Mountain Bike Reviews - What is the Best Product?

Mountain biking is an extremely popular adventure sport. Because of the inherent dangers involved in the sport, mountain bikes, the principal equipment used in the sport, must be solid and durable. Mountain biking involves riding the bike through extremely rough terrains and dangerous slopes. If the bike is not strong enough to withstand the pressure and stress of riding, it can cause fatal accidents. Because of this, a person who wants to buy a particular brand of mountain bike loves to hear an endorsement about the safety and durability of that brand. As a result, prospective buyers check on sports magazine and websites for mountain bike reviews.

There are a number of brands of mountain bikes available on the market. One can observe that normally the price goes up as the number of features of the bike increases. Previously word of the mouth publicity was the most predominant sales booster in this category. But now with the internet allowing the users freely to express their views, the cyber world is abuzz with a number of mountain bike reviews. One can find a number of websites that allow bike owners to write about their bikes. If you want to read reviews about a particular model of bike, then it is better to search for reviews about that particular brand of bike.

The problem with online mountain bike reviews written by owners is that such reviews tend to be highly subjective. Those reviews will either scream the benefits and good features of the bikes or cry about the negatives and poor features of the bikes. So, it is better to rely on reviews written by experts and editors of adventure sport magazines. Such experts write reviews after testing the bike for various factors and performance of individual components like handle, frame, and wheels.

The following are mountain bike reviews about popular brands available in the market. Santa Cruz's Chameleon has been one of the popular brands for quite some time. It is strong and tough, but incredibly lightweight. One can select both with gear and without gear models. Its whole frame is very stiff, but handles are exceptionally balanced. Rockhopper series is another popular brand of mountain bikes. It is one of the bikes that get most number of positive reviews. According to several reviews, it has all the qualities a mountain bike should have: good handle balance, strong frame, durable structure, and easy to ride.

For those who look for cheaper, but reliable, options, Schwinn Mesa is for them. It is a front suspension bike and hence not as costlier as the full suspension bikes. One should not expect the same quality as the expensive ones. Nevertheless, several mountain bike reviews suggest that the frame is strong and solid. It is generally considered as a good buy for an occasional rider in friendly terrains.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about mountain bike reviews, please visit Todays Best Mountain Bikes for current articles and discussions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Pennington

Mountain Bike Reviews - What is the Best Product?

Mountain biking is an extremely popular adventure sport. Because of the inherent dangers involved in the sport, mountain bikes, the principal equipment used in the sport, must be solid and durable. Mountain biking involves riding the bike through extremely rough terrains and dangerous slopes. If the bike is not strong enough to withstand the pressure and stress of riding, it can cause fatal accidents. Because of this, a person who wants to buy a particular brand of mountain bike loves to hear an endorsement about the safety and durability of that brand. As a result, prospective buyers check on sports magazine and websites for mountain bike reviews.

There are a number of brands of mountain bikes available on the market. One can observe that normally the price goes up as the number of features of the bike increases. Previously word of the mouth publicity was the most predominant sales booster in this category. But now with the internet allowing the users freely to express their views, the cyber world is abuzz with a number of mountain bike reviews. One can find a number of websites that allow bike owners to write about their bikes. If you want to read reviews about a particular model of bike, then it is better to search for reviews about that particular brand of bike.

The problem with online mountain bike reviews written by owners is that such reviews tend to be highly subjective. Those reviews will either scream the benefits and good features of the bikes or cry about the negatives and poor features of the bikes. So, it is better to rely on reviews written by experts and editors of adventure sport magazines. Such experts write reviews after testing the bike for various factors and performance of individual components like handle, frame, and wheels.

The following are mountain bike reviews about popular brands available in the market. Santa Cruz's Chameleon has been one of the popular brands for quite some time. It is strong and tough, but incredibly lightweight. One can select both with gear and without gear models. Its whole frame is very stiff, but handles are exceptionally balanced. Rockhopper series is another popular brand of mountain bikes. It is one of the bikes that get most number of positive reviews. According to several reviews, it has all the qualities a mountain bike should have: good handle balance, strong frame, durable structure, and easy to ride.

For those who look for cheaper, but reliable, options, Schwinn Mesa is for them. It is a front suspension bike and hence not as costlier as the full suspension bikes. One should not expect the same quality as the expensive ones. Nevertheless, several mountain bike reviews suggest that the frame is strong and solid. It is generally considered as a good buy for an occasional rider in friendly terrains.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about mountain bike reviews, please visit Todays Best Mountain Bikes for current articles and discussions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Pennington

Downhill Mountain Bike - What Other People Are Not Telling You About This Bike

Downhill mountain biking uses gravity and is a timed mountain biking event. The competitors are timed at an interval of 30 seconds commonly. The courses for such events take around two to five minutes to complete. This type of biking involves navigating steep, downhill terrain. There is negligible climbing in such courses and it is one of the fastest biking events.

There are some criteria that a downhill mountain bike should satisfy. In terms of weight, the bike is around 17 to 25 kg. It usually has a full-suspension design. The frame leans back further than other bikes. Most bikes come with a suspension of around 203 mm. These bikes also feature disc brakes. They are usually 8 inches in diameter.

Downhill bikes are very similar in make to the free ride bikes but the former have much lower frames. They also have slacker head angles that lend them stability at higher speeds and sharp corners. Downhill mountain bikes are priced at around 2000 US dollars for an entry level bike. Top of the line bikes come at about 9000 U.S Dollars.

One has to be careful while choosing parts for a downhill mountain bike. The parts should not add weight unnecessarily as this will lower the bike's speed. The parts must be resilient and light weight. Most high end downhill bikes use the best materials available to improve speeds without compromising on the weight aspect. These bikes use better quality materials. The design and manufacturing process also tends to be precise for costlier bikes.

There have been remarkable advances in materials and design that have aided the introduction of strong but light components into these bikes. Downhill bikers are usually at the cutting edge of technology as this confers a speed advantage on them. Newer downhill mountain bikes are lightweight and have efficient suspensions. They also give users a better handling of the bike at all levels of skill.

Want Tips On Mountain Bikes?

All You Have To Do Is Click http://www.LaMountainBikes.com/ Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Kramer

Mountain Bikes - 5 Things You Should Know About Them

For the first time buyer, the choice of a mountain bike might be daunting. Mountain bikes are not your everyday bikes and are especially designed for cycling on difficult terrain. You can use these types of bikes to navigate hilly areas, steep declines, rocky mountain and any other sort of unpaved road. Here are a few important things you should know about mountain bikes.

• Mountain bikes are very different from regular use cycles and racing cycles. They are built to withstand the jerks and pressure of use on uneven terrain. You should ensure that the model you are looking at is a genuine mountain bike. If you use regular bikes on hilly terrain the results could be disastrous.

• You can also choose your bike according to the type of terrain it is best suited for. Varieties like the cross country bike have little suspension and a light frame. All-mountain bikes are generally heavier and feature more suspension. You could also choose from free ride or down hill bikes that differ from each other in terms of weight and strength. Both types are basically used for racing on inclines.

• You will have to check the frame of your mountain bike to ascertain its critical angles. The critical angles of the bike include the angle of its head tube and the seat tube. These are to be measured as the distance from the horizontal axis. The angles make a lot of difference to the rider's position on the bike and the bike's characteristics. As a rule of thumb, steeper angles are helpful for pedaling uphill and better handling. Angles tending towards zero give higher speed and more stability on downhill courses.

• You will have to check the type of suspension on your mountain bike. This could be fully rigid, hard - tail, soft-tail or dual suspension. The suspension essentially protects the bike and the rider from the shocks of a rough terrain. This is one of the most important parts of the bike. There are many new variants in the mountain bike market offering buyers different types of suspension, but most hard-core bikers routinely prefer a hard-tail frame.

• The final check on your mountain bike should be its brakes. They may be standard V-brakes or the newer disc brakes. Disc brakes are generally preferred over older versions because they give the rider more power under a variety of conditions. Disc brakes are also easier to maintain and last longer than conventional brakes.

Want More Information On Mountain Bikes? All You Have To Do Is Click http://www.LaMountainBikes.com/ Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Kramer

Winter Training For Cyclists

Build your base and make the 2009 season your best ever. As the season draws to a close, perhaps you are preparing for your final race and looking back at your triumphs and disappointments of the past season, its always good to reflect on what worked and what didn't but then your thoughts will probably turn to your goals and aspirations for next season and it's the coming months that could have the biggest impact on how well you perform in 2009.

After a long hard season the first part of preparation for next seasons starts with recuperation, time to ease off the training schedule, and have some fun, why not get out in the woods on a mountain bike for change, spend some time with family and friends enjoy a Saturday night out and don't worry too much if you add a few pounds.
The key is, this is recovery time and you should not be pushing and punishing your body in any way. I would suggest for at least one month maybe two if it's been an exceptional hard and long season.

Then with the recovery period complete it's time to build the base. Even if you are new to training and 2009 is going to be your first season you must start with the base.

For those who have already been competing for a number of years whilst you may already have a base you too still need to spend time improving on what you already have. Think of it like a builder adding an extension to your house, does he start by building the roof then moves on to constructing the walls before finishing by putting in the foundations, the base, I certainly hope not! If so I advise you to get a new builder quick.

Now like the builder you should be working to a plan, depending on how much experience you have, your current fitness level, the time you have available etc you and perhaps with your coach you will need to develop a plan that gradually progresses your fitness through the winter months and into early spring but the initial stages should be focused on building that base.

Now I have seen numerous formulas for what heart rate intensity you should be working at to improve the base and as with all these formulas whilst they may work for some, for a huge amount of people they will be woefully inaccurate.

What you are trying to do when building the base is educate your muscles to utilise more fat as the energy source at the same time not overstressing the body. Ideally you should be working at an intensity that is no higher than maximal lactate steady state, in other words you are not accumulating lactate acid normally defined as no more than 2 mmol/l.

It is difficult to pinpoint this heart rate using formulas the most accurate and advantageous way to do this is to take a metabolic assessment, not only will it tell you at what heart rate this occurs but also how aerobically efficient (what % of the calories being used come from fat) you are in the heart rates leading up to this point. When you have this information you will know exactly at what intensity your winter base training needs to be conducted at.

Fail to build the base and like the builder who doesn't build one, don't be surprised when next year things start crashing down and you fail to achieve your goals and dreams.

Metabolic assessments/VO2 testing used to be reserved for the elite athletes now it's available to everyone. HumanLab VO2 has over 30 assessment centres dotted all over the UK. Visit http://www.humanlabvo2.com for more information and GOOD LUCK for 2009.

http://www.humanlabvo2.com

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Bicycle Frame Geometry 101

I was discussing frame geometry with a prominent coach last week and his perspective on frame geometry struck a nerve with me so I wanted to share this topic with you.

I had been riding "stock" frame geometry for decades and the possibilities created by the combination of an unlimited fitting system and true custom geometry did not exist for me, and thus for you, until fairly recently. The time honored principles of Knee Over Pedal Spindle, (KOPS), the Lemond method, standover height, saddle height equal to hip height when standing next to the bike and scads of other techniques were developed to help people choose a bike size that would work for them.

We need to look at a bit of history because bikes were made quite differently in the 1970's and before than they are today. The '70's were a time where road bikes had a much different geometry, with seat angles in the 71-72 degree range. Additionally these bikes were built in half sizes and thus had as many as 12 sizes for one model! Today's bikes have between 3 and 5 sizes so more people are forced to "fit" a bike that will be less than perfect.

The archetypal road bike in the 70's was the Raleigh Team Professional, which was arguably one of the best and most comfortable racing bikes ever made. At this time there were two schools of racing as well, a European style which was centered on longer rides and races including mountains. An American style developed as well focusing on Criterium racing; shorter closed course races with lots of turns and sprints. The American bicycle manufacturers started producing bikes with 73-74 degree seat angles and much less saddle setback with the logic that our races were shorter and one didn't need the comfort for a 125 mile race if we were racing for 50 miles.

This style of racing bike geometry became popular as Americans liked the more aggressive position and the young racers working in bike shops could sell these bikes. We now are in a time when most nice bikes are still designed for young professional racers, but are purchased by successful people over 40. I have seen my position change on the bike since I was able to use my setup bike to experiment. I found that the bars really needed to be higher and the saddle needed to be further aft to get the balance points right.

I also found that as I got older (and had some injuries on the way) that my tolerance for the more aggressive geometry was no longer possible. People who came into my studio tended to be folks who had no success getting fitted in other bicycle stores so I had more challenging cases on a day to day basis. I saw more and more people who could not get comfortable on their stock bikes and even had to abandon the respected WobbleNaught fitting system because it tied the individual to an existing bike.

The setup bike began to show me that when one truly was in balance that many good things started happening. First, saddle problems diminished and disappeared completely for most people. Second, low back pain went away. Third, hand numbness was diminished. Additionally people's ability to ride greater distances improved and incredibly, their power and efficiency improved so they were faster. There was only one problem. The positions that I discovered turned out to be very close to the riding position people had on the old Raleigh Team Pro! It seems that what is old is new again.

It is a long uphill battle to convince production frame manufacturers to build bikes that "grown ups" can ride, but fortunately a handful of expert custom frame manufacturers exists now. I have great success in designing a custom frame based on real individual setup data and can work with these experts to create a frame that has predictable ride characteristics and will be the servant of the rider, not the other way around.

I still get a few people who are the right size for a stock frame but have found that at this level, almost everyone seems to want a well designed custom bike. People seem astonished when they learn that bike riding can be comfortable and much more enjoyable than before. The process is simple; get balanced on the bike first and put the handlebars in the right place second. The geometry of the bike can be a help or a hindrance to a rider and thankfully there are solutions that will allow anyone to be comfortable on a bike.

KGS Bikes is known around the world as the premiere bicycle fitting studio and boutique. Kevin Saunders, President, has over 25 years experience in bicycle fitting and high-end bicycles. In addition to fitting services, KGS Bikes sells bicycles from Parlee, Serotta, Zinn, Co-Motion and Guru. Visit http://www.kgsbikes.com for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_G_Saunders

Choosing the Right Bike

Cycling is a great way to lose weight. For a 37 year old male who weighs 167 pounds and cycles at a pace of 14 miles an hour, a whopping 806 calories can be burned! Proportional to age and weight, similar results will occur for others who participate in this activity. To experience the benefit of cycling, the purchase of a new bike is a great way get around town and to lose weight. While it is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on a bike, finding a decent bike that satisfies personal needs is very important and can still be expensive, so getting to know what to look for prior to shopping will help you to make the right choice.

Things to look for when shopping for some wheels:

1. Size- Make sure that the size frame that you purchase is one that fits your body height and sex. To do this stand over the frame with your feet planted on the floor. There should be a 2 inch clearance between the bike frame and your crotch. Due to the construction of women's bikes this step can be skipped.
2. Seat height- To avoid injury, special attention to this step should be observed. Proper seat height is achieved when the rider's leg is almost fully extended in the down position. Only a slight bend in the knee should be present. This will maximize the most power and prevent fatigue. You should NEVER be able to touch the ground when sitting on your bike seat. Being able to accomplish this indicates that your bike seat is to low.
3. Make sure the seat is level. Avoid too much of an angle in the seat in either direction. A properly adjusted seat should be parallel with the ground.
4. Handle bar height- while this is dependent on the type of bike and riding you will be doing, the key to remember with handle bar height is to set them to a position that does not cause strain on the lower back and shoulders.

Finally it is important to remember safety. Whether you are riding to lose weight or leisure, safety should always be observed. Make sure to wear reflective clothing, a helmet, and be sure that no lose clothing can get caught in the chain or spokes of the bike. Learning proper signaling and traffic rules will ensure the safest experience possible.

Susan Patterson has been studying alternative medicine and health for over 10 years. She loves to write to help others, especially in the area of quick weight loss, which can be accomplished safely. She has found several herbal remedies to be effective in her journey to better health without the side effects that medications cause. She is particularly passionate about hoodia for weight loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Patterson