Welcome
Welcome to The Biking Zone
I remember all the fun I had on a bike
growing up, and of course my
bike, like most of my friends, had no brakes. Went through a lot of
pairs of running shoes over those years. 10 speeds hadn't even been out
yet at that time, my bike was a 5 speed ( actually a 3 speed with high
and low gear )... top of the line at the time, cost me $1...Raleigh I
think it was.
How to find
the best bicycle frame: looking beyond the paint
by Alastair Hamilton
Whether you're shopping for a bike or just
admiring them, the first part you notice is probably the bicycle frame.
The frame is the heart of a bicycle, as well as its art. Including the
basically triangular core structure that supports both seat and
handlebars and the extensions that attach to the wheels, the color and
the geometry of the bicycle frame not only affects the beauty of the
bike, but its strength and speed as well. The pleasure and success you
derive from bicycle riding will be strongly impacted by having the
right frame for your physique and your purposes.
The Two Most Important Aspects of Bicycle Frames Are Their Materials
and Their Configuration
Naturally,
your bicycle frame will take into dramatic account whether you ride
primarily on roads or off-road. Not only are so-called mountain bike
frames made of noticeably bigger "tubes," they are made of more shock
resistant materials, with stronger weldings. Road bike frames have a
smaller triangular geometry and the main consideration in their
material is its weight. Everything on a road bike is designed to keep
the rider's resistance to a minimum in order to promote fluency and
speed, while a mountain bike is designed with the primary goal of shock
absorption and maneuverability in mind alongside speed-influencing
factors.
Even among these two main divisions, you will find
major differences in bicycle frames. Road bikes used primarily for
touring or recreational riding will have frames with a more relaxed
geometry and more total horizontal spread front to back, while racing
bikes will tighten that structure for a shorter front to back bike
length. A tighter triangle and less distance between the bicycle frame
and the tires acts to decrease the resistance of wind and road for a
racer, as well as to increase the bike's ability to respond to the
quick, minute maneuverings road racing requires.
There are
several basic considerations to keep in mind when choosing the correct
bicycle frame for your individual physique and your riding purposes. In
addition, your unique body shape and weight will also affect what kind
of bicycle frame is best for your comfort and accomplishment. Standard
frame measurements, made along the seat tube of a frame, take into
account the length of your legs, but the relationship of your torso
length and arm length to the length of your legs is also extremely
important to comfort on a bicycle, and the length of the top tube of
the bicycle frame must also be examined. Two riders of identical height
may need completely different bicycle frames. The best thing you can do
is to shop at a bicycle store where knowledgeable riders earn their
living and where you are allowed to try out a bicycle before buying it.
About The Author
Alastair
Hamilton is a successful writer who offers a truly unique depth of
experience in competitive cycling. Further info about bicycle frames
http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com/bike-parts/bicycle-frames.html at
http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com, the hub of cycling information
Bicycle
rims and wheels: Your bike can't go anywhere without them
by Alastair Hamilton
The first bicycle wheels were from a horse
drawn cart, made of
wood with a metal band round the bicycle rim, very hard and
very uncomfortable to ride. Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish)
invented the pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another
Scot) inventing the tar road surface made cycling a lot more
comfortable.
The bicycle rim, like the bicycle frame hasn’t changed much in
design, its still round and always will be. From the first
wooden rims the next were made of steel, then alloy and now if
you can afford it, carbon. Of all bicycle parts the bicycle rim
can make a big difference to how your bike handles. First the
weight of your rim affects your sprinting and climbing as the
weight will low you down, for a long, flat effort the weight
isn’t so important as when you get the wheels rolling the
weight can help to keep them going. The shape of the rim can be
important also, a flat rim is best for climbing as aerodynamics
are not so important on a hill, a deep section, aero, rim will
help you cut through the air, but in a cross wind could cause
you handling problems.
Bicycle Rims Materials
The different materials used for rims are very important also,
steel is heavy and if damaged can be difficult to pull back
into shape, but because its so strong it is quite difficult to
bend in the first place and steel is cheaper than all the other
materials. Alloy is probably the most popular rim, it can be
made in any shape and profile, flat or aero, but not too deep
as it would then weigh too much, most deep section rims are of
a alloy braking section nearest the tire which is then mounted
to a carbon deep section for lightness and aerodynamics and a
very beautiful looking bicycle rim. As with most things if
money is no problem you can go for the best, this would be an
all carbon rim, strong and very light, but there are a few
problems with these rims, first they don’t brake so well in wet
conditions and you must use special brake blocks for carbon and
they can be expensive, also the rim has to be perfectly round
and not have any bulges in the rim wall as this will make
braking quite erratic, carbon is a difficult material to work
with and must be well looked after.
Types Of Rim To Consider
There are also two types of rim to consider and this depends on
which kind of tire you want to use, first there are tubular
tires these are glued on to the bicycle rim, cost more and are
difficult to repair after a puncture, but for racing they feel
and ride wonderfully. Clincher tires have improved a lot
recently and are nearly as good as tubulars for performance and
are easily repairable and more reasonably priced. Most
manufacturers make all styles in both systems.
So which should I buy? Not an easy answer, as there is so much
to choose from, years ago you went to your local bike shop,
picked out which hubs, spokes and rims you wanted and he would
build your wheels, but now most rim makers also manufacture
there own wheel sets, Mavic, Shimano and Campagnolo are
probably the best known, check out there web-sites for all
there new goodies, there are other brands and if you go to your
local cycle shop or look in the bike magazines you’ll find them.
There is a lot to choose form, but they are all round.
About The Author: Alastair Hamilton writes regularly
technical
articles on road and mountain bikes to some online bike
magazines. Find interesting reviews on bicycle wheels at
http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com/bike-parts/bicycle-wheels.html
and about rims, to move the wheels at
http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com/bike-parts/bicycle-rims.html
Disclaimer
To the best
of our knowledge these are all from either the public domain or free to
use, and a link either has been or will soon be placed on our link page
whenever possible to credit the sources of the photos and tips.
If for some
reason we have inadvertantly placed a photo or image or article that is
not freely
available we will be glad to remove it upon request.
We hope you enjoy these photos and tips.