Mountain Bike Racing for Fun and Fitness

Mountain bike racing is a demanding sport, as anyone who has attempted it will know. If you're thinking of trying it for the first time it's important to make sure you are prepared for the demands it will put on you physically. This will ensure you are able to enjoy the race without running the risk of injury.

If it's been years since you have even ridden a bike, you will need to get some practice in before you even think about going mountain bike racing. If you don't, getting saddle sore on race day will be the least of your problems.

To begin with, a regular program of cycling will build up your fitness levels and strengthen your leg muscles. This is vital if you are going to stand the pace when mountain bike racing.

Cycling on the road is an ideal way to begin to improve your fitness levels, but as soon as you can you should venture off road to get used to the rougher terrain that is the key feature of mountain bike racing.

Experiment with gears and speed as you begin to gain confidence over the terrain, and try and ride different areas during both wet and dry conditions. This will prepare you far better for the race itself, as you will know how to handle your bike depending on what conditions you'll be up against.

How to Prepare For Your First Race

Just as you would give your car the once over before setting out on a long journey, so you should also check your bike over to make sure it's race ready. Make sure the tyres are pumped up adequately and everything is well lubricated for the best performance. You want to make sure your bike is ready for the grueling race. No loose bearings, headsets, loose spokes, etc.

Be ready for whatever the weather may throw at you during the race. Wear comfortable sneakers and lightweight clothing that will dry easily if it should rain. As you gain experience you will find a combination of clothing that suits you best. You may even want to invest in proper cycle clothing.

Mountain bike racing is a great way to spend a few hours and improve your fitness levels at the same time. Preparation is the key to having the best time, so make sure you're ready for anything.


Outdoor Navigation With GPS: Hiking, Geocaching, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, Outdoor Photography, Backpacking, Mountain Biking

Whether you're hiking, fishing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, or taking a mountain bike ride in the backcountry, a GPS receiver can help you reach your destination and return safely--but only if you know how to use it! Outdoor Navigation with GPS, the most complete, easy-to-use GPS book available, is your guide to getting the most out of a receiver, from basic consumer advice to advanced techniques. Starting with essential definitions such as UTM coordinate systems, position formats, and map datums, and moving on to creating "waypoints," and using your GPS with a computer, long-time GPS instructor Stephen W. Hinch breaks down the jargon and teaches you what you really need to know.

• An emphasis on practical applications over technical theory.
• Examples include illustrative screenshots from the newest receivers--from top companies like Garmin, Magellan, and DeLorme.
• Lists up-to-date Web resources for the rapidly changing technology of GPS and its uses.

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An Overview of the Basic Mountain Bike Parts

Mountain biking is a fun sport. It promotes good exercise and appreciation of the great outdoors. A mountain bike is a specifically designed bicycle to maneuver over rough terrain and off road areas. It also has several specific parts that are usually used for mountain bikes only.

The frame or body is the most important of the mountain bike parts because this is the biggest and this is your basis for all your other mountain bike parts. It is here that you will attach all the other parts that you will need to be able to use your mountain bike. Frames come in many sizes and shapes and even have different materials depending in the rider's preference.

Bike frames come in steel alloys, very heavy and used in the first generation mountain bikes. The aluminum alloy frames are lighter and more rigid. They are also more affordable and easier to make in to the desired shapes because they are more pliable. Titanium frames are the most expensive among the lightest frames in the industry but they are also the most durable and less likely to corrode or break due to high pressure and stress. Other materials are carbon fiber and Kevlar. These frames are also light but they are prone to corrosion and are irreparable once dented or broken.

Other mountain bike parts are the handle bars which is used to control the bike along with the crank and derailleur. Handle bars are supposed to be as wide as the biker's shoulders but these can be cut to suit the biker's preference. Cranks are the mountain bike parts that are attached to the chain rings and the chains to make the bike move. Pedals are attached to the cranks for a biker's feet or bike shoes. Derailleur is the part used to shift the chain from one chain ring to another to change the speed of pedaling.

More mountain bike parts are the shifters and gears. These are connected to the previous mountain bike parts. The shifters control the derailleur to accommodate the shifting of the gears from a low speed to high speed. Gears are several rings that have teeth around them where the chains slip into place to be able to make the rear wheel move.

The brakes, wheels and tires are mountain bike parts that are also essential to ride. Brakes help to stop or slow the speed of the rider while the wheels and tires are specifically designed to withstand the rough terrain where the bike and rider go.

Most mountain bikes use front suspension or shocks to absorb the impact of the rough terrain. Dual suspension is used for comfortable or more stable riding in rougher terrain.

Mountain Biking Colorado, 2nd: An Atlas of Colorado's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides

Where else can mountain bikers complement a day's bike ride with a dizzying glissade down a mid-August snowfield? Where else can they descend nearly 40 miles through five biogeographical zones? Where else can they catch a major league game and be ripping along rocky singletrack 30 minutes later? Colorado, that's where. Snow in August, lighting above timberline, and 100 degree desert temperatures are all to be expected in the sport of Colorado mountain biking. As the country's highest state, Colorado offers its mountain bikers a unique perspective into the sport and raises the bar for all who ride. Under the expert guidance of local cyclist Stephen Hlawaty, come admire the beauty and revere the majesty that is Colorado.

From this newly revised book, cyclists can expect exhaustive and comprehensive trail descriptions of more than 50 of the state's greatest mountain bike adventures, from beginner to advanced. Included are GPS-quality, digitally designed relief maps, and accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each ride. In addition, detailed directions get cyclists to the ride without getting them lost. Detailed mile-by-mile directional cues are also provided with difficulty ratings, elevation gain, trail contacts, and much more. More than 60 photographs round out this book's presentation. It's not just a mountain bike guide to Colorado. It's a guide to Colorado by mountain bike.

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What is the Role of Mountain Bike Manufacturers

In today's world the make of the mountain bike is almost as important as the features that are included because when the brand is well known you can be sure that the mountain bike manufacturer has put in the necessary features that are also proven in real life situations which are why they catch the attention of the paying public. With a brand name, you are assured that performance will live up to the claims made by manufacturers, and the riding experience will be better, especially when you choose a mountain bike manufacturer such as Trek, Giant as also Specialized mountain bikes.

With these better known mountain bike manufacturers you can be sure that their bikes are very compentent. They are built with speed, weight and handling in mind for the design of the product. For instance Specialized mountain bikes are very good to maneuver and this mountain bike manufacturer was the one to make the Stumpjumper that was very agile as well as easy to handle. Improvements to this bike are made every year.

Another popular mountain bike manufacturer is Trek which manufactures bikes that are especially light which is very beneficial to the rider since the lighter the weight the speedier will be the mountain bike, and it will also be considerably easy to handle as well. And, when the mountain bike is light, you can carry it on your shoulders a lot easier than if you were to bear a heavier bike. However, besides the weight advantage, this mountain bike manufacturer also provides a mountain bike that excels in other ways and which compares well with other brand name mountain bikes as well.

Giant is also another mountain bike manufacturer whose name is very apt since they have a big presence in the market and the bikes are also big. You will find that though this mountain bike manufacturer is not one of the major players, their bikes are well streamlined and bold in design though its bikes are a bit on the heavy side as compared with Trek. The increase in weight can be attributed to its higher end bikes that have Maestro suspension and as any expert would agree, suspension is a feature that defines a mountain bike. So, with the Maestro dual suspension you will have to put up with the heavier weight though the bikes are still not that heavy that you won�t still get a decent run on the mountainous trails.

So, every time you are looking for mountain bike manufacturers, make sure to first check the better ones of which the branded manufacturers are most likely to have the proper mountain bike, and even though you will pay more, you will nevertheless get quality of workmanship and material which is why these kind of mountain bike manufacturers are generally mentioned whenever there is a �buzz� about mountain bikes in general.

Mountain Biking Colorado, 2nd: An Atlas of Colorado's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides

Where else can mountain bikers complement a day's bike ride with a dizzying glissade down a mid-August snowfield? Where else can they descend nearly 40 miles through five biogeographical zones? Where else can they catch a major league game and be ripping along rocky singletrack 30 minutes later? Colorado, that's where. Snow in August, lighting above timberline, and 100 degree desert temperatures are all to be expected in the sport of Colorado mountain biking. As the country's highest state, Colorado offers its mountain bikers a unique perspective into the sport and raises the bar for all who ride. Under the expert guidance of local cyclist Stephen Hlawaty, come admire the beauty and revere the majesty that is Colorado.

From this newly revised book, cyclists can expect exhaustive and comprehensive trail descriptions of more than 50 of the state's greatest mountain bike adventures, from beginner to advanced. Included are GPS-quality, digitally designed relief maps, and accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each ride. In addition, detailed directions get cyclists to the ride without getting them lost. Detailed mile-by-mile directional cues are also provided with difficulty ratings, elevation gain, trail contacts, and much more. More than 60 photographs round out this book's presentation. It's not just a mountain bike guide to Colorado. It's a guide to Colorado by mountain bike.

Click here to purchase

Mountain Bike Maintenance Keeps the Bike on the Trail

When it comes to the subject of mountain bike maintenance, there are quite a few things that you need to take into consideration. Although the specific mountain bike maintenance that you will have to conduct will vary, depending on the particular type of bike that you have, there are a few basics which you will have to remember regardless.

There are a few things that you should always remember to do in order to keep your mountain bike running smoothly, for instance maintaining your bike chain. Because your bike chain is constantly exposed to dirt and stress, it is one of the parts of your bike that gets the most wear.

You want to give it a checkup at the start of every season so that you can ensure it is clean and working smoothly. The tools you will need are a chain tool, shallow pan and small stiff brush. You will want to use some environmental friendly grime cleaner to remove all the gunk from the chain.

All you need to do to remove the chain from the bicycle, is to simply put the chain into the chain tool, crank until the pin is almost but not quite out (easy does it!) and then simply pull the two ends of the chain apart. The pin will be sticking out but that is OK as you will do the opposite to put the chain back together.

Other mountain bike maintenance chores include checking your tires and rims. Deep gashes in the tires are just asking for a blowout on your next trail ride. Make sure that your rims are true. If not you will simply need to take the wheel off the bike and put it in a truing stand. Using a spoke wrench you can bring the wheel back into it's proper alignment. If this is too difficult then you will want to take it in to the bike shop. This type of maintenance is important.

By making yourself informed and knowledgeable on general mountain bike maintenance, you will not only be ensuring your own safety and making mountain biking more convenient on yourself overall, but as well will be saving yourself a great deal of money. You definitely do not want to go mountain biking far in the wilderness and not know how to fix your bike if something happens to it, and so making sure that you know at least the basics before heading out is truly crucial.

Mountain Biking Moab Pocket Guide 2nd edition: 42 of the Area's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides

A handy pocket-sized guide to mountain biking in Moab, Utah. Detailed ride descriptions make it easy to find the trailheads and follow the routes, helping mountain bikers stay on track with accurate distances keyed to easy-to-read maps and ratings for physical and technical difficulty.

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