Which mountain bike is right for me?

At the beginning there is the most important of all questions: What type of bike am I? Once that's cleared up, you'll find that choosing the right mountain bike isn't that complicated.

You know the feeling when entering a well-stocked bike shop? On the one hand, your heart beats faster at the sight of the shiny off-road machines. On the other hand, the huge selection will make you sweat. Beginners in particular are overwhelmed by the large number of models. And even advanced bikers who have already gained some off-road experience are grateful for any help in making a decision when buying a bike. It is not rocket science to bring at least a certain basic order into chaos. Because the question of the area of application can and must be asked by everyone, preferably before they go to the shop. Apart from that, our team of experts in the RABE Bike branches will also ask you this question first.

Biodiversity = maximum off-road driving pleasure

Since the start of the boom in the nineties, the sport of biking has developed strongly. And with it the range in the shops. On the one hand, to meet the demands of different bikers. On the other hand, to be optimally on all types of terrain. Not everyone lives at the foot of the Alps and has the opportunity to ride steep and challenging trails after work. Maybe most of the time you are more likely to be in hilly landscapes or in low mountain ranges. Or have the most fun speeding down the flat forest paths in your home turf. On the other hand, you like to ride in the high mountains on holiday, so you need an all-round bike that won't spoil your fun there either.

Last but not least, in addition to the individual wishes of the riders, the bike technology has also developed extremely further. Full-suspension suspensions have achieved fantastic status today. The tuning of the suspension elements is more uncomplicated than ever, even large suspension travel is manageable and no longer annoying with unpopular rocking chair symptoms. A well-tuned fully expands the possibilities of every biker immensely, we can promise you that. In addition to full-suspension bikes, however, hardtails, i.e. mountain bikes with suspension forks and rigid main frames, are far from disappearing from the trails. This type of bike experienced its second spring, so to speak, with the advent of comfortable 29-inch wheels. Which virtually sealed the end of the 26-inch wheels, which are stubborn from today's point of view. For a long time now, almost all mountain bikes, hardtails as well as fullys, have been rolling on 29-inch or 27.5-inch wheels, which offer optimal damping and traction off-road. After all, that's what mountain bikes are all about!

Hardtail vs. Fully – The Essential Differences in a Nutshell

Full-suspension mountain bike (fully)

+ Optimal comfort and traction off-road+ High
control on the trail
+ Safety on the downhill
– Higher maintenance
– Heavier than a hardtail
– More expensive than a hardtail

Mountain bike with suspension fork (hardtail)

+ Direct power transmission
+ Lively handling
+ Uncomplicated technology, high carefree factor
+ Cheaper to buy than a fully
– The more difficult the terrain, the better riding technique necessary
– Moderate comfort, therefore faster fatigue of the body

If you want to learn more about the topic: In this Magazine article we have compared the two concepts in detail.

The bike categories and areas of use in detail

For the best possible overview, we have divided the mountain bikes into four main categories: XC/Marathon, Tour/Trail, All Mountain and Enduro. If you select these categories in the RABE online store, hardtails AND fullys are included (if there are hardtails that fit into the respective category). However, you can also do an overall sorting by hardtails and fullys separately.

Important: The boundaries between the categories are fluid! This means that there is a lot of overlap, so you always have some leeway in your decisions. That's a good thing, because it means that you only have to set priorities for your planned areas of use. Often there are several models on the shortlist and your dream bike is most likely among them. You can find information about the overlaps in the descriptions of the categories. In addition, a matrix for the weighting of the areas of application.

Ein Beispiel: Bei einem Marathon MTB liegt das Haupt-Augenmerk auf einem niedrigen Gewicht und einer sportlich ausgerichteten Geometrie. Dieses Bike ist ideal für Wettkämpfe und Training. Genauso kannst du mit einem Marathon MTB aber auch auf Tour gehen und Spaß auf Flowtrails haben. Möchtest du jedoch lieber entspannt im Sattel sitzen und nur ein, zwei Mal in der Saison einen Wettkampf bestreiten, greifst du lieber zu einem Touren- oder All Mountain Bike.

XC/Marathon

Do you like to be fast and sporty? You are a competitive type who loves to test your performance limits. Whether it's a cross-country race or a marathon event? Then a race bike from this category is your first choice. Best with a carbon frame if you have big ambitions. This is mainly a collection of lightweight hardtails with a sporty seating position and 29-inch wheels. However, a bike from this class is also well suited for fitness training on the whimsical after-work round. If you are more inclined to cross country tours, then we definitely recommend a fully. This will help you cope better even in rougher terrain. Because a hardtail requires a very good riding technique on technical terrain. The suspension travel is rather moderate at 100 – 120 millimeters. The fork and rear shock can usually be locked, so you can benefit from even more efficient propulsion on the climbs.