| A mountain bike is a moderately expensive | | | | suitable to general purpose riding. For |
| purchase to make, with a lot of options to | | | | example, downhill racers are heavy tanks of a |
| consider and the companies selling them don't | | | | machine, and getting them to the top of the |
| make it much easier. Here's a guideline of | | | | hill is something you do with a truck, and |
| what to keep in mind while you check out your | | | | then ride them down from there. They are the |
| new cycle. | | | | cycling equivalent of downhill skis, and are |
| | | | just as specialised. |
| Firstly - where are you going to be riding | | | | |
| it? While most mountain bike advertising | | | | If you're looking for "off-road touring", we |
| shows extreme sports aficionados bounding | | | | recommend bikes, like those made by Merlin, |
| over logs, rocks and canyons to punk rock | | | | that are geared towards some stiffness, and |
| beats, the vast majority of mountain bikes, | | | | general durability and maintainability. Most |
| when ridden at all, are ridden on prepared | | | | mountain bikers, as mentioned above, don't |
| trails. If this is going to be how you're | | | | ride as if they're starring in a Mountain Dew |
| riding, you will want a bike that has got a | | | | ad; they're ridden on trails to enjoy nature |
| moderately stiff frame, and a good shock | | | | while getting some exercise and most |
| absorber system. | | | | importantly comfort. |
| | | | |
| If you plan on doing competitive off-road | | | | Once you've got your bike, take the time to |
| racing, you will want a bike with stiffer | | | | get it fitted properly to you - this means |
| construction. The stiffer the frame, the more | | | | adjusting the seat height and the handlebars |
| efficiently it transfers the power from your | | | | appropriately. The seat height is right if |
| legs into the frame and into the rear wheel. | | | | your knee is at a bit under a right angle |
| You'll also want to forego most of the extras | | | | when the pedals are parallel to the ground. |
| - each one ads weight, and when you're | | | | The handlebars are set at the right height |
| pedalling your bike up a hill, that extra | | | | when there's a 45 degree angle from your |
| weight adds up. | | | | shoulder to your elbow. Most of the people |
| | | | who complain about back and hip pain from |
| Most mountain bikes sold today have aluminium | | | | riding a bike are suffering because the bike |
| frames; aluminium is lighter than steel | | | | wasn't fitted to them properly. |
| (about 40% lighter all told), and with | | | | |
| aircraft grade and double butted tubing, at | | | | Once you've got the basics down - a mountain |
| least as stiff. High end mountain bikes use | | | | bike that's comfortable to use, and suits the |
| carbon fibre frames, or other, more exotic | | | | kind of riding you'll be doing, then it's |
| materials to reduce weight and keep stiffness | | | | time to look at added features, like |
| up. | | | | stabilization controls, shock absorbers, and |
| | | | other details. Like most sporting equipment, |
| There are specialist mountain bike designs | | | | the more you get into the competitive aspect |
| out there, such as downhill models, and | | | | of things, the higher the price tends to |
| ruggedized versions. Neither of these are | | | | climb. |