How to Select Mountain Bike Components

Mountain Biking How To — How to select Mountain Bike components

When you read the specs of the mountain bikes in the local professional shop on the web sites of your favorite brands I am sure you are often trying to decipher the meaning behind the ratios in the Front Derailleur, the wheel size, of suspension / front fork travel size and/or mechanical spring vs air spring implementation….So here I go with some clarifications you can hopefully use in your selection process

  • Gears:  So what is that front derailleur all about?  Well in general the more recent models of mountain bikes come with either 2×10 or 3×10 gearing.  What is the difference?  Well it is all about how many rings do you have up front (see photo below – which in the case of the photo – my bike is 3×10) and how many in the rear.  Trek Gary Fisher here you see the photo of 3×10 – 3 chainrings upfront and 10 in the rear TREK Gary Fisher This setup essentially defines how many gears you would have total – with the 3×10 providing for a wider range and several more gears in the middle of that spread.  The 2×10 offers lighter weight, faster movement of increments in gearing – i.e. faster shifting up and down.   All in all the 2×10 option has started to appear on increasing number of bikes – it offers also lower cost and in reality meets the needs of over 50% of riders.
  • Wheel size selection:  29-inch vs. 27.5-inch vs 26-inch…? The (almost) age old question – which bike with what wheels I should buy?   The reality – they all have plus and minus valuation points.  Smaller wheels are more maneuverable – but large wheel offer more comfort and speed…..So as usual – novel idea – take a test ride..!
  • Front shock / fork:  mechanical or air spring implementation.  You will be surprised how many biking enthusiasts have no idea what their shock is and what should they be looking for.  The bad news is that based on which bike model select many of the components will come with the specific bike (per how the manufacturer has outfitted the bike / model).  If you want to replace the fork for example, that will cost you dearly.  So my advice – look for more expensive model – the tier above your current selection and then look for end of the model year discounts!

So with those advice in mind – go on and look for a bike…

Please keep in mind – it is best for you to test ride the bike!  No spec descriptions will replace the in-person on the pedals experience!