Perfect kids bike fit (part 2) from Harlingen bike shop

www.bicycleworldrgv.com

In the most recent blog post from our Harlingen bike shop, we discussed the sizing of children's bicycles, and the importance of proper fit. No kid should have to ride an ill-fitting bike! While it might seem like a good idea to get a size up for growth, an oversized bike can be difficult, frustrating, and dangerous for a child to ride. Before purchasing a bike, choose a good size for your kid by checking standover height. As your child grows, knowing how to adjust the seat will allow for some growth with their bike before you have to replace it.

To check standover height, have your child straddle the top bar of the bike with feet planted on the ground. There should be 1-2"  of space between their groin area and the top tube. 

Next, adjust the seat's height. Position the seat so your child can be in a comfy riding position. Kids should ride in a mostly upright position. Their elbows should be gently bent with their hands on the grips. Allow slight flex in their knee at the bottom of a pedal stroke, not hyper-extension. 

Come into our shop in Harlingen to see our selection of quality kid's bike that can safely withstand tough riding providing lasting enjoyment.

Perfect kids bike fit from Harlingen bike shop

Check out our bikes for all ages at www.bicycleworldRGV.com

Our Harlingen bike shop has been sharing our tricks of the trade for selecting a proper bike fit, and making adjustments. Each style of bike has it's own fit guidelines, that will maximize the benefits for it's particular type of riding. Proper fit is important for safety and will improve comfort, ergonomics, performance, and efficiency of your bicycle. 
We covered guidelines for mountain bikes, and in this two part post we examine children's bike sizing and fitting.

Kids’ bikes are sized according to the size of the wheel, not the frame. A great way to start is to come into a local bicycle retailer with your kid, and have a bicycle expert direct you to the right size. If your child is pretty average sized for their age, the wheel sizes translate approximately as follows:

14"-  4 to 6 years 

16"- 5 to 8 years 

18-20"- 7- to 10-years

24"- 10 and up
You can use this chart as a starting point, but you should make your selection by fitting the bike to your child's body, not their age.

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.  

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...

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).

2013 Specialized Allez Review? Test Ride at Bicycle World Harlingen

Our bike shop in Harlingen has new 2013 bikes in, including the 2013 Specialized Allez!

If you are new to the world of road cycling, and want a top-ranking entry-level bicycle that packs excellent value, look no further than the 2013 Specialized Allez. The Allez uses Specialized’s A1 Premium Aluminium which is light, while still offering a sturdy stiff feel on the road. It is equipped with a Shimano 2300 groupset with 16 gears through a compact 50/34 chainset and 8-speed 12/25t rear cassette, enough to take you up steep climbs and give you plenty of speed on flat areas as well. 

The Allez is designed to have a strong frame, and great performance and handling. The riding position is quite comfortable, making it a great first road bike. Alliz picks up speed nice and fast.

It features Specialized's excellent Espoir Sport tires, which have an outer tread, performing well in all-weather conditions, nice and sharp on corners. 

Overall, this is a smooth, comfortable road bike, with great performance at an excellent value.

2013 Specialized Camber at bike shop Harlingen

Trail enthusiasts, get ready…the 2013 Specialized Cambers are in at our bike shop in Harlingen.
Here is a look at some of the changes to this fast and capable trail bike:
The new Camber is only available as a 29er. 26 and 650b have been discontinued.
The standover height of the new Camber is lower than the old model. Riders looking for great value will appreciate the availability of the new M5 aluminum model.
Autosag is now included on all models of the Camber. The new rear shock linkage offers much stiffer torsion, while carrying lighter, and giving better action. Specialized has added lighter Royal rims on all models. All in all, some great improvements on an already outstanding trail bike. The new 2013 Camber offers a lighter, more nimble ride with great climb! Come in and check them out, along with our other new 2013 bikes from Specialized, Giant, Raleigh, and more...