I was consulted that mountain bikes are the best bikes to get..?
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Well, for general cycling in a suburban area with a bit of light offroading (i.e. grass, loose gravel, thick mud, etc) then yes, a hardtail mountain bike is the best choice.
Hardtails are bikes with only front suspension. Full suspension bikes would be a bad choice in the above situation - they are designed specifically for offroading and offroading only.
Try riding a full suspension bike on a smooth, hard surface (like a road) and the suspension will bounce - even a tiny amount - which will seriously sap your speed. This can be pretty frustrating.
Plus, a full suspension bike will cost a lot of money (£600+). Buying a cheap one will mean you have shoddy parts and poor performance.
Mountain bikes (full sus and hardtails) have a slightly more relaxed, comfortable sitting position.
Road bikes are most suited for flat, clear surfaces and for speed. This is why they are light, generally more expensive to buy and usually require clip/cleat pedals for most efficient performance. Needless to say, this will mean buying some cycling shoes to use the pedals properly, which could be another £100-120. The seating position is hunched over and low (for speed) which means they are the "least" comfortable to use.
Hybrid bikes are another good choice for suburban riding - while they are not as good for the light offroading of a hardtail, they make up for this with a far lighter weight, slightly more responsive and thus much quicker to ride. Obviously, hybrids are suited to "cross country" cycling, so think roads, paths, grass, light loose gravel, etc. They also do not have suspension forks (so a slightly more "uncomfortable" ride), but obviously this saves on a lot of weight and suspension for the most part is pointless anyway, unless you happen to live near a mountain/very rocky or uneven roads.
Seating position is relaxed and is generally designed for comfort.
You need to evaluate your local environment and where and how you want to use your bike.
Clearly someone living in New York will require a different bike than someone living in Nairobi. Not because of preference, simply because the environment within which that person is living demands a certain type of bike.
Hope this helps.
Depends what you want it for and where you're using it. Road bikes are best for the tour de France!
I think they're the same but have you thought why you want a mountain bike, why are they the best bike to get? It depends what sort of cycling you intend to do. I assume you want a mountain bike because most of the cycling you intend to do will consist of loading your bike into a car - driving somewhere and then riding an off road route, usually with some large hills (or mountains) and some rough tracks. Then hosing yourself down putting it back in the car and coming home.
However if you intend to cycle on roads, road bikes are much faster with substantially less effort. If you intend to ride in a mainly urban environment but with a bit of trail riding a hybrid might be better.
Hope this helps.
It really depends what type of riding you will be doing, and where. Go and visit a variety of bike shops to get a range of opinions. Some staff in bike shops are pretty good, others have no clue whatsoever. So if you talk to a few, it should give you an idea of what is going to most suit you.
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