Mountain Bikes - 5 Things You Should Know About Them
By Paul Kramer
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.
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