For a first time biker, your biking purchases is not done with the purchase of the bike, that is only the beginning. You will need to buy clothing, shoes and other biking accessories for a complete biking experience.

Most people simply buy all they need at the bike store as they buy bicycle itself, however you can choose to buy other equipment as you learn more about them and figure out the ones you need and the one you don’t. There are several accessories out there that can enhance your performance when riding your bike especially if you do race. Accessories like aero bars will help you move faster. Biking could be a little bit expensive a hobby especially if you want to do it right. Depending on how much space you have for storage you could invest in a bicycle rack for storage of your bike and also in a rack for transportation on your car. This will particularly be useful if you intent to travel to a destination to enjoy riding your bike.

If you an avid bike rider then you should invest in the right clothing. Nothing looks so out of place as a rider wearing regular cloths and hunched over a road bike cycling away. If you are cycling to work, put your work cloths in a bag and done on your cycling gear. You can change and maybe get a shower when you get to work. I hope you have a shower at work. Biking cloths are not just designed to make you look good; rather they are also designed with your safety in mind. Clothing accessories like gloves, cycling shoes and jerseys all enhance your performance.

One of the most important accessories for cycling is the helmet. It provides protection for the head and is stream lined so that it does hinder your speed. Other accessories such knee guards, arm guards, cycling shoes all work together to give you an enjoyable experience. Also get a bicycle lock to get some sense of security that your bicycle will be where you left it. If you are riding to work with your bike invest in a bag suitable for bikes so that you can carry documents and other things you need to work. A water bottle is an essential component of your gear. You do not want to be dehydrated as you ride your bike. You can get all your gear online and there are many of sites that offer biking gear at affordable rates.

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Why we Need to Develop Mountain Biking Trails in Thailand

The potential for MTB in Thailand is endless. Bangkok itself and the surrounding provinces like Nonthaburi, Suphanburi and Ayutthaya are ultra flat but travel just a couple of hours in any direction and the mountainous terrain is amazing. Unfortunately for most Bangkokians don’t even know what all mountain or downhill mountain biking is all about and although I don’t want to knock XC MTBers the locals spend most of their biking time riding on flat boring dirt roads traveling as slow as possible and stopping now and again to point at and pick fruit from trees.

As well as these flat dirt roaders there are others that think mountain biking means riding a mountain bike on tarmac roads dressed in their best Sunday spandex with racing slicks on their 24,000 baht Mavic Crossmax, when it would be fair to say that that’s road biking and you can use a sports cycle with rigid forks for that.

Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand is the established Mecca of downhill mountain biking. With a handful of downhill and all mountain trails, great trails but still none of which are of a world-class standard. The hype for most mountain bikers who travel to Chiang Mai to have a go at the trails there is simply to say that they had a go at the sport in a country warm enough to call it jungle single track.

With tourism at a 49 years low in the kingdom it would be great to see the MTB Tour companies who operate in Chiang Mai and its surrounding areas investing more time developing tracks and promoting the sport more with XC and downhill races and maybe some even some 4x and slope style competitions.

The 2007 Asean Downhill competition was held near Lam Tha Khong Dam on the outskirts of Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Rachasima Province which gave mountain bikers in Central Thailand some hope that the sport had reached a new level and more trails would be built but after a visit to the site where the event was held just a few months after the trail had gone back to being an unused overgrown path and the locals had forgotten all about it.

There is some great potential for mountain biking trails in Central Thailand too but the locals and expats who live there don’t seem to get the time or feel the need to go out and build more trails just keep riding the same old trails at Khao I-to in Prachinburi and Tamp Pra Toon in Chonburi. Again, these are two great trails to get your teeth into but become boring for the people who ride them all the time and are quite difficult for those who are just getting into the sport with their awkward and steep uphill sections being very punishing in the hotter months.

What mountain bikers in Thailand would like to see is more purpose built trails developed in the area. Locations such as Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi and Khao Yai would be perfect locations for mountain bikers in the country to get together and develop some world-class trails with manageable uphill sections and great downhill sections to cater for all MTB disciplines.

M.T. Hill Tours encourages the growth of Mountain Biking and Eco-tours in Thailand and our Mountain Bike Tours Thailand website is a free information site with free GPS waypoints for all central Thailand trails and information about mountain biking in central Thailand and Chiang Mai. Our all new English MTB forum has been set up to encourage groups of mountain bikers to get together and help to develop new mountain bike trails all over the country.

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Extreme sports are getting more and more popular these days. Mountain biking attracts daredevils from all over the world who like to have an “adventure sport experience”.

The term mountain biking includes many different styles. The range is from gentle types such as cross country where you ride up and down the hills, and cyclo cross, which is a combination between mountain biking and road biking, to more ‘extreme’ styles. Downhill biking is one of the more extreme types and it is also one of the most popular forms of mountain biking.

As the name implies, in downhill mountain biking you only ride down the hills. The bike and the biker get transported up to the top by a lift and then begin the thrilling ride down. What you’re aiming for is to get to the bottom of the hill as fast as possible, managing to pass all the obstacles. The situations that occur often get pretty extreme. This includes jumps that can be up to twelve meters long, dropping three meters and other kinds of rough conditions that you can find on a mountain slope.

The people that are into downhill mountain biking are those that are looking for a good challenge, that long for the adrenaline pumping experience and don’t mind a few bruises. It’s for those that like to be on the risky, thrilling side of life.

The downhill bike is heavier than other mountain bikes to be able to fit the conditions. It weighs somewhere between forty and fifty pounds so forget about pedaling uphill once you’re out there. Once you’ve begun your race, there’s only one way to go and that’s down. The bike has to be able to put up with extreme conditions so it is equipped with front and rear suspension and heavy tubing. For the biker, it’s necessary to use full saftety gear with a proper helmet, goggles, a body suit plus knee and hand pads. You can expect to have some close contact with the dirt even if you are a professional downhill biker.

There are many ways to improve you skills, the most important one is of course to practice, and then to practice a bit more and a bit more. There are loads of books, DVDs and internet sites where people can watch stunts being performed by professionals sharing their tricks and ideas. This is also a great way to learn, and something you can bring with you once your actually out on the hillside. The only way to fully master it though, is to learn by the experience.

Even though downhill mountain biking is somewhat a risky sport, it’s well worth to go for it, being able to give you an experience out of the ordinary, both fun and exciting.

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Road Bike Racing & Preparation

Did you know that there are nine categories that mountain biking can be split into? Each category offers the rider a different experience either as a hobby or as a sport. The different mountain bike reviews are broken down into these categories:

1. Dirt Jumping

This style of mountain biking is known for the high jumps over manmade dirt hills. While in the air, tricks are done on the bike. Six or more jumps are usually done in one run and the jumps are close together so that the biker can get a flow going with their trick riding.

2. Cross country
In this style of mountain biking, you ride your bike up and down hills. It is not the most extreme form in the mountain biking world, but most of this type of ride is in great shape due to the long rides.

3. Cyclo cross
This biking category is a cross between mountain and road biking. The riders learn how to race on and off the course, ride obstacles, and go through rivers.

4. Downhill Biking

Racing downhill the fastest is the goal of downhill mountain bikers. The name of the game is extreme and intense riding, to help give the riders maximum excitement and thrills.

5. BMX
This style of mountain biking uses 20-inch wheels. You can very commonly see this kind of bikes at skate parks or areas with dirt jumps. These BMX bikes are made for performing tricks and doing stunts because they have a shorter wheel base and smaller wheels.

6. Trials
The bicycles used in trials do not look anything like mountain bikes. They have 20 or 26-inch wheels and they have smaller, lower frames than mountain bikes. In trials, riders jump their bikes over different obstacles. This kind of biking takes a great deal of practice, focus, and balance.

7. Freeride Biking

This type of mountain biking involves finding a path down the side of the mountain where you can use all of the terrain to do tricks, stunts, etc. This is a very popular competition, because the riders can express themselves.

8. Street and Urban Biking
Manmade obstacles, ledges, and other urban areas are what this type of biking revolves around. They will do great stunts and tricks on these manmade items, too, including grinds and stalls.

9. Single Speed
This kind of biking is done on a bicycle with only one gear and few other components. This is not to be confused with a fixed gear bicycle. The basis behind this kind of biking is simplicity. This helps the pedaling to be more efficient and the bicycle is lighter and has fewer problems mechanically.

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Owning a bike demands complete biking supplies. It is important that you gather information on how to select the best style for your needs and get a good fit.

The thing that would be on the forefront of your mind before completing your biking supplies is having the right bike for you. First, you will need to decide what you want to use the bike for. It is also a consideration to take where you will be riding your bike most, on road, off road, or both. Through this question, it will help you determine the type of bike to purchase. There are five basic styles of bicycles in three classifications that you need to be familiar with:

• Road bikes. They used to be known as the “ten-speed,” however road bikes now vary from 12 to 21 speeds. Contained by this classification of bikes are touring, racing, and sport bikes.

• Touring Bike. This bike is not built for speed; rather, it is intended to make simple rides for long haul. A touring bike is an exceptional bike for long distance riding. The drop handlebars gives ease good control and allow for multiple hand positions. Twenty-one speeds will take you over any type of incline you will meet and support brakes can stop you even when you’re forcefully loaded down.

• Sport Bike. This bike falls under the category of the touring and racing bike. This is not as light as a racing bike, however, more responsive than the touring bike. The sport bikes drop handlebars that offer comfort and control .Its aerodynamic design allows for faster speeds. If you are into taking rides of 10 or more miles while turning up the strength by adding some speed, this bike can take you there.

• Racing bike. This bike is made for race, sporting a smooth. It is also thin and ultra light frame. A short wheelbase lets the bike to respond to the slightest movements and 12 or 18 gears will get you. It will keep you at top speed. If you are into winning races, this is the bike for you.

• All Land Bike or Mountain bike. This type of bike is tough. It is built with a strong frame, straight handlebars and fat, knobby tires. It tackles the rigors of off road riding. The upright riding position on the bike makes it comfortable while providing you leverage for steep inclines.

• Once you know which type bike you desire, ensure that the bike you choose fits you appropriately. There’s effectively two ways to accomplish a good fit. If you want an ideal fit, for about $50, have a quality bicycle shop that will compute your bike size using a computerized program called the Fit Kit. They will take several measurements such as length of your legs; torso and arms then give you a printout of your measurements. It will also give you the frame height and length that will best suit your body.

The second best way to get a good bike fit is to follow these guidelines such as determining the frame height. You should have one to two inches of advance between the top bar of the bike and your crotch. You should also have three to four inches if you are going to be riding on off-road terrain.

If you want to be a little more precise, measure your inseam. Straddle the bike; lift it up until the top bar touches your crotch. Subsequently, you should measure the distance between the bottom of the tires and ground.

These are just some of those numerous advices you can think about in purchasing a right bike for you. In this sense, getting the right bike for you will lead you to achieve right biking supplies too.

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