A Hardtail is a basic mountain bike with suspension or regular forks and a standard aluminium type frame. Although full suspension bikes are popular  , hardtails perform very well in cross country and trail riding. They have the added advantage of weight and are fairly useful as road bikes especially when you add slick tyres to the bike.

A full suspension bike has shocks for both the front and rear wheels – the suspension helps reduce the impact ftom bumpy terrain. Full suspension bikes are an advantage when going downhill. The downside of the full suspension bike is reduced speed and extra weight.

Choosing a hardtail or full suspension bike will largely depend on your requirements and the type of mountain biking that you are planning on doing – if you need speed for trail riding you opt for  a hardtail while downhill racers will do better with a full suspension bike.

Anatomy Of A Hardtail Bike

Frame – typically the frame is made from aluminium and provides lots of clearance for fat tyres.

Fork – Suspension forks provide for a smoother ride and you can set the shocks depending on the terrain you are cycling.

Wheels – Usually 26 inch wheels combined with 32 spokes – these wheels are smaller than a typical road bike.

Tyres – Thick and whit lots of tread to provide for grip and traction

Chainrings – A triple chainring provides for greater gear ratio selection

Sprockets – Up to nine depending on your model

Brakes – V-brakes for better stopping ability compared to standard callipers. More upscale models are starting to incorporate disc brakes as they are more effective in all weather conditions.

Gear Shifters – Thumb shifters for easier use.

Saddle – Comfortable and supportive , able to operate in all terrains.

Anatomy Of A Full Suspension Bike

Full Suspension Frame – Provides greater traction and control in rough terrain

Suspension Fork – Takes most of the imapct in the front forks

Brakes – Disc brakes for improved stopping performance in rough and muddy conditions

Wheels – 26 inch rims with 32 spokes to provide for durability. Tyers are between 1.9 and 2.1 inches wide

Tyres – Thck and knobbly to provide superior traction and control in rough conditions

Gears – Usually a nine-speed freewheel combined with triple chainrings

Pedals – reversible and clipless allowing the cyclists to easily clip in on bothe sides of the pedal