Cross Country (XC) bikes are like the prototypes of mountain biking. It’s where tech is born and innovation is nonstop. It is akin to a prototype class, which is an apt description because as we’ll explain, every other category is an offshoot of XC.
Let’s find out just “What is an XC Mountain Bike”.
You may jump to the relevant topic by using one of the links below, or you may read on for all the information about XC Mountain Bikes.
#1 – Let’s Start with the Why
#2 – How Does an XC Bike Do What It Does?
#3 – The Choice Between Hard-tail and Full Suspension XC Bike
#4 – So, are Cross Country Mountain Bikes for You?
Cross Country (XC) bikes are like the prototypes of mountain biking. It’s where tech is born and innovation is nonstop. It is akin to a prototype class, which is an apt description because as we’ll explain, every other category is an offshoot of XC.
You’ll find mountain biking’s flashiest components in the cross country landscape, yet, it’s not the bling that makes XC Mountain Bikes special. The answer to the questions, “What is an XC mountain bike?” can be found by looking at what they can do, or rather what they allow the person in the saddle to do.
You see, even as mountain biking has consistently evolved since its inception, growing in scope and adding categories at an exceptional rate, Cross Country Mountain Biking has retained its identity while others have moved their goal posts according to the times.
XC is for those who love a technical challenge. It’s for the rider who does not cower at the sight of a gruelling climb, they grit their teeth and give it their best. Ascending and descending are equals here in XC biking territory.
So, what exactly makes Cross Country a category all its own, untouched by the swaying boundaries of its fellow mountain biking disciplines? Well, the easiest way to find out is by looking at what makes an XC bike unique.
#1 – Let’s Start with the Why
We touched on this in the intro above but there definitely is more to be said about Cross Country as a standalone discipline or category.
XC is the core of what mountain biking is all about. It isn’t a mere remnant of how it all started, it’s the grand and proud tree from which every other category stems from, and out of all of them, it remains the most well-balanced and true to the definition of the sport.
Boiled down to its primary elements, mountain biking is about traversing the rocks and dirt of real terrain away from roads and tarmac. You can go careening down trails on Enduro or Downhill bicycles with exceptional control, but when it comes to ascending, nothing will get you to the top of a hill or mountain like a full-purpose XC machine.
Don’t let this lead you to believe cross country bikes are terrible at descending though, they can definitely hold their own, especially if you’re on a full-suspension XC bike.
To answer the question of why in one simple sentence, we’d argue that cross country mountain bikes don’t need a reason to exist, cross country is the beating heart of mountain biking itself.
#2 – How Does an XC Bike Do What It Does?
Naturally, after the why comes the how of it all. Unlike in our What is Enduro article, we believe that deep diving into XC mountain biking doesn’t require comparing stats and numbers, you can kind of reverse engineer one of the bike’s performance characteristics to figure out why they are built the way they are and more significantly, why cross country is where mountain biking started and will always remain.
So, in simple terms, an XC bike is:
- Stable & comfortable during all stages of riding
- Climbing, descending and on the flat
- Lightweight to make riding as easy as possible
- Able to make react to rider inputs with speed and precision
Now let’s take a look at what parts of the bike allow a rider to achieve each criteria.
Stability & Comfort
- Reach & Handlebar Height: These two measurements work in conjunction because the reach (distance between the seat and top of the steering tube) combined with how high your bars are allows for a comfortable riding position that is more upright than other disciplines but offers the ability to easily lean forward or get out of the saddle to move one’s weight forward or backward. Positioning is absolutely essential to climbing, traversing obstacles (rocks, ruts, roots, logs and more) and even descending.
- Chainstay Length/Rear Center & Front Center: These two measurements are the distance of the wheel hubs (center of the wheels) from the bottom bracket (center of the crank/pedal mechanism). You will find these numbers to be lower than that of most other mountain bikes or even road bicycles, combining to provide a short wheelbase (distance between each wheel hub). This allows a bike to be more maneuverable and have more “flickability”. When a trail presents you with the need to quickly change directions, an XC bike can perform the change in a flash!
- Head Tube Angle: This is a big one for every type of mountain bike. Head tube angle dictates how well your bike will handle undulations in the path ahead, a lower angle means the front wheel is held further out from the bike’s frame thereby allowing the front fork to better absorb bumps while also making the bike more stable. A cross country bike has a higher/steeper angle with the fork pointing more downward. This means it won’t take the bumps as smoothly but maneuverability is greatly improved. Just what a dedicated XC rider needs!
Lightweight Build
Cross country is not about shredding a trail to bits, it’s about attacking it with technical know-how and physical endurance. So, that means XC mountain bikes don’t have to be built to survive Armageddon like many Enduro and Downhill machines.
The frames, whether aluminum, carbon or titanium, will be made thinner and to a lighter spec. The gear and parts bolted on, from derailleur to shock absorber, will be designed for weight saving alongside ease of use.
While this means that you wouldn’t attack a trail with the same aggressiveness of the more downhill-leaning bikes, a cross country mountain bike’s design does not over compromise on strength. A quality frame with well-made parts added, the right wheels for the rider, around 100-120mm suspension travel front and rear (more on that in the next section), and the continued care of its owner will add up to a bike that can take a hefty beating and still get you to where you need to go.
A cross country bicycle is like the trusty steeds you see in westerns who gets the hero across expansive terrain, rivers, mountains and more without hesitation.
#3 – The Choice Between Hard-tail and Full Suspension XC Bike
When full suspension cross country mountain bikes first appeared on the scene, they presented a clear choice, have the advantages of a rear shock (greater stability at speed over rough terrain) or opt for the significantly lower weight savings of a hardtail.
That choice is now moot with today’s mountain bike tech and we can confidently say that full suspension XC bikes present no significant disadvantages except when riding within a very specific environment.
Modern full suspension ticks all the right performance boxes required of a good XC bike:
- Efficient power transfer of pedaling power to the rear wheel
- This is achieved by suspension design that reduces shock travel during pedaling to a minimum, and practically eliminating it on some bike setups
- Rapid and sensitive response to rider inputs (flickability)
- Can hold its own on a descent
So, for the vast majority of amateur riders, a full suspension mountain bike will have you smiling for ear to ear whatever you throw at it.
The one place you will find a hardtail thriving and carving out a noticeable advantage over its full suspension siblings is in races that have riders on OG cross country trails/circuits. To the delight of those who love hyper technical riding and the burn of lactic acid, these types of races still exist. These are places where hardtail cross country bikes will shine, their rigidness and precision are exactly what is needed to post the best times in such races.
In brief, for all riders except those who wish to enter those old-school XC races, we highly recommend a full suspension machine.
#4 – So, are Cross Country Mountain Bikes for You?
The answer is that, yes, a cross country mountain bike is probably just what you need. Now, you’re probably thinking “They just spent a whole article explaining how XC is a very focused and specific category of MTB that has survived changing times, why is it probably suited to me?”
Allow us to explain.
You see, you’d be totally right in saying cross country seems so darned specific, but always remember that XC is about getting you and the bike across those mountains, from one end of the trail to the other. By design it provides its rider the most comfort in tackling whatever the mountains throw at you.
Not every rider can or would want to put an Enduro bike through its paces, testing their limits. With current technology, full suspension XC bikes are immensely capable.
You have:
- The suspension travel and geometry to get over tough stuff
- The lower weight to make things easier than the beefier bike categories
- The right riding position to take on technical climbs and learn
A focused category it may be, but XC is like that friend who always gives you a thumbs up and says, “Let’s do this”.
If you’re a newbie, casual rider, ardent weekend warrior or you know you want to get technical going up a hill as much as going down it, give XC bikes a good look. You will not be disappointed.
If Enduro Mountain Bikes are also on your radar and you want to know the basics of that category, we have another article dedicated to What is an Enduro Mountain Bike.
Back to the beginning of the “What is an XC Mountain Bike” article.
