Mountain Biking for Beginners A Fun Sport

Mountain biking can be an extremely fun and enjoyable sport, but only if you know what you are doing. You could get seriously injured mountain biking, if you are not aware of the basics of the sport, so it is very important to educate yourself and be knowledgeable, before heading out. These are a few of the basics for mountain biking beginners.

When it comes to the education of mountain biking beginners, the most important thing is the choosing of a mountain bike. The bike is obviously the key piece of equipment and there are a few tips to learn . You want to look for a bike that has a chainset with replaceable rings.

You want to choose a familiar name such as Trek or Specialized, because you can rely on them and trust the quality they offer. To choose your bike’s size, you simply need to put the seat pin an inch from the top end of its travel and then sit on the bike. If you are not able to reach the floor, then the bike is too big for you, or it may have an extra long seat pin.

Make sure you have the right size bike for your body, otherwise you are going to have difficulty when riding it and may end up experiencing problems once you are out biking.

When teaching mountain biking for beginners, the accessories need to be discussed. It is very wise to select and purchase the proper accessories, in order to make sure you will be protected and really ready to get started mountain biking. A helmet is essential as this will protect your head from getting injured in case you should fall.

Wearing the right clothing is very important and you should choose windproof outerwear that is going to be able to protect you from the elements. You can never predict the weather, so in case of rain or sleet, you will want your clothes to keep you warm and yet be comfortable and easy to ride in at the same time.

Learning about mountain biking for beginners is essential, especially if you are planning on going mountain biking over some rough terrain.

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.

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