Tips For Buying the Right Mountain Bike
Mountain bike riding has become more popular than ever these days among people looking for cheap and fun ways to get physical exercise and work up a sweat while getting to take advantage of the great outdoors and local wilderness trails. It is no surprise, therefore, that more and more people have begun to look into the process of purchasing their own mountain bikes for weekend getaways or daily rides out in the woods and off the beaten paths. It is true that mountain biking is one of the most enjoyable sports a person can engage in without spending a large sum of money at the onset and throughout the process, but if you have never bought or ridden a mountain bike before, you may be daunted at where to begin when you start searching for a bicycle of your own. The process can easily become frustrating when you find yourself confronted with the seemingly limitless purchasing options in front of you, and it is easy to lose track of time when trying to learn everything about every bicycle and component you come across. This guide will help put the process into perspective before you hand over your hard earned dollars so the process of purchasing the right mountain bike for you can hopefully become a little bit easier.
Perhaps the first step to buying the right mountain bike for you is to determine the amount of money you have available and are willing to spend on the bicycle. There is not really a solid limit on the amount of money you can potentially spend when buying a brand new mountain bike, as there are manufacturers willing to offer products to consumers at nearly every price point you can imagine, and at all levels in between. Unless you have an unlimited budget, however, you will probably be interested in keeping the amount of money you spend under some threshold. To help you with this process, you should first determine the amount of money you might be willing to spend when it comes to taking home that new bicycle and then focus on only looking at bicycles that fall within the price range you set ahead of time. It is best not to purchase a bicycle from a mass market store like Costco or Wal-Mart, as they are not likely to offer quality bikes that will stand up to the rigors of anything beyond the mildest and flattest trails. Rather, you will probably be better off by going to your local bike shop, where you can find a number of bicycles that will last you years without too much trouble, as well as significantly better service that you simply will not be able to find outside of a dedicated bicycle shop.
The Relationship Between Gears and Mountain Bikes
Understanding how your mountain bike works is important for you to be able to use it to its fullest capacities. A crucial part of understanding the function and performance factors of your mountain bike involves understanding the relationship between gears and mountain bikes. Knowing how to shift gears properly on your mountain bike plays a bigger role in your enjoyment, safety, endurance, and maneuverability than most people think. Good shifting habits can make the experience of getting out of the city and hitting the local riding trails much more enjoyable than they already are, and you can also reduce the amount of wear and tear your mountain bike experiences in the process. As a result, your bike can last longer, which means you can go longer without having to worry about repairing or replacing it.
In contrast, when you do not shift carefully or observe the importance of the relationship between your gears and the performance of your mountain bike, a number of bad things can happen to your bike. For example, the chain on your bike will be more likely to slip off track frequently, and in some cases your chain may even break while you are riding, which has clear negative implications for your safety, not to mention for your enjoyment. Furthermore, over time it is easy for bad shifting habits to lead to bending and warping in your gear sprockets, which means you may wind up having to replace them more frequently than you otherwise would. For all of these and more reasons, it is very important for a mountain biker, particularly if he or she is a beginning mountain biker, to understand how to shift gears on a mountain bike in the correct way. This article will discuss the relationship between gears and mountain bikes so you can learn to shift better and not only prolong the life of your equipment but increase your enjoyment of the sport in the process.
The Best Mountain Bikes Available Today
Mountain bikes are dynamic, energetic machines that have the potential to bring out the child and adventurer in people of all ages and from all walks of life. The sport of mountain biking has become more accessible than ever thanks to advantages in technology in bike development. As a result, many people who would previously have been unable to afford to enter the sport have been willing to give it a try. Many find riding to be a rewarding experience, as they get to ride up and down hills with versatile bikes that are capable of handling almost every kind of terrain people are likely to come across. Like other kinds of bikes and equipment, there are all sorts of kinds of mountain bikes to choose from, from trials bikes to all mountain bikes to downhill bikes to cross country bikes. It can be advantageous to pick a bike that is a good all rounder and capable of handling a variety of riding conditions because when you buy a bike that was specifically made to tackle one sub genre of mountain biking, you can easily spend thousands of dollars and find yourself with a bike that isn’t really capable of handling conditions outside of those for which the bike was specifically designed. Presuming you don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend on a mountain bike, you will probably be interested in saving money and finding a good all around bike that can get you on the trails and having fun in less time. This article will provide an introduction to some of the best mountain bikes available today for under $1000 so you can shop on a budget without compromising on your need for safety, reliability, quality, or high levels of performance.
One of the first mountain bikes you should take a look at when shopping for quality on a budget is the Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc 29. The Rockhopper is available for $830 from Specialized and is a bike with front suspension (also known as a hard tail bike) and an aluminum frame that is lightweight. The front suspension fork is a Rockshox Dart 3 and comes with 8 centimeters of suspension travel and the ability to adjust it for preload values. One of the best features of the Rockhopper, however, is the wheel size, which comes in at 29 inches instead of the standard 26 inches. This allows you to roll over obstacles such as curbs, rocks, and roots with slightly more ease due to the larger diameter of the wheels. The bike is also outfitted with disc brakes (Avid BB5 mechanical brakes in particular) and features an SRAM drivetrain and components.
The Best Accessories for Your Mountain Bikes
Mountain biking is a great way to exercise, and has become a very popular sport in recent years. Many people who enjoy mountain biking have transformed their love for this recreation into a more serious endeavor. There are many mountain bike races each year, and others spend long periods of time traveling with their bikes and camping out for days at a time. Whether you’re interested in short rides or long ones, there are some important accessories you will need to have in order to stay safe on your bike. Some accessories are designed for general maintenance, while others are designed more for longer-term rides. For the mountain bike enthusiast, however, all of these tools will be necessary at some point. This article will give a general overview of the best accessories available for mountain bikes, and help you decide which tools you will need depending on the type of mountain bike ride you wish to take.
Headlights
One of the most important accessories you can have for your mountain bike is a headlight. These are important for a couple of reasons. First of all, it makes you visible to others. This is extremely important when riding close to dark or at night. Headlights are usually attached to the helmet or to the handlebars on the bike, and allow others to see when you are coming. This will help prevent collisions when it may be difficult to see others. Another important function of the headlight is to help you see where you are going. While this may sound obvious, there are many people who do not even think about putting a light on their bike until it is too late. Especially if you are mountain biking in an area that is densely populated with trees and growth, it may be difficult to see even if the sun is still up. Always use a headlight when riding in these conditions for these reasons.
The Benefits of Light Frames on Mountain Bikes
Whether you are a professional mountain biker who competes for money in a variety of tournaments and races across the country or a part time enthusiast who rides simply for the joy of getting out of your daily lifestyle and spending a few hours a week lost in the wilderness with your bicycle and your body, you will probably agree that a mountain bike is one of the best ways of getting in touch with yourself and getting a physical workout at the same time. There are more people riding mountain bikes and discovering this exciting and healthy sport today than at any other time in the history of the sport, and as a result, people interested in mountain bikes have more choices for a first, second, third, or extra bike than ever before.
However, no matter how many choices become available in the mountain bike market, there always seem to be a few constants that most people can agree on, no matter which particular brand or bicycle they swear by. For one thing, disk brakes will almost always offer more reliable stopping power in a variety of conditions than will rim brakes. For another, a lighter bike will almost always cost more money than a heavier bike, given a similar level of quality in the components and in the frame. This second point is a stickler that most people do not like to think of, as a mountain bike with a light frame can offer several considerable advantages to someone who rides it over a mountain bike with a heavier frame. This article will discuss some of the most common advantages you can get when you ride a lighter framed mountain bike to help you decide if such a purchase may be worth it for you.