Archive for July, 2008

Different Types of Mountain Bike Lights

This article throws light on the different types and styles of mountain bike lights available in the market. It also emphasizes on the need for mountain bike lights which most of the mountain bikers tend to overlook.

How long it has been since you don’t realize time surfing on net, listening favorite music, chatting, talking on phone.? Not too long, right? Many times it happens that we don’t actually realize time the moment we start indulging in our favorite act or start enjoying what we are during. We go too busy in excitement or enjoyment to realize time.

Same is the case with mountain bikers, they ride in their passion so many times go too indulged in it to realize time and end up riding into night. Here comes the need for mountain bike lights wherein they need them the most. And to be precise this isn’t rare but happens often with almost every biker unless he is strictly concentrated on avoiding night riding more than on the ride.

Imagine you are riding back home and you bang on the road causing a big mishap with other vehicle on its way on road. Sound terrific right? This can happen and here comes the only prevention for this, the mountain bike lights. However most of the bikers still can’t realize the need for them and prefer not to install whereas the one who installs will get the best outcome and benefits in one way or the other.

Now let’s come up with the different types of light that are available in the market. To begin with let’s consider the simplest ones that run with battery. The word battery gets the problem that it can go low into your mind. I hope I need not state that the same will be the case with this type of lights. However one need not disappoint because we have another type of light which are powered by small generator which is powered by the turning wheels. When the bikes running the wheels generate power for lights and when they stop the generator lightens them.

You must be aware of mountain bike races, they work 24 hours irrespective of the night or day. Thus this makes the bikers mandatory to install a good lasting mountain bike lights.

There are different varieties of mountain bike lights for instance “D” celled battery powered lights have small rechargeable batteries strapped to the bikes frame. Tire powered generators provide power from 12 to 30 watts.

Those who are least interested in going riding in night and are concentrated on the time limits obviously need not bother. But, for those who involve in races must have their mountain bikes equipped with lights and they may even have tale lights to protect further.

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July 12 2008 | Mountain Bikes | No Comments »

Maintaining Your Mountain Bike

Mountain Bike Maintenance is something we’d prefer to ignore if we can get away with it. Face it, however, things will go wrong from time to time.

Hey, you’ve invested some real coin in this machine, so keeping it in peak condition for the strains and pounding it’s going to take only makes sense. Mountain bikes are, for the most part, durable, but anything that’s mechanical needs some attention from time to time.

Take a little time to look over this article we found on the topic of maintaining your mountain bike, and you’ll pick up some valuable tips.

Mountain Bike Maintenance - Mechanics 101

Mountain bike maintenance can become an obstacle course, if you don’t have some basic skills.

Owning a mountain bike - whether you are a serious rider or simply enjoy it as a sport - is an investment in time and money. Protect that investment by learning a few tricks of the trade as far as mountain bike maintenance is concerned.

The first important thing in mountain bike maintenance is very simple: keep your bike clean! Wipe off excess dirt once a week, using a dry cloth or a damp soapy sponge. During wet weather, or with frequent use, it is a good idea to wash your bike after every ride. If you don’t do this, you will find that there are a lot of sticky stuff out there that may become unwelcome, permanent fixtures.

Another regular habit you need to adopt as part of mountain bike maintenance, is degreasing the chain and drivetrain. How often you do this depends on how often you ride. It should be done once a month at least, and up to two or three times per month if you ride on a regular basis.

Lubrication of the chain is essential. There are many excellent lubricants on the market. Choose one that suits your needs. Keep in mind that newer lubricants such as White Lightning are self-cleaning, which minimizes mountain bike maintenance.

It is best to apply lubricant the night before you ride. Doing it ten minutes before, prevents it from getting into the chain properly.

As part of mountain bike maintenance, it is vital to maintain the correct air pressure in the tires. Taking care of this small detail will protect your expensive tires. It also prevents frequent tube problems.

Gear cables tend to stretch over time, which makes gear shifting less effective. Gear and brake cables should be checked regularly, and replaced more often than most people realize. New ones should be put in every six to nine months as part of general mountain bike maintenance, and the cable housing should be replaced at the same time.

Another item on you mountain bike maintenance list, is your brake pads. These wear extremely fast. You need to check the alignment of the brake pads against the rims. They should sit squarely on the rim when the brakes are applied.

When relaxed, they should be clear of the sidewall of your tire as it turns. Replace the brake pads when they get to the wear line. Allowing them to go onto the metal casing, will damage your rims.

Check all the nuts and bolts in your monthly mountain bike maintenance routine. Invest in an Allen key or spanner and tighten the loose bolts, such as crank bolts, seatpost bolts, and headset locknuts.

Lastly, one simple way to look after your bike is to keep it under cover, preferably indoors. Don’t expose it to the elements any more than necessary.

Be careful when using a bike cover outside. These tend to trap moisture between the cover and the ground, and will cause the steel parts on your bike to corrode more rapidly, giving cause for more mountain bike maintenance than you ever had in mind!

Take good care of your bike and it will take good care of you!

For more information visit Best-Mountain-Biking.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

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July 12 2008 | Mountain Bikes | 1 Comment »

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