# Xc, Am, Dh, Fr?



## Scott S (May 28, 2008)

Hey guys, I'm a newb to the mountain bike scene and just wanted to know what each term stands for and a brief description of each. I know AM = All Mountain, DH = Down Hill, FR = Free Ride, but I'm not sure what XC stands for or what each category means exactly. Thanks for the help, make fun of me all you want.


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## Phreetogo (May 8, 2008)

I was curious about this myself and just did a search. It seems to be an ongoing discussion. As far as I understand it goes a little like this.

AM is just that ups and downs on trail and whatever the mountain throws at you.

DH is just that going downhill and bombing it.

FR I believe involves more jumping and drop off and is probably more extreme.

XC is cross country and seems more what the racers do. 

Is this right?? Correct me if I'm wrong


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

xc is cross country. i cant explain it too well in exact terms. the bikes generally focus on efficiency and speed.


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## aussiemegs (May 12, 2008)

XC stands for cross country  basically no massive drops or jumps but a little bit of that. My understanding of the others is a little sketchier but ill try and explain. AM is basically doing everything, climbing, decending, some jumps and drops. FR i believe means that you do dirt jumping as well as downhill stuff. And DH is just downhill and very fast with big drops and jumps and whatnot at times.

Anyone is most welcome to correct me on any of these. As i said up further, my understanding of these (in my mind) is a bit sketchy.


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## Scott S (May 28, 2008)

Gotcha, thanks for the help everyone. Guess I'm not the only one a little confused here


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

Linga115 said:


> xc is cross country. i cant explain it too well in exact terms. the bikes generally focus on efficiency and speed.


pedaling efficiency...



Phreetogo said:


> I was curious about this myself and just did a search. It seems to be an ongoing discussion. As far as I understand it goes a little like this.
> 
> AM is just that ups and downs on trail and whatever the mountain throws at you.
> 
> ...


there are downhill racers too... XD


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

mrpercussive said:


> pedaling efficiency...
> 
> there are downhill racers too... XD


free ride is more showing off. AM is go anywhere do anything fun.:thumbsup:


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

Here's a link to a previous post with a good breakdown....


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

Linga115 said:


> free ride is more showing off. AM is go anywhere do anything fun.:thumbsup:


read my post again... XD


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

mrpercussive said:


> read my post again... XD


:madman:


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

Linga115 said:


> :madman:


dude... looks like you're in the bay area too... we should ride sometime... :thumbsup:


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

mrpercussive said:


> dude... looks like you're in the bay area too... we should ride sometime... :thumbsup:


yep ill pm you about it.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

This gets asked every week or every other week, and I really feel a sticky with the necessary info is in order.

*XC ( Cross country):*
Mostly done on singletrack, in the woods. Lots of grueseome climbs rewarded by descents. Bikes are usually very light and nimble. Physically demanding. The bike will rarely if ever leave the ground. Some could argue that this is the easier side of mountain biking. Can be raced.














*All Mountain:*
XC on steroids. There is still plenty of climbing. The bikes get heavier and stronger, the descents steeper and rockier. The bike can and will leave the ground at times for some drop offs or the odd jumps. Can also be seen as light freeride.














*Freeride:*
Balls needed. Jumping off of natural or man made obstacles such a road gaps, drops, jumps, hips, doubles, step ups and step downs. Blazing speeds can be achieved before said stunts. Bikes are burlier, have much more travel than XC or AM, and are much stronger too. Some freeride competitions exist, the red bull rampage and cranksworks comes to mind.













(no, freeride isn't all about hucking cliffs)





*Downhill:*
Riding real fast down the steepest, most rocky/rooty/muddy/sandy/all of the above slopes you can find. Usually done at specific ski resorts, though some private or state operated trails do exist. Big balls needed here too. Here the bikes have the most travel to let you survive rock gardens, as well as the occasional jump and drop associated with this type of riding. Can also be raced















*4x AKA Four Cross:*
Racing on groomed motocross like tracks, as fast as your legs can push you. Extremely physically demanding and oh-so-fun!














(gnarly, gnarly track)

*Dirt Jumping:*
I don't think a riding style name can be anymore self-explanatory than this. Jumping using big piles of dirt.









(Pictured here is a member from MTBR, Cru Jones)






*
Street, AKA Urban:*
Messing around with what you find in the urban jungle, park benches, stairs, ledges, banks, you name it.















*Trials riding*
Possibly the hardest discipline in all of biking technique wise, I think I'll let the picture and video speak for themselves.















_P.S. : I don't claim to be an expert in any of these types of riding, and I chose the videos as best as I could, if you can find better, PM me and I will gladly add it in._


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## Blu Falcon (Apr 26, 2008)

The Freeride video is no longer on YouTube. Saw it once before. It was really awesome. Sadly, I don't think my balls are that huge.


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## Guest (May 30, 2008)

*Why all the division?*

Why is there so much segregation in mountain biking? What can't we all be people who enjoy going offroad on two wheels powered by our own legs? The same can be said about road bikes as well, I mean for once lets jus---wait, f*ckit, grab some armor, throw on a fullface, and let's get huck'n! DH/FR is the most fun you'll ever have on an unmotorized bi0cycle.:thumbsup:


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## marzjennings (Jan 3, 2008)

Dr Phil mmkay said:


> Why is there so much segregation in mountain biking? What can't we all be people who enjoy going offroad on two wheels powered by our own legs? The same can be said about road bikes as well, I mean for once lets jus---wait, f*ckit, grab some armor, throw on a fullface, and let's get huck'n! DH/FR is the most fun you'll ever have on an unmotorized bi0cycle.:thumbsup:


What! Are you new?

Can't all sports be performed in different ways to suit how the individual wants to get involved? Cycling's no different from running, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, etc in having sub divisions and their own supporters and detractors and specialized equipment.

Thing is, has mountain biking evolved into a multi disciplined sport or has it all part of some master plan from the cycling industry which now dictates that you can't FR on a XC bike, or DJ on a SS. 

laters,

Marz


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## spazzy (Aug 15, 2004)

nah i dont think its split off into seperate categories, i ride xc on my dj bike, and have even jumped alittle on my xc bike, and even dh on the dj bike, as long as you are riding its all good

just as in snowboarding i ride pow on my park board, im still riding...so its all good

i think many people get caught up in oh man i need an AM bike to hit some jumps once in awhile, i think beginners get caught up in needing to buy buy buy, i bought a year old model gary fisher entry level hardtail and then after awhile decided what to get because i had found out what aspects of biking i liked most

anyway im done with the rant and props to snakey for having that sweet collection of stuff for examples


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Having the right tool for the job makes your life easier though spazzy. A DH bike will be better at DH than any other type of bike, etc. If you only specialise in one or two riding styles, the one that is best suited is likely to give you more bang for you buck and more fun down the line.

I've done some trail riding on my SS DJ/street bike, some light DH as well. Was it doable? Yes. Was it as fun as it would have been on a bike meant for it? Not quite.


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## s.h.r.e.d (Mar 23, 2008)

marzjennings said:


> you can't DJ on a SS


Err, don't mean to be super anal but pretty much all DJ bikes are SS:thumbsup:


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## marzjennings (Jan 3, 2008)

s.h.r.e.d said:


> Err, don't mean to be super anal but pretty much all DJ bikes are SS:thumbsup:


Oh yea, DOH! :madman:


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