Mountain biking is the sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.
Races typically take place in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount.
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators.
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling.
These typically include a front or full suspension, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, and lower gear ratios for climbing steep grades.
A cyclo-cross bicycle is a bicycle specifically designed for the rigors of a cyclo-cross race.
The major differences between the two are the frame geometry, and the wider clearances that cyclo-cross bikes have for their larger tires and mud and other debris that they accumulate.
The term road bicycle is used to describe bicycles built for traveling at speed on paved roads.
Some sources use the term to mean racing bicycle. They usually have more gear combinations and fewer hi-tech racing features