Issue date: 9/29/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: KARL MONDON Mountain biking is a popular form of exercise for all ages.

Mountain biking is a sport that anyone who is physically capable can partake in. Beyond that, people may not realize how fun it is and how addicting it can

Eric Povish, freshman English and communications major, said, "Mountain biking sounds like it would be fun to try."

On the other end of the spectrum, Joe Windt, sophomore criminology major, said "Bro, it's just not like surfing. Going down a mountain on a bike isn't as thrilling as dropping in on a perfect eight foot wave with a solid barrel."

Riding a mountain bike takes endurance and a strong personal will to keep pushing on, no matter what happens on the trail or during a race. Most people own mountain bikes or something similar but never actually take them off-road. There are many trails in Pennsylvania that get plenty of use for whatever discipline of riding one chooses to do, and there are many. The main types of riding are cross- country, downhill and free-riding.

Cross country riding is the most commonly known riding style. The terrain consists of climbs and descents in an off-road setting, usually on wooded trails or smooth, skinny single tracks down mountain sides or through fields. XC bikes are usually hard tails or short travel suspension bikes. Travel is the length of compression a shock will go through, and XC bikes generally have four inches or less.

Wide gearing is necessary for all of the different terrain one may encounter, with the bike usually having three gears in the front and eight or nine in the rear. It is almost a necessity to keep a pump, spare tubes, patch kits, water bottles and even foldable tires with you so that the bike can be fixed on the spot should anything happen on the trail. Blowing tubes and tearing tires is simply a fact of life, and one must always be prepared. Price ranges for these bikes can lie anywhere between $500 and $8,000.

Downhill mountain bikes are entirely different. They are basically dirt bikes with pedals instead of motors. They have one gear in the front and the standard eight or nine in the back. These are made for racing on downhill courses where riders will typically hit speeds of 40 mph or above. The lack of gears in comparison to an XC bike is due to the fact that these are made for strict downhill riding. The frame geometry is far more slack to compensate for constantly being on a descent. To want to pedal one of these rigs up a hill would require legs and lungs of iron, as they generally weigh approximately 45 lbs. A complete downhill ride will set you back about $4,500 at least.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools