Mountain Biking Great Exercise and Fun

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Dave W

Mountain biking is a great way to explore the great outdoors, exercising and having fun. Racing down a mountainside is exhilarating; however, it can also be dangerous.
Although it is consider a dangerous sport, if done with utmost caution, mountain biking can be enjoyed by the whole family.

As with any outdoor sport, selecting the right equipment and an understanding of the sport will be the key to a great adventure.

Styles of Mountain Biking

Mountain biking can be categorized into three different styles. There is downhill, free riding, and cross-country. Although the styles are similar in some respect, they all require different skills. The style you select will determine the type of bike.

Mountain Biking Locations

Typically, this sport is known as biking on an unpaved surface. Most regions have areas specifically designed for this grand sport. State and federal parks are a good place to mountain bike. However, you should check with your local parks to get the routes and other regulations or rules they may have. In addition, if you venture off to some state or federal land or any wilderness type area, it is best to know about the surroundings should there be any unexpected accidents.

There are also groups that have mountain bike rides and competitions. You could search the internet or local newspaper to see what is available in your area. There may be groups for the advanced rider as well as the novice.

Criteria to be a Great Mountain Biker

A prerequisite for a great mountain biker is endurance and stamina. In addition, it takes discipline to practice and the ambition to succeed and conquer the course. A novice mountain biker will have to overcome the bumps and bruises from falling of the bike. Like all sports, it takes practice and the constitution to keep trying.

Selecting Your Bike

Selecting your bike is a personal choice and contingent on the type of riding you will do. Bikes come in all different styles, shapes, and prices, therefore selecting the perfect one for you can be difficult. Again, do some internet research or venture out to do some comparison-shopping before you get ready to make a purchase. Ask to try out a bike before you buy. A good mountain biker becomes one with his or her bike. Check for comfort, fit, and how it is geared, all these factors need to be considered.

Staying Safe

As mentioned earlier, mountain bike riding on unpaved roads can be hazardous. The typical safety gear is a helmet, knee and elbow pads. You should also consider goggles if riding in a very dense wooded area or if following a group of bikers. Safety should be your top priority and not taken lightly when riding no matter what the terrain.

For more information about mountain biking and bikes, visit Mountain Bike

About The Author:

David Chandler

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/mountain-biking–great-exercise-and-fun-35568.html

How do you set up a charity sponsorship for a cycling event?

hi, basically im 15 and wanted to give something back to my community but i wanted to do something different instead of the usual charity shop work but i can’t do anything extreme like climb a mountain! (lol)

i have decided to cycle to and from school everyday for a week (that is 5 days). this will help my fitness too and i love cycling.
the school is roughly 4 miles from my house (so each day i will cycle 8 miles, i.e. for the whole week i would hav gone 40 miles).

i was just wondering on certian things, here are my questions on this:

do i need a special liscence for cycling on the road?

how do i enrole the organization i want to cycle for?

i don’t hav a professional road cycle, only an old mountain bike…do i have to buy my own new one or do i tell the charity to buy one for me?

how long does it take to cycle 4 miles roughly, im not very experienced with long distance cycling, most of the time i just stroll on my bike at a medium/slow pace?

do i have to make my own sponsorship cards and collect the money myself at the end? (i.e. do i need to go around myself to do all the sponsorship stuff or will the charity provide me with this)?

finally, i was just looking for any overall advice like how to (and if i shoul) train, adn when the best time of year is to do this type of thing and just any genral other advice and your thoughts on my endeavour.

any answers are appreciated
thank you
ok sorry, let me re-phrase my questions:

i dont want the charity to buy me bike, i just have never done something like this so i thought maybe there was some sort of thing where the charity provides you with equipment

also, i live in london and will be doing the ride in Barnet, and by car and bus the journey normally takes 20 mins so i suspect it will be longer by biking, i want to know how much longer.

finally, NO BODY ELSE in my school rides a bike to/from school, so by doing this, i intend to raise money for the charity by being unique in my school AS WELL as doing the ride for my own benefit as i’m not the healthiest person around…

so please, instead of just putting me down, i would appreciate helpful answers

Answer
a person i work with is involved in a local soccer club. in order to raise any money for the club (whether it’s first goal or the club’s lotto) he would need a special license from the gardaí (i’m in ireland)

i cannot imagine it’d be different in the UK so that’d be your second step

your first step is to choose which charity you want to raise money for

if you are collecting, then people want to know what it is for. it could be your local hospice, your pet cause (mine is the central remedial clinic in dublin) etc etc. get in contact with them for approval of the charity event. what they may provide you with is donation cards for people to fill out with lines for each contributor. this would also have the logo for the charity on them probably.

the charity should be willing to help in this and also the police would probably want to know who you are collecting for

also once you get the license for fundraising, there may be online websites which allow you to collect money for charity through them. i know the irish one but unsure about uk.

i wish you luck with this and hope you raise a good deal of money for your chosen charity

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