A mountain bike is a bicycle designed for rougher off-road riding, primarily suited to mountain bike trail centres, bike parks and non-tarmac specific surfaces. However, some mountain bikes also provide a smoother, comfier solution to commuting or general leisure riding, this is down to their wider bars and tyres, relaxed geometry and suspension creating a more stable, balanced ride. 

Mountain bikes offer larger wheel sizes than any other style of bike (29” and 27.5”). The benefits of these larger wheels provide faster climbing as well as faster descending, however, 29” wheels can prove to be a daunting transition as their larger diameter creates a “longer” bike in theory, making them feel cumbersome on tight corners and narrow singletracks. If you're looking for a fast rolling, bump absorbing trail machine, the large wheeled mountain bikes provide limitless boundaries on what and where you can ride your bike.

If you are new to the mountain bike scene, hardtails offer the best starting point for developing your technique and improving your skills. Starting at the £300 mark they also provide the best value for money, lowest maintenance costs and ideal performance for a range of riding styles; from commuting to aggressive trail riding.

Full suspension mountain bikes are the best solution if you wish to take your riding to the next level. With a range of front and rear suspension sizes, the limits to which you can take your riding are pushed dramatically. Long travel forks offer subtle but dramatic shock absorption on large impacts, bikes with larger rear travel offer more grip on rougher terrain as well as increased comfort on large drops, jumps and braking bumps. As well as this, full suspension bikes adopt a “slacker” frame design, meaning the top tube angle is steeper than a conventional bike. This characteristic allows for effective weight distribution on steep trails as well as increased maneuverability of the bike on technical ascends and descends.

Designed to be efficient and lightweight, so you can ride as quick as your legs let you. Many of these bikes are race-ready, to tackle gruelling multi-lap off-road races.

Since they are very efficient, they are also good for casual riding on forest paths and canal tracks. These bikes are usually limited to 100 millimetres of suspension travel.

These bikes are like cross-country machines on steroids.

Usually equipped with 100-140 millimetres of suspension, they are often heavier and less efficient than XC bikes, but are more stable at speed and can tackle steeper, rougher terrain.

Trail bikes are perfect for the adventurous rider looking to improve their skillset and explore exciting new red and/or black graded trail centres routes.

Enduro is a quickly growing type of racing which involves extended climbs followed by racing timed downhill sections.

Riders require a bike which can pedal efficiently uphill and also cope with jumps, drops and rocky, rooty sections of trail. These bikes will 150 millimetres or more suspension travel to deal with the rigours of this type of riding.

These bikes are specialist machines for descending very steep, extended trails as quickly as possible.

They are usually heavy, with limited gearing and are not suitable for general purpose use.

For the advanced thrill-seeker, these bikes can tackle the worst off-road terrain, like the downhill runs at Ae or Fort William.

Hybrids are general purpose bicycles designed for leisure, fitness, commuting and utility. They will combine elements of road, touring and mountain bikes, hence the name "hybrid". Hybrid bicycles will offer comfortable seating positions with a wide range of gearing to tackle both road and off-road riding. Hybrids are aimed at new cyclists, family riders and commuters.

If you're just looking for "a bike", a hybrid is usually a safe bet. If you ride for leisure, fitness, commuting or any combination of the above, this is the bike for you!

Below are a list of types of hybrid bike. It's worth noting that many models can be used for different styles and types of riding.

Bikes with no suspension for simplicity and weight saving and tyres offering a mixture of speed and grip typify the fitness and leisure bike.

Usually supplied with no accessories, they can be dressed up with mudguards and pannier racks to better suit year-round commuting or utility use in Scotland.

These bikes will be equipped with a suspension fork to allow the bike to ride smoothly over rough, potholed roads, canal paths and gravel trails.

Although often slower and heavier than leisure and fitness bikes, path bikes can offer greater comfort and choice of terrain to ride. Most path bikes can also be fitted with mudguards and racks to become more practical machines.

Comfort and style are a range of bikes designed for a "sit up and beg" seating position, a frame that is easy to mount, and comfortable quality of ride, through wide tyres of short travel suspension forks and seatposts.

Women's models will often have a very low frame to allow the rider to "step through" rather than over to climb aboard.

This range of bicycles are similar to the fitness/leisure machines above, but come ready to go with valuable accessories like mudguards, pannier racks and kick-stands.

This means they can be immediately pressed into service for cycling to work, touring across distance and using around town.

Folding bikes are quite simply, bikes that fold. Through clever hinge mechanisms, these bikes can be made smaller to fit onto trains, buses and into the boots of small cars.

Equipped with smaller wheels to reduce their size, folding bikes are not as efficient as full size hybrid bikes. Folding bikes are usually more complicated, and therefore more expensive than standard bicycles.

For those with limited space, their usefulness cannot be overlooked.

Kids bicycles are small bike to suit riders aged 3 years and up until the early to mid teenage years. They are divided neatly by wheel size to suit different heights and ages of rider. Although we offer general guidance on what age they are designed for, the height and confidence level of the child can also be just as important when choosing size.

All bikes sold by Dales Cycles are fully assembled, safety-checked and ready to ride. We do not sell anything heavy or clunky like the supermarkets and toy shops. Any bike from Dales Cycles will ensure your child gets the best possible start in cycling!

Listed below are the different sizes available. For extra information, please get in touch by telephone or e-mail.

Balance bikes remove the pedals and drivetrain and are designed so little riders can sit comfortably with their feet on the ground.

This promotes confidence and allows the child to raise their feet, "scoot" along and learn how to balance.

These bikes have become incredibly popular over the last few years, and many parents now begin their children on these rather than larger bikes with stabilisers.

Aimed at 3-5 year olds.

Unlike balance bikes, these will come equipped with a drivetrain and allow the child to learn how to pedal.

Although supplied with stabilisers, some children may not need them fitted if they are progressing from a balance bike.

These bikes only have one gear to keep the process as simple as possible.

For at 5-7 year olds.

Larger than the 12 inch wheel bikes, but still usually with one gear and supplied with stabilisers unless otherwise noted.

For at 7-9 year olds.

Usually these bikes are equipped with 5-7 gears, so the child can change to easier gears to climb hill and harder gears to go faster on the flat.

These bikes are not supplied with stabilisers and many do not accept them.

For 8-11 year olds.

Similar to 20 inch wheel bikes but larger.

Again, they are not supplied with stabilisers and can have anything from 7-21 gears to allow for longer rides on varying terrain.

For 12+ years.

For older, or taller children, an adult bicycle in a small, or extra small size can be a good option and allow for more growth than a childrens bicycle.

See the relevant adult buying guide for the type of bicycle you require.

Cyclocross (CX or Cross for short), is an off-road racing discipline featuring muddy, hilly courses with sections designed to force the rider to pick up and carry the bicycle for short distances. Races are usually held in the Autumn and Winter seasons. Although sometimes viewed as sometime for road cyclists to do in the "off-season", Cyclocross is growing in Scotland and the UK to match the popularity of road and mountain bike events.

Cyclocross bikes look similar to road bikes, but are designed for wider mud tyres and lower gearing. They can be divided into two types, those designed exclusively for racing and training, and "Cross" bikes, which are less race-orientated and more suitable for commuting and touring.

If you're looking to race Cyclocross through the Autumn and Winter or choose a fast bike for use both on, and off-road, these are the bikes for you.

CX racing bikes are lightweight, with tyres designed to offer grip in loose, muddy conditions.

They need to be lightweight so riders can carry their bikes over obstacles. Frequently, they have no fixtures or fittings for mudguards and/or pannier racks and so are designed solely for racing and training.

Because they have lower gearing designed for muddy race use, they are not as suitable as road bikes for open-road events.

Inheriting geometry similar to what you'd find on a standard road bike, with wide tyres & a sturdy frame found on mountain bikes, gravel bikes allow the best of both worlds. They're suitable for anything from cycling on the roads, veering onto cycle paths, dirt tracks and even some flowing forest singletrack.

These bikes are sure to get your adrenaline up as you transition between terrain, all while remaining comfortable & fast.

Many riders like gravel bikes for their ability to fit full-length mudguards & pannier racks, making them a great contender for anything from your commute to multi-day bikepacking adventures.

Taking inspiration from Hybrid & Road bikes, Adventure-style bikes usually come equipped with drop handlebards, wide tyres and all the gears you could ever need.

Similar to a Gravel bike, these machines are capiable of getting you where you want to go, ensuring you'll arrive with a smile on your face.

Whilst less common that the bikes mentioned above, we have extensive experience with the following types of bikes. 

If you are interested in anything we talk about here, feel free to get in touch either by phone or email. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and offer greater insight into our product range.

Cross bikes take the off-road abilities of a Cyclocross bike and offer the rider a more relaxed seating position for comfort and add the ability to accept mudguards and pannier racks to increase their versatility and usefulness for day-to-day cycling.

These bikes can be seen as the modern interpretation of the classic "touring" bike. These bikes are perfect for commuting to and from work, and for touring the countryside with pannier bags full of luggage.

The single speed or fixed gear bike is designed to be low maintenance and low weight whilst offering high levels of enjoyment and style. Single speed bikes can be comfortable and relaxed, or aggressive and fast. By removing the gears, there is less weight and less to go wrong. Fixed gear bicycles take this a step further, removing the freewheel element, and while the rear wheel is turning, so are the pedals. There is no option to coast along.

If you're looking for value for money, and don't like to adjust or fiddle with gears, this could be the type of bike for you!

A single speed bike removes the gears found on most other modern bikes.

This makes the bike lighter, simpler and cheaper than geared alternatives.

As there is only one gear, the rider will need to work harder on the hills, but will benefit from extra reliability and lower servicing costs. This can really benefit commuters who ride a large number of miles every day.

Similar to a single speed, a fixed gear bicycle also removes some of the moving parts from inside the rear wheel to make the bicycle as simple as possible.

There is no ability to coast, when the wheel is moving the rider has to pedal, even down hills. Some riders find that this gives them a greater feeling of connection to the bicycle and to the road, but takes some getting used to!

Track bicycles are fixed gear bicycles designed for use on indoor velodrome tracks, which feature wooden raceways with high, banked corners. Track bikes do not have brakes, as they are only for use in a controlled environment and not in traffic.

If you'd like to emulate the great Sir Chris Hoy by giving track cycling a go, these are the bikes for you!

A fixed gear means that when the wheel is turning, so are the pedals, there is no ability to coast or freewheel the bicycle. Tyres are narrow, and run at a high pressure for speed and efficiency. Many track racers run tubular tyres which can be inflated to very high pressures. A true track bicycle will never come with brakes and cannot be used safely outside of a velodrome. Track bikes will also adhere to a strict set of design guidelines handed down by the UCI (track legal), allowing their use for racing. Since there is only one gear, riders will have to swap chain rings and/or rear sprockets to make the bicycle easier, or faster to ride.

Wahoo KICKR Bike from Wahoo Fitness on Youtube.

The Gold-Standard in indoor training Tech

Wahoo KICKR from Wahoo Fitness on Youtube.

The revolution has begun