volosong

Don't expect an answer here, but can someone direct me to a place that explains the different categories of off-road bikes. Such as, "XC", "Trail", "Enduro Trail", "All Mountain" and "Sport XC". These were taken from the Rocky Mountain Bicycles web site. I get "Dirt Jump" and "Downhill" and won't be doing any of that. Are these terms fairly universal, or does each manufacturer have their own terminology? Thanks.

s0ul_chicken

This is from ChiliPepper1 over at Pinkbike:

Bike Frame Oriented Disciplines:

Mountain bike frames fall into several different disciplines that are usually defined by the type of terrain, not the rider. This is not to be confused by a "Rider" selected discipline which is completely different in respects to the design and build of a mountain bike. An example of this statement is that; a person whom practices the discipline of "Trials" can ultimately perform many aspects of this discipline on a number different bikes (i.e. XC, Freeride, etc) however, the bike selected may not be designed to handle the related frame stress that would be endured during such maneuvers.

With that said, all of the above frame categories fall into one or more of the following disciplines listed below. Please understand, I have not covered all related bike disciplines, just the majority of what we see when riding in the woods, on single and double tracks, & bike parks.

Cross Country (XC): Mountain bikes that fall into this discipline are designed around two main factors; weight and pedaling efficiency. Many of these bikes are designed with relatively small amounts of suspension (front and rear) and have steep head and seat tube angles to allow a more forward leaning body position during riding. They are typically fabricated from Aluminum, Carbon-fiber and/or bi-metal mixtures to achieve the lightest possible frame but maintain strength for its design purpose. Cross country bikes typically have 3 selectable front sprockets along with a 9 speed (cog) rear cassette allowing for a huge variation of pedal torque vs. gear inch travel.

Below is a typical bike build for XC frames that are oriented for this riding discipline:

Frame Design: Typically Full Suspension.
Frame Geometry: Head Tube Angle 70 degree; Seat Tube Angle 73 degree; Wheelbase 43 inches.
Average Build Weight: 20 to 30lbs depending on component selection.
Suspension Travel: 3 to 4 inches for both fork and rear shock.
Suspension Type: Air fork and rear shock.
Wheel Setup (Front): Lightweight XC rim with 32 hole QR hub.
Wheel Setup (Rear): Lightweight XC rim with 32 hole QR hub.
Tire Size Range: 1.9 - 2.3 with a durometer of 65 (average).
Brakes: Cable & hydraulic brakes with 6 inch disk rotors (front & rear).
Crank Arms: 175mm - 180mm
Chainring: Three sprocket setup ranging from 24t - 48t.
Rear Cog Set: 9 speed cassette ranging from 11t - 32t.
Stem Length: 70mm - 130mm; 6 degree rise (average).
Handle bars: 23" - 25" width; 0" to 1.5" rise; 5 degree rearward & 4 degree upward sweep (average).

All-Mountain (AM): Mountain bikes that fall into this discipline are a cross between XC bikes and FR bikes. They are designed for efficient pedaling but have slightly heavier frames to handle more aggressive technical riding that may involve jumps. AM bikes tend to have greater suspension then XC bikes and many include multiple positions for different rear shock lengths. AM frames are heavier due to thicker gauge tubing and/or frame gusseting. Typically these frames are designed to have 3 selectable front sprockets along with a 9 speed (cog) rear cassette allowing for a huge variation of pedal torque vs. gear inch travel.

Below is a typical bike build for AM frames that are oriented for this riding discipline:

Frame Design: Typically Full Suspension.
Frame Geometry: Head Tube Angle 68 degree; Seat Tube Angle 73 degree; Wheelbase 45 inches.
Average Build Weight: 28 to 35lbs depending on component selection.
Suspension Travel: 4 to 6 inches for both fork and rear shock.
Suspension Type: Air fork and rear shock. Coil suspension is optional.
Wheel Setup (Front): All-purpose rim with 32 hole QR hub.
Wheel Setup (Rear): All-purpose rim with 32 hole 10mm bolt-on hub.
Tire Size Range: 2.25 - 2.5 with a durometer of 65 (average).
Brakes: Hydraulic brakes with 6 & 8 inch disk rotors (front & rear or combination of both).
Crank Arms: 175mm.
Chainring: Three sprocket setup ranging from 22t - 46t.
Rear Cog Set: 9 speed cassette ranging from 12t - 34t.
Stem Length: 50mm - 90mm; 6 degree rise (average).
Handle bars: 24" - 26" width; 0" to 1.5" rise; 5 degree rearward & 4 degree upward sweep (average).

Freeride (FR): Mountain bikes that fall into this discipline are designed to handle the stress of large jumps and extreme technical riding. FR mountain bikes are probably the most versatile bike for aggressive technical riding. With today's suspension technology and rear linkage designs, FR bikes are somewhat capable of being ridden uphill and are moderately maneuverable at low speed regardless of a "slack" riding position. FR bikes typically run just one sprocket in the front with a 9 speed cog set in the rear. This is to reduce the overall length of the chain which will reduce the possibility of chain slap and miss-shifting during travel of the rear wheel.

Below is a typical bike build for FR frames that are oriented for this riding discipline:

Frame Design: Typically Full Suspension.
Frame Geometry: Head Tube Angle 66 degree; Seat Tube Angle 71 degree; Wheelbase 45.5 inches.
Average Build Weight: 32 to 45lbs depending on component selection.
Suspension Travel: 6+ inches for both fork and rear shock.
Suspension Type: Air fork and rear shock. Coil suspension is optional.
Wheel Setup (Front): Heavy-Duty rim with 36 hole 20mm hub.
Wheel Setup (Rear): Heavy-Duty rim with 36 hole 10mm bolt-on hub.
Tire Size Range: 2.5 - 2.7 with a durometer of 60 (average).
Brakes: Hydraulic brakes with 8 inch disk rotors (front & rear).
Crank Arms: 170mm.
Chainring: Single sprocket setup ranging from 32t - 46t.
Rear Cog Set: 9 speed cassette ranging from 12t - 34t.
Stem Length: 30mm - 70mm; 10 degree rise (average).
Handle bars: 24" - 27" width; 1.5" to 2.5" rise; 9 degree rearward & 4 degree upward sweep (average).

Slopestyle Bikes fall in-between AM & DH disciplines and do vary between bikes, most being used as an all purpose MTB (XC/AM/FR/DH), but these bikes can also be used in some competition as well.

Downhill (DH): Mountain bikes that fall into this discipline are designed for handling extreme technical riding at high speed. Typically with 8 inches of travel, DH bikes can handle the biggest jumps, steepest descents and most technical rock gardens that you have the balls for. Designed with a long wheelbase and "slack" rider position, a DH bike is not ideal for riding general trails in the woods, but will serve its purpose when you transverse trails on an exclusively lift accessed terrain. DH bikes as well as their FR bike cousins typically run just one sprocket in the front with a 9 speed cog set in the rear. This is to reduce the overall length of the chain which will reduce the possibility of chain slap and miss-shifting during travel of the rear wheel.

Below is a typical bike build for DH frames that are oriented for this riding discipline:

Frame Design: Typically Full Suspension.
Frame Geometry: Head Tube Angle 64 degree; Seat Tube, Angle 65 degree; Wheelbase 47 inches.
Average Build Weight: 38 to 60lbs depending on component selection.
Suspension Travel: 6 - 8+ inches for both fork and rear shock.
Suspension Type: Coil/oil fork and rear shock. Air is optional.
Wheel Setup (Front): DH rim with 36 hole 20mm hub.
Wheel Setup (Rear): DH rim with 36 hole 10mm bolt-on hub.
Tire Size Range: DH2.3 - 3.0 with a durometer of 50 (average).
Brakes: Hydraulic brakes with 8 inch disk rotors (front & rear). Higher end having double pads.
Crank Arms: 170mm.
Chainring: Single sprocket setup ranging from 32t - 48t.
Rear Cog Set: 9 speed cassette ranging from 12t - 34t.
Stem Length: 30mm - 70mm; 10 degree rise (average).
Handle bars: 26" - 28" width; 1.5" to 2.5" rise; 9 degree
rearward & 4 degree upward

volosong

Thank you. Much appreciated. Following your cyber trail, it eventually leads to the Wikipedia "Mountain biking" article and its sub-section called "Types".

LesterOfPuppets

XC is very widespread, used to designate bikes made for XC racing. Generally lightest weight, least suspension travel.

Trail is one of the many designations between XC and DH. You really don't want to race XC or DH on them, generally more towards the XC end than AM as far as I can tell.

Enduro is a fairly new racing type which involves timed, often downhill, sections separated by untimed segments which you must ride (no ski lifts or truck rides). So they often have more travel than XC but are still pretty good for pedalling across flats and uphills.

Sport XC - I'd guess that means XC bike that isn't a full blown race rig.

ColinL

That wall of text above is pretty good, but aged. Only entry-level bikes have triples now, everything else has a 2x10. I also noticed the 9-speed and 34T bits, which leads me to believe that was written 3-4 years ago.