Perhaps you’re looking for a new outlet, something to get the blood pumping, adrenaline going and a means to explore the world around you. Well, cycling is certainly one way of ticking all those boxes and more.
Mountain biking takes you off the roads and into nature varied terrain tests your skill and endurance while you exercise your inner child. If you’re thinking of venturing off into the MTB world, you’ll need a faithful companion to accompany you for the ride.
Hardtail mountain bikes are those which have a front-only suspension system, called a fork. This component is effectively a shock absorber for when you ride over rougher terrain, for more information about hardtails, check out our guide here. Hardtails are ideal first-time mountain bikes because they can teach you a great deal about bike handling skills, effective line choices and they’re also considerably cheaper than full-suspension bad boys.
Over the summer, I’ve been reviewing the women’s Grand Canyon AL 5.9 mountain bike from Canyon Bikes, and here’s how I got on with it.
Canyon’s Grand Canyon WMN AL 5.9
Canyon Bikes are known for their precise bicycle engineering, bold colours and, of course, their dedication to women’s cycling. For a vast majority of their models, Canyon offers a women’s build which varies in definition, but offer improves suitability for female riders. One such model is their cross-country hardtail, the Grand Canyon.
Starting off at the front of the bike, we have a RockShox XC 30 fork with 100mm of travel and a lock-out feature which is great if you’re transferring from road to trail. These forks run smooth but the lack of adjustability in them make these a little softer than you may want.
