XC vs Trail Bike: What’s the difference?
The world of mountain biking has become simultaneously very exciting and increasingly confusing. Advancements in bike and component technology, as well as the range of products available to today’s mountain bikers is truly amazing. There are more categories of bikes than ever, and consumers have an increasingly diverse menu of choices that enables them to pick the type of bike that best suits not only their local terrain, but also their style of riding and component preferences.
Alas, choosing the right bike is not always easy. While having more options is theoretically great, the process of identifying the correct mountain bike can be thoroughly confusing, especially if you are new to mountain biking. In this article we shed light on the key differences between cross-country (XC) and trail mountain bikes.
At first glance, XC and trail bikes can look very similar, even identical to the untrained eye. WIth many modern bikes blurring the lines between those categories, it’s not always easy to tell the , often rather subtle, differences.
Geometry
The most significant differences among trail and XC bikes is the frame geometry. XC bike geometry is optimized for efficiency, and has a bias towards being a superior climber at the expense of descending capabilities. Trail bikes will have a more balanced geometry which aims to have a bike that climbs and descends well, while not being the best at either. Trail bikes won’t climb with the efficiency of XC bikes, and they can’t descend with the prowess of all-mountain/Enduro bikes, but they come close to being great at a bit of everything.
You will find modern XC bikes with head angles between 67-69 degrees (but some go as slack as 66 degrees). It is rare to find a contemporary trail bike with a head angle steeper than 67. Trail bikes will often have a longer wheelbase for better high-speed descending stability. The best bikes from both categories will come with short chainstays for good maneuverability and cornering on tight and twisty trails.
Suspension
XC bikes come in both hardtail and full-suspension flavours. Travel (front and rear) will often max out at 120mm and will be air sprung to keep the weight low. XC race bikes will almost always have some sort of lockout to enable the rider to transfer maximum power to the wheels on a sprint situations
Trail bikes will often have a minimum of 120mm and can go all the way to 150mm of suspension travel. While most trail bikes have air-spring suspension, many come with coil spring forks and shocks. While suspension lock-outs can be found on some trail bikes (like the Scott Genius line), it is more common to find suspension components on these bikes equipped with a platform that stiffens up the suspension for climbing rather than fully locking it out.
Trail bikes typically have burlier suspension components. Forks will come with stanchions from 34-37mm, and rear shocks will sometimes have piggy-back chambers for better performance over rough and technical terrain.
Wheel size
29in wheels dominate the world of XC mountain biking. For this kind of riding, especially for XC and endurance racing, 29ers are more efficient and carry momentum better over obstacles.
AMong trail bikes you will find a mix of 29, 27.5 and even “mullet” bikes that have a 29in front wheel along with a 27.5in rear wheel (some riders swear that it makes for a ‘best of both worlds’ bike).
Brakes
XC bikes are usually equipped with lightweight two-piston brakes with 160-180mm rotors. While these brakes provide more than adequate stopping power for most riders, trail bikes will often come equipped with bigger four-piston calipers, larger rotors and finned brake pads for the sake of better thermal management and additional stopping power on long and fast descents.
Tires
XC tires have tread optimized for speed and climbing traction, while trail bikes will have additional layers of rubber for better puncture protection and a more aggressive tread for better cornering and braking traction. It is worth mentioning that tire choice should always be a function of the terrain you intend to ride. Many XC riders will save weight everywhere on the bike, but will choose slightly burlier and heavier tires for the sake of peace of mind on the trail.
Cockpit set-up
XC bikes put the rider in a forward weight bias position for more efficient climbing. You will often see stems between 60-90mm and handlebars between 680-720mm on XC bikes. That being said, the trend in modern XC bikes is towards more progressive geometry with a cockpit setup to match. That is, more and more XC bikes are coming with short stems and wide handlebars that are the norm on their trail bike cousins. Standard widths are between 720-750 on XC bikes, and 740-800 on trail bikes.
Conclusion: Which bike should you pick? XC vs trail
The answer to this question entirely depends on the type of riding you enjoy doing the most. Are you a climbing demon with a hunger for maximum vertical gain? If yes, then a lightweight XC whipped will not bog you down when as the terrain gets steeper on the way up
If you are a fiend for high speed adrenaline-fueled descents, then a bike with longer suspension to smooth out the roughest trails and beefy rubber to give you traction where you need it.
If you intend to dabble in endurance racing, nothing beats the efficiency of XC bikes. If you want a do-it-all fun bike for weekend group rides with your trail buddies, you can’t go wrong with a 120-150mm travel trail bike in the wheel size of your choice.
What if you like a bit of both? There are many bikes on the market that combine the best characteristics of both categories of bikes. For example, you may hear or read about the term “downcountry”, which is used to describe bikes with XC characteristics yet with much more aggressive geometry than your average XC bikes (see Cannondale Scalpel and NS Synonym, Mondraker Podium DC R and Transition Spur for some great examples of this category of mountain bikes).
