Features include wide, knobby tires for grip and a wide range of gearing to help you on uphills and over various obstacles. Depending on the type of MTB bike, they may have front suspension with a rigid rear (“hardtail”), or both front and rear suspension to cushion jumps and landings, but there are also models that have no suspension at all.

Buy a mountain bike if: you want to ride your bike in the mountains or mostly off-road.

Do not buy a mountain bike if: you want to ride fast on paved roads, ride long distances, or mainly ride around town.

Trek is a manufacturer and distributor of bikes and dedicated bicycle products under brands such as Trek, Electra, Bontrager and Diamant Bikes. Previously, Trek also manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond, Klein and Villiger Bikes brands. Trek is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Their bikes are sold through 1,700 independent bike stores in North America, subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, and South Africa, and distributors in 90 countries around the world. The majority of Trek bicycles are now manufactured outside the United States, in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan and China.