling. You are able to push down with each leg for about half of the pedal rotation. You can ride on platform pedals with most types of shoes including flip-flops or sandals if you desire.

Toe Clip Pedals

Toe Clip Pedals are typically platform pedals with some sort of strap or cage that goes over your foot. This keeps your foot from slipping out easily and can provide extra pedaling efficiency because you are able to pull up with your legs as well as push down while pedaling. Riding with toe clip pedals is generally done with closed-toe shoes such as tennis shoes because pulling up on a strap or cage with sandals or flip-flops could be painful. Getting out of toe clip pedals in an emergency is harder than platform pedals but usually easier than getting out of clipless pedals.

Clipless Pedals

Clipless pedals require special shoes with cleats that match the attachment style of the pedal. Most mountain pedals use the Shimano SPD type mount although some use the crank brothers egg-beater style mount. Clipless pedals provide for the most efficient pedaling out of the three types of pedals. In an emergency some riders complain that it is difficult to get your feet out of the pedals in time but most also say that as you get used to the method of releasing from the pedal that it becomes second nature and can be done quickly. If you decide to go with clipless pedals be sure that you practice getting in and out of the pedals while riding on the road before you try them in the mountains or else you will most likely get hurt. Many cross country mountain bikers recommend clipless pedals because they can take your riding to the next level and make you a better and faster rider.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found this information to be useful. Buying a new cross country mountain bike can be a daunting task but by informing yourself of the different things to consider you will be able to make a better choice. Nobody wants to buy a bike that they don't end up riding because it does not match their needs.