Posts Tagged ‘Mountain Biking’

Mountain Bike Pedals – What You Should Know Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Mountain bike pedals are often overlooked, but they do make all of the difference when it comes to riding the bike.

When it comes to the parts of a mountain bike, the pedals are perhaps one of the most important parts that you need. However they are also the part of a mountain bike which most people know hardly anything about. So just how do you go about finding the perfect pedals for your mountain bike and what should you look for?

Choosing the Best Bike Pedals to suit you

There are three main different types of pedals which you can purchase. These include cage, clip-less and platform pedals. Each different type will have a direct effect on how you ride the bike and so making the right choice for you is essential.

Clip-less pedals are the choice of pedals which most riders choose. This is because all that you have to do with them is place your foot on the pedal, clip it into place and then carry on with your journey. If you want to get off the bike or just unclip yourself from the pedals then you just have to rotate your foot to the side quickly and it will release the clip. The benefit from these types of pedals is that they offer you with a stable connection. This means that you are less likely to fall off and your feet will not keep slipping off the pedals either. This type of pedal also enables you to use your leg muscles a lot better than you would usually do so it gives you a better workout.

Cage style pedals are not overly common and they do tend to mainly be found on cheaper bikes. This is because they do tend to be cheaper than other types and they are not as high a quality as the others either. However they are ideal for beginners and for those people who do not plan to ride their bikes very often.

Finally platform pedals are the last type of pedals which are used by riders everywhere. They are not the best however for long, fast mountain bike rides as they offer no attachment with the foot and the pedal. However they do allow you to have a really good grip on the pedal so that is one advantage to them.

Overall the pedals really do affect the way that you ride your mountain bike and so it is important to know about the different types available.By changing your pedals you could end up improving your performance.So if you are on the lookout for bike pedals and mountain bike pedals you can go through the website, keep in mind the three main types and decide which one would be better suited to you.

Article Source: http://www.articledirectorylive.com

Alison Addy use to write on clipless bike pedals and similar subjects for www.bikecyclingreviews.com .More articles on bike pedals and mountain bike pedals at his web.

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Mountain Bike Riding The Secrets And Not So Secrets Saturday, December 5th, 2009

While you are slowly putting on weight or going to the gym there is a growing thought that mountain bike riding is one of the best ways to increase your cardiovascular health and become health while having fun. Instead of being stuck in a gym looking at the wall you can be out living an exciting life with some great fun.

Mountain bike riding has now come a little main stream and you can once experienced take tours over some great countries. In fact the tours now cater for starters as well as well as experienced riders. So you should be able to find some great places to go with something to suit your experience level. Places Like Vietnam have tours down the whole length of the country for as little as 2500 dollars.

As a form of transport in itself bike riding is great but because of the design of these bikes you can travel over harsher terrain which will lead to you tossing in your old bike and traveling to work on your newly discovered fun machine. Which when you come to think about it is a great way to loose those stubborn pounds.

If you are thinking of taking up this form of biking it is important to choose the right bike. We have a couple of ideas to start your search.

1. When starting out on any sport and looking for equipment it is important to get your self a budget because as with any sport you can spend any amount of money , for instance if you wanted you could probably get a gold plated bike.

2. Go to a place that knows bikes , keep your budget in the back of you mind and go to the local bike shop for a couple extra dollars you will get a much better bike , but remember YOUR BUDGET.

3. Get a bike that is the right size , yes as with shoes and shirts you need to have a bike fitted , or at least get one that’s not that big or not that small , which can be done at a bike store but not a supermarket general store.

4. Don’t get the cheapest bike possible the reason for this is there is every likely hood it will break the first sniff of rough terrain which will be disastrous and can possibly hurt you.

Starting your mountain bike ridding , is not a case of going straight to the extreme track and trying you luck start of on the road or foot paths and work your way up. Many a person has been discouraged by jumping straight to a hard to do track and hurting or exhausting themselves even before they have experienced the outdoor joy of mountain bike riding.

There you have some great ideas and “secrets” so that you can happily start this exciting form of exercise and finally get off hat boring stationary gym bike. Which up till now may have served as your fitness tool but once you hit the exciting open road and live the “wild Way” you won’t be back.

Article Source: http://www.articlegoldmine.com

Mountain Bike Riding is a passion of CS Liner who writes about it at his website Health and fitness ideas a great place to find out and improve your life style and health visit healthandfitnessideas.com/category/mountain-biking

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Mountain Biking Tours Enfold Real Fun Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

This article throws light on mountain bike tours and it increasing popularity. It also emphasizes on certain factors that one must consider before deciding which mountain bike tour to plan and opt for.

As far as mountain biking is concerned its in no ways limited to certain specific regions of the world. Instead it has gain popularity to an extant the it’s nowadays recognized as a all new sport. Same is the case with mountain biking tours they have gain so much popularity in last few decades that its true to say its organized in every part of the world.

They are two reasons for this drastic popularity one is that its real fun and pleasure in mountain bike tours and secondly it’s quite adventurous. It gives real opportunity for regular mountain bikers to turn their passion into craze.

There are many organization offering mountain bike tours from one day to night to even a week long tours. They manage and conduct tours from their own perspective in their own ways. The most thing common among all of them is to provide you what you need from a bike to a helmet without bothering you to carry them yourself. The better they keep you free from all you tensions the best will be the chance of giving you the freedom to indulge into the sport and enjoy your passion for mountain biking.

By now you might be wishing to go on such a fun filled tour, next thing to decide is which tour to choose. This is the most important thing that gets people confused as there are plenty of offers available. However there is certain important factors one must consider which are stated here in order to resolve your confusion.

Different tours offer different packages for differing skill levels. You may consider the duration of the tour for first to decide how much time you have got to spend from a day to a week long tour. Next you may choose basing on the sceneries offered from idyllic countryside to forest and complete wilderness.

Once you decide you won’t be able to control your senses from exciting to start the journey. And finally when once you are on the tour you will not be on earth anymore looking at those mountain and hills that you always wished to bike on. By next instance it’s not required to be stated that you will end up planning for the next tour or wishing that the tour should never end.

There are many options for you ahead – beit adventure or for base training for cycling. You may wish to go to Italy to have a fulfilled tour to Tuscany and Florence. You may resolve on Costa Brava in Spain. If not the above the mountains of Colorado or Vermont will be your choice.

For information on thule racks and car bike racks visit the website.

Article Source: http://www.articlehotline.com

Interested on mountain bike tours??, Alison Addy is a syndicated writer of www.bikecyclingreviews.com . A focused website that offers the best articles on thule racks and car bike racks.

Basic Mountain Biking Skills Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Taking the first stride is always the hardest thing to do so I have compiled the basic mountain biking skills you should possess to get you started. For some, these are very obvious; for beginners, these are very helpful.

Brake better, go faster
Every sports car has 2 things in common: large engine and high-performance brakes. This way, even if it runs fast, it can slow down quickly. No sports car is eligible to run at high speed without having good set brakes. This should also be your principle when riding a mountain bike. If you want to improve your speed, invest on good set of brakes.

The Gear Factor
If you know how to drive a car, then you know how important it is to drive on the right gear. The same thing applies on a mountain bike. Low gears are easier to pedal, but slow on acceleration. High gears are much harder but will give you abrupt acceleration. Low gears will help you climb stiff hills. High gears will drive you fast on level terrain. Do not start on high gears. Start low and gradually increase as you gain speed.

The Instant Turn
If you are about to hit a tree, a car or a large rock, you have to learn how to make a quick turn. To turn sharply to the left, steer sharply to the right. This will make your body lean to the left. Then make a hard left turn, steering into the lean and away from your obstacle. While this takes some practice, it can be very useful on emergency situations. Ease up on the rear brake if your rear tire begins to skid. Ease up on the front brake if your rear tire lifts off the ground.

Slowing Down
Riding fast lessens your reaction time significantly. So if you need to slow down to avoid something in front of you, do the following procedures: Shift your body weight as far back as possible, lower your body as low as you can, and squeeze front and rear brakes evenly. Avoid hitting the brake hard if your body is not properly aligned with your bike or if you are making a turn.

I think I’m falling
Yeah, yeah… It may sound so cheesy but the fact is, there is nothing cheesy when your face is about to crash on the rocks and you are about to experience wipe-out of a lifetime. Aside from learning how to ride the bike, the second, most important things you should learn is how to take the fall. The key is alertness. Anticipate all the possible scenarios that can happen on the trail. While the best thing to do when you know you are about to fall is to slow down by braking, make sure that you have an escape route in case your brake fails. Do not go flying up into the air while sticking your arm to protect your fall. Instead, tuck your body and plan your fall – choose where to land best. Do not keep your eyes off the trail. Do not stiffen your muscles.

Practice is said to make one perfect. But in the case of crashing, there is no better way to make the perfect fall than by keeping in control at all times even if you are about to fall 30 feet down the cliff.

Dorine Tiller Author Advocate for good Heath, Weight Management, Exercise and inner peace www.takecontrolofyourwellness.com

Article Source: http://www.thecontentcorner.com

Mountain Biking – A Whole Different World Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The sport of mountain biking is increasing in popularity year by year. It’s an exhilarating sport, but it’s also physically demanding. Both men and women take part, but its usually people kids, teens, and young adults.

As with any other activity, mountain bikers have devised their own culture, including a language of their own. If you want to get into the game, you’ll have to learn a few terms:

If you’re riding a “boing-boing” you’re riding a bike with both front and rear suspension. If you’ve “bonked” you’ve run out of energy. To “bring home a Christmas tree” is a bad thing, it means you’ve crashed through dense brushes and leaves and things are hanging off your helmet – it also means you’ve left a trace on the hill, which is something mountain bikers – and people in general, of course, are not supposed to do.

“Death cookies” are rocks that fly up into you as you go down the trail. This happens all the time and so that’s why you want to wear goggles or some kind of eye protection. To get “first blood” means you’re the first rider in a group who crashes and starts bleeding as a result. Some people perhaps feel this is a mark of honor for some reason.

If you’re doing an “endo” it means you’re flying over the handlebars of your bike do to a sudden stop. And then you’ll most likely do a “face plant” – hopefully into mud and not into a rock. Regardless, that’s why you wear a helmet and eye protection!

That’s only a small sampling of the terminology. Of course you’ll enjoy the sport even more if you can understand what the people around you are talking about, so take a gander at a few mountain biking slang dictionaries before you hit the trails.

Mountain biking is a great sport, but there is some controversy to it, as some people feel that the cyclists destroy the natural environment in certain areas, and bicycle advocates have to fight to keep the trails open to cyclists.

All cyclists can help by following simple rules – pack out more than you take in, respect pedestrians on the trails, don’t bike after heavy rains, and so on.

By using a respectful attitude toward the environment and common sense in dealing with other people, mountain biking will be a sport that will be around for a long time to come.

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