Best MTB Frames for You to Build Your Dream Bike

There is a wide variety of bicycle frames available online for each different cycling discipline, from MTB to gravel, to touring. Some frame styles have barely changed over the decades, while others incorporate modern design technology that has only emerged recently.

It’s important to buy the correct frame for the riding style you intend to partake in, otherwise, you could end up damaging your frame or injuring yourself. Here we examine the differences between each type of bike frame and the riding style that they’re intended for.

While most bicycles are built around a specific geometry that serves a certain purpose – there are always many more factors in play. Factors such as materials, design, fork travel, and many more make the bicycle whole. While each of us has our preferences in terms of how the bike should feel, there’s a lot that can be adjusted from frame to little details around it.

Best Hardtail Mountain Bike Frames

Hardtail MTB frames are considerably less complex than full-suspension frames. Although newer models have advanced geometry, hardtail MTB frames typically look like early mountain bikes. They consist of a traditional bike frame with two triangles split by the seat tube and a suspension fork on the front.

Depending on the style of riding the bike is intended for, hardtail MTBs have varying head and seat tube angles. This is largely to do with the amount of travel in the fork, which is usually more if the bike is intended for downhill riding.

Best Full-suspension Bike Frames

Full suspension mountain bike frames are the most complex of bike frame designs, with the most moving parts and mechanical components. They consist of two separate frame triangles on the front and rear, connected by pivots and links so that each one can move individually.

Connected to the front triangle and a pivot point on the rear triangle is a coil or air-sprung shock absorber. Rather than directly under the seat like on a motorbike, this suspension design pivots from the center of the bike so the rider doesn’t flip over forward on steep descents. When combined with a front suspension fork, this provides the best possible suspension that you can get on a bicycle.

These are the main points for choosing the best mountain bike frames to build your dream bike, feel free to visit our official website to get more info: https://www.trifoxbike.com/

Best XC MTB Frame Buying Guide

MTB frames are built for riding at speed off-road but there is a huge variety on the market, with types to suit every possible riding discipline and riding style – from lightweight carbon racing whippets to burly bruisers that can take on the toughest terrain. In the first instance, MTB frames fall under two main categories: hardtail and suspension frames. In this article, we will talk about hardtails xc MTB frames.

Hardtails: As the name suggests, hardtail (HT) MTBs forego rear suspension in favor of a fully rigid frame. They are generally lighter and less expensive than their full-suspension cousins so are commonly used as the basis for entry- or mid-level bikes, or else for lightweight top-end racers. Some people, however, just prefer to ride a hardtail. Some of the most common categories of hardtail frames are race, trail, and dirt/street/4X.

Race: These frames are aimed at cross-country (XC) racers, long-distance marathon-style events; less technically challenging trail center runs, and just generally covering plenty of off-road miles. They typically feature relatively steep head and seat angles (a seat angle of around 73 degrees and a head angle of around 71 degrees being considered ”classic’ XC geometry), placing the rider in the optimum position for seated pedaling, especially uphill. Top tubes will meanwhile be on the long side, allowing for the ”stretched’ riding position that enables riders and racers to get plenty of air into their lungs.

Race frames are typically made from aluminum allow (for low- to mid-level offerings) or carbon fiber (for high-end models). They are designed for 80-100mm travel forks and 26”, 27.5”, or 29” wheels, with the latter being increasingly common.

Trail: More and more hardtail frames have departed from the ”classic’ XC design above (steep angles, 80-100mm travel) in favor of slacker angles and longer-travel forks. These modern trail hardtails of 120-140mm front travel offer many riders the perfect balance between lightweight pedaling efficiency and rough-and-tumble high-speed fun.

Seat and head angles are a little slacker (head angles of 69 degrees or less being characteristic of the modern trail hardtail) so that riders can get their bodyweight well back on the bike on steep, technical downhill trails. Top tubes are generally shorter, giving a more upright riding position which is not optimum for all-day pedaling but gives much greater rider control on difficult terrain.

Frame materials are typically aluminum or steel, the lively and supple ride feel of the latter has made it increasingly popular among modern trail hardtail riders not overly concerned with the slight weight penalty involved, with 26” or 27.5” wheels.

Street, dirt, and 4X: Hardtails frames built for the demanding disciplines of dirt jumping (DJ), street riding, and four-cross racing (4X) are designed less with pedaling efficiency in mind than with the ability to take serious and sustained punishment, and live to tell the tale.

DJ and street bikes generally feature overbuilt aluminum or steel frames which are tougher and heavier than those found on their xc and trail counterparts, with smaller sizes providing increased agility in the air and ”clickability.

The frames are married to 26” wheels and around 100mm of suspension travel courtesy of stiffly-sprung front forks.

For more info about XC MTB frame please visit our official website: https://www.trifoxbike.com/

Choose A Mountain Bike Frame Size Is Important

You can easily end up with the wrong mountain bike frame size. You can’t go off the listed frame size anymore. Here’s how to avoid getting it wrong.

Bad news: mountain bike frame size is all over the place. There is no consistency. One brand’s Medium/17in a bike is another brand’s Large/19in. What’s more, a lot of bike manufacturers’ – and even bike shops’ – sizing advice is often wrong too.

Ultimately you do not have a foolproof frame size. Not one that tallies with what bike brands say, nor one that is consistent from bike to bike. This means shopping for a bike is not simple, particularly if browsing online beforehand. It is not a good idea to select just one frame size and filter the results by that; select the frame size the brand recommends and also the size above.

But with all that said, to give you at least a head-start on what frame sizes to shortlist, whether you’re looking to upgrade or are trying to choose the best beginner mountain bike, here is our mountain bike size guide:

Mountain bike frame size guide

Under 5ft 2in (-157cm) = 13in to 14in (XS)

5ft 2in to 5ft 6in (157cm to 167cm) = 15in to 16in (Small)

5ft 6in to 5ft 10in (167cm to 178cm) = 17in to 18in (Medium)

5ft 10in to 6ft 2in (178cm to 188cm) = 19in to 20in (Large)

6ft 2in or above (182cm+) = 21in to 23in (XL/XXL)

What to do if you’re ‘in between’ mountain bike frame size

We’d strongly advise going for the larger of the two options. It’s easier to make a large bike fit without impairing how it handles; fitting a shorter stem and/or sliding the saddle forward on its rails arguably actually improves bike handling. Trying to make a small bike fit by putting a longer stem on it and/or sliding the saddle backward on its rails will end up impairing the bike’s handling.

The thing to bear in mind when going up a frame size is to make sure there is sufficient standover clearance. Standover is how high the top tube is at the point where you’re astride your bike and straddling it. If the bike has enough standover, you’re on to a winner.

Why are things so messed up?

The problem is that bikes have always been sized by the length of their seat tubes. There’s no reason for us to go into why this is so (short version: blame roadies) but you do need to understand that this is a big problem.

Whilst seat tube length is important it is not the most important measurement on a bike frame.

The modern move away from frame sizes being listed in numbers of inches has been an improvement. Using ‘Small’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Large’ etc instead of ’16in’, ’17in’ or ’19in’ is a much better idea.

What measurement is the most important then?

Reach.

Why is reach the most important measurement?

Reach is the distance between the bottom bracket axle and the center of (the top of) the head tube. See the diagram above.

This is a very difficult thing to measure on a bike in the flesh unless you’re happy to take plumb lines and tape measures into your local bike shop. Thankfully any bike brand worth its salt includes a reach measurement on the geometry charts of its bikes.

Why is reach the vital thing? Because it dictates how the bike fits you. It governs if a bike is too cramped or too stretched out for you.

And, unlike seat tube length, the reach cannot be adjusted. You can adjust your saddle height up or down to accommodate seat tube length. Reach cannot be adjusted. You’re stuck with it. A bike with too short a reach will always be too small.

Don’t think you can adjust incorrect reach by changing to a different stem length or by sliding your saddle on its rails backward. Changing stem length will impair how the bike steers and handles. And saddles slid far back on their rails won’t mean a thing when you’re stood up out of the saddle, and when you are seated slid-back saddles will result in inefficient pedal power and a wander, lift-prone front end.

Don’t end up with the wrong mountain bike frame size

A common result of going off sizing advice from a bike brand (or even a bike shop) is to end up with a bike that’s too short in reach and comes with a stem that’s too long.

A 6ft tall person would end up choosing a 21 inch frame mountain bike. Then the 29er Full Suspension Carbon MTB Frame MFM100 is the best option.

For more info please check our official website: https://www.trifoxbike.com/

How To choose A Fork for Your Mountain Bike

The fork is one of the essential elements of a bicycle, both in terms of performance and comfort. Its purpose is to absorb shocks taken on the front of the bike. Many types of forks exist, depending on the use of the bicycle. Today we will guide you to choose a suitable carbon fork for your mountain bike.

How It Works

The operation of a mountain bike fork is quite simple, two divers sink when there is compression in the sleeves, protected by seals. During the time of relaxation, the divers make the opposite path by withdrawing from the sleeves.

Forks come in various forms: rigid, single-arm, single, double Tee. Their operating modes are different. The entry-level models are generally spring-loaded, while the mid-and high-end models use technologies that use air and oil (to increase lightness).

Pivot, Axle, and Bracket Support

Another important variable is the size of the fork pivot diameter: 1″1/8 (28.6 mm) or 1″1/2 (38.1 mm).

The diameter of the axle for the wheel is to be checked if you want to keep your wheel. This axis can be 9mm, 15mm, or 20mm.

Finally, the braking system, its compatibility must also be checked. There are now 3 assembly standards: International Standard (IS), Post-Mount (PM), and rim brakes (V-brake) The market has now almost fully adopted the IS and PM standard

s. However, some entry-level models still offer the possibility of installing V-Brake brakes.

Forks Adapted to Practice

The key to success in choosing a mountain bike carbon fork lies in defining future use. Depending on the practice we are going to do (downhill, freeride, enduro, cross-country), the size of the travel is not the same. Travel is the distance that can be damped by the fork. This distance is therefore more or less important depending on the models. If you would like to know more about the fork, please visit our official website:https://www.trifoxbike.com/