What is the best bike to ride in Morzine & Portes du Soleil ?
Downhill mountain bike, enduro, renting a bike or bringing your own, there are plenty of options! I will try to guide you to the best bike choices for Morzine.
The best mountain bike will be the one adapted to your riding!
If you want to ride on the trails and discover the bike parks, an Enduro, DH or other modern all-suspension mountain bike will do the trick.
At least 140mm of travel is good for a minimum of comfort.
However, if you want to do a lot of downhill riding on Pleney or Châtel, a downhill mountain bike will prove its worth! Even if a long-travel Enduro (>160) would also do well, the DH will be more efficient and less tiring. The bike will also come out in better shape!
Finally, if you want to get off the beaten track, off the wide and busy trails, the DH bike is not an option! Indeed, as soon as you leave the trails, you might have to climb, which is very complicated with a downhill mountain bike. An Enduro or a Trail bike would be perfect for these exploration rides!
It's also during these trips that it's particularly interesting to ride with a guide! He will guide you to the most beautiful trails, accessible to your level.
The different types of mountain bikes
XC
Cross Country
Cross Country mountain bikes are designed to be efficient, fast and agile, both uphill and downhill! In XC competition, comfort levels are lowered to make them lighter and therefore faster. These bikes are also ideal for uphill tours.
Trail
Trails are bikes with a more upright and comfortable riding position. The suspension has greater travel. So they're a more versatile choice, able to handle a wider variety of terrain.
TRAIL
ENDURO
Enduro
Enduro mountain bikes are downhill-oriented, but still offer decent climbing performance. The suspensions are big, and can sometimes be locked to make climbing easier. Enduro races are downhill races where only the downhill sections are timed.
Downhill
Downhill mountain bikes, as their name suggests, are not designed for pedalling uphill. Very long travel suspension, oversized brakes, wide, reinforced tyres: everything is designed for going downhill and going downhill fast! So they're not all-purpose bikes, because it's very difficult to tackle hills with them, because the transmission isn't adapted and they are heavy.