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Mountain biking entails the
sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, whether riding
specially equipped mountain bikes or hybrid road bikes. Most mountain bikes
share similar characteristics that underscore durability and performance in
rough terrain: wide, knobby tires, large, round frame tubing, front fork or
dual suspension (aka shock absorbers). The durability factor means a far
heavier bicycle weight to rider ratio than their road touring cousins.
Mountain biking is roughly broken down into four categories: cross country,
downhill, freeride, and trials/street riding. Each has differing levels of
safety-consciousness with different types of mountain bikes and riding gear.
This individual sport requires endurance, bike handling skills and
self-reliance, and can be performed almost anywhere from a back yard to a
gravel road, but the majority of mountain bikers ride off-road trails,
whether country back roads, fire roads, or single track (narrow trails that
wind through forests, mountains, deserts, or fields). There are aspects of
mountain biking that are more similar to trail running than regular
bicycling. Because riders are often far from civilization, there is a strong
ethic of self-reliance in the sport. Riders learn to repair their broken
bikes or flat tires to avoid being stranded miles from help. This reliance
on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics of the sport. Club rides
and other forms of group rides are common, especially on longer treks.
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