Mountain Biking ; The Basics

Learning more about mountain biking will help you enjoy the sport more. Knowledge is key to having the right bike and equipment for your ride.

If you want a good way to spend time outside having fun, then you may want to try mountain biking. If you are looking for a fun adrenaline rush, then going very fast down the side of a mountain can be great fun, but it is also dangerous. If you are careful and take precautions, though, it is a sport that the whole family can enjoy.

Mountain Biking Styles
There are three styles of mountain biking. The three different styles include cross-country, free riding, and downhill biking. The styles are somewhat similar to each other, but they each have different skills that are needed. The mountain biking style that you want to do will determine what kind of bike that you need to purchase.

Where to Mountain Bike
Mountain biking is usually done on an unpaved surface. You can find many different areas throughout North America that have specially designed biking trails for you. It is important to check with your local park before you just take off down a trail to make sure that you know the rules and regulations that they have.

There are also groups that you can join to compete against and ride with. It is easy to find a group via the web or in your local paper. You can even ask at your local bike shop if they know of any groups. You can find groups for any experience level - from beginner to more advanced.



Basic Mountain Bike Component Identification Guide

1. Bar-ends 2. Brake levers 3. Cassette 4. Chain 5. Chain stays 6. Chainrings 7. Crank arm 8. Down tube 9. Front brake calipers 10. Front derailleur 11. Front hub 12. Front quick-release skewer 13. Front tire 14. Front wheel 15. Handlebars 16. Head tube 17. Headset 18. Headset top cap & bolt 19. Headset spacers 20. Inner tube valve 21. Integrated shifters 22. Pedals 23. Rear brake calipers 24. Rear derailleur 25. Rear hub 26. Rear quick-release skewer 27. Rear tire 28. Rear wheel 29. Removable face plate 30. Saddle 31. Seat collar 32. Seat post 33. Seat stays 34. Seat tube 35. Spokes 36. Stem 37. Suspension fork 38. Top tube 39. Water bottle bosses

Great Biker
To be an accomplished mountain biker, you must first build up your stamina and endurance. If you are racing, then you will want to add a lot of practice and ambition to the mix. Just as with any other sport, mountain biking takes practice to get good at. If you are just beginning, you will have to practice and take those bruises and spills until you get better. There is no way around it.

Mountain Bike Selection
Depending upon what kind of bike riding you will be doing, your bike choice revolves around that fact and your personal desires. You can find bikes in many different price ranges, shapes, and styles, which makes it somewhat overwhelming to find the right one for you.

The internet is a great place to start your bike search. It is easy to compare prices and look at different features of bikes on the internet because there is not stress. You will want to try out the bike before you purchase it, though, so you may have to go to the local bike shop for that. When trying out a bike, you will want to consider the comfort, fit, and how it is made and geared to help you make the best decision for you.

Safety First
Riding a mountain bike can be very dangerous because you are riding on uneven terrain. It is important that you wear a helmet no matter where your riding and elbow and knee pads to help keep yourself safe. If you choose to ride in a wooded area or are going to be following other riders, then you may want to consider adding some goggles to your equipment to help keep your eyes safe. Safety should be your top priority in preparing and riding.

Equiptment For Mountain Biking

The categories of equipment for mountain bikes include a great number of subcategories. These subcategories include the bikes, frames, accessories, biking apparel, and even the separate components that make up the bikes. There are a number of items that you can get for mountain biking, so it is imperative that you know what you want. You first need to determine what kind of biking that you do. Do you mountain bike for fun or are you into it for racing? If you have just started your mountain biking adventure, then your first purchase will need to be a bike that will meet your needs and wants.

Clothing that is specially made for mountain biking is much looser than the other clothing made for cycling. The difference between mountain biking apparel and other biking apparel is very noticeable and easy to see. All kinds of cycling have one thing in common, however, and that is helmets. Helmets should be worn anytime you are on your bike. This will help to protect your head from the many hazards that may be on the trail.

There are accessories that can help make your biking safer for you, too. One of these accessories is mountain bike lights. If you are going to be riding at night, then you will need some kind of lighting on your bike, whether it is LED lights or other lights. Lights enable mountain bikers to enjoy the trail at any time of the day or night.

You can find your mountain bike supplies at your local bike shop or online at many different bicycling retailers. You can find everything that you need-from knee guards to full body guards to helmets to other apparel and accessories. The shops will be able to assist you to find mountain biking gear for any level of rider, from the casual to the more extreme enthusiast.

Protective gear is essential in mountain biking, especially. It will help you to withstand the rigors of mountain and downhill racing. Many different body armor pieces help to protect different parts of the body to make sure that you will be protected if you have an accident. This gear is specially made to protect you without taking away from the experience and fun of mountain biking.

The most important thing that you need to purchase to help keep yourself safe is a biking helmet. A helmet can keep you alive in this sometimes dangerous sport. No matter how small the race, biking helmets are required to help keep you safe. To keep your hands free from burns or blisters, you may want to choose some gloves. They serve a functional use as well, because they help to give you a much stronger grip on the handlebars for maximum control.

Mountain biking demands comfortable clothing. Most races occur during the summer, so shorts and t-shirts are the most commonly seen clothing, but during the winter months, you may see pants and sweatshirts. You are sure to find the perfect clothing to ride in no matter what time of the year to help you be comfortable and to look cool.

Benefits and Losses of Biking

Benefits

The physical exercise gained from cycling is generally linked with increased health and well-being. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is second only to tobacco smoking as a health risk in developed countries, and this is associated with many tens of billions of dollars of healthcare costs. The WHO's report suggests that increasing physical activity is a public health 'best buy', and that cycling is a 'highly suitable activity' for this purpose. The charity Sustrans reports that investment in cycling provision can give a 20:1 return from health and other benefits. It has been estimated that, on average, approximately 20 life-years are gained from the health benefits of road bicycling for every life-year lost through injury.

Bicycles are often used by people seeking to improve their fitness and cardiovascular health. In this regard, cycling is especially helpful for those with arthritis of the lower limbs who are unable to pursue sports that cause impact to the knees and other joints. Since cycling can be used for the practical purpose of transportation, there can be less need for self-discipline to exercise.

Interestingly, it has been found that despite toning the leg muscles, cycling actually causes buttocks to lose tone and muscle.

Cycling while seated is a relatively non-weight bearing exercise that, like swimming, does little to promote bone density. Cycling up and out of the saddle, on the other hand, does a better job by transferring more of the rider's body weight to the legs. However, excessive cycling while standing can cause knee damage. It used to be thought that cycling while standing was less energy efficient, but recent research has proven this not to be true. Other than air resistance, there is no wasted energy from cycling while standing if it is done correctly.

Cycling on a stationary cycle is frequently advocated as a suitable exercise for rehabilitation, particularly for lower limb injury due to the low impact that it has on the joints. In particular cycling is commonly used within knee rehabilitation programs.

Injuries
Cycling is seen by some to be an inherently high-risk, dangerous activity although use of appropriate safety equipment can reduce risk of serious injury. In the UK, fatality rates per mile or kilometer are slightly less than those for walking. In the US, bicycling fatality rates are less than 2/3 of those walking the same distance. For a child cyclist the rate per mile or kilometer travelled is around 55 times that for a child occupant of a car, while the fatality and serious injury rates per hour of travel are just over double for cycling than for walking (due to the reduced travel time), in the UK. It should be noted that calculated fatality rates based on distance for bicycling (as well as for walking) can have an exceptionally large margin of error, since there are generally no annual registrations or odometers required for bicycles (as there are with motor vehicles), and this means the distance traveled must be estimated.

Most cycle deaths result from a collision with a car or heavy goods vehicle. However, a very high proportion of non-fatal injuries to cyclists do not involve any other person or vehicle.

A Danish study in 2000 concluded that "bicycling to work decreased risk of mortality in approximately 40% after multivariate adjustment, including leisure time physical activity". This conclusion is open to various interpretations.
Injuries (to cyclists, from cycling) can be divided into two types:
• Physical trauma (extrinsic)
• Overuse (intrinsic).

Acute physical trauma includes injuries to the head and extremities resulting from falls and collisions. Since a large percentage of the collisions between motor and pedal vehicles occur at night, bicycle lighting is required for safety when bicycling at night.

The most common cycling overuse injury occurs in the knees, affecting cyclists at all levels. These are caused by many factors:
• Incorrect bicycle fit or adjustment, particularly the saddle.
• Incorrect adjustment of clipless pedals.
• Too many hills, or too many miles, too early in the training season.
• Poor training preparation for long touring rides.
• Selecting too high a gear. A lower gear for uphill climb protects the knees, even though your muscles are well able to handle a higher gear.

Excessive saddle height can cause posterior knee pain, while setting the saddle too low can cause pain in the anterior of the knee. An incorrectly fitted saddle may eventually lead to muscle imbalance. A 25 to 35 degree knee angle is recommended to avoid an overuse injury.

Overuse injuries, including chronic nerve damage at weight bearing locations, can occur as a result of repeatedly riding a bicycle for extended periods of time. Damage to the ulnar nerve in the palm, carpal tunnel in the wrist, the genitourinary tract or bicycle seat neuropathy may result from overuse. Recumbent bicycles are designed on different ergonomic principles and eliminate pressure from the saddle and handlebars, due to the relaxed riding position.

Note that overuse is a relative term, and capacity varies greatly between individuals. Someone starting out in cycling must be careful to increase length and frequency of cycling sessions slowly, starting for example at an hour or two per day, or a hundred miles or kilometers per week. Muscular pain is a normal by-product of the training process, but joint pain and numbness are early signs of overuse injury.

Cycling has been linked to sexual impotence due to pressure on the perineum from the seat, but fitting a proper sized seat prevents this effect. In extreme cases, Pudendal Nerve Entrapment can be a source of intractable perineal pain.
Some cyclists with induced pudendal nerve pressure neuropathy gained relief from improvements in saddle position and riding techniques.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has investigated the potential health effects of prolonged bicycling in police bicycle patrol units, including the possibility that some bicycle saddles exert excessive pressure on the urogenital area of cyclists, restricting blood flow to the genitals. NIOSH is investigating whether saddles developed without protruding noses (which remove the pressure from the urogenital area) will alleviate any potential health problems.

Despite rumors to the contrary, there is no scientific evidence linking cycling with testicular cancer in men.

Andy Pruitt, director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, wrote a book about diagnosing, treating, and preventing cycling-related injuries. Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists

Air pollution
One concern often expressed (both by non-cyclists and some cyclists) is the thought that riding in traffic exposes the cyclist to higher levels of air pollution, especially if he travels on or along busy roads. This has been shown to be untrue, as the pollutant and irritant count within cars is consistently higher, (presumably because of limited circulation of air within the car and due to the air intake being directly in the stream of other traffic).

Beggining Mountain Biking

Mountain bikes are among the strongest and most rugged bicycles that you can find. The reason that these bikes are so strong is that they are ridden on some very tough terrain, including steep inclines, dirt tracks, and pebbles. In most cases, mountain bikers do not ride on smoothly paved roads, rather they ride on hilly and uneven terrain that can be quite rough on a bicycle. Mountain bikers get a big thrill in riding on unpaved, rough terrain, even though this is hard on a bicycle. That is why many manufacturers have made sturdier bikes for this purpose.

The tires on a mountain bike are thicker and fatter than normal bike tires. They are also made of more durable rubber that gives the rider added traction and control on uneven surfaces.

Suspension is another very essential feature of a mountain bike. A strong suspension system is essential for a mountain bike so that the rider can better handle the ups and downs that occur when riding on uneven terrain.

Mountain bikes can be separated into several different categories that are founded upon the type of suspension that they have. The classifications are dual suspension, hard tails, soft tails, and fully rigid bikes. Rigid bikes feature a rigid fork. Soft-tailed bikes have a rear suspension that pivots on the frame. Hard-tailed bikes feature a front suspension fork. Suspension bikes have either front, rear, or dual suspension systems. These bikes also feature a shock absorber in the rear, in addition to a linkage.

Lighter weight material and materials that are more resilient are the norm for a cross-country mountain bike. You can find a cross-country bike that can weight anywhere from 20-40 pounds, depending upon your needs. An all-mountain or Enduro bike will usually be heavier than a cross-country bike. These bikes range in weight from 30-35 pounds. These bikes feature a suspension that will enable you to maneuver around hairpin turns and climb up hills much easier.

Heavier and stronger materials are used to build a free ride mountain bike. They are made to help make pedaling easier, so that you can easily move around anything that is in your way and you can make sharp turns. They weigh in at around 45 pounds, which decreases their efficiency over other cross-country bikes.

For downhill tracks or race courses, you will want to choose a downhill mountain bike. They offer you better traction than the other varieties of mountain bikes for maximum control and speed.

If short distance riding is your game, then a trial bike is probably the one for you. They lack suspension and do not have a seat or vestigial pad. They are also much lighter than other bikes for maximum speed. They weigh in at about 20 pounds.

Between mountain and trial bikes, you will find Street Mountain, Dirt Jumping, and Urban Bikes. These bikes are extremely touch and feature anywhere from one to nine gears with a chain guide for the front and rear gears.

Mountain Bike History and Types of Mountain Biking

There is a lot of history and information out there in regards to the history and origins of mountain biking, with some being recognized and some that depends on who has the best firm of public relations.

Some say that mountain biking began with the Buffalo Soldiers, which was a turn of the century infantry who customized bikes to carry gear over the rough and tough terrain. They began in August of 1896, over the course of 800 miles. Their mission was simple - to test bikes for military use in the toughest of terrain.

Others say it was the Velo Cross Club of France that started mountain biking. The club was comprised of 20 young bikers from Paris, who between 1951 and 1956 developed a sport that resembles present day mountain biking.

It could have also been John Finley Scott, who was the first mountain biker in the U.S. In 1953 he constructed what he called a 'Woodsie Bike', using a diamond frame, balloon tires, flat handle bars, and cantilever brakes. He was more than 20 years ahead of his time. Even though he remained an off road enthusiast, there were many at that time who didn't share that same passion.

Today, we believe that the history of the mountain bike is most apparent in Northern California. There are a few areas that claim to be the first community for mountain biking, although each and every history book will tell you Marin County.

The sport of mountain biking has taken many twists and turns over the last several hundred years. Even though there are many that say different things about the history and the beginning, we know one thing for sure - one thing has led to another and the sport of mountain biking was born.

Types Of Mountain Biking

As a sport or a hobby, mountain biking can be split into 9 different categories. These categories are very versed in what they offer. They are:

1.BMX
BMX is a style where the bikes offer 20 inch wheels.
These bikes are commonly used at skate parks or with dirt jumps. Because of their smaller wheels and shorter wheel bases, BMX bikes are much easier to perform tricks and stunts with.

2.Cross country
This type of mountain biking involves riding your bike up and down hills. Although it's the least extreme form of mountain biking, most cross country riders are very fit and go on long rides.

3.Cyclo cross
This is a cross between road and mountain biking. These riders have to go over obstacles, cross through rivers, and race on and off the course.

4.Dirt jumping
Dirt jumping involves jumping the bike over large man made dirt jumps then doing tricks while they are in the air. These jumps are normally close together so riders can go over six or more jumps in one run, gaining a flow to give them more speed for bigger jumps.

5.Downhill
Downhill mountain biking involves racing downhill as fast as possible. This type of riding is very intense and extreme, offering riders the chance for ultimate thrills and excitement.

6.Freeride
Free riding involves finding the perfect line down the mountain using all of the terrain to express yourself. These competitions are very popular, as riders can express themselves any way they see fit.

7.Single speed
No to be confused with fixed gears, this is a form of cross country biking that's done using a bike with only one gear and fewer components. The idea with single speed is simplicity. The straight chain line will provide efficient pedaling, and the lack of components mean less mechanical problems and a lighter bike.

8.Street and urban
This type of riding involves riding in urban areas, ledges, and other types of man made obstacles. Riders of street and urban biking will do tricks as well, such as stalls and grinds.

9.Trails
Trials are considered an aspect of mountain biking, although the bikes used look nothing like mountain bikes. They use 20 or 26 inch wheels and sport small, low frames. Trail riders will hop and jump their bikes over obstacles, which requires an extreme amount of balance and concentration.