A mountain bike or a mountain bicycle is a bike which has been specifically designed for off-road cycling. This includes jumps, travelling through rocks and washouts, steep hills, dirt trails, logging roads, and other unpaved environments. Bikes used for mountain biking are very different from road bikes and racing bikes. Mountain bikes need to be able to withstand the impacts of off-road use and the frame geometry needs to allow for obstacles such as logs and rocks. Most mountain bikes use 26 inch bicycle wheels with wide, knobby tires for extra traction and shock absorption. Since the 2000s, front wheel suspension has become the norm and full front and rear suspension has become increasingly common. Some mountain bikes are also fitted with bar ends on the handlebars to give extra leverage for hill-climbing.
Mountain bikes can be classified into four categories based on suspension:
Fully rigid: A frame with a rigid fork and fixed rear, no suspension.
Hardtail: A frame with a front suspension fork and no rear suspension.
Soft tail: A frame with small amount of rear suspension, activated by flex of the frame instead of pivots.
Dual or full suspension: A front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock and linkage that allow the rear wheel to move on pivots.
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