A freeride bike is a bike that combines elements of downhill, trail, and enduro bikes. A 170mm travel bike is usually the go-to for freeride. So, bigger and burlier than an enduro bike, but slightly less travel and lighter than a dedicated downhill bike. The reason is that freeride bikes are built to be solid bike park bikes, but are also meant to be more pedalable than downhill bikes. You might not crush any uphill records on a freeride bike, but you can crawl up and shred down. 

Depending on who you ask, maybe! If you are 100% positive you will only ever ride the bike park and you will never ride uphill, get a downhill mountain bike. But, if you want to shred the bike park hard and ride trails outside of the bike park, a freeride bike might be the ticket. What’s nice about freeride bikes is that some (but not all) are dual crown fork compatible. That means you can equip it with a massive fork for soaking up big features at the park, and pretty much achieve downhill status. On top of that, freeride bikes have gottens so good in recent years that many riders will tell you a dedicated downhill bike is no longer really necessary.

Yep! But slowly. If charging up trailheads and climbs is your game, a freeride bike will not be for you (opt for a trail or cross country bike instead). But if you’re happy to do the “steady as it goes” thing uphill and then want to annihilate the downhill, a freeride bike is a good choice.