Mountain Bike Designs

The designs for mountain bikes can be classified in three categories based on suspension:

1. Hardtail – A frame with no rear suspension,  often containing a front suspension fork.
2.  Fully rigid – This is a sub type of hardtail,  with a rigid fork.
3.  Dual or full suspension – These bikes offer a front suspension fork and a rear suspension that are integrated into the frame.
4.  Soft tail - Offers a frame with a small amount of rear suspension, normally less than a full suspension frame.

The different designs of bikes in mountain biking will offer you what you need for your unique style of riding.  You’ll want a different bike for  different terrain, such as cross country or  downhill.  As the terrain changes, you’ll want to make sure you have the right bike for the job.

Mountain biking is different than any other sport,  offering you plenty of excitement and thrills.   If you are new to mountain biking, you’ll find the
different designs to be very enticing yet very challenging at the same time.  Each design serves a purpose with mountain biking, even some that excel on the trails.

There are also several other designs which reflect on the manny challenging disciplines in the sport of mountain biking.  No matter what type of  mountain biking you like to do, there are bikes for that specific discipline.

If you are new to mountain biking, you’ll want to check out the many designs and types of biking before you purchase a bike. Mountain biking can be a lot of fun and excitement, although it can also be very dangerous if you don’t have the  right bike for the terrain.  Before you decide to buy a bike and hit the trails, make sure you  have the right design of mountain bike for the riding you are planning on doing.

Introduction To Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is a great way to explore the outdoors, stay in shape, or just have fun. Racing down the side of a mountain is a lot of fun indeed, although it can also be quite dangerous.  Even though it’s dangerous, if you ride with caution, it can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Styles of mountain biking

Mountain biking can best be characterized into three different styles – downhill, free riding, and cross country.  Even though the different styles are similar in some ways, they still require different skills.  The style that you pick will determine the type of bike you get.

Locations for mountain biking

The sport can best be thought of as biking on an unpaved surface.  Many areas throughout North America have specific locations designed 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.

You can also find groups that have mountain bike rides and competitions.  You can look on the internet or even in a local paper and see exactly what’s available in your area.  You may be able to find groups for the more advanced riders as well as beginners.

Becoming a great biker

Endurance and stamina are a must for a great mountain biker.  It will also take ambition and practice to succeed as well as conquer the course.  Like all other sports, it takes time and practice.  Those just beginning will have to get past the bumps and bruises from falling off the bike.

Selecting 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.

Staying safe when riding

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.

How To Use A Chain Tool

Once your mountain bike chain becomes damaged, you should immediately replace it with a new one.  It is possible however, to repair a broken chain using a chain tool.  For this very reason, most mountain bikers travel with a chain tool.

Your chain has three basic components – the metal side plates, the rollers between the side plates, and the rivets, or pins which go through the rollers and help to hold the plates together.  These pins allow the rollers to freely turn as the chain moves around the cogs.

If your chain happens to break, you’ll need to remove the broken link and replace it with a spare link. To do this, simply reattach the two ends of the broken chain and ride on a shorter chain until you can get it replaced. 

To remove a broken link of chain, place it in the chain tool.  Now, turn the tool counter clockwise until the rivet pin of the chain tool touches the chain rivet.  Continue to turn the tool until the pin pushes out of the roller.  Be very careful, as you want to stop turning when the pin is right at the edge of the roller, before it moves through the outer side plate.

Now, turn the tool in the other direction, and back it out of the roller.  Set the tool to the side, then work the chain very gently from side to side and extract the inner side plates and roller.

Now is the time to re-route the chain through the bike.  You may want to have a chain retaining tool or some to help you hold the chain in the right spot as you route and repair it. 

Now that the broken link has been removed and you’ve re-routed the chain, you’re ready to insert a new link or simply connect the links that were beside the broken one.  The process here is the  same – align the two ends so that the link with the inner side plates will fit inside the link with the pin and outer side plates.  Now, use the chain tool to push the pin inward until it’s positioned evenly between the side plates.

The easiest way to learn how to do this or feel comfortable doing it is to have someone show you, then actually practice with a chain and a chain tool.  You’ll have no trouble at all making a temporary repair in a mountain bike chain once you’ve seen it done by a professional and practiced it yourself a few times.

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How To Lube Your Mountain Bike

A mountain bike is a lot of fun although it does require some maintenance.  You should always lube your bike 15 hours or so before riding, as quick jobs right before you take off normally doesn’t get everything lubed.  Some lube jobs will last for more rides, although if things get loud or shifting gets sticky, it’s time to lube.

Here is how to lube your bike:

1.  The chain

Apply a generous amount of mountain bike lube to your chain as you move the pedals around backwards. It also helps to find a spot to steady your hand such as the frame while you move the pedals around and around.  Make sure you watch out for the cranks and chain rings as they move around.

2.  Front Deraileur

On the front defaileur, lube the pivots.  Use a spot of lube everywhere you can see movement when you move the shift lever.

3.  Rear deraileur

Just like the front deraileur, lube the pivots. 

4.  Pedals

There are some types of clipless pedals that will need to have the release mechanism lubed.  You should only lube this mechanism if you have this  type of pedal.

5.  Everything into motion

Pedal around, shift your gears, and bounce your bike around.  If you hear anything squeak, there’s a moving part there are it should be lubed immediately.

6.  Wipe it all clean

Once you’ve lubed everything and wiped it all around, simply wipe it all back off.  Use a rag to wipe away all the lube you used, including all the lube off the chain.  Wiping it away will leave  the lube in between the parts but clean it away from everywhere it isn’t needed.  This will keep  your bike from collecting dirt while you ride.

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How Mountain Bike Gears Work

The gears in mountain bikes just keep getting more and more intricate.  The bikes of today have as many as 27 gear ratios.  A mountain bike will use a combination of three different sized sprockets in front and nine in the back to produce gear ratios.

The idea behind all these gears is to allow the rider to crank the pedals at a constant pace no matter what kind of slope the bike is on.  You can understand this better by picturing a bike with just a single gear.  Each time you rotate the pedals one turn, the rear wheel would rotate one turn as well (1:1 gear ratio).

If the rear wheel is 26 inches in diameter, then with 1:1 gearing, one full twist on the pedals would result in the wheel covering 81.6 inches of ground.  If you are pedaling at a speed of 50 RPM, this means that the bike can cover over 340 feet of ground per minute.  This is only 3.8 MPH, which is the equivalence of walking speed.  This is ideal for climbing a steep hill, although bad for ground or going downhill.

To go faster you’ll need a different ratio.  To ride downhill at 25 MPH with a 50 RPM cadence at the pedals, you’ll need a 5.6:1 gear ratio.  A bike with a lot of gears will give you a large number of increments between a 1:1 gear ratio and a 6.5:1 gear ratio so that you can always pedal at 50 RPM, no matter how fast you are actually going.

On a normal 27 speed mountain bike, six of the gear ratios are so close to each other that you can’t notice any difference between them. 

With actual use, bike riders tend to choose a front sprocket suitable for the slope they are riding on and stick with it, although the front sprocket can be difficult to shift under heavy load.  It’s much easier to shit between the gears on the rear.

If you are cranking up a hill, it’s best to choose the smallest sprocket on the front then shift between the nine gears available on the rear.  The more speeds you have on the back sprocket, the bigger advantage you’ll have.

All in all, gears are very important to mountain bikes as they dictate your overall speed.  Without gears you wouldn’t be able to build speed nor would you be able to pound pedals.  The gears will move  the pedals and help you build up speed. 

There are all types of gears available in mountain bikes, all of which will help you build up a lot of momentum if you use them the right way.

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Framing Materials

 

The cost of a mountain bike frame is proportionate to its material, as well as the treatment that material has received.  Currently, there are five types of material used in mountain bikes – high tensile steel, chromoly steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon  fiber.  Oversized diameters, heat treating, and butting are tubing material treatments that will increase the cost of a frame as well.

High tensile steel

This is a very durable alloy that’s found in lower priced mountain bikes.  It offers a high carbon content which makes it less stiff than chromoly steel, so  more materials are needed to make it stiff enough for bicycle frames, which will in turn make it that much heavier.

Relatively inexpensive to produce, you’ll find this material in trail bikes, city bikes, and even entry level mountain bikes.  There are some bikes that come with a chromoly seat tube, while the rest is high tensile steel.

Chromoly steel

Short for steel alloy, chromoly is best described by its major additives – chromium and molybdenum.  This is probably the most refined framing material, giving over 100 years of dependable service. 

Depending on the type of heat treating and butting, you can find this material in bikes as low as 400 dollars all the way up to 1,500 and beyond.  The  chromoly steel material offers very good durability  and a compliant ride characteristic.

Aluminum

For the past 15 years, aluminum has been refined in pretty much the same way as chromoly.  There have been various alloys developed, as well as heat treatment, oversizing, and butting.  With dual suspension bikes, aluminum is the preferred material as it’s the stiffest and most cost effective.

Aluminum is stiffer than chromoly, and therefore it will crack before chromoly.  Of course, this depends on how you ride and how much abuse you give the frame. The advantages of aluminum is that the frame is very light and very stiff through oversizing or butting.

Titanium

Even thought it’s somewhat exotic, the prices for this material have come down over the last few years. Frames made of titanium remain expensive because it takes longer to weld the tubes to the frame.

Titanium is considered an alloy, normally mixed with small amounts of vanadium and aluminum to give it better weldability and ride characteristics.  More compliant than chromoly, it offers better fatigue and corrosion properties. 

The material you choose for your bike, all depends on where you ride and what style you use.  Almost all materials will last you for years, as long as you take care of your bike and treat the frame with some respect.

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Disc Brakes Or Rim Brakes

This can be a very important decision when you are buying a mountain bike.  There are actually  two answers to the question of disc brakes or rim brakes.

If you want better, more consistent brake performance in all conditions, disc brakes are what you should be choosing.  On the other hand, if you want the  lightest set up you can have and you are willing to accept small variances in brake performance, or you want the lowest price possible, rim brakes are what you should be choosing.

Over the years, mountain bikes have gone through many design changes.  They started out with the original cantilever brakes, then went through the U Brake years, and are now with V Brakes.  In most conditions, the V Brakes seem to work well.

In wet or muddy conditions, rim brakes will perform poorly.  Over time, they can wear right through the side of your rim, causing the side of the rim to blow right off. 

Disc brakes on the other hand have been around for a long time in cars but weren’t used on bikes much until the late 1990’s.  There were some issues in the earlier models, although the cable actuated or hydraulic brakes of today seem to work quite well.

In terms of performance, disc brakes seem to work better than rim brakes, especially in wet or muddy areas.  Disc brakes normally require less force to apply and aren’t effected by the rim or wheel condition.

Cost is an issue, as disk brake systems tend to be more expensive than rim brakes.  Mechanical or cable actuated brakes are a closer match, although they will still cost more.  Hydraulic brakes on the other hand cost a lot more.

When you make that final choice, weight out the above  options then make your decision.  Some riders prefer disc brakes, while others prefer rim brakes – making it a matter of opinion.

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Different Types of Mountain Bikes

With mountain biking being a very popular sport, there are many bikes to choose from.  Depending on what type of riding you like, the style of bikes you can choose from will vary.  Below, you’ll find tips on the different types of bikes available.

1.  Cross country

Almost all mountain bikes will fit into this category.Cross country mountain bikes are light weight, making them easy to ride over most terrains, even up and down hills.  This is the most common mountain bike and it can be used with ease for riding on the pathor even commuting.

2.  Downhill

These types of bikes are for serious bikers who crave the ultimate adventure.  Downhill bikes have front and rear suspension, strong parts, and disc brakes.  Rarely available off the shelf, most riders like to custom build their own.

3.  Trials

Trail mountain biking involves a great degree of skill and is classified as the precision riding of the sport.  Similiar to downhill bikes, trial riders will often build their own bikes rather than purchase one off a shelf.  Generally very light and very  strong, these bikes require a lot of discipline.

4.  Jump and slalom

Slalom and jump bikes are very strong and designed for jumping, street racing, and slalom.  They offer a front suspension and use very strong components dedicated to what they do.  These bikes are very popular with the sport of mountain biking.

Even if you are new to mountain biking, the sport can be a lot of fun.  There are several bikes to choose  from, all of which depend on your style.  If you are still looking for the best style for you, all you have to do is try out several bikes and see which one
suites you the best.

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Cross Country Mountain Biking

Cross country mountain biking is cross country at its finest.  Where free riders and downhill bikers use four wheel bikes and ski lifts to get them to their destination, cross country bikers get to  the top of the mountain by the ride.  Though free riding is very popular, the life vein of the sport has always been cross country biking.

Just as cross country riders are a different breed, the bikes they ride are as well.  The cross country bike is completely different in many ways from other types of mountain riding bikes.  The premise for  cross country riders is speed.  Everything about their bikes revolve with the idea of making the bikes faster and faster.

Bikes used in cross country mountain biking can be fully rigid frame, hardtails, or even full suspension frames.  Through the years, the cross over to full suspension has become very popular.

The weight difference between free ride bikes and cross country bikes are considerable.  You’ll be extremely hard pressed to find a bike that weighs  more than 24 pounds, and even that weight can be heavy.  Free ride bkes weigh close to 40 pounds, which makes the difference in weight pretty close.

If you’ve never tried cross country mountain biking, you’ll probably find it to be a break from the ordinary.  Even though this type of biking involves trails, it’s normally the type of terrain that  beginners wouldn’t want to ride.  Involving hills and rough terrain, cross country biking offers  quite the rush.

For mountain bikers everywhere, cross country is the way to go.  It offers you a new assortment of bikes, new areas to bike, and a new twist to  mountain biking as you know it.  If you’ve been looking for a mountain biking rush, cross country  mountain biking is what you need to be experiencing.

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Clothes For Winter Riding

Mountain biking in cold weather has always been a challenge.  The problem is that you’ll start out  cold then warm up and break a sweat, making yourself wet.  Then, when you travel downhill, the combination of wet skin and windchill will be quite chilling. 

Below, you’ll find a list of the cold weather clothing that will make winter riding less of a bone chilling experience.

Booties

In cold temperatures, your feet are the most vulnerable part of your anatomy.  Pressure from pedaling will  tend to cut off the circulation to your toes, which  can put you at a risk of frostbite.  In cold conditions,  neoprene booties are a must have.  They will zip over your shoes and even have a pattern in the sole where you can cut out a piece for cleats.

Gloves

There are several manufacturers that make “lobster gloves”, a hybrid glove that separates your index finger and thumb from the rest of your hand.  These  gloves are warmer than regular gloves, and the distinct index finger will allow you to operate your shifting and brake levers.

In case your hands get cold, you should carry a pair of lightweight glove liners will you as well.  If you have to stop to take care of a problem, the liners will protect your hands from the cold.

Glasses

Glasses that wraparound and provide maximum protection from the wind are best to wear in the winter.  You can protect yourself from debris, as well as the cold.

Socks

You should wear heavy socks although not to heavy.  A sock that is overly heavy will make your shoes tight,  cut off circulation, even make your feet cold.  You  should try lightweight socks, as they will keep your feet warm without bulk.  If you need an extra layer, try silk ski socks as they are very warm and also extra lightweight.

Underwear

Polypropylene is the best material here, as it is lightweight and best for colder temperatures.

Wind protection

 

Moving air is the biggest cause for losing body  heat.  By having good wind protection you’ll be able to vent perspiration while also protecting yourself from windchill.  You should choose pants and a jacket based on durability, breathing, and price as these types of clothing can get very experience.

Helmet and liners

Your head is very important, as you lose 50% of your  body heat through your head.  A helmet is designed to keep you cool in the summer, not warm in the winter.  A  fleece liner inside your helmet will keep your head and ears warm during winter riding.

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