29″ers seem to be generating a lot more interest in the mainstream press than in past years and, with the arrival of new models from manufacturers like Cannondale and Kona, many of you are going to have a chance to get a close look at these big-wheeled mountain bikes.
This article takes a look at the important things to look for when shopping for that first 29 incher. Read the rest of this entry »
In recent years, single speed bicycles have been labelled everything from a revolution to a fad, even though the format keeps growing in popularity. There isn’t a specific reason for the fondness many riders have for singlespeeds, but the challenge of riding a bike with limited gearing, its minimalist style, and the ease of maintenance all play a role in its success.
Frankly, all three of the points mentioned above brought me to build a single speed bike this summer. In this article I’m going to give some basic information which can make the task of building a single from scratch, or converting a geared bike into a singlespeed, much easier. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you ever had that “something-is-not-quite-right” feeling on one of your bikes? Perhaps you have two bikes that are similar, but one of them just “feels” better. If so, you might just be a candidate for tweaking the setup of your ride.
Tweaking is the word usually applied to the process of making small, incremental changes to the existing set up on your bike. A “set up” is the term I use when describing the specific parts on your bike and their relationship to each other. For example, it includes not only the type of saddle that you use but also where it is positioned in relationship to your handlebar; another example could include the type of tires you use and the level of pressure.
When you take all of these things and lump them together, you’ve got your bike’s “set up”. This writeup is going to take you through the basics so you can dial in your bike to match your body type, riding style, and the terrain around your home. Read the rest of this entry »
It can be argued that the right saddle has more bearing on one’s enjoyment of cycling than any other component, including that new freeride frame or the carbon trail bike you’re building up in the garage. This article will help you find the perfect saddle to fit your perfect bottom.
Bike saddles were in the popular press a couple of years ago, a result of a study focusing specifically on cycling and a form of ‘erectile dysfunction’ brought about by extended time on the bike. And while the results of the study aren’t definitive, there is no denying that cycling can cause some discomfort in certain parts of the body. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to setting up a new bike, one of the most important steps is setting where the saddle is located on the rails (also known as the ’saddle setback’). If you have no idea about how to find your own saddle setback, one of my previous articles for The Biking Hub discussed some of the the theories related to saddle placement and provided a couple of ways for you to go about finding it.
Once you’ve figured out your ideal saddle placement, remember to document that position and be sure to have a good way to recreate it, either on another bike or on your current ride. If you’re switching frames, make sure you understand that not all bikes have the exact same angles and you’ll need to have some way to compare the geometries of each frame with the other. Of course, after you understand that different frame geometry will mess with your saddle setback, you’ll understand that you can’t use the same position on the saddle rails between the two bikes.
This writeup is meant to give you a fighting chance of recreating your ideal saddle setback on any bike. After the jump, I offer a couple of tips that can make the process more trouble free, as well as showing you how to make a custom setback tool that makes positioning your saddle a breeze. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor’s note: This is the third in Ashwin’s series of cross country biking skills. The second discussed the trackstand, and the first introduced some basic concepts about bike handling. These pieces have a cool, old-school feel to them — I hope you’re enjoying them as much as I am.
Tell me if you have every experienced this? Huffing and puffing up a single track hill, at your limit. You spy a rock in the trail. Deftly, you steer around it, pleased with yourself for missing it. Then your rear wheel hits the rock and you stall because you have so little speed and momentum, and you unclip. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor’s note: Ashwin’s first entry in this series was pretty popular so I thought I’d follow it up right away with the first tip dedicated to a particular skill — the trackstand. After this one, you’ll get a piece describing a new skill once per week for the next little while.
Ashwin’s note: Before you start practicing trackstands, you may want to switch over to flat pedals because you might find yourself falling over a bit when you first start. Also, if you have a suspension fork with platform valving, it’s a good idea to lower the platform pressure. I’ve noticed that a high platform causes a real ’sticky’ point when trackstanding and, like clipless pedals, it can throw you off when you’re first learning.
The trackstand is not just a stupid bike trick that riders can use to wow and impress people. Rather, it is a fundamental part of a mountain biker’s basic skill set.
It’s important to the cross country rider on climbs, where speeds are low and it’s sometimes necessary to stop, get your balance, and then move your bike around an obstacle in order to move forward. On descents, the relatively small amount of travel found on xc bikes means that you must pick your way through rock gardens instead of blasting through them like you can on a longer travel ride.
And while the trackstand is sort of counter intuitive — most riders want to charge through things instead of working slowly around them — I’ve found that practicing track stands also helps my stability at higher speeds. Read the rest of this entry »
In order for mountain biking to continue to thrive, it needs new riders. However, mountain biking is one of those sports that has a high learning curve, and I’ve seen a lot of people quit out of frustration — not because of a lack of fitness but, rather, because of a lack of technical skills. Depending on the level of technical difficulty on your local trails, you’ll need to spend the time learning some basic skill if you want to have fun and enjoy yourself when you get out in the hills.
This series of ‘how to’ articles is geared towards the beginner / intermediate xc rider, as I am certainly not an expert when it comes to bombing down trail at places like Whistler or at some of the other gnarly spots out there. But, you know what They say, “You teach best what you need to learn most”.
This introductory post highlights some basic skills that have helped me become a better rider; future posts will take more detailed looks at specific skills that you can use while out on the trail. Read the rest of this entry »
Yesterday, I spent some time describing some of the key terms that come up when people are discussing the rear shocks on mountain bikes. Having read that entry, I hope that words like ’sag’, ‘rebound’, ‘compression’, and ’stroke’ don’t send you scurrying for the door.
Now that you’re armed with the basic information you need when discussing and dialling in your rear shock, I want to provide a basic listing of all of the rear shock manuals from the major manufacturers. Every shock manual I’ve come across has detailed instructions on setting up your shock, and I’d recommend following them to the ‘T’ to get the most out of your gear. I recognize that many of you already have this things sitting in your bike maintenance areas but, if you’re like me, manuals have a tendency to disappear over time. With this directory, I hope that you’ll be able to track down quickly the information that you’re looking for and get out of the shop and onto the trail without grinding your teeth because of poorly designed websites, hidden files, and whatever other obstacles the Internet throws at you. Read the rest of this entry »
Good shifting is dependent mostly upon the condition of your bike’s cables and cable housings. In a perfect world, you’d always have clean shifting parts but, in reality, dirt and grit get inside the housing and can cause excess friction, something that makes it difficult to get the shifters to engage and causes problems when moving your chain down the cogset. While the best solution to imperfect shifting is new housing and a new cable (or a new drivetrain), this isn’t a realistic option for most people, especially if you ride in a wet/gritty environment.
This article will help you prolong the length of time between your housing changes and it’s easy to do too — you never remove the cable or undo the cable anchor bolt. Read the rest of this entry »