extreme cycling sport specifics

Part one

Bicycle is a really popular sport itself. It is very practical and economic, every one can say that. Bike is also connected with many sports. The first sport 'on bike' was just racing on a road for many many kilometers on high speed, like Tour de France, etc. A couple of years later, a Canadian thought of mountain bike. His name was Gary Fisher, and then it all began. Mountain biking started to success, and nowadays it's everywhere.
There was also a kind of bike called BMX, which is much smaller, and invented for doing tricks, and whatever is possible in the air or on the ground, which is not usual for common bike users.
Two kinds of bikes have mixed up, the mountain bike with its smaller cousin - BMX, and the era of Freeride on 26" wheels began.
It has all started in North Shore, British Columbia, Canada. Few people wanted to ride their mountain bikes with better speed, but not on the road, but in forest or just... trail in the mountains. Of course they were supposed to ride down the hill. They thought that was just great fun, but they would need some more travel in their suspension (in the past bikes, if there was a suspension, it was horrible, and with a very low travel).
Then the standards of Motocross (motorbike with high suspension, and designed for high jumps and tricks in the air) came to cycling. Great forks, really hard frames, huge rear suspension and fat wheels gave this sport some taste, and made it really unusual. Then there came all the protection equipment for the whole body, and of course full-faced helmets with a protection for the whole face.
The sport started to develop and gave the beginning to few kinds of it.

The main categories we can make, are two groups of people: the first are 'professionals'. People who start in competitions, cups and championships all over the world, carry their pro-licenses with them.
The other group is 'for fun' or just 'not-pro-yet'... It means they are just having fun of it, making it their own way, or just haven't started their carrier yet (no enough equipment yet, or the age).

Now, I want to show the most 'shaped' sports of professionals. The main sport is called 'Downhill', 'DH' in shorter way. The point is to ride down the hill, on specially prepared trail with jumps, tight turns and very difficult and strength-requiring parts. The riders are riding separately. The fastest is the winner. The trails require high suspension and really hard stuff, which can take high duty. It also has the highest level of danger, so riders need full protection equip. for the whole body.

The other sport, which is mainly based on BMX cross competitions is 'Four Cross', or '4X' shorter. In the beginning it was called 'Dual Slalom', because it was a race of 2 riders on a very difficult trail. It is not as fast and dangerous as DH, but it’s more technical. You have to be really fast, technically perfect and really balanced to pass the trail from the beginning to the end on high speed, while competing with 3 other riders. Yes, that's the difference, 4X is a race of 4 riders.
The bikes are also different from the DH ones. They are not so heavy and 'stuffed-out' of huge suspension. Mainly there is no suspension on the rear at all. These types of frames are called 'hardtails', the name tells you everything. The front fork is also shorter. The bike is smaller, faster, smoother.... and ... cheaper.


There will be an update here really soon.
And what’s more, some specific photos, to show you what I’m talking about.

Greetz