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Cost is an issue, as disk brake systems tend to be more expensive than rim brakes. Mechanical or cable actuated brakes are a closer match, although they still cost more. Hydraulic brakes on the other hand cost a lot more. If you want better, more consistent brake performance in all conditions, disc brakes are what you should be choosing. On the other hand, if you want the lightest set up you can have and you are willing to accept small variances in brake performance, or you want the lowest price possible, rim brakes are what you should be choosing.

Disc brakes have been around for a long time in cars but weren’t used on bikes much until the late 1990’s. There were some issues in the earlier models, although the cable actuated or hydraulic brakes of today seem to work quite well.

In terms of performance, disc brakes seem to work better than rim brakes, especially in wet or muddy areas. Disc brakes normally require less force to apply and aren’t effected by the rim or wheel condition. When you make that final choice, weight out the above options then make your decision. Some riders prefer disc brakes, while others prefer rim brakes - making it a matter of opinion.

If you are new to mountain biking, you’ll want to check out the many designs and types of biking before you purchase a bike. Mountain biking can be a lot of fun and excitement, although it can also be very dangerous if you don’t have the right bike for the terrain. Before you decide to buy a bike and hit the trails, make sure you have the right design of mountain bike for the riding you are planning on doing.

The different designs of bikes in mountain biking will offer you what you need for your unique style of riding. You’ll want a different bike for different terrain, such as cross country or downhill. As the terrain changes, you’ll want to make sure you have the right bike for the job.

Mountain biking is different than any other sport, offering you plenty of excitement and thrills. If you are new to mountain biking, you’ll find the different designs to be very enticing yet very challenging at the same time. Each design serves a purpose with mountain biking, even some that excel on the trails.

There are also several other designs which reflect on the many challenging disciplines in the sport of mountain biking. No matter what type of mountain biking you like to do, there are bikes for that specific discipline.

Gears are very important to mountain bikes as they dictate your overall speed. Without gears you wouldn’t be able to build speed nor would you be able to pound pedals. The gears will move the pedals and help you build up speed. A mountain bike will use a combination of three different sized sprockets in front and nine in the back to produce gear ratios.

The idea behind all these gears is to allow the rider to crank the pedals at a constant pace no matter what kind of slope the bike is on. You can understand this better by picturing a bike with just a single gear. Each time you rotate the pedals one turn, the rear wheel would rotate one turn as well (1:1 gear ratio).

If the rear wheel is 26 inches in diameter, then with 1:1 gearing, one full twist on the pedals would result in the wheel covering 81.6 inches of ground. If you are pedaling at a speed of 50 RPM, this means that the bike can cover over 340 feet of ground per minute. This is only 3.8 MPH, which is the equivalence of walking speed. This is ideal for climbing a steep hill, although bad for ground or going downhill.

To go faster you’ll need a different ratio. To ride downhill at 25 MPH with a 50 RPM cadence at the pedals, you’ll need a 5.6:1 gear ratio. A bike with a lot of gears will give you a large number of increments between a 1:1 gear ratio and a 6.5:1 gear ratio so that you can always pedal at 50 RPM, no matter how fast you are actually going.

On a normal 27 speed mountain bike, six of the gear ratios are so close to each other that you can’t notice any difference between them.

With actual use, bike riders tend to choose a front sprocket suitable for the slope they are riding on and stick with it, although the front sprocket can be difficult to shift under heavy load.

The material you choose for your bike, all depends on where you ride and what style you use. Almost all materials will last you for years, as long as you take care of your bike and treat the frame with some respect. Currently, there are five types of material used in mountain bikes - aluminum, titanium, chromoly steel, high tensile steel,  and carbon fiber. Oversized diameters, heat treating, and butting are tubing material treatments that will increase the cost of a frame as well.

Aluminum: For the past 15 years, aluminum has been refined in pretty much the same way as chromoly. There have been various alloys developed, as well as heat treatment, oversizing, and butting. With dual suspension bikes, aluminum is the preferred material as it’s the stiffest and most cost effective. Aluminum is stiffer than chromoly, and therefore it will crack before chromoly. The advantages of aluminum is that the frame is very light and very stiff through oversizing or butting.

Titanium: Even thought it’s somewhat exotic, the prices for this material have come down over the last few years. Frames made of titanium remain expensive because it takes longer to weld the tubes to the frame. Titanium is considered an alloy, normally mixed with small amounts of vanadium and aluminum to give it better weldability and ride characteristics. More compliant than chromoly, it offers better fatigue and corrosion properties.

Chromoly: steel Short for steel alloy, chromoly is best described by its major additives - chromium and molybdenum. This is probably the most refined framing material, giving over 100 years of dependable service. The chromoly steel material offers very good durability and a compliant ride characteristic.

High tensile steel: This is a very durable alloy that’s found in lower priced mountain bikes. Relatively inexpensive to produce, you’ll find this material in trail bikes, city bikes, and even entry level mountain bikes. There are some bikes that come with a chromoly seat tube, while the rest is high tensile steel.