Cross Country Bike
Cross country bikes are the road race bikes of the mountain bike world. With big, 29" wheels in most cases, they are built to be responsive and fast. Top level cross country racers combine breakneck speed over all terrain with exceptional bike handling skills.
Cross country frames are often very lightweight and stiff, and feature less suspension travel (80-120mm) than other mountain bikes. Until recently, hardtail (front suspension only) designs were favoured by the top racers for their direct power transfer, but with recent enhancements in suspension technology and design, full suspension rigs are now popular.
The larger wheels can look odd at first, but they carry many advantages over their small-wheeled counterparts. The 29" tyres have a larger contact patch with the floor, ensuring better traction allowing them to climb more confidently, and descend as if they are ‘on rails'. However, the trade-off comes with added weight and more inertia leading to slower handling which needs to be compensated for in the geometry.
Ladies and smaller riders can also struggle to get their handlebars low enough with big wheels bringing the front end of the bike up higher than is perhaps ideal.
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