The front forks of bicycles have developed massively since the invention of the mountain bike. Due to the introduction a requirement developed for protection from impact of rocky ground. A requirement that simply hadn’t been there previously.
Generally on MTB’s now days you will tend to find that the front forks have an already fitted set of shocks, with the blades being made from upper and lower extendable cylinders, called ‘legs’. These telescopic tubes allow the impact of the extreme surface under the tyres to be reduced, thereby making the bike much easier to ride on rough terrain.
The design for MTB Forks can vary massively, with the suspension travel and handling characteristics tailored to a specific style of riding. For example, a cross country mountain bike rider will need a different fork to a DH mountain bike rider, who will have a different fork again to a freeride rider. XC bikes do not need as much suspension travel, normally near eighty to one hundred millimeters and will be made from lighter metal when compared to the suspension forks used on a downhill mountain bike. This is essentially as they won’t receive as much punishment as they might in other situations.
When suspension was originally introduced into mountain biking, a travel distance of the 80 to 100 mm was typical. Now though, downhill forks offer typically around one hundred and fifty to 200 millimetres of travel. There are some downhill mountain bike forks though which can offer anywhere up to 300 millimetres of travel for the most harsh conditions!
Some mountain bike suspension forks may also allow the rider to change the suspension travel to suit particular sections of a trail. More travel for downhill and extreme sections, and less travel for the not so rough cross country or up hill sections. The rider may even want to totally eradicate suspension fork travel all together which would be advantageous on a smooth concrete road for example. This lockout capability may even be changed externally from the handle bars using a trigger.
Whichever style of riding you do, it benefits you to choose your MTB front suspension forks carefully because when you pick correctly you will benefit from a significant performance advantage.
If you enjoy playing bicycling, I’m sure you will enjoy any of the many cycling gps units available today. There is nothing more irritating to me then having to stop riding to decide exactly where I’m at. It used to be a routine of looking for landmarks and then estimating your location and distance remaining on your ride. Any cyclist can relate to thiswhether mountain biking or touring. Today’s technology has provided us with a great answer to this problem with the development of new cycling GPS units on market. In fact, there are now so many cycling and handheld GPS units available that you really should read some GPS reviews before deciding which is the best for you.
GPS navigation for travel have been around for several years but it is only fairly recent that major GPS system manufacturers have started producing cycling GPS systems. The basic benefit of the cycling GPS receiver is that it will tell the user the location and the distance to the destination. Nothing could help the rider more with enjoying the ride then knowing how far his next stop is or how far that next intersection is from his position and all provided with just one look at his cycling GPS. Cycling GPS has definitely improved the safety level of touring or mountain biking for that matter. No more guessing the location and most importantly, no more taking that precious extra time of searching for road signs and estimating travel time. The new cycling GPS receivers do all the hard work for you and allow you to simply enjoy the ride.
These cycling gps are easy to use and quite affordable. The basic uses allow you to instantly know the distance to your destination they go beyond that. As each new model comes on the market they seem to provide you with more and more options. Many are available with a handlebar mounting bracket and this makes their use more practical then ever.
The majority of roads and park trails in the United States have already been mapped so the advantage of using the GPS is obvious. Garmin made their name in the GPS field and they offer a good variety of cycling GPS units. They provide a good variety of functions beyond the basics. Of course you still have do the cycling but your ride will become much more enjoyable. I can’t imagine being without a GPS unit if you enjoy mountain biking. Just decide which model fits your individual needs, set the destination and start riding. Cycling GPS is becoming one the more popular bicycle accessories on the market. You are in for a much improved ride.
I have felt like I could give a little more back to my community in the past months. However I never really considered combining charity work with doing something that I enjoyed, and I could also squeeze in a bit of exercise. I discovered a bike ride that was quite local to me but had been running for many years.
I found out that it had been growing in popularity and is quickly becoming a major event every year. The bike ride is run by the Lions club and the Round Table with many supporters including a local radio station called Bright FM on 106.4. The bike ride had been getting a lot of publicity over the past few months and last year over 750 cyclists took part.
This bike ride raises money for the St Peter and St James Hospice that take care of terminally ill patients. They offer the care and the support that is necessary at these times. I also discovered that people all over England are keen to come down and take part in this ride and help raise money for the Hospice.
So I have signed myself up and look forward to taking part in the 40 mile route. You don’t have to go for the 40 mile route, if you want to take your children you can because there is a 20 and 10 mile route, but they have to be accompanied by an adult. So have a work out and test your physical fitness by trying the 40 mile route at the Burgess Hill Bike Ride, while you do you can raise a bit of money for the hospice too. Now i can’t wait to get on board with this cycle event and will be happy to join almost a thousand cyclists, maybe more. So do some exercise and keep fit while you help out a charity thqat needs to raise 3600 pounds everyday to keep running.
And I hope to see you there too!!
Guest post today as I am not a fat, pale pig 
If you are reading this and thinking you need to lose a bit of weight before you get into that bikini/trunks/swimming shorts this summer then read on. In addition, if you are like me when it comes to the summer you do not want to be seen as a fat pale pig wearing swimming shorts. I for one would at least like to eliminate the pig part of that sentence. So why not treat yourself to one of those bright shiny racing bikes.
The thing is riding a bike is a great way to keep fit and even if you are quite happy with the way that you weigh, riding a bike is a brilliant way to tone up all those muscles. I for one live near the South Downs so a bike like this is perfect for me but even if you do not want to compete then there are so many ways you could enjoy a bike like this.
ANother great thing about having a racing bike is that you can take part in a load of charity events that benefit not only yourself but many other people that you could raise money for which is a thing to be proud of doing. As well as this one of these bikes could seriously help social lives. By meeting other people who are into the same thing as you it is surprising how many of the same hobbies you could have in common.
Of course once you have one of these fantastic bikes you are customise it in anyway you want ranging from bike pedals all the way too zipp wheels.
There really is no limit on how you can alter the bike you have so that it performs in the way that you want it too.
So why not treat yourself this month to a brand new racing bike, their fast, trendy and a lot of fun if you really give it a go.
The Giro de Italia has now completed 14 stages and Menchov is still in the lead after a few mountain stages. As stated last week Mark Cavendish took his revenge and won three stages in the current Giro but both he and Pozzato retired before the stage yesterday and are now out of the running for more stage victories. Cavendish retired as his team wants a full recovery before the Tour De France when the Pocket Rocket will be looking for stage victories and perhaps the Green Jersey for points winner. Pozzato was feeling pain in his knee as a result of a fall.
The general classification is still open though after the victory of an Australian, Simon Guerrans, yesterday in a semi mountainous stage. Menchov, Di Luca and Leipheimer are serarated by just 43 seconds so there is still a lot to play for in the Giro this year. Lance Armstrong is putting up a good show but not threatening to take the honours at the moment. Unusually it would seem that the presence of Armstrong does have an effect though as nobody else seems to be takng the race by the scruff of its neck due to the respect for the 6 times Tour De France winner.
