BICKLO, upute, informacije, pomoć,...

8/2/2019 BICKLO, upute, informacije, pomo,...

1/16

A beginner's guide to buying a mountain

bike

1. What sort of bike should you get?If you are a beginning off-road rider, you should be looking at a bike with front

suspension only (called a hardtail), or even a rigid bike (with no susension fork). A

good quality full suspension bike is too expensive to be a beginner bike. If you

want the bike mainly for riding on paved surfaces a rigid bike is a better bet.

The frame

The frame is the heart of a mountain bike, and you want to make sure you get a

good one. If the bike comes with mediocre parts on it you can replace them, butonce you replace the frame it's a different bike.

When looking for a not-too-expensive mountain bike, remember that boring is

good. If the bike is too fancy and radical looking, especially if it's inexpensive, it'sprobably not a good bike. Unless you're going for a full-suspension bike, the

traditional diamond frame is the best (as in the Rockhopper below). Any frame

design other than this will be more heavy or weaker. The only exceptions in thisprice range are bikes made by Haro or GT, and these bikes only have smallvariations on the diamond frame.

Specialized Rockhopper


2/16

If you're not sure exactly what a diamond frame is, let's look at a bike that doesn't

have one, the Specialized Enduro below. This bike has rear suspension (thecylindrical bit where the seatstays meet the frame is the rear shock) thus it requires

a different geometry to accommodate the shock and the movement of the back partof the bike. You will often see somewhat odd-looking frame designs in full-suspension bikes, but they are rarely useful in hardtails or rigid bikes. (Don't drool

too much over this bike. It is unfortunately well out of the price range of this

article.)

Specialized Enduro

Many mountain bikes today have a sloping top tube (clearly seen in the

Rockhopper). This is a good thing, as it gives you more crotch clearance for thesame size of bike. Crotch clearance is the distance between the top tube and your

crotch when you are standing over the bike in your bike shoes. It is importantbecause you often crash when riding off-road, and it's good to have a bike that stays

out of your way when you come off unexpectedly.

To bounce or not to bounce

Since real rear suspension (as of the Specialized Enduro above) is out of the price

range of this article, we'll only consider two kinds of suspension: a suspension fork,and a suspension seat post. First I'll discuss the fork.

Should you get bike with a suspension fork? I think the answer is pretty short and

simple: if your main use of the bike is for riding on rough off-road, then get asuspension fork, unless your budget is really low. A good suspension fork is a real

boon to off-road riding. Not only does it make the ride more comfortable, but it cangreatly improve your control over the bike. For example, if you're coming down a


3/16

hill and there's a small branch diagonally across the path, the suspension fork can

help you get over it safely, while with a rigid fork, your front wheel has more of atendency to by shunted aside by the branch, leaving you in a heap on the trail.

Since most mountain bikes come with suspension forks, this is the easy option.

However, if you have very little money (say you want to spend less than 300 quid,

including everything you'll need, like lock and lights), a rigid bike is best, even forriding off-road. For example, a Specialized HardRock Rigid is better suited to off-

road riding than most bikes for that price, even ones with a suspension fork. Thereason is that most suspension forks on bikes that cheap are really not very good,

and while they add a bit of comfort for your off-road riding, they lack the rigidity

and damping that allows you to maintain the best control over your bike throughthe rough stuff. In addition, the frame and other components will be of lower

quality to allow for the cost of the suspension fork, and they may not be up to real

off-roading. If your budget really is that low, getting a HardRock Rigid would getyou riding off-road on a good bike straight off, and then when you've saved up

more money you can add a nice suspension fork.

However, many people buy mountain bikes for general purpose riding, not forhard-core off-road riding. MTBs are durable, adaptable machines that can be usedfor a wide variety of purposes, including riding to work, touring, and just getting

out into the countryside for a pleasant spin on a sunny day. If your main use of thebike is not off-road riding, you would be better off getting a rigid (not suspension)fork. Even if your planned use of the bike includes a bit of off-road riding, such as

riding on fairly smooth unpaved surfaced (cinder-surfaced bike trails, forest roads),a rigid bike would be best. This is because suspension forks are more expensive,heavier, more likely to go wrong, and more attractive to thieves than rigid forks. In

addition, if you stand up to pedal you can lose a fair bit of your energy in bobbingthe fork up and down. On rough trails, the suspension fork is so effective at

smoothing out the trail bumps that it offsets all these drawbacks, but roads aresmooth enough that the fatter tires you get on a MTB provides enough cusioningfor all-day comfort in the saddle. This is true even if you get fairly thin (1.5"),

smooth, street-specific tires.


4/16

Daring Marin: the Muirwoods, a rigid steel MTB!

Decent-quality rigid MTBs can be hard to find. Many people seem to feel that

suspension must be better than no suspension, even for road riding, and so avoid

MTBs with rigid forks. However, good bikes are out there (some manufacturerscall them "Urban bikes"), and I urge you to make the effort to find them. At time ofwriting, Marin make the Muirwoods, Specialized do the HardRock Rigid, and

Ridgeback do a series of bikes called "Switch". These are super choices for general

purpose riding.

A suspension seatpost is another form of suspension that sometimes crops up on

some bikes of this price range. They usually come on bikes meant for town use, oron "comfort bikes" meant for slow riding on flat roads, rather than on bikes aimedat real off-road riding. I feel that a suspension seatport is of use either on or off-

road. If you hit a pothole on the road, the main place you feel it is in your backside,and a suspension seatpost can help smooth it out. Off-road, it can help smooth outminor trail bumps, allowing you to stay in the saddle for more situations, which can

reduce fatigue. It will be of little help on big bumps, which is why proper rear

suspension is useful on a bike used for rough off-road. There are some drawbacksto suspension seatposts, and they are the same as for suspension forks: suspension

seatposts are more expensive, heavier, and more likely to go wrong that ordinaryones. However, they are much simpler than suspension forks, and they have much

less travel, so the difference in price and reliability isn't so great as with suspensionforks.


5/16

Do you need disk brakes?

Kona Caldera with disk brakes

Disk brakes are popping up on more and more bikes nowdays, and a few bikes inthe price range considered by this article have them. Generally, they are included

only on bikes meant for real off-road riding. The main advantages of disk brakes

are that they work much better in the wet (especially off-road, since mud caninterfere with your braking even more than plain water) and that your rims don't

wear down as a result of brake pads rubbing them, so they last alot longer. The rimwear issue ends up being the deciding factor for some people: if you ride in areas

with gritty soil, you can wear through rims quite quickly. The disadvantages arethat they weigh and cost alot more than rim brakes, add appeal for thieves, andmake getting your wheels off the bike a bit more difficult. If you're planning to use

your bike mainly for road riding, don't even consider them. They are of most useoff-road if you often ride when it's wet, so you'll take full advantage of the reducedrim wear and better wet-weather performance. I would suggest that a beginner

would probably be better off without them, because not having them will mean that

your bike can have a better frame and components for the same amount of money.

You won't really know if you need them until you've been riding awhile and knowwhat sorts of situations you'll be riding in. However, it can pay to buy a bike that'sdisk-brake ready: it should have disk mounts on the frame, and preferably disk-

ready hubs. Then if you want to upgrade to disk brakes it's a fairly painless process,

and not all that expensive, as you'll only pay for the disk brakes themselves.


6/16

2. How to recognize a quality bike

You have a limited budget, and you want to get the best bike you can for the

money. If you're not sure what to look for, you could be mislead by features that

seem to make the bike better, but in fact really don't count for much. Here's what tocheck out in your bike search.

The frame

As before, we start with the frame. You should be trying to get the best frame youcan, within reason. There's no need to spend 500 quid on a frame alone, but youdefinitely shouldn't be contemplating getting a cheap frame, just so that you can

have an (equally cheap) suspension fork on it.

Most mountain bikes are made of steel or aluminum. There are two main sorts ofsteel: high-tensile, and chromoly. High-tensile, aka hi-ten, is pretty much garbage.

Don't buy a bike that has any part made of hi-ten steel, whether in the main frame

or in the fork. Although there are different sorts of alumimun, there's not much todistinguish them at this price range.

Nowadays aluminum frames predominate for the price range we are talking about.This is mainly the result of pressure from the bike buying public. I have been told

by bike shop owners that MTB customers much prefer alu bikes over steel, and this

is why most manufactorers have abandoned steel for mid-level bikes and above.

However alu doesn't have any clear advantage over steel. It can be made perhaps abit lighter, which is an advantage for top end off-road racing bikes, but is prettymuch irrelevant for the midrange bikes we're talking about here. I think that steel

has gotten a bad reputation because of high-tensile steel. People remember howlousy their first, cheap, hi-ten bike was, and think that that poor quality is true of allsteel bikes. This is not at all the case, and a few daring manufacturers (notably

Marin) continue to offer high-quality bike frames made from steel.

For both steel and alu, swaged or butted tubing, which has thinner walls in themiddle (for lightness) and thicker walls at the ends (for strength) is better than

straight-gauge tubing (which is same thickness throughout).

One thing you should look for on your frame is the ability to attach things to it. Itshould have rack/mudguard mounts at the rear dropouts, and rack mounts on the

seat stays. You may think this is not needed, that you'll never want to use a rack or

full mudguards on your bike, but your needs may change over time. For example, ifyou get really into off-road cycling you may decide to buy a full-suspension bike,

and this one will be relegated to riding to work, or for touring, in which case a rack

and mudguards are pretty much essential.


7/16

Another thing that's a good idea to look for, if you think that it's likely that you'll

really get into off-road riding, are disk brake mounts, both on the main frame andon the fork. These provide better stopping in the wet and eliminate worn out rims

through braking, and thus are a good upgrade for the serious off-road rider.

If your frame is aluminum (as most MTBs are nowadays) it should have a

replaceable derailluer hanger. Crashes often knock the derailluer out of place, andaluminum doesn't tolerate being bent back into shape (it is likely to break if bent

back, while bending back a derailluer hanger on a steel bike is not a problem).

Suspension fork

If you've decided that you want a suspension fork, you'll want to know which onesto look for. Generally, sad to say, the more expensive the forks are, the better they

are. The more expensive ones are stiffer, easier to maintain, and more "plush"(absorbing bumps of all sizes better). There's quite a variety of fork materials andinternal construction, and it's changing all the time. I haven't kept up with the

changes, having gotten a suspension fork that I really like! Often MTB magazines

run a buyers' guide to forks, so it's best to get this info from them.

Wheels

While the frame is the heart of the bike, the wheels are what makes is a bicycle!

Most MTB wheels look similar, but when you get into the details, you'll find the

difference between wheels that will fall apart after one month, vs. ones that willkeep spinning happily until you finally wear out the rims through braking.

Rims. The rim is the outer metal hoop of your wheel. They are made of aluminum.(At least, all the ones in this price range should be. For very expensive bikes youcan get ones made of carbon fiber, and for exceedingly cheap bikes they are made

out of steel, which is to be avoided at all costs!) Alu is light and provides a goodsurface for brake blocks to bite into, and they shed water quickly when wet to giveyou good braking shortly after the brakes pads meet the metal. In cross section, the

rim will usually be something like a U shape: the tire attaches to the prongs of the

U. The bottom part of the U is often flat on MTB rims, but can be curved,sometimes even almost pointed, like the bottom of a V. Generally, the more curved

or pointed the inner part of the rim is, the more strength it will have, but it will alsobe heavier. One thing that's not so easy to see is that better rims will have an

additional bit of metal across the bottom of the U. (Rims with this bit of bracing arecalled box section if they have a flat part at the bottom of the U, and are called aerosection if the bottom part is more V shaped, and are called open section if they lack

this bracing.) This bracing greatly adds to the strength of the rim, so much so that

it's not a good idea to buy rims without this extra bracing, even for road use. Tofind out if the rim has this extra bracing, you must take the tire off. If the bed of the

rim has wide circular holes in it, then it will be a box or aero section rim. If instead


8/16

you can see, underneath the rim tape, small lumps, these are the heads of the spokes

attached directly to the rim, and it is an open-section rim.

The braking surface of the rim should be plain metal, no colors or anodizing oranything like that. Colored braking surfaces badly affect braking. (The exception is

for ceramic rims, which do have a coating on the braking surface, but you won't

find these on bikes in this price range.) Some manufacturers put little grooves in thebraking surface. This improves braking until the edges of the grooves wear off, but

then is the same as for any other rim. I wouldn't pay extra for it. Colors on rims arefine as long as they aren't on the braking surface.

Spokes. Generally, MTBs have 32 spokes per wheel. More is not needed (exceptfor perhaps downhill racing or loading touring off-road), and fewer makes for a

somewhat weaker wheel for not much weight savings (although some racers do

consider this weight savings significant and get wheels with fewer spokes). Spokesshould be stainless steel. (Some fancy wheel have spokes are made of aluminum or

other materials, but these offer very little benefits over ordinary steel spokes, and

they cost alot more and are much harder to replace if you break one.) The best

spokes are double butted, which means thinner in the middle than on the end.Butted spokes make for a lighter but stronger wheel (stronger because they stretchslightly when subjected to brief but large impacts, thus absorbing the hit, rather

than giving in and buckling the rim). Black spokes are OK, as long as they are stillstainless. The best spoking pattern is the traditional three-cross, as on the KonaBlast below. You can get radial spoking on some MTBs, but this is for looks only:

it puts much more strain on the hubs for no benefit.

Kona Blast

The wheel needs to be properly tensioned in order to stay together. If the spokes arenot tight enough, they will rattle loose as you ride, and then spokes will start to


9/16

break since the few spokes that have remained tighter are taking most of the strain.

The best way to check for properly tensioned wheels is to pluck the spokes. For thefront wheel, they should have an even pitch. For the back, the right side (the side

with the gears on it) should have a much higher pitch than the left side. This isbecause the right side spokes are shorter and have a higher tension than the left sidespokes. However, the right side spokes should all have the same tension (hence the

same pitch), and all the left side spokes should have the same pitch, but it will be

lower than the right side, and usually lower than the front spokes as well.

Hubs. Hubs go around, so the best thing to look for is good bearings that let them

go around with as little resistance as possible, and good seals to keep them going

that way. You can spin the wheels of a bike you're thinking of buying to see howfreely they spin. One simple test is to attach a spoke wrench to a spoke at the rim. If

the wheels slowly drifts down so that the wrench is at the bottom, it's got good

bearings (note that it may not be completely at the bottom, as the valve weighsmore than other parts of the tube, and the rim join also weighs more). If the wheel

doesn't move at all, it's not as good, but still may be plenty fine when you're ridingit. Ask your bike shop if you're uncertain about rim quality. As I mentioned in the

previous section (What sort of bike should you get?), if you think that you may get

seriously into off-road riding, it's worth buying a bike that has disk-ready hubs, soupgrading to disk brakes will be easier and cheaper.

Tires and tubes. I suppose I ought to say something about tubeless tires. They arefairly new on the scene, and not many bikes come with them (certainly none in this

price range). I have never used them, so I can't comment on them from a personalperspective. Right now, they look to me like something that doesn't have any clearadvantages over the conventional approach, except for racers who are concerned

about every last gram. (For example, if you get a bad puncture you'll have to put atube in anyway.) But in a few years time they may have proven their worth so

much that finding a MTB with normal tires will be as difficult as finding a MTBwith rigid forks!

Back to normal tires. They come in a huge variety of tread patterns, widths,compounds, etc. For on-road use you want a smooth tire, with width between 1.25"

and 2". For off-road use, the choice is bewildering. Generally, narrower tires arebetter in the mud (there's less area for the mud to cling to), but wider tires have

more cushioning and grip. Thus the best tire for you depends on your riding

conditions. Some tires have a Kevlar bead (the bead is the thing on the very edge ofthe tire that keeps it on the rim) rather than a steel one. These reduce the weight of

the tire with no drawbacks other than being a bit more expensive, so are a good

idea if you want to prevent your bike weighing too much.

Tubes are mainly distinguished by the valve type (presta or schraeder) and width.

For width, get them to match your tires. I prefer presta (aka French valve) toschraeder (aka car tire valve) as I find them easier to pump up. There's not much to
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/mtb-advice2.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/mtb-advice2.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/mtb-advice2.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/mtb-advice2.html


10/16

say about tube materials, other than that I have always gotten along well with plain

black rubber ones of normal thickness.

Components

You should look carefully at the components on the bike. These are things likebrakes, brake levers, shift levers and derailleurs (also known as gears). Generally,

the higher spec components last longer and are easier to maintain than the lower

ones. They are also more expensive. Getting a good frame should be your priority,

but quality of components can help you choose between bikes that have similarframes.

The transmition (shift levers and derailleurs) are usually made by Shimano, so it'suseful to know the grades of Shimano components. From highest to lowest, they

are

XTRDeore XT

Deore LX

DeoreAlivioAcera

AltusTourney

You should be looking at getting something at the Alivio range or better. Oftenmanufacturers mix and match components groups. For example a bike could come

with an Alivio front derailleur and a Deore rear derailleur. This is sensible, as it

puts the better components where they are most needed and keeps the cost down byputting in somewhat cheaper components where less is demanded of the part.

Some bikes now come with SRAM transmition components, which are also good.Generally, the larger the number in the Gripshift component's name, the better

quality the component will be (for example, 9.0 is better than 7.0). SRAM are best

known for their twist shifters. There are two main varieties of SRAM shifters: the

ESP (1:1) system which requires their own rear derailleur, and 2:1 system, whichworks with Shimano rear derailleurs. The Shimano-compatible system relies on therear derailleur moving about 2mm for every 1mm of cable pulled, while the ESP

system has the rear derailleur moving about 1mm for every 1mm of cable. Of thesetwo I much prefer the ESP system, as I find it too easy to shift more gears than Iindended to with the 2:1 system.

Shifters come in two main styles: twist shifters or lever shifters. It used to be that

SRAM made the twist shifters, and Shimano made the trigger shifters, but now

SRAM make some trigger shifters and vice versa. Most people prefer one or theother, but you won't know which one you like until you've tried them. Try to test-

Shimano Alivio logo


11/16

ride bikes with both kinds so you'll know which type you'd like to have on your

bike. If you find your dream bike, but it comes with the wrong kind of shifters,don't despair. The bike shop will often replace them with the other kind for a small

fee or even free.

For brakes and brake levers, Shimano, Dia Compe, Gripshift, and Avid are brands

to look for. Tektro brakes, while not being top-notch, also do the job pretty well.Never buy a bike with plastic brakes.

Often bike companies have their own line of parts. For example, you'll find

Specialized components on Specialized bikes and CODA components onCannondale bikes. It's sometime hard to tell how good these parts are. Often theyare excellent quality and value (especially for Specialized and CODA parts), but

sometimes they aren't quite a good quality as you might like. There is no general

rule here, so ask someone you trust about these parts if you're worried about it.

3. Make sure it fits

It is of the utmost importance to buy a bike that fits you. If the bike doesn't fit, don'tbuy it, even if you find a bike that's really great at a low price. A bike that doesn't

fit will annoy you every time you ride it, and will get in the way when you get outon the trails.

First, I recommend that you read Peter White's excellentarticleon bicycle fit.

Now I'll give some specific tips about getting a mountain bike that fits you well.There are two main things to consider when getting a bike that fits you. They are

height of bike (usually determined by seat tube length) and length of bike (usually

determined by top tube length).

Bike frame sizes usually bear some relation to the length of their seat tubes (i.e.,

they tell you something about the height of the bike). But what is the length of the

seat tube? The entire length of it, or from say the middle of the bottom bracket tothe middle of the top tube? Haro bikes often have curved top tubes, does their

frame size number take that into account? Are the seat tube extensions in Konabikes included in the frame size? Different manufacturers do things differently, so

don't treat the numbers as any definite indication of what bike will fit you best. You

may think a frame size sounds too small or large, but what's important is how youfeel when you're on it. The only thing that's certain is that given the same model of

bike in the same year, a larger number will mean a larger bike.

To start with, you need to ensure that you adequate crotch clearance. Generally,

you should be aiming at a minimum of 3 to 4 inches. Because mountain bikes are

designed to allow this sort of crotch clearance, they are generally very long for theirheight. Even if you aren't planning on riding your mountain bike offroad (there are
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htmhttp://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htmhttp://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htmhttp://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm


12/16

reasons to do this: mountain bikes make good touring bikes, especially for shorter

people) you must allow a large amount of crotch clearance to get the appropriatesaddle to handlebar distance. If you know the size of a road bike that fits you, you

should be getting a mountain bike that has a "frame size" (seat tube height) of atleast 2" smaller.

This is only the beginning. Now you must look closely at the relative position ofthe handlebar with respect to the saddle. The best position for you depends on how

upright you like to be when riding. Do you want a stretched-out, low-handlebarsposition (best for maximum speed)? Or an upright position (better for control on

downhills and more comfortable for longer rides)? If you're like most of us, you'll

want something in between.

If you're not sure what position will suit you best, you will want to ride a few bikes

around to see what you like. The main thing you should look for is feelingbalanced. You shouldn't feel too stretched out. This can put too much weight on

your hands, which will make your hands tired and can make the bike likely to

nosedive (throwing you over the bars) going downhill and off dropoffs. On the

other hand, you shouldn't be too upright, as this can lead to a feeling of beingcramped (if the handlebar is too close). Also the higher center of gravity can giveyou less control over the bike since you can't maneuver your weight around well

enough. As a general guide, most of the people I ride with are into recreationalcross-country riding, and they usually have handlebars that are at the level of thesaddle or a bit below. If you want to race, you may want the handlebars lower.

The relative position of handlebars and saddle are affected by several things: the

length of the top tube, the height of the head tube, the angle and reach of the stem,and the type of handlebars. Different bikes can offer quite a difference of positions,

so try out quite a few bikes before you buy. If you like a more upright position,look for a bike with features like a shorter top tube, a stem that is higher (largerangle between head tube and stem, which makes the handlebars higher) or shorter

(which brings the handlebars closer to you), and riser bars.

Fisher Tassajara with original geometry: good for short torsos


13/16

Fisher Kaitai with Genesis geometry: good for long torsos

Keep in mind that most bikes are designed with the average person is mind.

However, some people have much longer legs than average, some have muchlonger torsos that average. It used to be part of bike lore that women usually felt tostretched out on bikes because they tend the have proportionally longer legs andshorter torsos, but it turns out that this isn't the case: the real problem is that smaller

bikes (which smaller women need to ride) tend to have proportionally longer toptubes than larger bikes, so the handlebars tend to end up further from the saddle.(For more on this seeBuying a bike that fits a woman.)

If you have a short torso with respect to your height, or if you are small and thusride a small bike (which tend to have proportionally longer top tubes), you'll want

to find ways of bringing the handlebars back towards you. It may be simply amatter of putting on a shorter stem (this is easy to do as MTB stems almost alwayshave well-positioned bolt to let you swap them without disturbing anythingmounted on the handlebars). If this doesn't work (you find that the steering is too

quick with the shorter stem, or the bars are still too far away) you'll have to look for

a bike with a shorter top tube. You could buy a smaller size bike to get a shorter toptube. This usually works reasonably well, as you'll end up with more crotch

clearance. You can run into trouble, however, with finding the handlebars too low,which if it's not too low may be fixed by changing the stem for one with a higher

rise. Note also that different bikes tend to have different lengths of top tube, so youcan choose one that suits your needs better. For example, you might consider theFisher Tassajara over the Fisher Kaitai because the former have shorter top tubes.

If you are small, finding a shorter top tube can be made easier by the womens

specific bikes that many manufacturers are making. These bikes have severaladaptations for the smaller riders that work as well for shorter men as for short or

even average-sized women. They have shorter top tubes, suspension settings for

lighter weight, sometimes brake levers with reduced pull.

However, don't assume that all bikes labelled as "women's specific" are going to beappropriate for a women or small man rider. Some of them, for example the Trek
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.html


14/16

and Juliana bikes, are very well thought out fpr the needs of the smaller rider. Many

so-called women's specific bikes are way too heavy and offer a ridiculously uprightriding position, or really don't have short top tubes. To see a more thorough

discussion of women's bikes and components, seeWhat to look for in a women'sbike.

If you have a long torso with respect to your leg length, you may find the distanceto the handlebars too short. One thing you could do is buy a larger framed bike to

get a longer distance between you and the handlebars, but this is not at allrecommended. Crotch clearance is essential for safe off-road riding. You can

replace the stem with a longer stem, but on many bikes this results in slow steering,

as it increases the distance from the end of the handlebar (where your hand rests)and the pivot point (the end of the stem that meets the head tube). However, recent

trends in mountain bike geometry (pioneered by Fisher with its Genesis geometry)

are in your favor. The trend involves somewhat longer top tubes, which enablesyou to have a shorter stem (which speeds up the steering) and still have the

handlebars the same distance from the saddle. In your case, you can then put alonger stem on to get the handlebars out to a good position.

Check your cranks!

Most modern MTBs come with 175mm cranks. This istoo long for many people, and too short for some. For

more info on this, see myarticle on cranks. The chart

to the right has leg lengths (crotch to floor in bare feet)in the left column and suggested crank lengths for

MTBs on the right. Note that this chart is adapted from

the chart in my cranks article, by adding 5mm to eachcrank length in the original chart. This reflects the fact

that MTBers tend to use longer cranks than road riders.Note that the industry-standard 175mm cranks actually

are ideal for only a very small segment of the

population. Taller than that you'll benefit from longercranks, and shorter than that you'll benefit from shorter

cranks.

Measure your leg length (thecranks articleshows youhow) and see where you fit on this chart, and compare

this with the crank length on the bike you're thinking

of buying. If the suggested crank length is a sizeabledistance (5mm or more) from what's on the bike, itwill benefit you to get different length cranks.

Some length cranks are easier to find than others. Ifyour ideal crank length is 170mm, you are in luck. All Shimano cranks come in

Leg Length MTB Crank Length

60 to 65cm 155mm

66 to 70cm 160mm

72 to 75cm 165mm

75 to 78cm 167.5mm

79 to 81cm 170mm

82 to 83cm 172.5mm

83 to 86cm 175mm to 177.5mm

87 to 90cm 180mm to 182.5mm

91 to 94cm 185mm

94cm plus 190mm
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/what_women.html


15/16

either 170mm or 175mm, so if the bike comes with 175mm cranks, ask your bike

shop to swap the cranks for an equivalent 170mm crank. They may charge you asmall fee to do this, especially if the cranks they take off aren't the same brand as

the ones they put on, but it will make pedalling much more stressful on your knees,and it will well and truly be worth it.

If the suggested crank length is less than 170mm or greater than 175mm, it can behard to get exactly what fits you. The shimano Deore XT cranks offer the widest

variety I know of: they come in lengths 165/167.5/170/172.5/175/177.5/180mm.Even if your suggested crank length is less than 165mm, or greater than 180mm, it

would be very beneficial for you to have a crank length that comes as close to your

ideal as you can. I know this is alot of money (these XT cranks aren't cheap) but ifyou're a serious cyclist, it willd definitely be worth it. Note that it can be difficult to

get these non-standard lengths of cranks. For example, 165mm versions weren't

available in the UK. But you can order them from the US. See thecranks articleformore info.

If you have very short legs and can't afford a 165mm Deore XT chainset, then if

your bikes comes with 175mm cranks, at the very least get them swapped for170mm cranks. It won't be optimal for you, but it will be far better than stickingwith the extremely long cranks that came with the bike.

4. The bike-buying process

If you want a bargain bike, the best time to buy is in September. At that point, nextyear's models have come out, so bike shops clear out their old stock to make space

for the hot new items. As time goes on, prices continue to go down, but selection

decreases as well. By February, you might get a very good deal on the previous

year's model, but you'd be really lucky if you could find the bike you want in yoursize.

You should buy a bike from your local shop. At least, a shop that isn't too far away,

so you can go back if you have any problems with the bike. You can often get bikescheaper if you buy them by mail order, but if you haven't ridden the exact bike you

want to buy bike, you could very well end up with one that doesn't fit you. Even ifyou have ridden the bike you want to buy, you should still get it from a local shop.

Not only can you then get them to fix it if there are any problems with it, but theywill also do swaps for you for little or no money. For example, they could add bar

ends or change the stem, saddle, or shifters.

Go into all the shops that you would consider buying from, and see what they have

in your price range. Take home a catalog so you can check out the details of thebikes (frame material, quality of components, suspension fork, etc). Or you can
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.html


16/16

check out these details on the Web (see my list oflinksto find URLs for a variety

of manufacturers). This will allow you to find the highest quality bikes in yourprice range.

Go back to the shops and try out the bikes. Convince them to get a bike of your size

in, if they don't have it already. If the bike doesn't fit you perfectly, see how willing

they are to swap parts (e.g. stems) to get it there. After this, you should have apretty good idea of what you want: you'll have found a good bike that fits you. If

you're still uncertain as to what to buy, you can post to a mailing list or newsgroupto ask if anyone has experience with the bikes you're contemplating.

If you want, you can try to haggle a bit when you buy the bike. You'll have the bestluck trying to get accessories for a reduced price rather than getting money off the

bike itself. Here are some accessories you will need.

Something to carry water. It's a good idea to start off with a water bottleand cage. Lots of people use water packs like Camelbak for mountain

biking, but even these people often use water bottle for short trips.

Basic lights, if there's ever any chance that you might be out on your bikeafter dark. These lights are of little use off-road, but they can be used as

torches to get you back to roads if you're out later than you expect, and

from there you can ride safely back home. Check out some

recommendationshere.

Aminimal toolkit

Bike gloves. They protect your hands in case of a fall, give you a better gripon the handlebars, and help dampen shock.

Helmet. You crash alot off-road, and there are hard things like rocks androots along to bash your head against.

HAPPY RIDING!
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/links.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/links.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/links.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/vistalite.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/vistalite.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/vistalite.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/vistalite.htmlhttp://www.myra-simon.com/bike/links.html

BICKLO, upute, informacije, pomoć,...

Documents

Transcript of BICKLO, upute, informacije, pomoć,...