Dual Suspension Mountain Bike

Dual suspension mountain bike has become more popular. This is due to the fact that modifications have been made with this system to minimize the loss of mobility and speed due to the added weight of the system. Also, with a dual-suspension mountain bike there is a substantial difference in the traction afforded to the rear wheel which adds to the enjoyment or competitive edge of mountain biking. In addition, there is more shock absorption afforded to the rider. This not only produces less wear and tear on the biker, but helps to conserve the individual’s strength.
With suspension at both ends, you want your weight more to the middle of the bike so that your body mass is evenly distributed between the front and rear suspension units, allowing the front and rear suspension to work together. This is done quite easily by using either a higher and/or shorter stem, and/or a “riser” handlebar, and/or a taller “stack height” (taller steerer on threadless forks) to raise the hand height, which will move the upper body up and weight rearward. The total increase in rise should be no more than two inches (50 millimeters), and decrease in reach should be no more than two inches.

Mountain Biking for Beginners

The beginners of mountain bicycles face many hard things at the starting stage. Learning the various techniques that are needed to master the most challenging trails can take years….but some master these techniques in a short amount of time. It all comes down to how much time you have to put into the sport, where you are getting your information from – and how hard headed you are!

If you seriously want to become a master at mountain biking, stop and take stock of what you have to work with, and what you do. Do you just get out and ride? It will take more than that – unfortunately. Start by reading as much as you can read about the sport. Get your hands on as many instructional videos as you can find. Start learning! Talk to other mountain bikers who have more experience – learn from their mistakes. Not everyone will know what they are talking about – so be careful here. Talk to as many real experts as you can.

There are various mountain bicycle courses that are offered, but finding a good hands-on course isn’t easy – and the chances of finding one near where you live are slim. Be prepared to spend some money – but if you want to jump start your mountain biking skills, a mountain bike course will do the trick!

Mountain biking for beginners should start at the beginning. You probably have friends who you want to ride with, and those friends probably have more advanced skills than you have. The trails that they ride are not for you at this point – and the trails that you ride in the beginning will most likely bore them. You have to be willing to take the easier trails when your friends take the harder trails – and in many cases, you have to be willing to take those trails alone. These beginner trails will help you improve your techniques, at your own pace. Before you know it, you will be joining your friends on the harder trails – and you might even pass them by!

Road Bike - Beginner Tips

Road bikes are much different than regular bikes. Road bikes tend to have a more upright shape and a shorter wheelbase, which make the bike more mobile but harder to ride slowly. The design, coupled with low or dropped handlebars, requires the rider to bend forward more, which reduces air resistance at high speed. How do you avoid wrecking it? Here's how:

First, take your road bike with the kickstand down, and climb onto it.

Then kick the kickstand up, and start pedaling, having a friend steady you if necessary.

After you've mastered riding straight, try doing circles, shifting gears, and riding up and down hills. You're now road-ready, try riding on public roads, be gracious to cars, 97% of the biking accidents are the car's fault, they're the ones who hit you, not vice versa.

Warnings

Remember to always wear your helmet.

Biking gloves are another good accessory to prevent sore hands.

Road bike tires are meant for flat, smooth pavement only! Do not ride them off-road, jump curbs, or over obstacles such as sticks and rocks. Doing this may result in a flat tire.

Bryn Atkinson - GT Team Bike Rider

Complete Biography of Bryn Atkinson :

Name: Bryn Atkinson

Age: 22

Hometown: Kergunyah, Victoria. Australia

Describe your house: when I am in Australia, I switch between my mum's place in Victoria to Jacobs's place in Cairns, I am a bit of a roamer. But my mum owns a goat farm, big hill in a real nice valley, got a dh track on the hill, some jump's out front, pretty sick.

First bike: some cheap thing with training wheels on it.

How high can you bunny-hop? A bit higher than my bars.

How long have you been riding for? As long as I've been walking. I've been racing Pro since 2002.

Current Bike setup: GT Team, Rockshox Boxxer forks, sram drive-train, clips for racing, flat's for jumping and stuff.

Favorite place to ride: Cairns, Australia for mtb, Pensilvania for jumping.

Best bike invention / part: The sram derailuer.

What is the best thing you have seen? Alex Rankin's videos.

Favorite Gate Eight Product: gotta say the belt buckle, for sure

Favorite Food: Mexican food rules, gotta have Mexican.

What scares you? Fast cars,, when other people are driving them.

Who do you ride with? When I'm at home, My little brother, my girlfriend Jill, and Panozzo. But when I'm at the races it's always Sam (Hill).

Who has had the greatest influence on you? Glen Jacobs has definitely had a major influence into getting me doing what I'm doing, right from the start, that guy rocks.

Do you have a hero? Yeah, Reed is pretty sick, he's done a lot to get where he is. That's a bloody good thing.

Describe your car: don't have one, working on it, gonna buy a Vito when I get home this year.

List five rules you live by: I only have 3.
1. Be everyone's best mate
2. Treat girls real nice
3. Get better

Describe your ideal day? Get some action in the morning, go ride some killer downhill track, hang out at the beach, hit some big jumps in the afternoon, get some more action, sleep.

Describe a normal day? Usually gym or a cross- country ride in the morning, work (no more), depending on what day it is, jumping downhilling, or bmx in the afternoon. (No action cause my girlfriend lives in America)

If you had 3 wishes what would they be? Yeah, not a big believer in the old wish.. Next.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? Curly hair, don't like it.

How many shoes do your own? About 12 pairs, gotta have choice.

Have you ever died your hair - if so what colour? Yep, black.

Other sponsors: GT, Hyundai, Oakley, Sram/rockshox, Fly

Steps to choose the best mountain bike pedal

Bike pedals have a significant importance in a mountain bikes since they can effect the quality of your ride. Adequate information on what to look for in your bike pedals can make your pedals selection process easy. There are 3 types of mountain bike pedals namely clipless, platform and cage.

Bike Pedals – Know your options

One of the most popular type of pedals especially among average and usual bike riders are the clipless bike pedals. Clipless pedals allow the biker to easily get off the bike and even to stop or rest by putting a foot down. The biker using clipless pedals just needs to snap his foot into place on the pedal and do a quick side rotation of the foot to enable the connection to release.

Clipless bike pedals are even preferred by well practiced and professional mountain bike riders. These pedals provide stable connection to mountain bikes and stable connections result in speed, efficiency and good use of the leg muscles to generate a powerful crank and get good power and speed while riding.

Cage style bike pedals are cheaper and believed to be of a lower quality. You will therefore find these pedals fitted in non-branded and cheap bikes. However cage style bike pedals can be very useful for beginners who are just in the learning stages and who do not use their bikes on difficult terrains. These are non-expensive and therefore ideal for learners.

Platform mountain bike pedals are the final type of pedals in this category. Such pedals are not preferred by experienced or professional mountain bike riders since they do not have any attachment between the foot, the shoe and the pedal and though this results in a good grip these pedals can’t be used for mountain bike races or rides on treacherous terrains.

Platform mountain bike pedals, also known as flat style pedals are good for learners since they can easily put their foot down quickly to avoid a fall or to balance themselves often during their ride. These pedals cannot be used if you are planning to ride uphill or steep climbs.

Bike pedals should be chosen wisely since they can make your bike riding experience fun, efficient and exciting. So putting a little effort in choosing this mountain bike part can benefit you in the long run as a mountain biker.

Steve Romaniuk - Biography

Complete Biography of Steve Romaniuk

Full name: Steve Romaniuk

Nick name: Romo, RomaniAk,Romahuck,Romulias

Age: 21

Bikes: Specialized Big hit Dh, Norco 4 By

Favorite trick: 360

Style: Dual Suspension Cowboy

Freerider since: 18

Live: Kelowna B.C.

Favorite Trail: Gillard Trails

Favorite Bike vid: Ride to the Hills

Crashes: Butlers Case

Chicks: So utterly confusing

War: Is he dead yet?

Music: Billy idol

Movies: 40 year old virgin

Food: pizaa and ceaser salads

Hobbies: Fitness, snowboarding, bobby cars

4:20: snack time

Street riding: Fun

Hucks: I wish the landing was steeper...

Mornings: Eggs

Night time: Good Times

What would you do with $1,000,000: Start manufacturing parts/Clothing with Ryan

Sponsors: Gerick Cycle, Ragebike.com, Unbeatablebikes.com, Spy optics, SRAM, and girlfriend Laura Talbot

Contest results: 5th place rampage 05

3rd place rampage 04

4th place monster park slope style

Message: Can't wait to ride bikes and chill at that crazy goat bar again! ha ha

Cameron White - Biography

Complete biography of Cameron White.

Participant since: 1996
Competitor since: 2004
Nickname(s): CAM
Country: AUS
Resides In: CANBERRA AUS & Las Vegas, NEVADA, United States
Age: 23
Height: 5 ft 10
Weight: 175 lbs
Occupation: PRO
Status: In a Relationship
Cam White's Schools: Daramalan College,DICKSON, Australia
Graduated: 2001
Student status: Alumni
Degree: Other

Cameron White Riding History

Date	Event	Location	Sport	Discipline	Finish
2006	RED BULL ELEVATION	WHISTLER, BC, CAN	BMX	DIRT	5
2006	CFB	OKLAHOMA, OK	BMX	DIRT	1
2006	X-AIR	WELLINGTON, NZ	BMX	DIRT	2
2005	DEW TOUR	ORLANDO, FL	BMX	DIRT	3
2005	LET IT RIDE	LAS VEGAS, NV	BMX	DIRT	3
2005	DEW TOUR	SAN JOSE, CA	BMX	DIRT	5
2005	DEW TOUR	DENVER, CO	BMX	DIRT	2
2005	GRAVITY GAMES	PHILADELPHIA, PA	BMX	DIRT	7
2005	DEW TOUR	DENVER, CO	BMX	DIRT	2
2005	DEW TOUR	LOUISVILLE, KY	BMX	DIRT	2
2005	EXTREME THING	LAS VEGAS, NV	BMX	DIRT	3
2005	DEW TOUR	YEAR END	BMX	PARK	31
2005	DEW TOUR	YEAR END POINTS	BMX	DIRT	3
2004	KING OF DIRT	HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA	BMX	DIRT	6
2004	VTC	HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA	BMX	DIRT	7
2004	GRAVITY GAMES	CLEVELAND, OH	BMX	DIRT	18
2004	PLANET X	MELBOURNE, AUS	BMX	DIRT	2
2004	KING OF DIRT	YEAR END	BMX	DIRT	4
2004	VTC	YEAR END	BMX	DIRT	3