XC
Bikes
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For many customers of ours, it can be a minefield in knowing how to choose the right mountain bike for their exact riding requirements, with more choice than ever before. The XC market has grown incredibly in the last few years, not only in the popularity of XC mountain biking - but also the bikes on offer, XC bikes are more aggressive, and more efficient than ever before – allowing for rapid progress across all kinds of terrain.
Unlike enduro or downhill mountain bikes, Cross Country Mountain Bikes can be either hardtail or full suspension. The choice between the two types of mountain bikes will depend largely on your budget and riding preferences and requirements. Hardtail mountain bikes are cheaper, and usually lighter than full suspension bikes - although the weights of the two types of bikes are pretty close, thanks to the widespread use of carbon fibre on high end and mid-range mountain bikes.
If you are riding downhill trails and technical descents, then a full suspension bike will serve your needs better, but if you tend to avoid downhill trails, a hardtail mountain bike will serve you well. Hardtail mountain bikes still have front suspension forks to take the pressure off your wrists and arms, whilst full suspension bikes also have a rear shock for comfort and performance.
The Geometry of Cross Country Bikes has gone through a fair few developments and changes over the years, in favour of becoming better bikes at descending trails and tracks. Although they are not as focused on downhill performance when compared to trail bikes, the design of XC bikes perfectly balances downhill performance with progress and efficiency on ascents.
The riding position of a XC bike has also changed over the years, the handlebars and frame geometry provides a comfortable but forward riding position, which has an excellent focus on stability. The best brakes for XC mountain bikes are disc brakes, which is what most XC mountain bikes are fitted with today, these brakes provide good, reliable braking performance across all types of terrain, and weather conditions. There are also a number of wheel choices to choose from, with 27.5 and 29 inch wheels available.
On this page, you can find all of our XC Mountain Bikes, which have been handpicked from the world’s leading bike brands such as Scott, Cannondale and Giant. If you have any questions about the range, or which XC bike is right for you - please get in touch and we will be more than happy to help.