Claremont Cycle Depot: bicycles & sporting goods

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Mountain bikes at Claremont Cycle Depot

Not everybody rides the same. Some choose to slowly ride the trails, while some love to scream down hills. Different strokes for different folks. And different bikes, too.

At Claremont Cycle Depot, we try to stock a variety of mountain bikes from leading manufacturers at all price points. We currently have bikes from the following four builders:

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About mountain bikes

While the Swiss army has been riding bikes in the Alps for many years, the modern mountain, or off-road, bike was born in the 70's. A few people started riding their old bikes off road, where bikes weren't supposed to be ridden. When more and more people saw how much fun this is, some manufacturers started making bikes specifically for this use. By now, the mountain bike has greatly evolved, with technological advances such as suspension and disc brakes being common. Some of these innovations, like the "threadless" stem, crossed over to the road. Today, more off-road bikes are sold than road bikes. The modern mountain bike has:

• straight handlebars or slightly rising handlebars (often with bar ends) that allow an upright riding position
• multiple gears (usually 24 or 27 "speeds"), lower and with a greater range than road bikes, although there is a group of people who ride (and race!) single-speed bikes
• heavy duty brakes that are pivoted from the frame or even disc brakes
• wide tires with a heavy tread ("knobbys"), often with different patterns for front and rear
• a front fork that is equipped with shock absorbers (suspension fork) and possibly also suspension for the rear wheel
• a heavy-duty frame that will take the shock of off-road riding

And, of course, different styles of bikes have been developed for different types of riding.

Rigid frame bikes

This is the "original" mountain bike. It has no suspension other than that afforded by the tires. It has a comfy riding position and is light and durable. It's good for all around riding on trails and on the road.

Front suspension bikes

This type of bike was originally developed for racing along trails, uphill and downhill, where lightness and manueverability are needed. The front suspension fork increases comfort on even the roughest trail. This is the most popular type of mountain bike and can be used on the road or for commuting with smoother tires.

Dual-suspension bikes

Dual-suspension bikes feature a rear suspension in addition to a suspension fork. This makes them more comfortable on rougher trails (or downhill), but also makes them heavier and slightly harder to maintain. While the rear-wheel is less efficient, you more than make up for it on the downhills and flat terrain.

Freeride bikes

These are tough bikes with reinforced frames and heavy-duty components designed for the toughest terrain. They can be hardtail or dual suspension. The front fork usually has a very long travel. If you're looking to ride every drop-off or fly down that ski slope, this is the bike you need.

Claremont Cycle Depot has the right bike for whatever type of off-road riding you do.