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Mountain Bike Links
If you have no intention of venturing off-road, consider a road bike designed for speed and fluidity on street and paved tracks. See our separate report on
Additionally, many kid's bikes are styled after mountain-bike specs, with fat tires and compact frames. Most, however, lack the suspension and off-road prowess that set mountain bikes apart from other categories of bicycles. Teens will easily be able to find the right fit in an adult mountain bike. You can find information on bikes for younger kids in our separate report on
ConsumerReports.org doesn't review mountain bikes, but the magazine's website has a good easy-to-read buyer's guide that is available for free at ConsumerReports.org.
The About.com article "What Type of Mountain Bike Should I Get?" is very helpful in sorting out the main types of mountain bikes and figuring out which type best suits your personal needs. Additional links to mountain-biking information are also available. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Because mountain biking is now an Olympic sport, the International Olympic Committee has a page with extensive information about mountain biking and common terminology.
This article on mountain bike components at Mountain-Bike-World.com offers specific advice on mountain-bike components, including which are most important and which components consumers should spend big money on.
If you want to find reviews on freeride or downhill mountain bikes, Bicycling's Gear & Review Finder is a good source.
You can also find sophisticated and detailed specification information on manufacturer websites for the mountain bikes mentioned in this report:
