Your High Street Bike Shop – Where Has It Gone

Going back 15 years you would have found 2-3 bike shops within a 5 mile radius. Nowadays however a great many have shut their doors and ceased trading, leaving only the bigger companies and shops that sell a range of products such as snowboards and climbing gear as well as bikes. So what is it that has been the downfall of the small biking shop, and will the trend continue? Lets take a look at a few factors.

More Cars. Compared to a century ago, the number of cars around has obviously increased dramatically. More people are not only buying cars but also using their cars a lot more. However, does this necessarily mean that bikes are being used less as a result. Halfords, a large chain of shops in the UK that serves both car and bike owners have stated that over the past 10 years there has been a decrease of 10% in the number of commuter, second hand bikes and new mountain bikes sold. This year just gone however has actually seen the first rise in bike purchases, which maybe a result of financial strain on car owners right now.

Internet Shopping. Every day sees an a rise in the amount of purchases happening over the Internet. Even though bikes are classic items that people like to try out first, the amount that are being sold online continues to increase every year. According to the top bike retailer in the UK, sales on the internet account for 10% more of the total sales each year since 2000.

Online Trading sites. The last factor to consider is the increase in online classified sites such as Ebay. Once upon a time people would take their unwanted bikes to the local bike shop and either sell it or trade it in for a new one. Now you get on your computer and advertise your bike in minutes to thousands of people all over the country. There are now even sites set up specifically for trading used surfboard, snowboards and mountain bikes etc, such as Extreme Sports Trader and Bike Magic

Tags: Bicycle, Bikes, Mountain Bikes, riding, shops, Sports

Road Bike Cycling – Choosing a Bike

There are many reasons for riding on the road and there are lots of different kinds of bikes. The four main types of bikes for road bike cycling are road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes and folding bikes. All these kinds of bikes have numerous different designs so choosing the most suitable bike for your needs can be a tricky decision.

What kind of bike yo decide to get to ride on the road varies depening on your use, the length of your journeys, and which kind of bike you feel comfortable riding as they all have different riding positions and intended usages.

Usually road bikes have dropped handlebars and skinny tyres, and they are very light. They are mostly designed for speed so the riding position is low down rather than upright, as this is the most aerodynamic position. This kind of bike is the fastest kind for road bike cycling and is chosen for racing by experienced road cyclists.

Road bikes can then be spilt into two sub-categories, of touring bikes and racing bikes. Touring bikes are perfect for long distances and cycling holidays, but race bikes are designed for speed and acceleration.

Touring bikes have lower gear ratios so they are appropriate for carrying gear with you on a long ride or tour. Race bikes are very lightweight with rigid frames that enable the maximum transfer of power from the rider to the wheels, and offer a smooth ride.

A good choice of road bike for commuters, keeping fit and cycling for leisure are hybrid bikes. These are essentially a mixture of a mountain bike and a road bike, and they are growing in popularity all the time. They have quick spinning wheels like a road bike has, but they have flat handlebars so the riding position is upright like a mountain bike.

Mountain bikes have tyres with substantial tread as they are designed for off-road riding, but they can also be changed to road cycling if you already have one and want to cycle on the road without another huge cost. To adapt a mountain bike you can just swap the tyres for narrower, smoother tyres. This will decrease resistance and make cycling on the road easier and faster.

If you cycle on the road as part of your commute a great bike to use is a folding bike. These are superb if you use any public transport on your journey, or if you have any storage issues at home or work. Instead of thinking about where to secure your bike you can just fold it up and take it indoors with you.

Whichever style you choose, when road bike cycling always think about making yourself obvious to other road users by wearing reflective items and using lights. This is imperative for your safety on the road, regardless of the type of bike you choose.

Tags: Road Bike Cycling

The Range Of MTB Suspension On The Market

The front forks of bikes have changed massively since the introduction of the mountain bike. Due to the introduction a need developed for cushioning the impact of rough terrain. A need that simply had not been there before.

Commonly on MTB’s now days you will usually find that the front forks have an already fitted set of shocks, with the blades being made from upper and lower telescopic tubes, called ‘legs’. These telescopic tubes allow the impact of the rocky terrain under the wheels to be reduced, thereby making the bike much easier to control in rough conditions.

The technical specifications for MTB Forks can change massively, with the forks travel and handling style tailored to a specific discipline of mountain biking. For example, a XC mountain bike rider will need a different setup to a DH mountain bike racer, who will have a different fork again to a freeride rider. XC bikes won’t require as much suspension fork travel, usually near eighty to one hundred millimeters and will be made from lighter metal when compared to the forks used on a DH bike. This is essentially as they won’t receive as much punishment as they might during cross country riding.

When suspension was first introduced onto mountain bikes, a travel distance of the above amount was normal. Now though, DH forks offer typically around one hundred and fifty to 200 millimetres of travel. There are some downhill MTB forks though which can offer anywhere up to three hundred millimetres of travel for really extreme terrain!

Some suspension forks may also enable the rider to pump the suspension travel to suit particular sections of a trail. More travel for downhill and extreme sections, and lower travel for the not so extreme XC or up hill sections. The rider may even want to entirely eliminate suspension travel all together which would be an advantage on a smooth concrete road for example. This lockout ability may even be activated externally from the handle bars utilising a cable.

Whichever type of mountain biking you do, it pays to choose your mountain bike front suspension forks wisely as when you choose correctly you will benefit from a significant change in performance.

Tags: cross country, dh, downhill, fork, freeride, moutnain bike, mtb, suspension, xc

A bike that folds is the bike to get

A compact bike is a portable bike, but the best of both worlds would be a bike that folds or even a folding electric bike. If you’re looking for a bike that folds you should know that there are a wide variety of them out there, each with their own unique attributes. Some bikes that fold are made to fold in such a way that they are ideal for storage and travel. Other bikes that fold are made so compact that they can be taken absolutely anywhere. If you own a bike that folds you no longer have any excuses not to ride a bike or an electric bicycle, as they have no limitations. “I can’t take a bike to work.”As some models of bicycles that fold get as compact as a brief case, sure you can. You can take a brief case to work? “my knees are bad,I’m too old.” All bicycles make them easy to pedal that fold come in a variety of speeds. ” I’m too stupid to learn new things,let alone a million steps to fold a bike. I had Transformers as a kid which were impossible.” Even the most mechanically uninclined person can fold one of these bikes.

Generally, bikes or electric bikes that fold will fold down in anywhere from one to four quick, intuitive steps. If you can tie your shoes you can fold a bike, and often just as fast.

For all areas, bikes can be folded perfectly. In congested city areas in New York and California where space is an issue,a bicycle that folds works great. Bicycles that fold also come in handy in areas where space is not an issue. You are never limited by your bike with a bicycle that folds. Actually,the opposite that a bicycle that folds opens up a world of opportunity to you is true.

Tags: electric bicycle, electric bicycles, electric bike, electric bikes, folding electric bike

Mountain Bike Cycling For Beginners – Tips to Get You Started

Mountain bike cycling is the most accessible type of cycling to many people, and by far the most exciting. It is fantastic for fitness and it gets you away from all the daily noise and grind.

Mountain bike cycling is done off-road, usually around country parks that allow bikes, or local bridleways, as well as specific cycle trails and difficult technical trails. Be aware though, if you are new to mountain bike cycling it is important to build up your skills before tackling tough technical trails.

Most mountain bike riders learn their skills through practice over time and sometimes watching more experienced riders. You can get loads of books and DVDs to help you but the best thing is getting lots of practice.

Before you can start practicing you obviously need a mountain bike, so deciding which one should you get is the first task. There are numerous different sorts of bikes available, varying widely in price and style. If you are just starting out it’s a good plan to get a cheaper bike until you get some experience and can decide what you like the best.

As soon as you’ve got your mountain bike you need suitable clothes to wear to ride it. Mountain bikers generally wear more casual outfits than road cyclists, for example they tend to wear baggy shorts. Specialist mountain bike shorts look like normal shorts but with a padded lining for comfort.

Above everything, there are several bits of important kit to wear at all times, whatever the weather, and these are a helmet, glasses, and gloves. Such safety gear is designed to protect you from flying debris and mud, prickly bushes and branches sticking out, and falls.

You will probably have some minor falls as that is part and parcel of mountain biking, but if you are wearing the correct protective clothing you will only get minor cuts and bruises.

When you’ve got all the right kit you need to choose where to ride. There are plenty of guides to local areas available, on both the internet and on bookshops. Visitor information centres also have loads of useful information, such as local trails and their ability levels. There are even specialist mountain bike centres run by the Forestry Commission, with marked trails that are graded for different abilities.

When you have all the appropriate kit you’re ready to go mountain bike cycling, although if you’re also armed with a little mountain bike maintenance knowledge you can stay safe and push your limits further. Above everything else, the most important factor is to enjoy the adrenalin rush you get.

Tags: Mountain Bike Cycling

The best gadgets for a bike racer

This is the top five things to have either on you when cycling on actually on your bike when your out and about. Get those bike pedals ready because here they come.

5.
Energy bar or energy gel.
These are great for before and after events as the put all the carbohydrates your body has lost or is about to lose straight back in making you feel a lot better. There is even a gel that can help build muscles up taking around seven days to work. What's great about using the gel is that you can use it when you are in the middle of cycling.

4. Of course it had to be in the top five, the bike helmet
No real cyclist could really get anywhere without one of these. This really is only in the top five as it is so vital for cyclists to own one.The range of helmets out on the market is huge and some are even made to suite different weather climates.

3.The small onboard computer
This is certainly a must have for all riders who take cycling very seriously. Easily attached to the front of the bike they can record nine different pieces of data.

• Current Speed
• Odometer
• Trip Distance
• Elapsed time
• 12/24hr clock
• Average Speed
• Pacer
• Maximum Speed
• Dual Wheel
• Temperature
• Cadence

2. Wheels
At number two simply because I love to change the wheels on my bike. There are thousands of designs to use ranging from the plain wheels that come with every bike or various other ones like zipp wheels.

1.If your going out and forget this then do not bother carrying on, is the reason why this is at number one. Its not exciting, its not brilliant technology.
A simple water bottle comes in first simply because without it you would certainly not be able to carry out long stretches.

Well there you have it, the top five things to take with you and use when using a racing bike.

Bikes shops Sussex is a perfect example, have fun!

Tags: Bikes, charity, charity events, computer, Cycling, fundraising, gadgets, marathon, pedals, racing, Sport, water, Wheels

Riding a bicycle could help charity as well as yourself

Many people out there (including me) would love to lose a bit of weight ready for those summer holidays.As well as this, if you are like me then I am sure when summer arrives you certainly do not want to be seen as a bit of a pale bloater in swimming shorts. It would be nice to at least get rid of the weight part of the sentence and get rid of the pale skin when I am on holiday. So why not treat yourself to one of those bright shiny racing bikes.

The great thing is riding a bike is a great way to keep fit and even if you do feel great about yourself then you could still use it to tone up pretty much every muscle in the body. I for one live near the South Downs so a bike like this is perfect for me but even if you do not want to compete then there are so many ways you could enjoy a bike like this.

You could take part in various charity events that not only benefit the charity in question but also help yourself to feel good in your fitness and in what you are doing. If you struggle to get out there and meet new people then getting ones of these bikes could seriously improve that. You could be pleasantly surprised on how meeting other people with the same interests as you could give you the confidence boost you may or may not need.
Of course once you have one of these fantastic bikes you are customise it in anyway you want ranging from bike pedals all the way too zipp wheels.

As well as all of this there is no limit on how you can alter the bike so you can have it in exactly the way you want it too peform.

So why not treat yourself this month to a brand new racing bike, their fast, trendy and a lot of fun if you really give it a go.

Tags: Bikes, charity, charity events, Cycling, fundraising, marathon, pedals, racing, Sport, Wheels

Is GPS Practical For Your Bicycle?

If you are an avid touring cyclist, I’m sure you will enjoy any of the many cycling gps units on the market. Nothing creates more pressure for me then having to stop riding to decide exactly where I’m at.  It used to be a routine of looking for road signs and then estimating your location and distance remaining on your ride.  Any cyclist is familiar with the routinewhether mountain biking or touring. GPS technology has provided us with a great answer to this problem with the production of the many cycling GPS units on market. In fact, there are now so many cycling and handheld GPS units available that you really should read some GPS reviews before deciding which is the best for you.

GPS navigation for travel have been around for quite some time but it is only fairly recent that major GPS system manufacturers have started producing cycling GPS systems. The basic benefit of the cycling GPS receiver is that it will tell the user the exact location of user. Nothing could help the rider more with enjoying the ride then knowing the distance to his destination or how far that unmarked back road is from his position and all provided with just a fast glance at his cycling GPS.  Cycling GPS has definitely improved the safety level of touring or mountain biking for that matter.  No more having to guess on positioning and distance and most importantly, no more taking that precious extra time of searching for road signs and estimating travel time. The new cycling GPS receivers do all the hard work for you and allow you to simply select maintain your speed.
These new devices are easy to use and quite affordable. The basic uses allow you to instantly know the exact location they go beyond that.  As each new model comes on the market they seem to provide you with more and more choices.  Many are available with a handlebar mounting bracket and this makes their use more practical then ever.

The majority of roads and park trails in the United States have already been mapped so the advantage of using the GPS is obvious.  Garmin made their name in the GPS field and they offer a good variety of cycling GPS units.  They provide a good variety of functions beyond the basics.  Of course you still have do the cycling but your ride will become much more enjoyable.  These units can be literal life savers if you do a lot of off road mountain biking.  Just decide which model fits your individual needs, set the destination and start riding.  Cycling GPS is becoming one the more popular bicycle accessories on the market.  You are in for a much improved ride.

Tags: bicycle accessories, cycling gps, garmin, gps navigation, gps reviews

DH Mountain Biking: a Brief Introduction

Roam

Downhill Mountain Biking is a discipline of mountain biking in which riders either for enjoyment, or in a race, race down a course of varying difficulty against other bike riders.  The format of a downhill mountain bike race follows a similar setup to that of skiing.

A History of MTB Downhill

The first ever downhill event that was held was won by Alan Bonds having taken place on the now infamous Repack Road so called as hub bearings would heat up and degrade the grease during decent.  That was back in Oct ‘76 and downhill has come a long way since that date.  Downhill Races now regularly take place across the world on a regular basis particularly in the mountain areas of nations similar to the UK or in the summertime at unused ski resorts in countries similar to France and Italy.  These are by no means the only places though, and the DH World Cup is one of mountain bikes most popular events each yearly.

DH Mountain Bikes

In addition to the obvious changes in this format of MTB riding, there are a number of massive changes in the bikes and equipment utilised by the riders.  A downhill MTB Frame will be far more specialised that the normal hardtail mountain bike frame you or I used, and will usually have a much more rugged and durable full suspension mountain bike frame.  The reason for this is the more extreme trails that a downhill MTB will be subjected to.  The choice of having a full suspension bike, which is made to a much better standard than a standard mountain bike is the weight.  Whilst a standard mountain bike would be under thirty pounds in weight, DH bikes can to go over 40 pounds.  This weight is now however being reduced~coming down~reducing~.  Other big differences in the bike can include the use of disc brakes, a high travel suspension fork (five-six inches)  and differing frame shape.

Additional Equipment

Extra Protection is always required when taking part in the world of downhill…. just view a couple of videos and you will soon understand that falls, crashes and injuries are a common occurrence and a certain danger this event offers.  Body armour, face mask helmets similar the ones used in motocross are needed otherwise you will not be allowed on the trails or to compete.

Tags: cycle, Cycling, downhill, Mountain Bike, mtb

The Popularity Of Bicycle Touring

Touring on road bicycles has become more and more popular.  When I was young, I first recall seeing men on touring bicycles climbing the highways through the mountain areas of Vermont and New Hampshire.  I was intrigued watching these riders climbing the long inclines without letting up.  Loving the outdoors and especially the mountains, I knew this was the only way to really enjoy the magnificent views.  It was then that I realized the type of bicycle they were riding was much different then the mountain bike I grew up with.

A few months ago I met a man in his late 50’s who lived in the north east.  Each summer he would fly with his bicycle to the west coast.  Then he’d spend several weeks riding across the country coming home.   Needless to say, his bicycle was outfitted with loads of specialized touring bags and accessories.  As the sport’s popularity has risen, so has the demand for touring bicycles.  In the past, the only place to locate a tour bicycle was at local bike shop which would usually be limited to one brand of bike.  Of course that all came with a high price tag.  Lets face it, the price of many serious tour bicycles simply put them out of reach for younger people just entering the sport.

I recall traveling a couple hours to find the specific Schwinn touring bicycle I was searching for.  Fortunately today, that is not the case.  You can find all the biggest names in touring bicycles on the internet.  The additional benefit is many can be found at affordable prices also.  The interest in bicycle touring has also given rise to the availability of specialized bicycle parts, accessories and bicycle clothing.  You would be hard pressed to find bicycle parts at your local discount store.  But this is not the case online.

The obvious addition that bicycle touring requires is a way to carry your personal gear, clothing and camping equipment on long trips.  The popularity of touring has provided riders a huge variety of racing bicycle parts and accessories.  It is quite easy to find all types of bicycle parts and adult bicycling accessories for your long trips.  Serious bikers can easily upgrade just about their entire bicycle by traveling no further then their PC.

Tags: bicycle accessories, bicycle parts, Bicycle Racing, road bicycles, tour bicycle, touring bicycles