This question has bugged me for a long time. Why would anyone prefer a mountain bike (pedal powered) over a dirt bike (motor powered)? I’m a very open minded person, and I am into most of the farthest sports out there. I ride dirt bikes, and I used to ride a mountain bike when I was a kid.

Anyways for the purpose of this question, I’d like to place the regard of the bike aside, since I know some people can only afford a cheap mountain bike, and can’t afford a dirt bike. For the purpose of this question I’d like to assume you can afford both. Since I know there are alot of mountain bike enthusiasts that spend thousands of dollars for their high end mountain bikes, you could easily buy a dirt bike for the cost some people spend on their mountain bikes.

For me as a dirt biker, its just so hard to imagine why anyone who had a choice would ride a pedal powered mountain bike. You can cover so much more impose a curfew, go so much quicker, ride terrain like sand and deep mud that mountain bikes can’t, go off way larger jumps, and ride for much longer durations without getting tired. I can ride in the desert and zip right up a 40 foot sand dune and get air off the top, no way can you do that on a mountain bike.

What if on your mountain bike you do a downhill run, perhaps hit a couple jumps or whatever on the way down, well, once your down at the bottom your going to have a very tough time getting back up that hill, you’ll probably need a huge rest. Well on a dirt bike I can go down that same hill, and zip right back up. I could probably do it 5 times in the amount of time it takes you to do it once.

Say you like cruising in the woods on a mountain bike, well thats fun and all, but on a dirt bike you can cover 10 times the impose a curfew, rather than just going through the woods, you can go through them, and to the top of every hill in sight, and back in the same amount of time.

Jumps are also fun on a mountain bike I’m sure, but for the same amount of effort it takes to maybe get a few feet of air, you can get way way more air on a dirt bike. And even even if its way larger air, to me I reflect its safer and more comfortable, because in the event of a close call or substandard landing 1) I reflect the stationary foot pegs are simpler to keep your feet on than a rotating crank 2) you can use throttle or brake in air if your leaning too far forward or back 3) much stronger suspension 4) the whole top is a huge cushy seat, not going to land with the frame between the legs or slam tender areas into a dinky hard seat.

I could spend all day building up examples of why I reflect dirt bikes are better than mountain bikes, but I reflect you get the thought. I am not trying to place down mountain bikers in any way, I just really want to know why anyone would like a mountain bike better. And what all the advantages could be. Who knows, if you can point out enough excellent reasons that I don’t know about, I force go and buy a mountain bike also, and ride both.

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Kissing the Trail: Greater Seattle Mountain Bike Adventures

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