As the Nineties progressed, competitive off-road cycling in America grew quite rapidly and before too long, Downhill erupted along with Dual Slalom, each developing into its own dedicated sport. DH and DS would soon drive manufacturers to create such goodies as wider rims, thicker sidewall tires, wider bars, shorter stems, aggressive rim coatings, tighter engaging hubs, stronger chains, shorter stand-over height, and gobs of braking power. DH and DS also attracted BMX companies into mountain biking, giving us flatter pedals, stronger cranks, riser bars, crossbars, huge gussets, beefier hubs, splined bottom brackets, and even better grips. Everything that makes for a better handling mountain bike, all the while feeding the slow growth of trials, the underground sport caught in the grips of limited manufacturer support. Now that BMX and motocross directly influence mountain biking, stuff is definitely getting burlier as people realize that stronger is better.
Today there are many reasons that riders choose one style bike over another.
Whether mod or MTB, your first bike is typically like what your friend are riding. They also gap bigger stuff, have gears to allow greater speeds, and are better suited for medium to large riders. On the flipside, you will learn many of the moves quicker on a mod, they are easier to get up onto the rear wheel, lighter, more agile, easier to lunge, and mods typically have fatter rear tires to bounce and preload with. In most of the world, and especially in America, we are unfortunately limited in our mod bike choices. Even when you are lucky enough to get a twenty-inch bike, you are typically limited to only using its own replacement parts.