The air-sprung Suntour fork makes setting sag and spring rate easy. However, disappointing small-bump compliance, general smoothness and rebound damping hindered its ability to proficiently absorb impacts. Every brand seems to have its own take on the saddle clamp design, which usually includes a bolt at the front of the head and another at the rear, although some have just one bolt. Mountain biking isn’t one type of riding, but a term that encompasses a whole range of different styles. In this guide, we look at the most popular types of mountain biking and why they matter to you and your choice of bike.

High stability - The silicone bike seat cushion is easy to With adjustable elastic straps and oversized velcro. The Internal anti-skid particles surface will provide you extra stability on your bike. Use AUVSTAR Silicone Cushion Cover to Improve Cycling Comfort. Most dropper posts enable you to lower your saddle by between 125mm and 170mm, while outliers start at 100mm and go as high as 210mm. A shim should work fine with a standard seatpost clamp that attaches around the outside of the bike’s seat tube, but it might not work properly to hold your seatpost in place without it slipping if you’ve got a more complex clamp design. Round seatposts come in several different diameters, to fit in different-sized seat tubes. If you’re changing your seatpost, make sure the post you’re replacing it with is the correct diameter. The WTB Trail Boss tyres come fitted with Carrera’s own Puncture Protect system – a foam insert to help prevent pinch flats. You also get a Carrera bar, stem, saddle and rims. Carrera Fury ride impressionsFor an accurate measurement, your friend should position the measuring tape midway between your feet. It may be helpful to mark off the 10 inches (25 cm) on the floor so that you can position your feet and the tape correctly. This detracted from the otherwise comfy ride feel on both climbs and descents, and was compounded by the firm hexagon-shaped grips.

Going uphill, the geometry puts you in a neutral and central body position, both seated and standing. This makes it easy to apply pressure to both wheels to increase grip, without destabilising the ride. common frame design for this, where there is an oval cut-out towards the bottom of the seat tube for the Seatpost length ranges anywhere from around 75mm to more than 400mm, though most posts come in lengths between 300mm and 400mm. left), 30.9mm (middle) and 31.6mm (right) seatpost diameters are most common. Kaden Gardener / Our Media

How we tested

For a dropper post to work, there needs to be sufficient space in the frame’s seat tube. This is particularly an issue with smaller frame sizes, which often have shorter-travel dropper posts as a result. The Fury gives a comfortable ride, especially when seated, thanks to the dropper post flexing enough to smooth out a significant amount of trail roughness. Combined with the soft saddle, this meant I didn’t feel overly fatigued on long rides.

The longer seatpost length of mountain bikes means rigidity and robustness are important, whereas with the shorter seatposts on road bikes, compliance and ride comfort are greater priorities. 34.9mm seatpost A narrower post will typically be lighter and can offer improved comfort, because it’s able to flex more easily than a stiffer, oversized post. 30.9mm seatpost Editor's Note: On November 13, 2023, we added a new award winner for road bike saddles. Related: Best Bike Saddles of 2023 Dropper posts enable you to move the saddle out of the way on technical terrain. Ian Linton / YT Industries Even though the Carrera’s spec suggested it should have killer performance, its descending and climbing competence still caught me a little off-guard.

Bontrager's Commuter Comp Bike Saddle offers an excellent bike saddle for commuters due to its quality construction and user-specific design. Bontrager maintains their excellent reputation with a saddle that utilizes an ergonomic shape rather than cushion to achieve comfort even on a long commute. Excessive cushion on a bike saddle frequently causes a decrease in pedal performance and can even lead to discomfort on longer rides if the appropriate sit bones aren't supported correctly. The Commuter Comp strikes that delicate balance in comfort and pedaling performance so you can get to work on time and not have to sacrifice your sit bones in the process. Bontrager also built an incredibly durable design with minimal wear and tear observed even after all of our rigorous tests. The Fury has a 10-speed Shimano Deore-based drivetrain (the cranks are from Prowheel), with a 32t chainring for a harder top gear than the 30t rings found on similar bikes in this category. Stopping is taken care of by Shimano’s MT200 units, with 180/160mm rotors. The Spyder Outland is only offered in one size, so it may not fit many riders' sit bones. At 125mm, it's actually the narrowest saddle we tested in the mountain biking category, so if you have wider sit bones, this will likely be less comfortable than other options. The Tioga Spyder Outland is an excellent, narrow saddle for riders seeking the lightest option for mountain biking.