Mountain Bike Parts

Which Mountain Bike Is Right For You?

Mountain biking is a an incredibly popular pastime for most people. Learning to ride a bike is a childhood milestone. And they say once you learn how, you’ll never forget. Most bikes are pretty simple machines, too. They have a pair of wheels and a set of gears to make pedaling less strenuous depending on terrain. Bikes can take people almost anywhere, and even provide great exercise. To get the most from you bike, though, you need the right equipment. If you’re looking at buying mountain bike, you certainly can’t go wrong with Diamondback or Schwinn.

The Schwinn Bicycle company has been around for 115 years, founded back in 1895 by Ignaz Schwinn. The company was originally based in Chicago, and when it began it didn’t make much of a dent in the transportation market. Automobiles and motorcycles had recently become available, and most consumers preferred the fancier motorized vehicles over the occasionally strenuous pedaling necessary with a bike. The 1920′s, though, changed all that. The stock market crashed, and overnight most people didn’t have the money to maintain their automobiles. But these were still the traditional two-wheeled, single gear designs. A Schwinn mountain bike wouldn’t make its appearance until much later.

By the 1950′s, the Schwinn Bicycle Company had grown to dominate the bicycle industry. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to destined to last. In the 60′s and 70′s, Schwinn began to lose it’s hold over the bicycle market. Schwinn’s main claim to fame was the standard bicycle, but the public’s demand began to shift. Consumers wanted bikes catered to more specific forms of biking, like road racing or touring. Schwinn didn’t budge in its position, which led to financial trouble for the company.

Their position wasn’t helped when the management made a statement denouncing BMX racing as a dangerous sport. Without any bikes catered to the emerging market of BMX, Schwinn fell by the wayside in the 80′s and 90′s. In 2001, the company was finally sold to Pacific Cycles, though the parent company retained the brand name. It wasn’t until recently that a Schwinn mountain bike would appear in stores.

There are two major brands to look at when buying a mountain bike: Schwinn and Diamondback bikes. Compared to Schwinn’s history, Diamondback is a pretty young brand. They had a step up against Schwinn, however; Diamondback burst onto the market with a collection of sports bikes, each geared toward a specific type of biking. Schwinn couldn’t compete until they introduced their own mountain bikes.

Which brand you choose when buying mountain bike is entirely up to you. The real choice when buying a mountain bike is whether to get a hardtail bike or one with full suspension. Hardtails have the rear wheel mounted on the frame, making them great for smoother terrains by offering greater balance and stability. Without suspension, though, hardtails can become uncomfortable over rougher tracks.

Full suspension bikes, on the other hand, allow the rear wheel to remain in contact with the ground at all times. This design easily offers better comfort and pedaling power. For smoother tracks, you’ll want something besides a full suspension. Over rougher terrain, you’ll definitely want full suspension. The rest is all about the size, which varies from cyclist to cyclist.

What is the best strength excersize for Bmx racing?

i have just started bmx racing and i would like to improve dramatically, what are some good strength excersizes?

Heres an answer I gave on a similar question about training for BMX racing. I’m a Personal Trainer, so you can take this information to the bank. (not literally, I mean, you wouldn’t do a screen print and walk into a bank with it, but I’m sure u know what I mean. lol)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqmuIEHtp2AQsuk5f7TSZwDty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090721194256AAnniPb&show=7#profile-info-teoJB0gpaa