A Guide to Women's 2009 Mountain Bikes

Whether you're looking to get in shape for 2009, looking for a thrill that can keep you grounded, or just love being outdoors and off-road, women's mountain biking makes for a great sport or hobby. But with so many choices, how do you know which is the right women's mountain bike for you? Well, here is a guide of what women's mountain bikes out there that can help.

First you'll want to know the kinds of women's mountain bikes and what they're good for.

Rigid: This is your no-frills mountain bike, great for riding anywhere.

Front Suspension or Hardtail: This is a Rigid but with a front end suspension fork which makes it easier to control on rough terrain.

Full Suspension: With suspension forks at the front and back, this bike offers great comfort and control on hard trails and causes less impact on your body.

There's also Dirt Jumping, Freeride, All Mountain, Downhill, 29ers, and Singlespeed bikes. There are other things that may come into play such as types of frames and materials used, but now you know the basics. If you want to learn more about the kinds of bikes available, visit beaconcycling.com.

You can do your bike shopping in many places. You might have a locally owned bike shop in your area. Sporting goods stores carry a wide selection. There's even the internet. If you'd like to know where the best bike shops are, visit bicycleresearch.com for a list of the top 100 bike shops in the country.

A "Yahoo!" search for "2009 women's mountain bikes" brings up 18MILLION hits, proof that mountain biking isn't just a guy thing. The first link to pop up will take you to an ordering page for the Marin Bear Valley Women' Bike, priced at $729. It's a hardtail made of aluminum with 24 speeds. The shock support system and the padded speed seat were designed with the contours of a woman's body in mind. It can be found at Rei.com

Also on the Rei website, you'll find the Scott Contessa 50. A similar frame and material, this hardtail bike is also designed for a woman's comfort while still offering a rugged ride. This model runs at a cheaper cost of only $499.

Other bikes made for females include the Novara Piedra for $459, the Cannondale F9 at $429, and the K2 T:9 Trailhead at the reduced price of $310. These are all hardtails.

If you'd rather go for a full-suspension bike, things can get a little pricier. The Novara Bliss 2.0 runs at over $1,300.

Depending on the brand name and style of mountain bike you're after, you could spend anywhere from $300 to $3,000. Some of the brands you might want to check out are Cannondale, GT, K2, Marin, Novara and Scott.