When it comes to making the best of a weekend or a much-awaited vacation, biking is one of the top picks. Most people like to go off-site and follow a trail on a bike and spend some time away from the hustle of the world. And for this purpose, there is a tough choice between mountain bikes and compact folding bikes. Experts say that both are good choices given you understand their pros and cons well before picking any of the two. The dilemma is as sharp as the one people often face while choosing between regular bikes and folding commuter bikes. But, here is a small summary of features that may help you decide between the two:

● Handling: It is one of the most basic aspects that present a clear distinction between the two. Mountain bikes take an edge in this context as these cycles are designed to bear with different obstacles at high speeds and the cycles complies with all without a fuss. Folding bikes take a back seat in this area as they lack efficiency for providing better portability then mountain bikes. As they are designed to fold and take less space and carrier off easily to different places. When compared to mountain bikes, folding bikes have lesser tolerance for opposing forces at high speeds.

● Terrain: Most bikes are designed to support all kinds of terrain but mostly they lack the comfort and efficiency in certain terrains. It is one area where compact folding bikes take a lead over mountain bikes. They can smoothly tread through urban traffic and also carry you up on mountains while mountains bikes are mostly good for the off-road trails on mountains. They aren’t optimized for roads and riding them on normal paths will need some extra exertion. So, if you are looking for a safe option for normal urban commute and occasional simple mountainous trails, folding bikes are better options than mountain bikes.

● Handlebars: Folding bikes have slightly curved handlebars while mountain bikes have flat handles. It is an important distinction because the bottom segment of the handlebars is utilized for racing, descending, and sprinting. On the other hand, the flat handlebars keep the bike stable on steel slopes. Therefore, it makes more sense to choose mountain bikes for the respective purposes especially for tough, dangerous terrains. If you are racing or need to sprint through mountainous paths, then you may want to go with mountain bikes but if it is just for a slow paced once in a month kind of venture, then a simple folding bike might be a good option.

● Frame Geometry: it is one of the biggest and most clearly distinctive differentiation point between folding and mountain bikes. Folding bikes have a compact and flexible designs that are portable and aerodynamic at the same time, this, sometimes, sacrifices rigidity, stability, and ability to tolerate tough terrains at high speed. The mountain bikes, on the other hand, are designed to bear with tough terrains at all speeds and conditions, but yes portability and compactness is not their forte.

St Kilda Cycles
5 Vale St., St Kilda.
Vic 3182
(03) 9534 3074
[email protected]
https://stkildacycles.com.au