Mountain Bike Buying Guide

Mountain biking is an incredibly diverse sport. Mountain bikes now come in three main flavours. They are XC, Trail and Enduro.

XC – short for cross country, are quick race bikes. They will normally have 29” wheels and come with 100mm of suspension. If you are mainly going to be riding bridleways and natural trails in the South East of England, where our shops are, an XC bike will be the quickest and most efficient option.

Trail – these bikes are designed to be pedalled up and down hill and for use on bridleways and natural trails, but also at dedicated trail centres. They normally come with 130mm or 140mm of suspension travel and can have either 27.5” or 29” wheels, but 29” is quickly becoming the norm. Trail bikes are good all-rounders. They won’t be as fast as an XC bike on the flat but they can handle a lot more challenging terrain, and a few jumps. If you plan on taking your bike to trail centres in Wales, or to the Alps, then a trail bike may be your best option.

Enduro – enduro racing is a thing in and of itself but many people buy enduro bikes for ‘aggressive’ trail riding and uplift days at places like Bike Park Wales. This generally means challenging downhill trails with some big jumps. With around 160mm of suspension travel enduro bikes can take some big hits. They are designed to be efficient enough to pedal up hills but really come into their own when pointed downhill. You get enduro bikes in either 27.5” or 29” wheel sizes as well as mullet setups of 29 at the front and 27.5 at the back.

Men’s and women’s mountain bikes

Nearly all the mountain bikes we sell are now unisex. All of the big brands have gradually stopped doing dedicated men’s and women’s bikes over the last few years. Instead they are focussed on producing bikes in a bigger range of sizes. So, for instance, the Trek Marlin 5 is a unisex bike that now comes in sizes from XXS to XXL large. This means it will fit riders from 4’ 5” to 6’ 5” and everything in between.

Read our full mountain bike buyers guide

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Frame - Zaskar LT Alloy Frame, Triple Triangle™ Frame Construction feat. Floating Seatstays, BSA 73mm, Boost 12x148 Thru-Axle, Tapered Head Tube

Fork - SR Suntour Zeron 35, 130mm, Coil, 15x110, Tapered Steerer
Pedals - Not included
Crank - SRAM SX Eagle Power Spline, 30t
Bottom Bracket - Truvativ Power Spline
Chain - SRAM SX Eagle, 12-speed
Rear Cogs - SRAM SX Eagle, 11-50, 12-speed
Rear Derailleur - SRAM NX Eagle
Shifters - SRAM SX Eagle, 12-speed
Handlebar - GT Alloy, 31.8mm, 15mm Rise, 5° upSweep, 9° BackSweep
Grips - GT Statement
Stem - GT Alloy Stem, 31.8mm Clamp, 45mm Length
Headset - FSA No.42E, Integrated
Brakes - Shimano MT400 Hydro Disc, 180/180mm RT10 Rotors
Saddle - WTB Silverado Sport
Seatpost - TranzX Dropper, Internal Routing, 31.6
Rims - WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0, 32h, Tubeless Ready
Spokes - Stainless Steel, 14g
Front Hub - Shimano MT400, 15x110
Front Tyre - Schwalbe Nobby Nic Peformance, 29 x 2.35", Addix Compound, Tubeless Ready
Rear Hub - Shimano MT400, 12x148
Rear Tyre - Schwalbe Nobby Nic Peformance, 29 x 2.35", Addix Compound, Tubeless Ready
Tire Size

2.35

Colours	Dark Blue
Sizes	Medium, Small
Brand	GT
Barcodes	38675191372, 38675191389, 38675191396, 38675194281
SKUs / Part Numbers	G26251M10LG, G26251M10MD, G26251M10SM, G26251M10XL

Please note: Manufacturers can sometimes change the specification of the products from time to time.