What makes an All Mountain bike an All Mountain Bike?

kl3ggy

kl3ggy

Likes Dirt
What components/specs make a bike an all mountain bike as opposed to a XC/Enduro Bike?

Are there things that they should never have/must have? Or can any bike be an All mountain warrior dependant on the riders capability?
 
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XC = light, great pedalling, for flat or uphill
Trail = heavier than XC, can take bigger hits than a XC bike, good pedalling too
All-mountain = between trail & DH, usually aimed more toward DH geometry wise, 160mm travel approx.
DH = 170mm+ travel, big hits, relaxed geometry, needs gravity

Basically all-mountain is slightly less than a DH bike but CAN be pedalled uphill or good distances on trails efficiently.


A lot of it is marketing BS, all-mountain to me is a light DH that can pedal well. Examples are : Yeti SB-66, Santa Cruz Nomad, or what I have: Intense SlopeStyle2.
 
What SC said. Yes, it comes down to geometry, weight, components etc, but if I had to explain it in 20 words or less to a noob:
4"=xc
5"=trail
6"=AM
7"+=DH

That said, having ridden a couple of SB66's, they feel like a trail bike, not an AM bike with the fox 32's even with 6" front and rear.
 
moorey said:
What SC said. Yes, it comes down to geometry, weight, components etc, but if I had to explain it in 20 words or less to a noob:
4"=xc
5"=trail
6"=AM
7"+=DH

That said, having ridden a couple of SB66's, they feel like a trail bike, not an AM bike with the fox 32's even with 6" front and rear.
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"All mountain" is a term invented by marketers to increase the number of models they can sell to existing mountain bikers. - "free ride " was a little too confronting for middle aged males with disposable incomes so the term all mountain was born, and if the potential buyer doesn't like the idea of "all mountain", you can still sell them a "trail bike".

The ultimate solution of course is to have2 frames that are substantially the same but with slight changes to shock and linkage can be made to go across both market segments. Then you just add something like long travel, or "awesome" or "gnarly" to the descriptors, and you just got a sale.

;)
 
Kinda. Free ride bikes (IMHO, and my experience) were really just often overbuilt DH bikes in most cases. They were really just for hucking and often pedaled even worse than a DH bike. An AM bike is a different kettle of fish, it that it needs to pedal and go uphill well.
 
Buying a bike is a bit like buying tuna
You used to only get chunks or sandwich
But now we're bombarded with all sorts of flavor concoctions

All mountain may well be a sales term, but the new generation of bikes will ride all the mountain capably - up, down, rocks, roots, drops
To me, it's the sort of bike that you would ride in a Euro Enduro event
Enduro, all mountain, trail bike - means much the same to me

I don't see what is wrong with categorising bikes
I bought a bike considered to be XC
I put on a 150mm fork, 50mm stem, 720mm bars, seat dropper, bomb proof hoops and chunky tyres
I would consider it more an enduro or 'all mountain' bike now - or should i just say i made it more gnarly
It weighs just over 13kg's so certainly not XC

regarding the OP's bike to aid climbing, but not sacrifice descending too much
Maybe get a slightly longer stem and some lighter hoops
And those DTC tyres may not be the lightest around either
 
pharmaboy said:
"All mountain" is a term invented by marketers to increase the number of models they can sell to existing mountain bikers. - "free ride " was a little too confronting for middle aged males with disposable incomes so the term all mountain was born, and if the potential buyer doesn't like the idea of "all mountain", you can still sell them a "trail bike".

The ultimate solution of course is to have2 frames that are substantially the same but with slight changes to shock and linkage can be made to go across both market segments. Then you just add something like long travel, or "awesome" or "gnarly" to the descriptors, and you just got a sale.

;)
Click to expand...

brilliantly said! thats the best summary I've seen!
 
DeBloot said:
I bought a bike considered to be XC
I put on a 150mm fork, 50mm stem, 720mm bars, seat dropper, bomb proof hoops and chunky tyres
I would consider it more an enduro or 'all mountain' bike now - or should i just say i made it more gnarly
It weighs just over 13kg's so certainly not XC
Click to expand...
Pretty much my mantra right there. I have a full blown DH bike and a burly AM bike but the 2 I ride 95% of the time are 5" frames that I put solider and longer travel fruit on to make them more trail/am, but I ride them both in xc races when the time arises. Both are 150mm front, wide bars, single ring, arch hoops, flat pedals and come in around the 13kg. They do virtually everything the 160mm AM bike, but can ride them all day.
 
Shit, forgot enduro

Go a new set of classifications based on riders,

Skinny Lycra clad rider - 29er hardtail
Not so skinny Lycra rider- 100mm dually
Baggy shorts, fox racing T. - trail bike
above plus knee guards or 510s - all mountain man
Above plus shin guards - gnarly downhill dude.

;)
 
pharmaboy said:
Shit, forgot enduro

Go a new set of classifications based on riders,

Skinny Lycra clad rider - 29er hardtail
Not so skinny Lycra rider- 100mm dually
Baggy shorts, fox racing T. - trail bike
above plus knee guards or 510s - all mountain man
Above plus shin guards - gnarly downhill dude.

;)
Click to expand...

That is is frighteningly accurate!
 
If you can clearly define what All Mountain means then you could determine the suitability of the bike for that description. But for now, one man's AM is another's technical XC section or full on DH to another. Right now, somewhere in the French Alps is a guy on a fairly basic but tough hardtail that will not only beat you to the top of the mountain, he will also beat you and your 6" dually with the latest "must have coz Fabian Barel uses one" widgets comprehensively on the way down. That's just his standard "I'm going for a ride with me mates, see you at tea time".

Giving aspects of our sport specific categories like this is simply creating a solution to a problem that never existed. A bit like those idiotic adverts on telly for women's pads that help to "avoid sweat patches in areas that you might feel a little embarrassed about even though for the last few hundreds years nobody noticed or cared. But hey, we've got you thinking about it now and perhaps you're a little paranoid...."

Are you worried that your bike is not AM enough? Maybe you should get an additional or replacement bike with slightly more travel, a degree or two slacker head angle, a bottom bracket dropped by .35 of a nanometer, 13% more wank factor and a plethora of other options.

Don't worry. In a couple of year's time there will be a new definition of AM or a new category (enduro perhaps) that will add further choice or confusion and make you change your mind again.

If the bike companies manage to get you thinking about it, then discussing it in forums like this, Pinkbike, Vital etc, giving validation to it, then buying into the idea they will continue to push and create more reasons to empty your wallet. The fact that this thread exists is proof.

It's all subjective and ultimately pointless. It's just off road riding at the end of the day. Some bikes will go up better, some down better and some do both quite well.

The truth remains that most of us could spend less time on these forums, less money on new crap that we don't need, bought with money we don't really have, to impress people whose opinions don't really matter. We could (and probably should) direct our efforts into learning and improving our techniques, getting fitter, dropping body fat and gaining strength, handling an already good bike more effectively, reading trails better and getting out to build or maintain trails.
 
Not so skinny Lycra rider......pharmaboy , you've obviously seen me with my shirt off :)
I better get me one of those fox shirts that the skinny cool kids wear
my02, I think your first paragraph sums it up
if you can ride the hole mountain, you then have
a "all mountain " bike
 
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