Posts Tagged ‘mountain bikes’
Mountain Bike Basic Types
Whether dedicated to professionals or amateurs, the mountain bikes range became extremely diverse lately. Choose your mountain bike by suspension, wheel, tires design or discipline oriented designs.
The modern mountain bikes have evolved quite a lot compared to the first models of bicycles back in the early days of the cycling itself. The design of the nowadays mountain bikes is rooted in the style frame and geometry of the road bicycles. However, mountain bikes have been designed and built to correspond to the new riding styles, which now tend to be more aggressive, but also for more comfort and flexibility.
The structure of the archetypal mountain bike includes the standard elements: a frame, a fork, two pedals, two wheels with tires, breaks and suspension system. Same as any simple road bicycles. Nevertheless, the geometry of a mountain bike has its own particular features which make the difference in the field.
When describing a mountain bike, we should mainly consider the purpose of such a device. Unlike the road bicycles, mountain bikes are designed for off-road, rough terrain. Mountain biking may be performed on every country back roads, fire roads or other trails that cross through forests, mountains, deserts of even fields. The coarse riding conditions require a higher durability and a better performance from both the rider and its bike. Therefore, mountain bikes come now specially equipped with wider and knobby tires, large frame tubing and a more reliable front fork, not to mention the dual suspension, all created for a better shock absorbance and reliability.
Mountain bikes may be classified according to different criteria. Based on suspension, mountain bikes range from fully rigid, through hard tail/soft tail to full suspension (also called dual suspension). Naturally, it is advisable to choose a full suspension mountain bike, due to the dual suspension system, front and rear. This way, the rear wheel moves on pivots and shocks are better absorbed. Hard tail and soft tail models have front suspension, but no or little rear suspension.
Another major classification criterion is by discipline oriented design. Generally, one can distinguish four major categories, namely: cross country, downhill, free ride and trials/street riding. These four types of mountain bikes correspond to four sports styles of mountain biking, bearing the same names. The construction and the features of each type of mountain bike are defined mainly by the terrain where the bikes are employed.
The materials used for the bikes construction make a huge difference between styles. Therefore, mountain bikes divide into light or heavy, strong or less durable, faster or mild-to-moderate speed, single-purpose or multi-purpose mountain bikes. Cross country mountain bikes are generally accepted as the most popular type, becoming famous for the lightweight and still robust materials used in the construction process and serving for multi-purpose activities. Downhill bikes are an example of single purpose equipment. They are dedicated only to downhill trails and races; they are really fast and the breaks system is really efficient.
KCNC Z6 Steel Axle MTB QR Skewers/Quick Release/1Pair/Full CNC/64g/Blue
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US $49.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 6:28:59 PST Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
KCNC Z6 Steel Axle MTB QR Skewers/Quick Release/1Pair/Full CNC/64g/Silver
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US $49.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 6:31:00 PST Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Israel 1996 Sport 1.05 Mountain Bike Full Sheet Sc 1256
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US $16.00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 9:01:04 PST Buy It Now for only: US $16.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Tags: mountain bikes
Buying A Mountain Bike
It can be a bit frustrating as well as time consuming when you buy a mountain bike. Below, you’ll find some tips and things to be aware of before you lay down the cash and buy a mountain bike.
Determining your price
There is really no limit as to how much money you can spend on a new mountain bike. To help you keep your spending under control, you should figure out what your price range is and how much your willing to pay for a new bike. When you buy, you shouldn’t buy from mass merchant stores such as Wal-Mart. You should instead support your local bike shop and get a much better bike and much better service.
Finding your style
All mountain bikes are designed with several different riding styles and terrain types in mind. You’ll need to figure out what type of riding you will be doing the most. Smooth riding, cross country racing, mountain cruising, or lift accessed downhill is something you need to figure out. Make sure that the bike you select fits your personal style and not that of the sale’s staff.
Full suspension or hard tail
If you can afford it, a full suspension mountain bike is always worth the purchase. A hard tail, without rear suspension, is much lighter weight and pedal more efficiently, although full suspensions offer more comfort and overall better control. You’ll want to make that decision based on your price range, riding style, and the type of terrain you’ll be riding on the most.
Finding your favorites
Comparing mountain bikes component to component is nearly impossible, as there are far too many combinations available. The best way to go about doing this is finding a few components that are the most important to you and making sure the rest or the minimums fall within your price range. You can start with the fork then look at the wheels and rear derailleur.
Sales and seasons
During the year, the prices of mountain bikes can fluctuate quite a bit. Spring through summer is the main buying season. If you can wait until the right price pops up, normally in the fall and winter, you can save a couple hundred dollars. Many bike shops will also offer discounts or other accessories if you buy from them.
Finding a good dealer
Finding a good bike dealer is more important than finding the best price. You should always find a dealer that cares more about selling you a great bike than selling you a high priced one. A great dealer will have a clean repair shop and give you the impression that you can really trust them.
Test ride
You should test ride as many bikes as you can within your price range and riding style. You’ll find that some bikes will feel right, while others won’t. The more bikes you can test drive, you better you’ll understand what works and what doesn’t.
Doing the research
Product reviews and bike reviews are some of the best ways to find out about a mountain bikes reliability and overall performance. You should always look at what other owners and reviews think about a bike before you make that final purchase.
KCNC Z6 Steel Axle MTB QR Skewers/Quick Release/1Pair/Full CNC/64g/Blue
|
US $49.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 6:28:59 PST Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
KCNC Z6 Steel Axle MTB QR Skewers/Quick Release/1Pair/Full CNC/64g/Silver
|
US $49.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 6:31:00 PST Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Israel 1996 Sport 1.05 Mountain Bike Full Sheet Sc 1256
|
US $16.00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 9:01:04 PST Buy It Now for only: US $16.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Tags: cross country, mountain bike, mountain bikes