Maybe it's just a matter of semantics. After 20+ years of mtn biking I'm still not sure what those terms mean. Maybe it's just a matter of the terms meaning different things to different riders and manufacturers. Anyone else run into this?
One manuf describes a bike as great for XC but marginal for BackCountry. One reviewer says a bike is an outstanding Racer but wouldn't be his first choice for XC. What the heck does that mean?
DirtJump is pretty self-explanatory. How do riders here describe XC? Is there really a difference between a good XC bike and a Racer, besides weight? Or the difference between BackCountry, Out of Bounds, and DownHill? FreeStyle?
We've all ridden all these types and know them when we see them but what defines them? Do manuf's have a solid basis for classifying bikes by 'intended use'? Is there simply too much cross-over to have meaningful classifications?
(I suspect this has been pondered into the outer edges of the universe yet a search gives me little in my quest ; )
Am I destined to continue mtb'ing in a continual state of confusion? Does it matter? (Probably not).
OK; let's start at the beginning: What is 'XC', how is it different from other types of riding, and what bike attributes differentiate it from others?