mountain biking

Trialsriding consists of hopping and jumping bikes over obstacles, without touching a foot onto the ground. It can be performed either off road or in an urban environment. It requires an excellent sense of balance. The emphasis is placed on techniques of effectively overcoming the obstacles, although street trials (as opposed to competition oriented trials) is much like Street and DJ, where doing tricks with style is the essence. Trials bikes look almost nothing like mountain bikes. They use either 20, 24 or 26 wheels and have very small, low frames, some types without a saddle.

Urban/Streetis essentially the same as urban BMX (orFreestyle BMX), in which riders perform tricks by riding on/over man made objects. The bikes are the same as those used for Dirt Jumping, having 24 or 26 wheels. Also, they are very light, many in the range of 25 30lbs, and are typically hardtails with between 0 100 millimeters of front suspension. As with Dirt Jumping and Trials, style and execution are emphasized.

Mountain bike trail ridingis recreational mountain biking on hiking trails (hike on a bike), dirt roads and unpaved tracks, forest paths, etc.(pictured at right); its also practiced in dedicated trail centers, such as the scenicSlickrock Trailor Western AustraliasMunda Biddi Trail, which at over 1000km is one of the worlds longest off road trails. There aretrail bike designsfor this activity

Mountain Bike Touring or Marathonis long distance touring on dirt roads and single track with a mountain bike. With the popularity of theGreat Divide Trail, theColorado Trailand other long distance off road biking trails specially fitted mountain bikes are increasingly being used for touring. Bike manufacturers like Salsa have even developed MTB touring bikes like the Fargo model.Mixed Terrain Cycle Touringor rough riding is a form of mountain bike touring but involves cycling over a variety of surfaces and topography on a single route, with a single bicycle. The recent popularity of mixed terrain touring is in part a reaction against the increasing specialization of the bike industry. Focusing on freedom of travel and efficiency over varied surfaces, mixed terrain bicycle travel has a storied past.

Injuries are a given factor when mountain biking, especially in the more extreme disciplines such as downhill biking. Injuries range from minor wounds, such as cuts and abrasions from falls on gravel or other surfaces, to major injuries such as broken bones, head or spinal injuries resulting from impacts with rocks, trees or the terrain being ridden on.

Protective equipment can protect against minor injuries and reduce the extent or seriousness of major impacts, but may not protect a rider from major impacts or accidents. To reduce the risk of injury, a rider must also take steps to minimize the risk of accidents, and thus the potential for injury; by choosing trails which fall within the range of their experience level, ensuring that they are fit enough to deal with the trail they have chosen, and keeping their bike in top mechanical condition.