Bike

For beginners buying a mountain bike can be overwhelming as there are many different accessories and bikes on offer, so it’s important to set a budget. There are many different styles of riding and disciplines with bikes tailored for each. All bikes generally fall under one of three classes based on suspension.
•    Rigid - applies to road bikes as well, they have very little suspension, the most rigid bikes are track bikes intended for riding on smooth banked ovals, they are much softer and more stable, have fatter tyres, and a small degree of flex in the bike frame and forks, there is also some flex in the wheel spokes.
•    Hardtail - suspension in the front wheel only, the simplest form of suspension fork uses coil springs hidden within the fork legs, but other forks use air springs
•    Full suspension - suspension for both wheels, the forks are essentially the same as on the hardtail but there are a variety of designs for the rear suspension, the rear suspension is more complicated as the rear wheel is the driving wheel
When you are choosing a bike think about the following:
•    On a budget you’ll be choosing between a well equip bike in one class or a less equip bike in the next class. In nearly all cases it’s better to go for the better equip bike rather than the bargain-end
•    The type of riding you will do will decide what you need, if you are going up hills and down a hardtail or rigid bike will outperform a full suspension on the climbs. Racers often prefer hardtails because races are won or lost on the hills.
•    If you are a beginner a hardtail or rigid bike will make sure you develop skills, where as a full suspension is more forgiving and you don’t learn the skills needed.