Cross country mountain biking is cross country at its finest.

Where free riders and downhill bikers use four-wheel bikes and ski lifts to get them to
their destination, cross country bikers get to the top of the mountain by the ride. Though free
riding is very popular, the life vein of the sport has always been cross country biking.

Just as cross country riders are a different breed, the bikes they ride are as well.

The cross country bike is completely different in many ways from other
types of mountain riding bikes.
The premise for cross-country riders is speed. Everything about
their bikes revolves around the idea of making the bikes faster and faster.

Bikes used in cross country mountain biking can
be fully rigid frames, hardtails, or even full-suspension frames.
Through the years, the cross-over to full suspension has become very popular.

The weight difference between free ride bikes and cross country bikes is considerable. You’ll be
extremely hard-pressed to find a bike that weighs more than 24 + pounds and even that weight can be
heavy.
Freeride bikes weigh close to 40 pounds, which makes the difference in weight fairly close.

If you’ve never tried cross country mountain biking, you’ll probably find it to be a break from the ordinary.
Even though this type of biking involves trails, it’s normally the type of terrain that beginners wouldn’t want to ride. Involving hills and rough terrain, cross country biking offers quite the rush.

For mountain bikers everywhere, cross country is the way to go. It offers you a new assortment of
bikes, new areas to bike, and a new twist to mountain biking as you know it.

If you’ve been looking for a mountain biking rush, cross country mountain biking is what you need to be experiencing.

Cross Country Mountain Biking Tips

Cross Country Mountain Biking is a relatively new sport, although people have been riding road cycles off-road since the 1890s. In the mid-70s, mountain bikes became distinct from road bikes because of the wheel size, geometry, and frame design. In 1978, the first cross-country-style event was held from Crested Butte to Aspen, Colorado. Since then, the sport has become increasingly popular and has even inspired a new style of cycling.

Suspension travel

While the suspension is an important part of any bike, there are many factors that influence its performance, and the suspension fork you choose is a vital component of your mountain bike. The amount of travel your bike has depends on the type of riding you do and the terrain you will be riding. A bike with more suspension travel will be much more comfortable to ride on rougher terrain, while a bike with a lower suspension will be less responsive on flat ground.

Tires

Depending on the type of terrain and rider preferences, a cross-country mountain bike tire should be between 2.1 and 2.4 inches wide. While tires in this range are lighter and more aerodynamic, narrower tires are prone to cutting into the ground and causing the rider to lose momentum. Wider tires have lower rolling resistance and a smaller contact area, so they provide better traction. Listed below are tips for choosing a cross-country mountain bike tire.

Handling

There are several key differences between cross country and downhill mountain biking. Cross country mountain bikes are narrower and have aluminum seat posts, while downhill bikes have dropper posts. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference, and which one feels more comfortable with.

Here are some tips for handling both types of biking:

Climbing

Ascents require power, focus, and technical prowess, and you can improve your speed and overall enjoyment by challenging yourself to focus for longer periods of time. When climbing, try to extend your focus by timing your climbs and keeping your center of gravity low. Locking your mind into the climb can help you pull the bars harder. It can also be a meditative experience.

Trail bike forks

When it comes to choosing the right forks for your trail bike, there are two main types to consider. The first is a coil spring, which uses a metal coil spring to compress and extend. Coil springs can be made from steel, titanium, or both. These types of springs have linear compression rates and the force required to compress them increases throughout the travel range. The total travel distance of a coil spring ranges from 80 to 200mm, depending on the type of mountain bike you’re riding.

Trail bike forks have less travel than downhill-specific forks

While downhill-specific forks generally have more travel, trail bike forks are designed for the cross-country terrain. The difference lies in the spring system. Downhill bikes usually feature coil-sprung shocks, while cross-country bikes have air-sprung shocks. The “all-mountain” bikes are in between the two styles. The forks’ travel can be adjusted to the rider’s preference.

Trail bike forks weigh less

The weight of your forks is a key component of cross-country mountain biking performance. Trail bike forks are much lighter than their cross-country counterparts, which allows you to pedal more efficiently on tough descents. Trail bikes typically have a single crown instead of a double crown, and they can be fitted to almost any standard mountain bike frame. Down country bikes, on the other hand, fill the gap between cross country racing and trail riding.

Trail bike forks have more travel than forks specifically made for downhill racing. They are designed to absorb bumps and stabilize the rider, which requires a stiff chassis and lightweight dampers. Because of the wide range of weights and riding styles, these bikes need to adapt to fit the rider’s preferences. A large percentage of high-end forks have adjustable features, which allow the buyer to find the exact ride they need.

Unlike downhill races, which are conducted in a time trial format, cross-country races traditionally feature a mass start or interval start, where riders are released in several large groups divided by age and/or ability. Races with very large fields that do not wish to stagger starts will sometimes employ a Le Mans start where racers begin by running to their bikes. Today’s mountain bikes have become extremely specialized in terms of their intended use. On one side you will find the cross-country racing mountain bikes. On the other side, you will find the downhill racing mountain bikes. The trail mountain bike sits in between the two types of bikes and tries to serve the purposes of both ends but only to a limited extent.