Archive for October, 2009
BMX Bikes Are For Those Who Like To Live On The Edge
BMX Bikes are specially designed bicycles for racing on sandy and hilly tracks. Apart from racing on hilly terrains, bikers also perform tricks on flat grounds, wooden ramps and trails.
Earlier, bikes were manufactured with an assembled frame and fork, with two wheels and a seat. BMX bicycles originated in the state of California in the late 60s, but it was not until the beginning of 1961 that the bikes achieved great popularity. The manufacturers then began to produce these bicycles frequently.
BMX tricks and stunts are now very popular among the teenagers. There are numerous clubs and organizations where people can come to try their hands out on the BMX bicycles and practice the skills and tricks. With these early practices, the young bikers get acquainted with the common problems that may occur during the ramp performances.
Bike tricks are not easy for bikers. The stunts are quite tough to perform and you should undergo tough rehearsals in order to get fully ready. Some of the difficult tricks are like standing on the front pegs, and spinning the rest of the bike around. The skillful bikers can even summersault in the air. It may take lots of practice to master these tricks.
While riding the bicycles you should have ample protection. You must protect your elbows, knees and most importantly your head with the helmet. If you are interested in a look at the toughest BMX competitions, the X games on various sports channels can help you out.
The Designs Of BMX Bicycles
The main features of the bike:
1. Straight tubes
2. Gusseted frames
3. Reinforced handlebars
4. Powerful mag wheels
5. Long crankarms
6. Steel rims
7. Coaster brakes
The bike producers manufacture bikes with light body. The body of this bike is made of aluminum or chromium and molybdenum for frames and steel for the rims. Aluminum is also used for rims, freewheels and caliper brakes. The 24-inch versions of BMX bicycles are called Cruisers.
The frames of these bicycles are made to be very light and maneuvered accordingly, so that it can weather the blows while racing and jumping. Moreover, a light bike can save you precious minutes in a close race.
The tires of BMX bicycles are quite different from the road bikes. They are knobby with excellent traction and power. Another aspect that distinguishes the BMX tires from the others is in the construction of their wheels. Generally the rims are of 20 inches, but there can be different sizes too.
Sometimes the BMX bicycles fall hard and that is why the manufacturers have introduced Cro Moly tube sets to the BMX bicycles. A BMX bike with smaller gear set-ups reduce the weight of the bikes by using chain rings, smaller rear drivers, and shorter chain length.
Sales of these bicycles are much higher than the other ones. Bikes can be seen with every fashionable bike rider, on sidewalks and in their natural habitat. Instead of competing with anyone, a simple ride would be much more comfortable. While riding you have to be very conscious, and should not make too much experiments with your tricks. Do not forget to wear a helmet whenever you are riding.
Thus, the BMX bicycles are both, fashionable and powerful, providing you the ultimate passion for fashionable biking.
Robert Sheehan
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bmx-bikes-are-for-those-who-like-to-live-on-the-edge-101423.html
Mountain Bikes Are Perfect Hill Heroes
Mountain Bikes are specially meant for rough and rugged terrains. These extra traction and shock absorbing mountain bicycles are provided with fat knobby tires.
However, a full front and rear suspension is becoming quite a common factor nowadays with bikes meant for mountain rides. Some bikes of this particular variety are fitted with bar ends on the handlebars, but with recent trends the use of handlebars and extensions are becoming less and less popular.
Mountain bicycles have both 26 and 29 inches wheels. The larger wheels of this bike type have better rolling capacities over rocks and boulders. Moreover, wheels, which are larger in diameter, also bring about an enhancement in rotational weight giving way to stable acceleration.
Mountain Bicycles Kings On Rugged Roads
Based on suspension, mountain bicycles are broadly graded into four different kinds:
Bikes with dual or full suspension, These bikes have front suspension fork and rear suspension with a rear shock and linkage that is ready to make the rear wheels move on pivots
Hardtail bikes, These bikes have frames with no rear suspension and they are often supplied with front suspension forks
Soft Tail Bikes, These bikes have frames with small amount of rear suspension. The bikes are activated by flex of the frame rather than the pivots
Fully rigid bikes, These bikes have a sub-type of hardtail along with rigid fork system
The Different Types Of Mountain Bicycles
The Cross-Country Mountain Bike
This bike variety has small amount of suspension on the front or on the rear. These bicycles are comparatively light because they are constructed with lightweight materials both in frame construction and in components.
Some XC bike varieties of this particular type are without any suspension. They make use of rigid front fork that helps in saving weight. Here, the skill of the rider to pass through rough terrains is more important.
Freeride Mountain Bike
These are very similar to enduro bikes and emphasize more on weight and enhanced suspension. These bikes have ample suspension and they are mostly constructed with heavier materials. Freeride bikes are absolutely versatile and they are fantastic for uphill travel. The frame angles of such bikes are usually steeper in comparison to downhill bikes. Most freeride bikes are 30 to 45 pounds in weight.
Trials Mountain Bike
These are trial specific bikes. Most of these bikes are without any suspension. The contemporary trial bikes come without seats as most of the time the rider is out of the saddle. This bike is particularly lighter than other mountain bicycles and it weighs between 15 to 25 pounds. The lightweight makes it easier for the biker to maneuver the bike.
Single-Speed Mountain Bike
This is a kind of mountain bike with one set gear ratio. The ratio of the gear depends on the kind of terrain the bike crosses, the skill and strength of the bike rider and the size of the bike too. A single-speed bike is completely rigid having tough steel frames. If you want to ride a single-speed bicycle on mild to moderate cross-country terrains you have to be strong and active.
North Shore Mountain Bike
North shore mountain bike is genuinely constructed for rough and rugged land surfaces. A rider of this particular bike type has to exhibit lots of skill and balance while riding the bike. This bike is a wonderful combination of freeride and downhill bikes.
The other mountain bike varieties include Enduro Mountain Bike, Downhill Mountain Bike and Dirt Jumping Bike.
Most modern bikes meant for mountains have lighter and stronger frames with innovative design and form. The geometry of these bikes encourages vigorous riding over several obstacles like logs, rocks, wooden bridges and manually fabricated ramps. In the front, the bikes have three gears and it has 7, 8, 9, or 10 gears at the rear wheel position.
Some notable companies who have introduced the latest models of mountain bicycles include Fox, Manitou and Rock Shox along with other significant bike manufacturers. It is quite likely for you to make mistakes while riding a mountain bike. The mishaps generally take place due to equipment failure or misjudgment on the part of the rider.
Thus, several companies have come forward with protective gears referred to as armors to provide full protection from injuries. Some essential upper body protectors for riders include spine protector, full-face helmets and backpack hydration system.
It is quite an established fact that mountain bicycles are aptly designed following the present trend and demand. They are in fact the dream of every spirited and efficient mountain biker.
Robert Sheehan
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/mountain-bikes-are-perfect-hill-heroes-101013.html
Living With Your Exercise Routine
Challenge yourself One of the best ways to keep it interesting is to present yourself with new challenges. Make each activity session a contest. Can you do it a bit longer, farther, faster, higher?
Pushing yourself is a good way to measure how far you’ve progressed. Staying with the status quo is the quickest way to boredom.
Try to add on something periodically. You can do it each session, or once a week, or after a particular move, exercise, or effort has become easy. Keep track of any incremental improvements you make by writing them in your notebook.
After you’ve been exercising for a while, you may feel comfortable enough to join a team or other group. Competition with others is a way to challenge yourself, but it may not be for everybody. Give it a try, though. If you find it adds interest and motivation, keep it up. If not, return to solo or noncompetitive pursuits without being critical of yourself.
Keep it safe
If you are very overweight or have been inactive for a long time beginning to be more active should be a gradual process. Don’t start without talking to your doctor about your current state of health and fitness and your plans for improving both. Even if you are not seriously out of shape, taking it slowly is the safe way to go.
Don’t overdo it. I’m hoping all this talk about exercise will make you gung-ho, but I don’t want you to give up in the early days because you are a mass of aches and pains.
The right equipment Many of the activities you have to choose from require little or nothing in the way of special equipment. Still, there are some basics. You should have some workout and exercise clothes that keep you warm and dry in wet and cold weather, but are breathable so your sweat will “wick” away. A pair of well-fitting and supportive shoes is a must. They should have no-slip soles and should not be so worn out that they won’t absorb shocks or will put you off balance. If you use other equipment – whether it’s a stationary or moving bicycle, skates, weights, treadmills and stair climbers, racquets, bat, balls, whatever – they should be sturdy and in good repair. If you’re just starting out and want to give an activity a try, borrow the equipment or use it in a public or commercial facility.
Warm up/cool downThe two most important parts of any exercise come at the beginning and the end. I’m sorry to say that they are also two things most often omitted. Warming up and cooling down help your body adjust to the change of pace that activity entails. Your muscles and your heart and lungs have to gradually get up to speed. And when they are speeding, they shouldn’t stop cold. Immediate pain and morning-after soreness will result if you don’t take the time to warm up and cool down.
Warming up literally increases the temperature of your muscles by directing more blood to them. “Warm muscles” extend and contract more quickly than muscles that are cold preventing strain and cramping. Warming up also increases the flow of blood to your coronary arteries and lungs, which will be working hard during your exercise. The cool -down allows your breathing to return to normal and your heart rate to come down gradually from at or near your THR to close to your RHR. It also gently redirects from your muscles to a more even distribution around your body.
Any decent exercise class will include warming up and cooling down. If you find yourself in one that does not, talk to the instructor and if there is no improvement, change classes. As an alternative, start early and do your own warm-up and stay on to cool down.
When you are working out on your own, it’s up to you. Warm up for at least 10 minutes, keeping it at low to moderate intensity. The best warm-up uses the same muscles your activity will. So if you will be running, start by running lightly in place, or walking and gradually increasing your pace before you break into a run. Swing your arms, flex your feet and knees.
Don’t forget to breathe when warming up and cooling down. Your body needs extra oxygen, and it needs to rid itself of carbon dioxide and other toxins. So keep the air going in and out. Your cool-down can be shorter than your warm up, but it should be no less than 5 minutes. Gradually decrease the intensity of whatever you are doing. Let your breathing and heart beat return to normal.
Alien
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/living-with-your-exercise-routine-578980.html
Tandem Beach Cruiser Bikes
http://MakaiBikes.com Tandem Beach Cruiser Bikes – Cruiser Bicycles at Makai Bikes
Duration : 22 sec
Cruiser Bicycles by Makai Bikes
http://makaibikes.com – 2 Maui Cruisers from Makai Bikes featured in this video. Find more info on the bike at MakaiBikes.com
Duration : 48 sec
Schwinn Mountain Bikes
http://www.schwinnmountainbikes.org
A quick look at the range of Schwinn Mountain Bikes.
Schwinn have been at the forefront of bike design in the USA for over 100 years.
Schwinn have an enviable reputation for quality bikes and fantastic value for money.
Duration : 1 min 1 sec
