What makes it an MTB?

[Raven Flyer]

I have read a few posts where people talk about their MTB and then about its single speed/lack of suspension/etc.

Is any old pile of pipes with a set of knoblies a mountain bike?

What defines a mountain bike, a hybrid and road bike?

[pdV6]

Frame design (incl. geometry & clearance), frame strength & components.

[angusc43]

I'd argue it's a combination of the frame geometry and the components.

MB's have relatively small, tough frames and are designed to be extremely manouverable. They're designed to take a hard pumelling. The forks accept wide rims/tyres. Back in the day there was no suspension. Today they typically come with at least suspended front forks.

Road bike are optimised for (guess what?) the road - longer frames, often, different geometry, designed for skinny rimes and tyres. They don't have to withstand stump jumping, rocky downhills etc etc

Hybrids somewhere in the middle.

It can all get a bit confusing - if I wanted to by a new steel framed non-suspended bike with similar components and geometry to my 1993 Diamondback the nearest match is probably a hybrid, oddly enough. I presume MTD frames have gone more radical over the last 17 years....

[mchammer89]

Raven Flyer said:

I have read a few posts where people talk about their MTB and then about its single speed/lack of suspension/etc.

So you don't think SS MTBs are real MTBs? And the same goes for fully rigid MTBs?

Here's mine, i'm pretty sure everyone i'll ever meet will class it as an MTB:

[Raven Flyer]

I have no doubt that such bikes can be ridden on trails but you are right, they aren't what I would call a MTB today.

Just as I would not call an MGB a sports car.

I don't doubt that either were... in their day.

[curlie467]

mchammer89 said:

Raven Flyer said:

I have read a few posts where people talk about their MTB and then about its single speed/lack of suspension/etc.

So you don't think SS MTBs are real MTBs? And the same goes for fully rigid MTBs?

Here's mine, i'm pretty sure everyone i'll ever meet will class it as an MTB:

Woohoo a fellow Haro owner, not many of us about really!

[angusc43]

h

mchammer89 said:

Raven Flyer said:

I have read a few posts where people talk about their MTB and then about its single speed/lack of suspension/etc.

So you don't think SS MTBs are real MTBs? And the same goes for fully rigid MTBs?

Here's mine, i'm pretty sure everyone i'll ever meet will class it as an MTB:

I like the look of that - did it come as single speed?

[ewenm]

That Haro looks like a trials bike to me. Very nice anyway.

Similarly to the "hyper/super/sports/sporty car" debates, "what makes a mountain bike a mountain bike?" is largely irrelevant. You can have fun on the trails on a fully-rigid, a front bouncer or a full bouncer, they can be a fixie, a single-speed or fully geared, with cantilever, V or disc brakes, as long as you are having fun does it mater what labels get applied?

[angusc43]

Raven Flyer said:

I have no doubt that such bikes can be ridden on trails but you are right, they aren't what I would call a MTB today.

Just as I would not call an MGB a sports car.

I don't doubt that either were... in their day.

This is not fair to non-sus MTB's. The MGB was never more than a Morris Minor in drag.



:-)

[mchammer89]

angusc43 said:

h

mchammer89 said:

Raven Flyer said:

I have read a few posts where people talk about their MTB and then about its single speed/lack of suspension/etc.

So you don't think SS MTBs are real MTBs? And the same goes for fully rigid MTBs?

Here's mine, i'm pretty sure everyone i'll ever meet will class it as an MTB:

I like the look of that - did it come as single speed?

Yeah they make them in SS and geared versions, comes with an EBB to sort out chain tension.

[mchammer89]

Raven Flyer said:

I have no doubt that such bikes can be ridden on trails but you are right, they aren't what I would call a MTB today.

Just as I would not call an MGB a sports car.

I don't doubt that either were... in their day.

Well i'm riding it in a 24hr MTB race this weekend, considering it's my first ever race how about if I beat someone on a geared bike with suspesnion you'll accept it's an MTB

[mchammer89]

ewenm said:

That Haro looks like a trials bike to me. Very nice anyway.

It's mostly the camera angle there, here's a side on view:

[Raven Flyer]

mchammer89 said:

Raven Flyer said:

I have no doubt that such bikes can be ridden on trails but you are right, they aren't what I would call a MTB today.

Just as I would not call an MGB a sports car.

I don't doubt that either were... in their day.

Well i'm riding it in a 24hr MTB race this weekend, considering it's my first ever race how about if I beat someone on a geared bike with suspesnion you'll accept it's an MTB

Only if you put drop bars on it

[CanadianScot]

I consider both of mine mountain bikes, this is the one that could be argued I guess, because of the single speed kit and the street(ish) tyres. Built it up myself, used for dirtjumps and skateparks etc.

[mchammer89]

Raven Flyer said:

mchammer89 said:

Raven Flyer said:

I have no doubt that such bikes can be ridden on trails but you are right, they aren't what I would call a MTB today.

Just as I would not call an MGB a sports car.

I don't doubt that either were... in their day.

Well i'm riding it in a 24hr MTB race this weekend, considering it's my first ever race how about if I beat someone on a geared bike with suspesnion you'll accept it's an MTB

Only if you put drop bars on it

Surely you'd argue that it was a cross bike then

[Hard-Drive]

Saw something that confused me at Cannock at the weekend...a full-suss singlespeeder!

Didn't really "get" it if I'm honest...I do see why people ride SS and even rigid. In fact, when I got there someone was getting a Stirling Moss Green On-One Inbred (same as mine) out the back of A4 estate (same as mine) however they'd built it up with one gear, carbon forks, and some very tasty Hope and Thomson kit (the Inbred, not the A4) and it was lurveley. And light. And got me thinking...and realising I'm just not fit enough!

But a FS SS? Surely you want every last microjoule of effort turning that back wheel, not winding the suss up. And I thought it was all about a "pure" riding experience and making you really pick the right lines and making your way round stuff, not over it...kinda in contradiction to going straight over stuff that an FS will let you do?

Anyone else ever seen or ridden one?

[mchammer89]

Definitely agree with you there, full-suss SS just seems silly to me for the reasons you've pointed out. The reason I ride fully rigid SS is because I think it'll make me a better rider, and I like the simplicity of it, not much to go wrong with it. Just pedal and go, if you want to go faster, pedal faster.

[magpie215]

mchammer89 said:

ewenm said:

That Haro looks like a trials bike to me. Very nice anyway.

It's mostly the camera angle there, here's a side on view:

Gearing looks really low??