Posted by Art on Jul 30, 2009 in
Biking
Getting started in mountain biking is a great way to stay in shape and do it outside at the same time. Think about the time you can have riding a bike down a mountain!. Considering the danger, this sport can be embraced by everyone in the family.
Mountain Biking Styles
There are three unique types of mountain biking to be considered: free riding, cross country and downhill. Even though the unique styles are similar in some ways, they still require different skills. The choice of mountain bike you get should be determined by the type of riding you choose. For more mountain bike information goto Biking with Mongooses Cycle
Mountain Biking Areas
The activity can best be thought of as cycling on a surface that is unpaved. There are a lot of areas in this country set aside specifically for mountain biking. Always make sure you are able to cooperate with the regulations, rules and routes of the specific trail you choose to go biking on.
There are also clubs and groups that hold contests and mountain bike rides. The local paper and the Internet should have up to date info on the activities in your area. You may be able to find groups for the more advanced riders as well as beginners. Check here for more Origin Of Mountain’s Cycling information.
Becoming A Great Biker
Endurance and stamina are a must for a great mountain biker. This activity will also call for dedication and practice to be consistently good at. Like all other sports, it takes time and practice. Those just starting will have to get past the bumps and bruises from falling off the bike.
Choosing Your Mountain Bike
The bike you select is more of a personal choice, and a big determining factor on the type of riding you will be doing. Bikes come in all styles, shapes, and prices, which will make selecting one for yourself very difficult indeed.
You should use the Internet to help you shop for a bike, even do some price comparisons online as well before you make a purchase. Before you buy a bike, always ask to try it out first. A great mountain biker will become one with his or her own bike. When buying, make sure you check for comfort, how it fits, even how it is geared.
Riding Safe
Mountain bike riding on unpaved roads can be very dangerous, as mentioned earlier. Anytime you are riding, you should wear a helmet, along with knee and elbow pads. If you are following a group or riding in the woods you should strongly consider a pair of goggles as well. Safety should be your top priority and never taken lightly anytime you are mountain biking. For more Vacations With Mountain Cycles ideas.
Tags: Cycling, Mountain Bike, Mountain Bikes, Mountain Biking
Posted by Art on Jul 30, 2009 in
Biking
From the 1970’s onwards mountain biking has grown in popularity, which resulted in a number of companies making mens mountain bikes. There are numerous styles of mountain bikes suited to different types of cycling, so before you select a bike you must decide on which type you favour.
Mens mountain bikes are manufactured using high-tech lightweight materials. They have technical gear systems, advanced suspension and brakes. Mountain bikes can generally be categorised into four main styles, depending on their suspension.
These are Fully Rigid, a frame with a rigid fork and either fixed rear suspension, or no suspension. Hard Tail, which is a frame with only front suspension. Soft Tail, that is a frame with rear suspension activated by the flex of the frame rather than pivots. And Dual or Full suspension, a front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock.
There are loads of different categories of mountain bikes on the market as well. They include Trail Bikes, Freeride bikes, Cross Country (XC), and All Mountain (AM) bikes.
Cross Country (XC) mountain bikes are usually lightweight and only have a small amount of front and/or rear suspension. They are aimed at using on ascents and have fast turning capabilities.
Trail bikes are a mixture of an All Mountain and a Cross Country bike. They are excellent all-round bikes for covereing each aspect of mountain biking.
All Mountain bikes provide a good level of suspension. They are aimed at climbing mild to moderate ascents and descending steep downhills. These bikes are ideal for any level of cyclist, whether adult or child.
Freeride Bikes are similar to downhill bikes. They are built to focus on strength rather than weight. They have excellent suspension and are usually built using strong, durable materials. They are extremely good for riding technically downhill.
Which mountain bike you choose to invest in boils down mainly to your personal style of riding. You have to decide how you prefer to spend time riding your bike. Do you want to ride up big mountains, descend fast, technical downhills, perfrom stunts, ride gentle trails or have a go all round? There are lots of mens mountain bikes on the market covering all activities but it’s up to you to decide which one feels the best that is within your price range.
Tags: Mens Mountain Bikes
Posted by Art on Jul 25, 2009 in
Biking
Mountain biking is perfect for getting into the open air, staying healthy and having fun. You get an adrenaline rush from speeding down the side of a mountain but it comes with its dangers. Even though it’s dangerous, if you ride with caution, it can be enjoyed by the entire family.
There are three varying styles of mountain biking- downhill, free riding and cross-country. The styles require divergent skills because they are all slightly different. Your choice of mountain bike depends on the style of biking you prefer.
The sport can best be thought of as biking on an unpaved surface. There are locations designed specifically for mountain biking. Before you decide to go down a trail, you should always check with your local park to get the routes, regulations, and any rules that they may have.
If you get really good, join a mountain biking gang that enter competitions and put on rides. Use the internet or look in your local paper to find bike clubs near you. Join a group with a range of experienced riders so they can give you advice and teach you new skills.
You need to be fit to be a mountain biker. Bumps and bruises are inevitable when you are new to mountain biking, practice makes perfect!
Selecting Your Mountain Bike
The mountain bike you select is more of a personal choice, and a big determining factor on the type of riding you will be doing. Choosing a bike is difficult due to the variety to choose from over style and price.
You can use the internet to carry out price comparisons and get detailed descriptions of certain bikes. Ask the retailer to have a quick spin on the bike before you purchase it, to make sure its right for you. Your bike needs to fit you so check how comfortable it is, if its the right size and if you like how it works.
More important than any other piece of advice is to stay safe and wear the right equipment including a helmet!
Tags: Cycling, Mountain Bike, Mountain Biking, mtb
Posted by Art on Jul 20, 2009 in
Biking We’ve all seen them, the huge number of different bike riders on the morning commute. All wearing different cycle clothing, from suits to lycra. All riding different types of bikes ranging from streamlined road bikes to slow and steady granny bikes.
Obviously the choice that people make as to which type of bike to ride is based upon what they are going to use it for. A range of things have an affect on which bike you use, how far you have to travel, what you require to take with you, finally, whether or not they have showers.
Most people believe they have the most efficient way for commuting to work. But have they really? Would it work out faster for a granny bike to get to work over a fixed gear bike? You wouldn’t think so at first, however, I believe i can prove you wrong.
If you choose 4 different cyclists and time how long it takes them to get to work, we’ll then see who’s fastest. If we take 2 lycra wearing cyclists, one of a fixed gear one, the other on a road bike. Then take another two cyclists, one in a dress on a granny bike and the other in casual clothing on a mountain bike.
Of course the majority of people will assume that the fixed gear and the road bike will take easy victory over the other 2. This is true, however, they haven’t won the race yet. Once these 2 arrive at their place of work, they are sweating uncontroably. So for them, as well as your travel time, you have to factor in your time for a shower at work.
For the other 2, the mountain biker did get there quite quickly, however, still a little sticky, a shower might be required. Finally, the easy going granny bike, it may come in last, however, the rider is sweat free. With no need to have a shower, the rider can simply walk straight into work.
So once you add up all the time taken to get to work, plus then add on shower time. The granny bike takes the victory at a steady speed. It really does go to show that slow and steady wins the race.
Next time you go on the commute, take time to think if you’re getting there fast enough.
Tags: cycle clothing, cycles, Cycling, Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes
Posted by Art on Jul 9, 2009 in
Biking Varieties Of MTB Forks Available to Buy
The front forks of bikes have changed significantly since the invention of the mountain bike. Due to the introduction a need arose for cushioning the impact of rocky ground. A need that simply had not cropped up previously.
On most MTB’s these days you will tend to find that the front forks have an already fitted set of shock absorbers, with the blades being made from upper and lower extendable tubes, called ‘legs’. These telescopic tubes allow the impact of the rough surface under the wheels to be reduced, thereby making the bike much easier to control in rough conditions.
The technical specifications for MTB Forks can vary greatly, with the forks travel and handling style setup to a specific style of riding. For example, a XC rider will require a different fork to a DH mountain bike racer, who will have a different setup again to a freeride rider. Cross country bikes do not need as much suspension fork travel, typically around eighty to 100 millimeters and will be made from lighter metal when compared to the suspension used on a downhill mountain bike. This is basically because they won’t get as much punishment as they might in other situations.
When suspension was initially introduced into mountain biking, a travel length of the 80 to 100 mm was the form. Now though, DH forks offer typically around 150 to two hundred millimetres of travel. There are some DH mountain bike forks though which can offer anywhere up to 300 millimetres of travel for really extreme terrain!
Some mountain bike forks may also allow the rider to pump the suspension travel to fit particular sections of terrain. A higher travel for downhill and extreme terrain, and lower travel for the not so rough XC or up hill sections. The rider may even want to completely eliminate suspension fork travel all together which would be an advantage on a smooth tarmac road for example. This lockout ability may even be used externally from the handle bars utilising a trigger.
Whatever the type of riding you do, it pays to choose your mountain bike front suspension forks carefully as when you pick correctly you will benefit from a massive change in performance.
Tags: forks, mountain bike forks, mtb forks, suspension forks
Posted by Art on Jul 3, 2009 in
Biking There is no greater joy than road cycling. With the wind in your hair and the whir of wheels beneath you, you are free on the open road to explore what you like. In order to get started in road cycling you need to firstly get your hands on a good road bike. Choosing a road bike can be a difficult task for a first timer, but with a little bit of effort and research you can come up with a good deal. Make sure you get a frame that is the right size for you. Getting a professional at a bike shop to measure you is a really good idea.
All bicycle stores and shops carry parts and accessories for your bike – be it a performance bike, trek bike, or just for riding around the neighborhood with the kids.
Most bicycle shops also carry a large selection in many price ranges. Everyone is catered for in a good bicycle store; from the top-end road cycling enthusiasts – right down to kids with their first bikes. There are several types of bikes to from which to choose. One is the mountain or all-terrain bike. These bikes are designed for casual cycling and have the wider or ‘fat’ tires. You can ride these bikes on hard, dirt-packed roads or off-road. Other types of bikes are racers and touring bikes, which have narrower or ’skinny’ tires. Touring bikes are fitted out for long distance touring. Hybrid bikes are a cross between a road bike and mountain bike. They have upright handlebars and a tire somewhere between wide and narrow. Most bikes sold today for adults are multi-speed bikes with up to 24-speeds.
Picking the right Accessories
Bicycles have many accessories. The most important accessory you need to buy is a bike helmet. Bike helmets are compulsory for all cyclists. Wearing a helmet reduces the chance of serious head injury in an accident.
Another accessory you might want to consider purchasing is a pair of padded cycling shorts. These shorts come in many different styles and have extra padding in the seat to make riding more comfortable. Cycling gloves are a good investment for long rides.
A seat bag is handy for storing items such as a tire repair kit and extra tube. A pump attached to the frame, for pumping up your tires is also a good idea, or you might consider a water bottle that attaches to the bike frame.
Tags: Bicycle, Buying Bicycle, Cycling Parts and Accessories, Your Bicycle
Posted by Art on Jul 1, 2009 in
Biking The number of people heading outside in their leisure time has unfortunately been reducing for the last 20 years. A lot of children and adults alike would prefer to spend their hours inside watching television, increasing their risk of obesity and heart disease. One of the most effective ways of getting to enjoy the outdoors again and understanding how good it can make you feel, is sport. Below are three examples of sports that use nature to its most and will certainly get your heart pumping?
Cycling. They say you never forget how to ride a bike…so what is stopping you getting on one now. You can pick up great second hand bikes now for next to nothing and you can look up good cycle routes on the internet very easily. On top of this, with biking you can take it as easy or as vigorously as you like so you don’t have to worry if you’re unfit at the moment or are carrying an injury
Kayaking. If solid ground is a little too mundane for you then one brilliant water-based sport you might like to try is kayaking. Like mountain bikes there are plenty of fine used kayaks on the market and all you need other than that is an oar and a life jacket. It is advisable to go out with a professional first so that you can learn the ropes but once you’ve got it there will be no stopping you.
Surfing. If you’ve managed to stay dry in the kayak and fancy getting your hair wet then why not find some friends, grab a bunch of surfboards and head down to the beach. Don’t try to stand up straight away, learn by catching the waves lying down first and then slowly work your way to vertical as you get better. Remember to take your car keys out of your pocket first however, as it could be a long walk home otherwise
Tags: kayaking, Mountain Biking, outdoors, recreation, Sport, surfing