Mountain Biking Tips: Which type of bike do you want?

As we need everything to be perfect while going for a party like new dress, matching jewelleries and sandals? In the same way while starting this exciting and new adventure, we must not forget to keep in fit while planning a mountain biking in terms of its costumes, helmet, gloves, knee pads, cycling jersey as well as other important accessories in the kit.

Checklist for a biking adventure

An important thing that is to be kept in mind that is carrying with yourself all the important stuff which will be required during this long hours of biking like water, some kind of food items to keep you hydrated and energised then all those tire levers, pump as well if you encounter a puncture.

Keep fitness your first priority

Fitness is a key point while going for biking in mountains because it takes into account the fitness of your whole body starting from legs to back muscles etc. So before leaving for a mountain biking test your endurance as well as fitness level by practicing short rides for 2 or 3hours at a stretch since it will be making you more fit and coarse for the trip.

Safety Checks i.e. A-B-C:

1. Air:

You must check your pressure of the tire by using bike pump which has got an in-built gauge and the optimal should be between 25 and 45 psi. Even check the tire sidewall for the suggested range of the kind of tire you are using. Also keep in mind the pressure factors while you are riding different kind of surface.

2. Brakes:

You must check both of the brakes – front and rear brakes whether they are functioning properly or not by squeezing each lever brake. Also you need to check the positioning of the quick lever of both the brakes.

3. Chain:

Mountain biking will leave your chain dirty and filthy .So you must as per your conditions like a dry lube in dry conditions while a wet lube in moisture weather.

Techniques play a key role while biking in mountains. During biking keep yourself as much flexible as well as relaxed you can. Since it’s not the case of biking in terrain or flat so you need to keep yourself prepared for jerks and to let it move about underneath you.

• Riding on the flat: While biking you may choose to sit or stand don’t forget to keep your pedals moving at a constant rate as well as keeping them in levels either they might hit the tree stumps or low rocks. Looking ahead is the key formulae which will be giving you time to buckle up get ready to escape the obstacles.

• Descending: While any big bumps or rocky surface is coming nearer, you must stand up high on the pedals keeping your arms as well as legs flexed which will be acting as an additional shock absorbers helping you soak up the bumps quite easily.

• Climbing: While climbing, anticipate the incline and drop into an easy gear in advance. Making it a point that during this time you must sit and spin at a steady pace gearing up in the hills rather than standing up and pedaling hard. While climbing up high and steep hills, you need both traction as well as the ability to steer applying most of your weight in the back wheel and in the front for both the cases respectively. You need to drop your shoulder low and forward, and then again pull down and back over the barks as you approach pedalling.

• Cornering: This is an extremely important technique while riding is to corner the cones and crevices in the hills. You must control your speed nearing the corners and apply brake before reaching the corners. Adjust the speed in which you are comfortable and roll smoothly. You must lean over keeping your weight over the tires as to keep the trail.

• Rolling over small obstacles: The bike has been designed to escape all the small hurdles and obstacles like rocks, roots etc. by its fat tires and suspension. As approaching towards the obstacles, you must look ahead and find out the exit point. One more trick is to keep your legs and arms flexed so that you can easily roll over the obstacle.

Another very important factor comes while biking is to choose a proper bike. There are several kinds of bike available with each having their respective pros and cons.

The best would be the one suiting more than 75 percent of the trails you want to ride. Then you must look for hard trails or full suspension having as much as 140mm of fork travel. Wheel size is an important aspect to look for regardless of travel. Then you must see for the brakes as well as gears etc. Now, you are ready for the biking and make sure to follow all the strategy before getting it started.