Mountain Bikes

So you want to buy a bike? Before you can decide what sort of bike you need, you need to think about what you want the bike to do.

- If you want to use the bike for leisurely riding about town and country then you need a traditional bike.
- If you plan to ride the bike on off-road tracks and trails, taking in occasional roads, or for commuting on a broken road surface then you need a mountain bike.
- For tricks and stunts, or to race on, go for a BMX.
- If you want a bike to ride exclusively on the road for long distances then go for a racing bike.
- If you want a bike that you can easily take on a train or in a car then a collapsible bike is useful.

Look through our buyers' guide and learn more about these bikes, or simply click on the bike type you are interested in (above) and jump straight to it. If you already know which type of bike you want, look at our general buying tips for bikes and getting the right size so you know what to look out for when buying and how to size the bike correctly. Any difficult terms are explained in our Jargon Busters.