Mountain Bike » mountain

How To Choose The Best Mountain Bike For Years Of Enjoyment

Admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:24:49 +0000

Buying a mountain bike can seem like a big decision but you can help yourself by getting educated about the important aspects of the bike. The following six areas should be thought about before you make your next mountain bike purchase. Six Points: 1. Price 2. Frame 3. Brakes 4. Shifters 5. Tires 6. Fit Price: The best mountain bikes can cost thousands of dollars and can cost as little as several hundred dollars. The first place to start your search is to determine the price you are willing to pay. A good beginner mountain bike will cost between 400 and 800 dollars depending on where you buy it. To insure that you won’t be replacing your mountain bike in the near future don’t go the route of buying the Walmart specials. Many people make this very mistake when start out to buy a mountain bike. Rather than getting the inexpensive mountain bike in the beginning and replacing it within a year, you would have been better off with the higher priced mountain from the start. The Iron Horse Mountain Bike is a good example of a popular mountain bike at an affordable price. Brakes: Obviously the best mountain bikes have the best brakes. The decision you have to make is whether to use disk brakes or rim brakes. The cost of disk brakes are higher but the braking power is superior. Rim brakes offer a lighter, lower cost alternative but you will sacrifice some performance particularly in wet conditions. The Diamondback Recoil Full Suspension Mountain Bike is a fine example of a high quality mountain bike that incorporates dual disk brakes. Shifters: Mountain bikes use two different types of shifters, the Gripfit and the Rapidfire shifters. The Rapidfire shifters are located under the brake lever and Gripfit shifters are incorporated into the handlebars that work similar to a motorcycle. It does come down to a matter of preference but the better riders seem to refer the Rapidfire shifters over the Gripfit shifters. Tires: It is important to have the larger knobby tires if you are going to be spending most of your time off road. You will get better traction and more control on the uneven terrain. If you are using the mountain bike for mainly street use then you can get away with the smaller knobs for less resistance on the flatter paved surfaces. If you are going to use the mountain bike for off road and on road then look for a tire with a ridge in the middle and medium sized knobs on the side of the tire. Fit To get the best mountain bike that suits you well it is important to get the right size bike. A good starting point would be to have a three inch clearance above the top frame tube while you are straddling the bike. It does matter what terrain you will be ridding on. If you are going to be riding a bit more aggressively you can increase this to four to six inches of clearance to allow for ease of operation over very uneven surfaces. As you are sitting on the bike and your feet on the pedals try and maintain a 30 degree angle with the leg at the bottom of the apex. Generally speaking 30 degrees of knee bend is a good place to start. That’s the basics you need to know before buying the best mountain bike for yourself. Choose wisely when starting out and you can expect to get many miles out of your mountain bike. If you are looking to buy a durable mountain bike that meets the strictest standards of many advanced riders than you have to checkout the Iron Horse Warrior Mountain Bike

Mountain Biking Central Thailand

Admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:22:40 +0000

If you’ve ever visited Bangkok then you would be forgiven for writing central Thailand off as MTB territory. Our Trips however take you on a one day trip just two and a half hours outside Bangkok to a 12 mile long xc single track trail in the mountains. Does this sound to good to be true? Well, the remote trails we use are technical and challenging for even an experienced mountain biker. They consist of steep up and downhill sections with sandy soil combined with rugged rocks and rock slab drop offs. The tracks are tough and technical but as with most good flowing single track, a less experienced rider can creep through, while more experienced riders can up the wattage and in doing so up the difficulty level. We will supply you with a front suspension hard tail mountain bike, a helmet and a camelbak pack. All water, food and other drinks are free. Our instructors with their knowledge and experience can take on some fantastic riding – technical descents, challenging climbs and great single track. The green trail consists of two great loops of fast flowing single track. It can be quite technical at times but keeps rewarding the rider with smooth flowing single track descents. There are about two or three streams to cross but these are relatively dry in the cool season (late November – January) and the dry season (January to April). The Blue trail is an excellent introduction ride into downill single track and is deffinately not an easy ride. The first part of the trail is a great single track loop with technical climbs and rewarding fast flowing sinle track descent. And as we start to climb again we are met by our support vehicle where it drives us to the peak of Khao E- To where we have refreshments before start our 2 mile singletrack down the less technical but still thrilling left side of Khao E-To mountain.
After that we crossing over onto the right side and hit some faster flowing singletrack before meeting back at the support vehicle for some food before heading back to Bangkok. There are about two streams to cross but these are relatively dry in the cool season (late November – January) and the dry season (January to April).
http://www. mountainbiketoursthailand. com/trips_central_thailand. htmlhttp://www. mthilltours. com/tours_central_thailand. html

Mountain Bike Tours in Thailand

Admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:12:51 +0000

For those that love to explore by Bike, cycle through the great out doors and see sights most tourists never see, then Thailand is home to a handful of reliable, trusty bike tour operators. Bike Tour operators can be found in Chang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket.
Some of these tours focus on road riding and road bikes covering great distances. Other tours are exclusively off road and down hill riding only. Some Mountain Bike Tour operators combine on and off road riding allowing the riders the thrill of single track as well as the enjoyment of discovering small villages away from the crowds. Short tours for those short on time, or wishing to fit many other activities in to their valuable Thailand vacation time are available. Longer tours for those with more time or more passion for biking are also on offer.
All inclusive packages providing English speaking local guides, hotel accommodations, meals and support vehicles make sure you get the most of your Cycling Adventure Tour in Thailand.
Often the Tours are so much more than Biking, the journey will also be a culinary exploration of Thailand the host country, sample the various dishes and discover while Thailand is known world wide for it cuisine. Historical sites are visited, other Adventure activities are often included in these Biking Adventure Tours including boat trips, kayaking in lake and rivers, visits to Thai temples and meeting the local people.

If you would like more detailed Free information on Bike and Adventure Tours in Thailand feel free to visit our site:

http://amazingbiketoursthailand. asia/

Downhill Mountain Biking Techniques

Admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:13:18 +0000

Riding down steep slopes and might seem intimidating to beginner downhill riders. The main factor which transforms riding downhill into such an intimidation is that everything happens faster and in a more intense manner. Riding downhill is different than ordinary bike riding in many ways. One of the main differences is the bikers’ center of gravity. While riding on straight terrain, there’s no problem figuring out where your center of gravity is and maneuvering accordingly. Just like ordinary bike riding, but more so, there’s a grave importance to looking ahead and realizing what kind of terrain we’re riding on. There’s a major difference between bike riding on rocks, wet ground, or on a leafy area. Once you’ll realize ahead of time what kind of terrain you’re riding on, you’ll know how to maneuver your bike more successfully. This post will focus on braking principles. Breaking your bike while descending downhill isn’t as simple as it seems. There are many conditions that require different techniques of breaking. If you’ll just pull on the breaks and hope for them to stop, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to loose traction, spin and fall down. A basic technique of correct braking which is applied also in motor vehicles is to apply the brakes gently smoothly. It’s better to apply the brakes by alternated smooth movements as a posed to just clamping them. Brakes can also be used as a way to turn your bike. Applying your back brake can help you turn your bike, by pivoting. These were only a few introductory tips. Before setting out on a downhill trail, I recommend taking a few lessons with a mountain biking instructor in order to be sure that you have the knowledge and skills required in order to cope with the challenges downhill trails pose.

The Passportes du Soleil Mountain Bike Race

Admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:14:44 +0000

The Passportes du Soleil is an epic mountain bike race in the huge Portes du Soleil region of France & Switzerland which heralds the start of summer and the opening of the lift system. It takes place over the last weekend in June, and has evolved from an earlier event known as the “Freeraid”. Most riders don’t really treat the Passportes as a race (although you do get a number for the front of your bike) but simply a great day’s mountain bike riding. The event is massive – 2 days, 3 courses (30, 45 & 75 km) and 3700 riders. The classic trek of 75 km includes 12 ski lifts, 6500 m of total downhill, 500 m of total uphill climb. What makes this event unique is the fact that it attracts a wide range of participants – from lycra clad cross country riders to armour clad downhill riders, and from beginners to experts. Everyone gets involved and rides the same course. True, the cross country riders tend to beat the downhill riders on the climbs, and for the real keen peddlers, there is also optional climbing sections. And true the downhillers tend to overtake the cross country riders when it comes to descending, and there are a couple of optional “free ride” sections. But overall, the race is a fantastic melting pot of all mountain bike styles and standards. As for the course itself – it has to be one of the best in the world! It takes in some amazing panoramas on the Morgins and Champoussin sections with views of the Dents du Midi, the Dents Blanch and even Mont Blanc. There is some excellent steep and twisty single track down through the woods in Torgon. There are dedicated downhill courses used at Chatel and Les Gets. There is an epic descent from the top of Linderets down to Morzine and there are some great meandering cross-country sections on relatively easy 4×4 tracks. Another excellent feature of this event are the fantastic refreshment stands located at regular intervals throughout the course. Large tables offer up a wide range of snacks and drinks, from energy/nut bars to cheese and ham, from energy drinks to beer and wine. It is always interesting to see who feels fit to tuck into the alcoholic drinks at ten in the morning, and then avoid them if you see them on the course!The Passporte du Soleil is really an event for everyone. It has become so massive that it now sells out months in advance. However, if you visit the Portes du Soleil later on in the summer, it is possible to get a map from the local tourist office and cycle pretty much the whole route. Race stats:Classic trek – 75 Km The classic circuit is for purists: a long tour of the Portes du Soleil about 75km* approximatively 75km – 12 lifts* 6500m of total downhill/ 500m of total uphill* 7 resorts to start from : Avoriaz, Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon* 8 refreshments pointsIntermediate trek – 45 km 45km with one aim in mind; having fun* approximatively 45km – 7 lifts* 4000m of total downhill /300m of total uphill* 4 resorts to start from: Châtel, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon. * 4 refreshments pointsDiscovery trek – 30km For those who are quite good at mountain biking, but out on The Portes du Soleil’s tracks for the first ime. . . an ideal “breaking in route”* approximatively 30km- 5 lifts* 2200m of total downhill/ 200m of total uphill* 3 resorts to start from: Avoriaz, Morzine et Les Gets* 3 refreshments points