Posts Tagged ‘mtb gear’
How to choose Mountain biking clothing
Tags: mountain bike clothing, Mountain Bike Gear, mountain bike helmets, mountain bike jerseys, mtb gear
Posted in Bike Helmets, Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on February 5th, 2010
Mountain biking is cycling taken to a different level. You go through dangerous tracks that are the farthest from smooth. There’s a huge difference between this and road cycling. Mountain biking is an adventure and a challenge all rolled in one. You have to be prepared physically and mentally. Along with this, you also need the right mountain bike gear for this sport so you can be prepared and ready as ever.
When shopping for mountain bike clothing, here are a few tips that can help speed up this task and ensure that you’ll have the right gear in the end:
- Mountain bike jerseys or shirts should be made from wicking materials. These shirts are designed to remove moisture from the skin and transfer it to the shirt instead. As a result, riders feel cool and dry regardless of the distance they’ve travelled or will travel.
- Mountain bike clothing has invisible seams. This is an essential feature because any excess material from bike clothes could hurt you when rubbed during long drives. It makes you uncomfortable and can even hurt you.
- Mountain bike clothes have pads in them. These pads are placed exactly where you need them to prevent chafing.
Choosing the right clothes for mountain biking is important and shouldn’t be done in haste or with little thought. With a complete mtb gear that consists of the right kinds of clothes and the right mountain bike helmets, riders can undergo any kind of terrain, endure long drives and come out of the whole experience successful.
Mountain biking on Holidays
Tags: bike gear, Mountain Bike Gear, mountain bike helmets, mountain bike jerseys, mtb gear
Posted in Cycling Apparel, Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on January 25th, 2010
Biking for leisure is fun. Biking for a sport is challenging. If you go biking on holidays, you get the best of both worlds. You get to enjoy the outdoors while being adventurous. But it’s not all sugar. Mountain bike holidays are tough especially if you’re not equipped with the right bike gear or don’t know anything about trip gradings.
Adventure holiday companies use a grading system that tells you the intensity, difficulty and fitness required for each level. There’s easy, moderate and challenging. It all depends on what you challenge you are up to. But bear in mind that it’s not just about having a complete mountain bike gear and have the sturdiest mountain bike helmets (although they are very helpful). It’s about fitness and skills too.
Before embarking on a mountain bike holiday, do regular exercises several times a week. Try cycling two days in a row to prepare you for long consecutive rides. Try cycling on hills and repeat doing it. The more you get used to it, the easier it gets. Do weight training and stretching exercises to help build up strength and stamina. By keeping your body physically ready for the trip, the easier it gets when you’re already on the actual scenario.
Before leaving, ensure that you have or that you’ve packed mountain bike jerseys. These help you get through cold and chilly nights.
Only if you’re physically, emotionally and mentally ready plus the complete mtb gear should you leave the comforts of your home. It takes a lot of work but it’s also a great and rewarding accomplishment.
Getting to Know Mountain Bike Parts
Tags: bike gear, Cycling Gear, mountain bike clothing, Mountain Bike Gear, mtb gear
Posted in Bike Helmets, Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on January 22nd, 2010
A good mountain biker does not only know what kind of mountain bike clothing to wear. Even if you’ve conquered a variety of tracks and have come out victorious, it still doesn’t make you good. Not until you know and understand the different parts of your mountain bike.
- Frame: A mountain bike’s frame is generally smaller than that of a road bike. It is created with an angle that’s relaxing for the rider and allows him to move with agility. There are mountain bikes created specifically for women and for men.
- Handlebars: A mountain bike’s handlebars are flat and wide. Riders can customize the width to what they’re comfortable with.
- Shifters: A mountain bike’s shifters activate the front and rear derailleurs. This enables a change from one gear to the other.
- Gears: Mountain bike gears are meant to stomp a lot of different mountain trails. Bike gears give bikes the ability to conquer steep hills at high tempos. The most popular mtb gear nowadays is the 36×34.
- Brakes: A mountain bike’s brakes have passed the stage of coaster brakes. Regular mountain bikes have V brakes or linear pull type brakes. High-end mountain bikes can have disk brakes.
- Pedals: A mountain bike’s pedals have two types: Toe clip and clipless pedal. Toe clips are made up of metal or plastic that is compatible with any kind of rubber shoe. Clipless pedals require a special kind of shoe. It transfers the power from the rider to the bike.
- Saddle: A mountain bike’s saddle is also known as the seat. It should be comfortable for the rider.
- Wheels and Tires: A mountain bike’s wheels are durable and light. Tires should have a good grip for a smoother experience.
- Suspension: A mountain bike’s suspension has become important nowadays. This is useful especially during hardtail mountain bikes.
With knowledge on the parts of your bike and with the right cycling gear, you’re all set in becoming a good mountain biker.
Cadence and Cycling
Tags: bike gears, Cycling apparels, Cycling Wear, Mountain Bike Gear, mtb gear
Posted in Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on October 3rd, 2009
Cycling apparels are not the only important factor to be considered in cycling. Yes, wearing the proper cycling wear gives you that comfortable ride but there’s another thing that contributes a great deal to your performance: bike gears.
With the proper bike or mountain bike gear, your cycling experience is heightened and optimized. Proper bike or mtb gear selection varies on different types of terrain and on different types of persons too. Gears also help maintain the preferred cadence of the rider.
Cadence is the number of pedal revolutions per minute and is commonly known as rpm. Your cadence depends on what you are comfortable with and leg burns should also be minimized.
Leg burns happen when the muscle works hard and a lot of tension and strain are already applied to it. This is when lactic acids are created and will eventually accumulate. The lactic acid then flows to your muscles thus creating a burning sensation. Being able to feel this is a big discomfort and no-no. The right cadence reduces the accumulation of lactic acids and it also washes out the lactic acids that are already in your system so you can endure and stand longer rides.
One way of knowing what your cadence is by counting accurately the number of times you pedal over a watch set to one minute. It may vary every time you ride out and you can’t afford to always check on it but you can set your cadence, ride out, observe and then assess. By the end of a week, you can get the average range of your cadence and most likely, you will no longer feel any discomfort at all.