Sizing Mountain Bikes
Along with giving you a better selection and expert advice, bike shop personnel can you help you get fitted to the right size bike. You can get the bike either too big or too small, which will cause your enjoyment to suffer. Follow the tips below, and you'll have the perfect fit for your mountain bike.
Standover height When you check the fitting yourself, the first thing you want to check is the inseam clearance, or the standover height. You want to have plenty of room between yourself and the top tube when you come to a stop. There should be around four to six inches of clearance from the top of your inseam to the top of the top tube.
Leg and feet position There's a nifty formula for determining the leg position for riding a mountain bike. When riding a mountain bike, the terrain constantly changes, raising you off the seat constantly, sometimes just slightly, other times completely off.
Therefore, you'll need to sit your saddle slightly lower than you would on any other type of bike. Be sure you take this slightly lower seat height position into effect when you factor the size of the frame.
Riding compartment The next thing you'll want to check is the rider compartment layout (the distance between the saddle and the handlebars). Once the proper leg extension has been determined, be sure the handlebar is one to two inches below the height of the saddle. You should never have the handlebars higher than the seat, unless there is some type of upper body problem.
Dual suspension bikes With suspension being at both ends, you'll want your weight more in the middle of the bike so that your weight is distributed evenly between the front and rear suspension units, thus allowing the front and rear suspension to work as a unit.
This can be done quite easily by using either a higher or shorter stem to raise the hand height, which will in turn move the upper body up and the weight towards the rear. The increase in rise shouldn't be no more than two inches, then the decrease in reach shouldn't be any more than two inches.
Test ride Once you have taken all of these steps into account, go out and test drive the bike. Make sure you wear a helmet, even if you are going to be testing for a brief period of time. Be sure that the tires are set to the right pressure, and the shop has adjusted the bike for you properly.
You should have a shop employee observe your body position and ride height while riding, to determine is any further adjustments need to be made. Ride the bike around for a bit to get used to its handling and new equipment. Start off slowly, then give the bike a bit of time to present its personality.
After a few minutes, you might notice that something isn't working correctly or just doesn't feel right in general. If this happens, go back to the shop and have the problem corrected before you rule out the bike.
The more you ride bikes, the easier it will be to tell the difference in the ride types. Keep in mind, it may take months and even years to appreciate the way a bike handles. Talk to those who ride, and ask them if they ride the bikes they sell. This way, you'll learn more about the mountain bikes you love so much!
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11/13/2008 12:46 PM |
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Mountain biking veterans all agree on one thing. Getting specialized bike accessories is a significant step in ensuring maximum safety. There are several kinds of mountain bike accessories available in the market. Helmet is perhaps the most popular of them. You can also find water bottle and cage that can be fitted to the bike for placing the water bottle. If it can be fitted to the front panel, you can get the water when you need without much effort. Other essential accessories include a spare tube and a pump to fill air in the tube. The most advantageous aspect of these sorts of accessories is that having these accessories at ones disposal naturally lifts ones confidence.
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11/11/2008 05:24 PM |
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The bike used for mountain biking has undergone tremendous changes. Its strength increased and weight decreased. Its appearance became sleek and trendy. Also, the number of gears increased substantially. Most of the latest models of mountain bikes have as many as 27 gears. So, changing gears has become difficult, especially those who are new to this adventurous sport. One may not be sure whether the gear has actually been changed to the intended gear or not. The question how to shift gears on a mountain bike has become one of the most sought after section in mountain biking tutorials.
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Ever wonder what makes a good means of transportation at this time, now that the prices of gasoline and other crude has lost up to the level ridiculously crazy? If you think of the bicycle as an alternative, but do not want to sweat out during your trip, you may think that if we add an engine attached to it then the ease of use and less pedaling will surely make you think twice in buying a car.
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11/03/2008 04:40 PM |
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If you are into biking, here is some information about folding Mountain Bikes. They are lightweight, affordable, and make your riding experience more fun.
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