Getting The Right Size Mountain Bike

Along with giving you a better selection and expert advice, bike shop personnel can you help you get fitted to the right size bike. You can get the bike either too big or too small, which will cause your enjoyment to suffer. Follow the tips below, and you’ll have the perfect fit for your mountain bike.

Standover Height

When you check the fitting yourself, the first thing you want to check is the inseam clearance, or the standover height. You want to have plenty of room between yourself and the top tube when you come to a stop. There should be around four to six inches of clearance from the top of your inseam to the top of the top tube.

Leg and Feet Position

When riding a mountain bike, the terrain constantly changes, raising you off the seat constantly, sometimes just slightly, other times completely off. Therefore, you’ll need to sit your saddle slightly lower than you would on any other type of bike. Be sure you take this slightly lower seat height position into effect when you factor the size of the frame.

Riding Compartment Layout

The next thing you’ll want to check is the rider compartment layout (the distance between the saddle and the handlebars). Once the proper leg extension has been determined, be sure the handlebar is one to two inches below the height of the saddle. You should never have the handlebars higher than the seat, unless there is some type of upper body problem.

Dual Suspension Bikes

With suspension being at both ends, you’ll want your weight more in the middle of the bike so that your weight is distributed evenly between the front and rear suspension units, thus allowing the front and rear suspension to work as a unit.

This can be done quite easily by using either a higher or shorter stem to raise the hand height, which will in turn move the upper body up and the weight towards the rear. The increase in rise shouldn’t be more than two inches, then the decrease in reach shouldn’t be any more than two inches.

Test Ride

Once you have taken all of these steps into account, go out and test drive the bike. Make sure you wear a helmet, even if you are going to be testing for a brief period of time. Be sure that the tires are set to the right pressure, and the shop has adjusted the bike for you properly.

You should have a shop employee observe your body position and ride height while riding, to determine if any further adjustments need to be made. Ride the bike around for a bit to get used to its handling and new equipment. Start off slowly, then give the bike a bit of time for you to adjust to it.

After a few minutes, you might notice that something isn’t working correctly or just doesn’t feel right in general. If this happens, go back to the shop and have the problem corrected before you rule out the bike.

The more you ride bikes, the easier it will be to tell the difference in the ride types. Keep in mind, it may take months and even years to appreciate the way a bike handles. Ask the people who ride and who you would consider experienced, lots of questions. They are the best ones to take some advice from.

Experience Mountain Biking In Slovenia

Mountain biking in Slovenia is a wonderful experience to consider. There is a mountain biking park in Slovenia to accommodate enthusiasts of this sport. Besides the park there are also many other trails that vary in difficulty. One of the main attractions of mountain biking in Slovenia, is the possibility of cycling routes that wind through wilderness, without the danger of coming across cars and other vehicles hazardous to cyclists. This is the perfect holiday for the cyclist who wants to be as close to nature as possible while still being close to civilization.

Everything a Cyclist Needs

The mountain biking park is located in Crna na Koroskem and was established in 1995. The park connects seven valleys underneath the beautiful Savinja Alps and the Karavanke Mountain. The park offers you the best of mountain biking in Slovenia alongside all the necessities, such as hotel accommodation, bike rental and repair and a mini bus to transfer you from one area to another. There is a sauna when you need to relax those sore muscles after a long day on the trails.

Unique Bike Trails

Mountain biking in Slovenia will offer you an experience like no other, you can cycle underground! That’s right, instead of going over the mountains you can go under them. Some disused mines have been converted into bike trails and with a guide and a lamp, you can cycle safely for almost 5 kilometers underground. These bike trails will take you from one valley to another and provide you with an amazing cycling adventure that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the world.

There is another cycling experience unique to mountain biking in Slovenia and that is the Trace of Wilderness trail. This trail offers you more than a thousand kilometers of forest paths and cart tracks to explore. These trails will take you from one valley to another or lead you up to the mountains. You have the option of cycling independently, or joining a guided tour that will provide you with daily rations and an experienced guide.

There are also other activities that can be arranged for you if mountain biking is not enough. You can have the option of organizing a group, with friends and family just for you. You can also arrange to go further from the park and see places of interest via a mountain biking tour of Slovenia. The choice is yours.

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