Measuring a Mountain Bike

Mountain bikes come in three primary styles: no suspension (or traditional), front-suspension (or hardtail) and full-suspension. The frames are made from steel, aluminum or carbon fiber. Tires are usually 26″ with some newer models having 29″ tires. All mountain bikes are measured the same way – by the length of the seat tube, even if it is not one continuous tube, as with some full-suspension bikes. Here are the three types of mountain bikes, each with detailed measuring instructions and a frame diagram showing you exactly where to measure.

What style mountain bike do you have?


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