"Stephen Baker" wrote in message
...
Dan V says:

Trek uses it to mean the bike is a little heavier than a X-country bike,
with more travel. Sort of like a bike to be ridden on trails, but you can
do
some light downhill on it, or light freeride. If you were looking at bike
rags, like MB Action or others, they use this terminology as well.

Steve shakes head in wonder at the stupidity of his fellow man


Marketing trends make up most of our choices. It seems in X-country bikes,
the marketing trend is to make each new bike as light as possible.
I don't want this--I'd rather have a sturdier bike, something that can take
some bigger impacts, and I really don't need to lighten up a bike just to
make it a few seconds faster on a trail---I'd rather have a bike that can
take the abuse better, and so what if I have to work a little harder on
climbs and accelerating out of turns. So to me, the X-country "category"
was not what I was looking for. All mountain bikes would seem to be more
like the ruggedness of the normal mountain bikes 15 years ago.

Dan V