Tuesday, August 21, 2012

More on Perfect Mountain Bike Fit from bike shop near Weslaco


Our bike shops (close by Weslaco) just posted the first of a few tips for how to adjust your mountain bike for perfect fit. 
Some riders may make adjustments to these guidelines because of their specific style, but these are the most common things we consider for the right fit. We already covered standover height and reach. 
Here are a few more of the things we look at with fit...
3. Adjusting saddle height: When on the saddle, feet on pedals, your knees should be slightly bent at the bottom of a pedal stroke. If both your feet are able to sit flat on the ground, you probably need raise the seat.
4. Stem adjustment: Have another person hold the bike up while you sit on the saddle. If your arms are stretching or your elbows are locked, your stem needs adjustment. Some models have an adjustable stem. If not, you can have a bike shop replace your stem with one that is the right length and angle for your proportions.
5. Adjusting saddle position: The saddle is usually parallel to the ground. With your feet on the pedals,  your knee comes directly over the ball of your foot. When you pedal, your shin is angled slightly forward. If your legs are positioned different than this, you may need saddle adjustment.
Our bike experts can always assist with finding the right bicycle for your needs and body, as well as getting your bike fitted for your perfect ride.  

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Bicycle shop Harlingen: Perfect Mountain Bike Fit


If you buy your new mountain bike at one of our bike shops (Harlingen, Brownsville, or McAllen) you can trust that your new bike will be fitted properly, or you can bring it back for adjustment. Having a bike that fits you well is essential for your bike to have top performance, fitness benefit, and comfort.
The following are a few of our bike shop's tips for achieving perfect fit. These tips are general guidelines, and some riders may choose to make adjustments to them to reflect their riding needs and style.
1. To find standover height: Straddling the top tube, lift your bicycle. On a typical hard tail, this should leave at least 2 inches between the tires and the ground. For some types of riding, the preference may be for up to a 3-5 inch clearance. On a full suspension bike, 1" may be adequate. Full suspension will mean your bike's height will be compressed when you're seated.
2. To adjust reach: When seated, with your hands placed on the handlebar grips, your elbows should be gently bent, not hyper-extended. This will allow your arms to absorb some of the impact of bumps and rough terrain without undue strain.
See our next post for more of our tips on adjusting mountain bike fit...

Saturday, August 11, 2012

2013 Specialized Crosstrail Review by Times Writer

Roy Wallack writes about bicycles for the LA Times.  He also is the do-author of "Bike for Life:  How to Ride to 100," Roy  checked out four fitness bikes in a recent column for the Los Angeles Times.  He gave this overview of the fitness bike category:

If you're ready to ride a bike for fitness but not ready to hunch over like a Tour de France racer or tackle death-defying single-track trails in the mountains, a single-speed, bulbous-tire beach cruiser won't do. You need a "fitness bike," what the industry now calls the broad category that combines the large, fast-rolling 700-C wheels of road bikes, a tough multi-tread tire and the straight handlebars of a mountain bike. Formerly known as hybrids, these lightweight aluminum-frame bikes have become more refined, stylish and specialized; all work for commuting while sporting varying capabilities for pavement and mild dirt paths.
Roy' review of the 2013 Specialized CrossTrail Fitness Bike was almost all thumbs up:


Specialized CrossTrail: A versatile pavement and dirt-path bike with Shimano Altus 24-speed trigger-shifter gearing, light-duty suspension fork with 60 millimeters (2¼ inches) of travel, tough multi-belt 38-millimeter-wide tires and anti-numbness platform handlebar grips. 
Likes: Rugged, fast and comfortable. Perfect if you ride on the street and well-graded dirt paths. Although not designed for it, the CrossTrail even got me through some rocky single-track trails due to its shock and bulletproof knobby tires. Higher-end models add disc brakes, a lock-out on the fork, internally run cables and better components. 
Dislikes: Since the fork tempts you to do challenging trails that you probably shouldn't do, I would have preferred a higher, mountain-bike-style bottom bracket (pedal axel) for rock clearance and a wider frame spacing to accommodate wider tires.
Price: $580 ($630 with disc brakes).





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