A great extreme sport:MOUNTAINBIKING

Mountain bikers are a different breed. Not only are they going to school but they are doing it without the support of their professors unlike the varsity sports. In between midterms and papers they find time to train like professional athletes and each year the level of competition increases.
For example this year Banner Elk, North Carolina played host to the collegiate mountain bike invasion and let's just say the event was better than ever.

Discipline oriented designs

There are several different styles of mountain biking, usually defined by the terrain, and therefore bikes employed. All of the bikes in this category fall into one of the above four categories and bikes of each of the above style can be found almost any of the following categories.

• Cross Country (XC) mountain bikes typically have only a small amount of front and/or rear suspension (usually 65-110 mm) and are relatively light, which is achieved via the use of lightweight materials and construction in both frame and components. As a consequence, XC bikes are often less durable than other types of mountain bikes when used outside of their intended purpose.Suspension, both front and rear, is typically provided by pneumatic (air) shocks and forks, which saves weight. Some XC bike models have no suspension and use a rigid front fork, saving weight but relying more on rider skill to negotiate rough terrain. XC riding is the most popular form of mountain biking, focused on efficient climbing rather than aggressive descending. XC bikes reflect this in their lighter weights and steeper geometries than downhill bikes. However, most XC bikes are poor choices for stunts like jumps.
• Enduro/All-Mountain (AM) bikes are generally heavier than XC bikes, typically weighing between 30 and 35 pounds (14 to 16 kg). These bikes tend to feature greater suspension travel, frequently as much as 150 mm of front and rear travel, often adjustable on newer mid and high end bikes. They are designed to be able to ascend and descend mountains, integrating the climbing abilities of XC bikes with the suspension technology of freeride bikes.

Freeriding on a hardtail freeride bike

• Freeride (FR) mountain bikes are similar to All-Mountain bikes, but with less emphasis on weight and more on suspension. Freeride bikes tend to have up ample suspension, with 7 (178 mm) or more inches of travel fairly commonplace. The components are built from stronger, consequently heavier, materials. They can be ridden uphill, but are inefficient and their moderately slack head tube angles make them difficult to maneuver while angled up a hill or traveling at a low speed. They are effective on technical downhill trails. Frame angles are typically steeper than those found in downhill bikes. This enhances maneuverability over and around small objects. Freeride bikes typically range in weight from 30 to 45 pounds. Freeride trails usually use the natural terrain to create stunts such as dropoffs, narrow ladder bridges called "skinnies", as well as large ramps built to launch the rider into the air. The most durable freeride bikes are often too heavy and have too much suspension to be ridden uphill as comfortably as other less-sturdy models, although newer, more expensive bikes come with suspension specifically designed to make them easier to ride uphill. It is, however, quite common for freeriders to frequent lift accessed riding terrain, offered at ski resorts during the off season, or simply walk their bikes uphill, rather than riding them.
• Downhill (DH) mountain bikes typically have 7 or more inches (178 mm) of suspension travel. They are built as strong as possible for reliability during racing and weigh around 40-45 lbs (21 kg). Due to their typically large or high gears and long, soft travel, Downhill bikes are suitable only for riding down dedicated downhill trails and race courses. The suspension is set to sag around 30% front and 50% rear of full travel, creating ample traction around bumpy corners. The head angle is often as slack as 64 degrees. Most riders who ride exclusively downhill do so in competitions or ride almost exclusively on lift accessed terrain, but tramming up to the top of runs is still by far the most popular as most trails do not have lift access. Pushing the bike to the top is also a commonly used method. Due to the high speed nature of downhill riding most bikes only have one chain ring in the front, a large bash guard and a chain guide.

• Trials mountain bikes are set up very specifically for the purpose of bicycle trials. Two varieties of trials bike exist, those with 26" wheels (referred to as 'stock') and those with 20" wheels (referred to as 'mod' - because historically they were modified BMX bikes). They typically have no suspension at all, though some still make use of some form of it. Competition rules require stock bikes to have multiple gears for competition, but most riders never use their shifters. Competition rules do not require mod bikes to have any gears. Many non-competitive riders run single-speed, choosing a fairly low-speed, high-torque gear. Most modern trials bikes have no seat at all, as the rider spends all of his time out of the saddle. These bikes are significantly lighter than almost all other mountain bikes, ranging from 15 to 25 pounds. This makes manoeuvring the bike much easier.
• Dirt Jumping, Urban and Street mountain bikes lie somewhere in between a trials bike, a BMX bike and a freeride bike. They are typically very strong bikes, with 0 to 4 inches of front suspension, and rarely any rear suspension (3 to 4 inches if any), with as many as nine gears or as few as one. Tires on these bikes are usually fast-rolling, slick or semi-slicks. Dirt Jumpers usually sport a geometry of 24-26" tires, as well as a "bash ring" replacing the largest ring on the crankset.
• Single-speed mountain bikes have one set gear ratio. The gear ratio chosen depends on the terrain being ridden, the strength and skill of the rider, and the size of the bike (a bike with 29" wheels often requires a different gearing than a bike with standard 26" wheels). Often single-speeds are fully rigid, steel-framed bikes. These are typically ridden by very fit individuals on mild to moderate cross country terrain.
• Mountain Cross or "4-cross racing" (4X) is a relatively new style of riding where four bikers race downhill on a prepared, BMX like, track, simply trying to get down first. These bikes are generally either full suspension with 3 to 4 inches of travel, or hardtails, and have, typically, quite strong frames. They run a chainguide on front and gears on the back. They have slack head angles, short chainstays and low bottom brackets for good cornering and acceleration.
• North Shore mountain biking originated in the steep, wet, rocky, rooty terrain of Vancouver, Canada's north shore, thus it was coined "north shore" riding. Because of the almost, if not completely impassable terrain, riders began building bridges over muddy areas, rocks, stumps and deadfall. These bridges evolved into complex, often extremely challenging, man-made stunts. Because stunts are often narrow and may require the rider to move very slowly regardless of width, north shore riding requires immense balance and bike handling skills. North shore bikes are much like freeride bikes in their geometry and downhill bikes in their component makeup. Because north shore stunts have evolved to not only include simple and complex bridges but also large drops and high speed descents through a series of stunts north shore bikes commonly have as much travel as downhill and freeride bikes, however with much more nimble and maneuverable frame designs, and often lighter-weight.