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Edit: This writeup was originally posted in 2005 at about this time of year. I’m bringing it back to the front because the advice is just as good now as it was back then.
When you get into the heart of summer (like we are here in British Columbia) your riding habits are bound to change. For me, that means fewer rides that start at 10a or 11a and more that start at 8a. Or it means that I just go for a cruise on the road after dinner to get some spin time on the bike.
Marla Streb recently posted an entry on her website about what can happen to a very fit rider when they’re not prepared properly for high temperatures. Unfortunately, Marla’s experience isn’t an isolated one — I’ve done the same thing and, let me tell you, it’s not an experience I’d wish on anybody (actually, I’d wish it on some people but that’s just me being small).
Here are a couple of things you can do to avoid overheating while biking during the summer:
- Don’t take the weather for granted. You can experience heat exhaustion even on overcast days.
- Make sure you have lots of water, even if you’re only going out for an hour.
- Dress appropriately and layer clothing (if necessary). Even when it’s chilly at your starting point, the temperature will likely be significantly higher in the hills when your body warms up and the sun is shining down.
- Bring a cell phone. Sure it’s added weight but if you do overheat, you have a relatively easy ‘out’.
- Don’t ride as hard as you would in more favorable temperatures. You don’t need to go full out on every ride.
- Don’t be afraid to get off your bike if you think you’re overheating. Dealing with heat exhaustion is not something you can ride through.
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The gearing combinations you use on a mountain bike can have a serious effect on the way that you ride. Most times, people take the gearing selection that come stock on their bikes for granted, but by taking a close look at how you ride and how you shift, you might find that a different gearing selection may work better for your pedaling style, terrain, and application.
Gearing basics
There are two wonderful resources I found that discuss gearing for cyclists. You should check these out first, and I’ll just summarize a few points here.
- Cycling Site Gearing Tutorial
- Sheldon Brown’s Gear Ratio Calculator
In a nutshell, mountain bikes typically have three chainrings up front and between seven and nine cogs in the rear. A gearing selection is made up of the combination of the front ring and a specific rear cog. So if you have three rings up front and nine in the back you (theoretically) have 27 different speeds. Read the rest of this entry »
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Whether you are a regular home wrencher or are the type who fixes your own emergencies and then leaves the tough stuff for the pros, there are certain bike tools you just can’t live without. Favored tools differ from person to person, of course, and the things in your toolbox will depend on the type of riding you do and how much work you do on your own bike.
So I figured it might make an interesting story to discuss the five tools that I couldn’t go without in my shop. These are the tools I use the most and, with a fleet of 10 bikes between myself (7), my wife (2) and my son (1), plus the regular arrival of test bikes through my job at Pedal Magazine, my tools are put to good use.
Since my riding focus typically falls on the cross country racing and road riding side of things, you’ll notice that weight-weenie side of me in my tools. But after your read my list, please feel free to post your own list of most-used shop tools. Read the rest of this entry »
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In many parts of the world, the mountain biking season doesn’t really heat up until the wet and / or snowy winter conditions hibernate and cyclists start to brush off the dust and cobwebs from their rides. Of course, as local riding spots start to dry out, plenty of people are breaking in new rides and getting comfortable with new frames, forks, and other bits.
All of this stuff can be overwhelming if you haven’t done it before, and it can be a bit of a handful even if you have. To that end, I’ve compiled lists of past TBH entries that should help you on your way and get you rolling for a summer of shredding, charging, hammering, or whatever other way you describe mountain biking. Read the rest of this entry »
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19 April »
Tech tips »
Adrian
Editor’s note: This entry was submitted by Adrian Howard. Adrian is in the final stages of a graduate Masters in physiotherapy at the University of Queensland. He has a Masters in sports science (human performance) and has worked in the field of strength and conditioning for twelve years. Adrian currently is living in Brisbane, Australia with his wife and his interests include human performance, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, snowboarding, surfing and, of course, mountain biking.
In this age of full-suspension technology, there is an enormous amount of debate as to which suspension design works best for mountain bikers. There are plenty of reviews all over the ‘net that discuss which design is best, and why it is so. I feel there is a fundamental problem with many of these suspension arguments: very few people ever really seem to consider the rider and how they interact with the bike on the trail.
I recently purchased a Santa Cruz VP-Free for downhill duties and took it on a trip to Mt. Buller in Victoria, Australia. In this article, I want to discuss specifically how a rider interacts with a Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) bike, rather than the usual score of the bike did this well and that poorly. Read the rest of this entry »
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12 April »
Tech tips »
Ashwin
I’ve always been a fan of Manitou forks because I find them easy to maintain and they have lots of ‘tweakability’. This post looks at some of the routine maintenance that you should perform on your fork and offers some ideas for tuning some of the Manitou forks out there. Most of the information here is applicable to 2004 and 2005 forks with TPC and SPV damping.
Note: Make sure that you read the manual that came with your fork. If you’re unsure about what to do, bring it to someone who can perform the tasks for you. It should go without saying that you should verify with the manufacturer whether or not performing any modifications will void your warranty. Read the rest of this entry »
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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 »
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15 February »
Tech tips »
Denise
Recently, a girlfriend asked for some advice on buying a new bike, something she wanted so she could come out and ride with “The Girls” — an interesting group of riders who all have a lack of techno-jargon in common. When I started thinking about the type of bike that would work for my friend, I was reminded of my own first mountain bike purchase:
First steps: catching the ‘biking bug’
After finding myself bitten by the ‘biking bug’ but without my own ride, my quest for a new bike began and I wandered aimlessly in and out of bike shops armed with my immense knowledge of… well… nothing bike-related. That, and not knowing what I wanted didn’t help the “shop guys” point me in the right direction either. One guy suggested that I bring my husband with me next time.
Point: If you don’t know what you want in a bike, get advice from people who know you and the type of riding that you’ll be doing. Read the rest of this entry »
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14 February »
Tech tips »
Cory
Well, it looks like it’s drivetrain week on the web and everyone’s searching for flawless shifting on their rides. Following up on Ashwin’s piece on a quick cable lubing technique and Velorution’s thoughts on worn drivetrains comes a short entry on The Steeps about misaligned derailleur hangers.
Most bikes use cheaper derailleur hangers (ie. under $20), so it’s a reasonable idea to carry a spare hanger around in your hydration pack when you’re heading out for a day on the trails. I’ve found that it’s much easier to replace a tweaked derailleur hanger than it is to eyeball the alignment and try to bend the thing back into position. Remember, you can always check the suspect hanger once you get back to civilization.
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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 »
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