How To Lube Your Mountain Bike
March 31, 2009 by James Brown
Filed under Mountain Bikes
A mountain bike is a lot of fun although it does require some maintenance. You should always lube your bike 15 hours or so before riding, as quick jobs right before you take off normally doesn’t get everything lubed. Some lube jobs will last for more rides, although if things get loud or shifting gets sticky, it’s time to lube.
Here is how to lube your bike:
1. The chain
Apply a generous amount of mountain bike lube to your chain as you move the pedals around backwards. It also helps to find a spot to steady your hand such as the frame while you move the pedals around and around. Make sure you watch out for the cranks and chain rings as they move around.
2. Front Deraileur
On the front defaileur, lube the pivots. Use a spot of lube everywhere you can see movement when you move the shift lever.
3. Rear deraileur
Just like the front deraileur, lube the pivots.
4. Pedals
There are some types of clipless pedals that will need to have the release mechanism lubed. You should only lube this mechanism if you have this type of pedal.
5. Everything into motion
Pedal around, shift your gears, and bounce your bike around. If you hear anything squeak, there’s a moving part there are it should be lubed immediately.
6. Wipe it all clean
Once you’ve lubed everything and wiped it all around, simply wipe it all back off. Use a rag to wipe away all the lube you used, including all the lube off the chain. Wiping it away will leave the lube in between the parts but clean it away from everywhere it isn’t needed. This will keep your bike from collecting dirt while you ride.
Different Types Of Mountain Bikes
March 12, 2009 by James Brown
Filed under Mountain Bikes
A mountain bike should always have a proper full suspension system. It is important because it helps absorb the shock when going over rugged terrain and helps to provide a smoother ride. You will find that full suspension bikes have both a front and back suspension. Hard tail mountain bikes have a shock system in place of the front fork and a solid rear fork. Bikes without a suspension at all tend to be fairly lower end mountain bikes.
A cross country rider will need a bike with both descending and climbing ability. The rear suspension will only move about 4 inches so that it doesn’t cause a problem when trying to climb uphill. Cross country bikes have 28 gears as standard which provide a wide greater options for travelling over different terrain.
If you are a more technical mountain bike rider you will probably need a trial bike as they are a little more robust. The movement in the suspension can be between 4 inches and 7 inches. Uphill pedaling will be more difficult but you will in general get a much smoother ride. You will need to decide whether it is worth having a smoother ride against the struggle of pedaling uphill. Trek Track Bikes is a great place to look on the internet for all terrain bikes.
If you will mainly be using your bike for going downhill you can expect up to 8 inches in suspension movement. It is these type of mountain bikes which are specifically designed for racing downhill. A downhill bike with more movement in the suspension is easier to control going downhill but a lot more difficult to pedal going uphill.
Another variety of mountain bike would be the dirt jump bikes. A dirt jump bike are used for jumping and only have a front suspension. These type of bikes are built for speed and usually come with 16 gears.
