Bicycles have been around for a very long time. In fact, bicycles have been around for so long that it is a very common tradition, especially in the United States of America, that one of the first thing that a young child is taught along with his or hers abcs and 123s is how to ride a bicycle.

As we get older, most people often lose interest in cycling. The thought of riding a bike becomes mere nostalgia of times when we were younger. However, if you stop to think about it, there are many benefits to riding a bicycle.

Health Benefits

The health benefits of riding a bicycle are tremendous. A daily or weekly regular exercise regime is hard to maintain because the lifestyles that we may have. Most of us have at least one full time job and many have families to take care of and spend time with in addition to secular work. Because we all have these type of mundane tasks, this makes it harder and harder to keep up with a regular exercise schedule.

Now, if you were to travel via bicycle, this can double as exercise. Depending on how fast you go, you may be able to get a great cardio aerobic workout. If you cycle uphill and off-road, you may also be able to squeeze in some fitness training and strengthen your leg muscles.

Riding a bicycle in lieu of an automobile sometimes can afford you the time to get a work out. If you can set aside some time to cycle strictly for exercise, that can prove to be even more beneficial.

Financial Benefits

There are also financial benefits to riding bicycles. In this day and age, gas prices are on the rise and they continue to be priced higher and higher seemingly every single week. Some times the price of gas can be so financially taxing to people who are on a budget, that they have no other choice but to seek a cheaper alternative. Well, one great alternative is cycling.

Regular, manual bicycles require absolutely no gas at all. All that is required is a little bit of leg muscle and elbow grease. If you live near your workplace or school, why not travel the gas-free way and cycle to your destination?

Eco Benefits

Go green by cycling! Because bicycles require no gas, they are eco-friendly. They do not cause pollution to be blown into the air nor do they release harmful toxins that may potentially cause health problems.

So, there you have it. Riding bicycles have physical, financial, and eco benefits. These reasons for cycling are great, and the benefits can make you happier and healthier.

Avenir Rear Road Bike Rack (Black, 700c)
DONT MISS OUT ON THIS EXCELLENT PRODUCT… More >>

GMC Denali Pro Road Bike (56cm Frame)
Looking for a nice road bike but don’t want to spend too much? Look no further. We proudly introduce the Denali PRO, t… More >>

GMC Denali LTD Road Bike (22in Frame)
GMC Denali Limited Road Bike is good, fast and inexpensive. In the old days, they would say pick any two but you can’t … More >>

As the car sped off, she scrambled to retrieve the license plate number. She ended up having to leave her bicycle where it was so that she could limp to the nearest payphone to call someone to come pick her up and take her to the hospital. What had she been doing wrong? She had been following all of the rules of the road for cyclists. She was not impeding the flow of traffic and had said nothing to the people in the car to infuriate them. However, there is a growing trend of people who dislike cyclists because they feel as if they slow down traffic and don’t always obey the rules. Despite all of this, we must learn how to share the road with other people. If the law dictates that we must share the road with cyclists, and the cyclists are following the rules of sharing the roadway, then we should have no reason to fault them. Learning tolerance as a motorist is something that will go a long way to prevent unnecessary accidents or squabbles between other pedestrians and cyclists.
I will never forget the time that one of my friends, a professional cyclist, recounted a story to some friends about how she had been attacked on several occasions by passing motorists who had reached the peak of their frustration. With regards to one of the incidents that she was involved in, she told us that she had been riding her bicycle along a popular road when she was hassled by a car full of twenty-somethings. They began to verbally taunt her. She ignored them, and when the light turned green, she continued on her bicycle; however, the car wound up following her. Finally, someone in the car had the idea to start throwing glass bottles at her. A couple of the glass bottles wound up hitting her, causing her to fall off of her bicycle. Not only was she injured from the broken glass, but when she fell, she fell against the curb and wound up further injuring herself. To make matters even worse, her expensive road bicycle was damaged. 
You may be thinking, “but motorcycles have two wheels too…”. The main difference between someone who is on a motorcycle versus someone who is on a bicycle is the fact that someone who is on a motorcycle is actually capable of ‘driving’ at a speed that is comparable to that of any of the other vehicles that it shares the road with. On the other hand, someone who is riding around on a bicycle is sharing the road with motorists but is not able to keep up with the same speed that the traffic is traveling. Often, cyclists can be seen in the far right lanes of a roadway while vehicles swerve to avoid them or frustratingly slow down as they get caught behind them.
Apart from when it is snowing outside or when it is pouring rain, riding a bicyclye is a great and extremely effective way for getting around. But if this is the case, then why do so many motorists find cyclists to be incredibly annoying?

GMC Denali Girls’ 24-Inch Road Bike
Try out our GMC Denali 24″ girls road racing style bicycle features an Aluminum frame and durable steel fork, sized for … More >>

Schwinn Pillow Top Cruiser Bicycle Seat
Do away with discomfort while cycling with this Schwinn Pillow Top cruiser bicycle seat. The seat is outfitted with extr… More >>

Planet Bike Full Hybrid/Road Front and Rear Bicycle Fender Set (45mm Wide)
If next weeks forecast is calling for rain with a slight chance of mostly cloudy, bolt on the Planet Bike Full Hybrid/Ro… More >>

Mountain Bike, abbreviated as MTBs or ATBs (All Terrain Bikes) is a bike that are meant for riding on dirt paths or unpaved environments. They are more rugged than road bicycles, and can handle more strain.

The tires of the mountain bike are wider and knobbier than road bikes, for more grip and shock absorption. Front suspension for the MTBs is becoming the norm, and in today’s mountain bikes, you can find front and rear suspension. The wheels are usually 26″ in diameter, but this is slowly changing to 29″ in the newer mountain bikes.

Mountain Bikes can be widely classified into four types.

* Fully Rigid

* Hard Tail

* Soft Tail

* Dual/ Full Suspension

Fully Rigid Mountain Bikes don’t have any suspension, and their frames have fixed rears and a rigid fork.

Hard Tail Mountain Bikes have a suspension fork in the front, and no suspension in the rear. A soft tail Mountain bike has very less suspension in the rear, and its frame has a flex in the rear, rather than the pivot. A Full Suspension MTB has a suspension fork in the front, and a rear suspension as well, with a link that lets the rear wheel move on a pivot.

Until recently, MTBs had the same design and geometry of Road Bikes. When mountain biking became more popular, riding became more aggressive, and new mountain bikes with lighter and stronger frames were created to cater to the rider’s needs and aggressive riding style.

The New-age mountain bikes have 21, 24 or 27 speeds. They usually have 3 gears in the front. The rear has 7, 8 or 9 gears. They also feature disc brakes. This gives the rider better stopping power than normal rim brakes. They can also take heavy breaking without wearing out soon, and causing lesser problems.

There are a wide range of tire types for mountain bikes. Some styles include slick street tires, sticky rubber tires, etc. Tubeless tires are also gaining popularity in the MTB world for their pinch flat resistance. Some good MTB tire manufacturers are Wilderness Trail Bikes, Schwalbe, Kenda, Maxxis, Nokian, etc.

Mountain biking has become more of an adventure sport by itself, and lot of equipment can be found just for mountain bikers, most of it safety related. Protective gear that is worn by the rider is often referred to as ‘Armor’, and is work to protect against injuries. ‘Armors’ may range from just knee and elbow caps, to full body padding. Usually, Downhill and freestyle bikers wear more armor, as their riding styles are more dangerous and prone to injuries. Most of these bodysuits also have special protection for the spine, comprising of a set of plastic plates, covered with foam.

Most bike parks require bikers to wear full face helmets, to protect against injury. These helmets a just like their counterparts used in motocross, but are considerably more ventilated and lighter. Most professional riders wear these by choice, to avoid head injuries.

Some of the Mountain Bike manufacturers are Airborne cycles, Alpine design MTBs, Arrow Racing, Dagger, Dart, Full Dynamix, etc.

GMC Denali Pro Road Bike (56cm Frame)
Looking for a nice road bike but don’t want to spend too much? Look no further. We proudly introduce the Denali PRO, t… More >>

Fox Racing Mudpaw Skeleton Men’s MX Motorcycle Gloves – Color: Black, Size: Large
Fox brings you the most comfortable, off-the-bike glove in motorcross Stretch cotton construction 2010 Model … More >>

Giro Atmos Racing Bike Helmet (Red/Black, Medium)
Superior technology, Tour de France proven performance and leading style are why riders like Armstrong, Petacchi, and Fr… More >>