The  Blink/Steady bike light is Brooklyn-based designer Benjamin Cohen’s solution to the problem of bike light theft. The light is machined from solid aluminum and is secured to the seat post by a set screw inside the unit, making it difficult to steal. There are no buttons, and it uses an accelerometer to turn on automatically and shut off when you stop riding. It is waterproof, works in blinking or steady mode (hence the name), and “emits a bright but distributed light from two .5w LEDs and is visible from nearly 180 degrees”. Read more about it on the Blink/Steady website and check out the video on their Kickstarter page (which is open until May 27).

Another anti theft bike light project currently underway is a collaboration between GOOD Magazine and Gotham Bicycle Defense Industries.  Similar to the mountain bike project mentioned in my last post, this is a crowdsourced design project that they are calling Product of the People. The project just kicked off, but they have a few early concept sketches posted. They are asking for feedback on the designs, so leave a comment on the original post to let them know what you think.

One of the commenters to the GOOD post pointed out the LightSkin seatpost, which features 5 integrated LED lights. The design won a reddot award in 2010, and definitely addresses the light theft problem. Of course, seat and seatpost theft is still an issue with LightSkin or any of the other products mentioned here. In places where theft is common, you often see bikes with chain between the seat rails and seatstays or with a ball bearing glued in the head of the binder’s allen bolt. Neither of those solutions is ideal though, so I would suggest investing in a seatpost clamp like this one to protect that expensive theft resistant light.

Original post by James Thomas

Dakine is no exception and they have added a number of models to their line-up of packs. This review is for the Girls Amp 8L pack.

Since I’m obviously not a girl, I had my daughter test this out for me. However I’m the one who fills and packs everything, so I got a good perspective on that aspect of things.

The Dakine Girls’ Amp hydration packs employ the same basic design as the men’s version, but are sized to fit a girl’s (usually) shorter torso and narrower shoulders. My daughter is 5′ tall and the pack fits her well, albeit with the shoulder straps cinched all the way down. This model ships with a waist belt, but she does not like to use one and fortunately a quick pull of two velcro tabs allows easy removal. The shoulder straps are wide enough to sit comfortably without twisting or digging in, and the back panel is perhaps the best I have ever seen. Even on 80° days, she had no sweat issues with it.

The pockets and cargo area are simple and well thought out. Starting at the top there is a fleece-lined pocket perfect for sunglasses, a GPS, a smartphone, or an MP3 player (just not all at the same time.) Next is a smallish quick access pocket suitable for keys, a CO2 inflator, and other small items. The main pocket unzips all the way around for wide-open access. There is an elasticized pocket that holds the water bladder, a dedicated tire pump sleeve, and several mesh organizer panels for stashing a spare tube, snacks, maps, etc. Across the bottom of the pack there is a a dual access outside pocket that works for quickly stowing empty snack wrappers, arm warmers, or even a light jacket. I was initially dubious about how much it would hold, as it’s fairly tight, but it works surprisingly well for the above mentioned items.

I have to admit that the the hydration  system threw me for a loop initially. I guess I’m just so accustomed to the ridiculously simple operation of that other hydration pack. The 70oz bladder is the type with a fold-over top and plastic slider. This style is great for fast fill-ups from pretty much any water source, and it is easy to dump ice into. The slider closes securely and we experienced no leaks from it. The hose is detachable and the valve sports an on/off rotating ring. For drinking, the valve actuates easily and has a very good amount of water flow. However, due to this feature you MUST turn the valve to ‘off’ before stowing the pack or you may arrive at the trailhead with an empty water bladder and a wet car.

Even though the lining sports a girly flower motif, it isn’t all roses with this pack. I already mentioned the ease of valve actuation leading to leaking if a another item ends up on top of it. Another issue is that the water has a very noticeable plastic taste. This doesn’t bother me, and I assume it will fade after several uses, but this may be a show stopper for some people. Overall the hydration system functions as advertised, but in my opinion it could be a little bit simpler to operate. In reality though, these are nit-picky details, and the pack works pretty well, all things considered.

Bottom line: This pack is perfect for after work rides or short weekend excursions. The 70oz bladder is plenty, and the pack easily holds the essentials for non-epic trips. The size and fit are very good, even for shorter women, and the vented back panel is excellent. In addition to mountain biking, with the waist belt in place, this pack works just as well for hiking or skiing/boarding. Assuming the plastic taste abates over time, or if that doesn’t bother you, then this is a great little pack. Oddly enough, it’s not listed on Dakine’s site, but an internet search shows it available from $44 – $60 at a variety of online retailers.

Thanks to folks at Dakine for sending over this pack for review.

Related posts:

1. Dakine Drafter hydration pack review
2. Dakine Nomad Hydration Pack Review
3. Osprey Viper 13 Hydration Pack Review

Original post by maddslacker

Original post by asmith@usacycling.org

Mountain bikers often take for granted the fact that we’ll return safe and sane from our jaunts into the backcountry—even those that take us twenty miles or more from the nearest town or main road. I think we get this false sense of security from the fact that long distances can easily be covered on a bike in a matter of a few hours, as opposed to hiking or backpacking where the time involved reinforces the reality of the seclusion and distance from help should some unforeseen event occur. The truth is, the further you get from your car, a road or a town, the greater the likelihood you’ll end up spending the night in the woods if a serious injury or breakdown occurs. Traveling with the appropriate gear, however, greatly reduces not only the discomfort and danger inherent in an unplanned-for night in the woods, but also the chances of that ever happening in the first place.

There are, of course, vastly divergent philosophies regarding just how prepared for the unforeseen one should be when venturing into the wilds. When I go mountain biking, I tend to be well prepared. My level of preparedness is directly proportional to the distance from civilization I will be, as well as the likelihood of encountering low overnight temperatures and/or precipitation. Wet and cold conditions can lead to hypothermia, and hypothermia is the greatest real danger one faces in a temperate zone wilderness.

My checklist of emergency equipment and supplies includes:

• A warm fleece sweater and beanie
• A water-proof, packable jacket and pants
• Bicycle repair kit
• Emergency kit
• First-aid kit
• Map & compass
• Extra food
• Water filter/pump
• Headlamp

On a short trip near town in the summertime, I might only take a patch kit & tire pump. For a longer ride in the winter, I take everything on the list.

In addition to the gear I pack with me, I carefully consider what kind of clothing I wear when I go. There’s a saying among hikers and mountaineers: “Cotton kills!” Cotton, although very comfortable, is one of the hardest fabrics to dry out once it gets wet. As noted above, hypothermia is hands down the greatest threat to one’s safety in the wilderness of the temperate zones; that includes most of the continental United States. The last thing you want when the sun is going down and the temperature is dropping is to find yourself wearing wet cotton clothing. Fortunately for us, there is now a wide variety of comfortable, fast-drying, moisture-wicking fabrics available at prices to fit almost any budget.

One of the items on the list above that few mountain bikers carry is a water filter/pump. Next to hypothermia, dehydration is probably the second greatest threat to a person stuck in the wilderness. In a true emergency, if I had no alternative, I would drink water from nearly any source. Barring such circumstances, however, I’ll never again take so much as a sip from the clearest mountain stream. Several years ago I became violently ill from drinking what appeared to be clean, fresh water. The truth is that even the most pristine looking creek may be contaminated upstream with an animal carcass, feces, or other pollutant. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are the two leading illness-inducing microorganisms present in the water supplies of the US and Canada. Fortunately, these are easily removed from drinking water using any of the readily available filter/pumps on the market.

In terms of preparedness there is no substitute for knowing what to do in case of an emergency. All the gear in the world won’t help you unless you know how to use it properly. Before travelling any significant distance from help in the wilderness, educate yourself on emergency and survival techniques.

Undoubtedly there are people out there reading this who think all this preparedness is overkill. I am the first to admit that I have seldom had to use the emergency gear I pack with me on my outings, and that it is somewhat of a burden to lug it around with me. However, the times I have had to use my water filter, or put on my water-proof layer due to an unexpected downpour have made it all worthwhile. Besides, 10 million Boy Scouts couldn’t possibly be wrong every time they recite their motto: “Be prepared.” Could they?

Related posts:

1. Mountain bike emergency repairs
2. MTB emergency tool reviews
3. Pre-Race Mountain Bike Prep

Original post by MarcS

MTB-News.de is a German online magazine and forum.  Currently, they have a project in the works to design and develop a ‘crowdsourced’ mountain bike.  Thomas Paatz, one of the site’s editors, explains:

“We have split the whole process of developing a bicycle into several steps (how much travel, which wheel-size, which kind of suspension, graphics, name……), our users discuss the single steps and there are weekly polls, then we move on to the next topic. We have one bike designer (Stefan, he developed e.g. the Kona Satori, Alutec Fanes among others) and one product manager (Sebastian, Product manager with Carver, the producer of the Bike which is currently developed), they answer questions in the corresponding forum threads and evaluate for example which of the proposals make sense and which ones not.

The engagement of our users is extremely high. Different concepts were developed, sketches drawn, users proposed and voted on items in a product requirements document and so on.”

It is an interesting project, and I am looking forward to seeing how the bike turns out.

Original post by James Thomas

White Oak Mountain

I had ridden Raccoon Mountain a couple times and Greg and I recently checked Five Points off our trail wishlist so we decided to ride White Oak Mountain on Thursday. Jeremy has ridden pretty much all the trails near Chattanooga but not White Oak Mountain so none of us really knew what to expect.

The trails are located on the Southern Adventist University campus just east of Chattanooga and for some reason I imagined the 15 or so miles of trail would be a network of old hiking trails that happened to be open to mountain bikes. That may have been the case at one time but last week we found well-groomed bike trails with excellent signage and maps. In fact, I scanned a QR code on the map at the trailhead and downloaded a system map PDF directly to my phone. Welcome to the 21st century!

We headed up Krebs Cycle trail and to be honest the climb didn’t flow very well with several short steep climbs punctuated by awkward turns and descents. Continuing on to Mid Range and Points Unknown (those are trail names) it was clear that machine work had been done recently, resulting in fast, smooth tread with better flow.

The Points Unknown trail lead us to the double black diamond White Oak Ridge trail and I have to admit I was a little nervous. All three of us were on hardtail 29ers and a guy in the parking lot seemed to think we needed trials bikes to attempt White Oak Ridge (or maybe he meant trail bikes, I don’t know).

Rider: me. photo: mtbgreg1.

As soon as we hit the ridge things got gnarly with rocks and boulders littering the trail. We all stopped at the first boulder and sessioned a bit. Ok, I sessioned until I was able to clear the rocks. Greg rode straight through the first time and made it look easy. Jeremy tried an alternate line that nearly panned out – but didn’t.

For the next mile or so the rocks were a constant, though I found everything rideable thanks to expertly constructed lines. In a few spots we stopped to scout the best lines but once we realized there was always a way through, we got into the rhythm of the trail. In the end I felt a real sense of accomplishment for riding the ridge trail pretty cleanly. The White Oak Ridge trail certainly fits my definition of a double black diamond, though Greg didn’t agree.

We continued on to explore trails like Southern Mission and Big Red. These trails had great flow with well placed whoops, jumps, and bermed turns. By the time we returned we had clocked about 10 miles on all but the beginner-rated trails.

Enterprise South

I had heard good things about Enterprise South so I was stoked to hit these trails after a quick BBQ lunch in between rides. The Enterprise South trails are built on the site of a former ammunition storage facility near the newly constructed Volkswagen assembly plant. After driving for what seemed like several miles within the park we arrived at one of the bike trailheads.

The first trail we hit was a short one-way loop that was fast and fun! Near the end of the loop we found a skills area with a few jumps, an air bridge, and one of the longest log-skinnies any of us had ever seen. I made a couple attempts but never got past the first of three massive logs. On his second attempt Greg cleaned the entire skinny – and he has video to prove it!

Immediately after Greg’s performance his rear derailleur cable snapped so we rode back to the car where Jeremy had a spare bike waiting (his Trek Fuel). After an absurdly difficult pedal swap, we were back on the trail. Everything flowed well and the moderate climbs seemed to fly by. Aside from the first loop we rode, the loops at Enterprise are directional by day and we were riding clockwise.

photo: mtbgreg1.

Near the middle of the final loop we hit a pump track at the entrance to one of the dozens of ammo storage bunkers on the property. This bunker’s doors were open and stepping into the underground dome the sound of my cleats on the concrete reverberated like a mortar launch.  It’s surprising no one has filmed a post apocalpytic / industrial themed MTB video here yet!

The descent from the pump track was fast and full of jumps. It reminded me of a narrower, less steep Green’s Lick with dozens of opportunities to get big air. I nearly lost it after a series of bumps but thankfully recovered before hitting the next set.

We rode every inch of trail at Enterprise South and clocked nearly 11 miles. Thursday was one of the best days I’ve had on the bike in months with buff trails, technical challenges, and good friends. I’ll definitely be back up to Chattanooga again soon!

Related posts:

1. Ride Report: Raccoon Mountain, Tennessee
2. Mountain Bikers Ride from Alaska to the tip of South America
3. Oak Mountain SP MTB ride report

Original post by trek7k

Apparently, the designers at Audi were pretty serious about creating what design director Wolfgang Egger referred to as “a high-performance e-bike for sports and trick cycling.  During the development process, professional motorbike trials rider Julien Dupont rode the e-bike and offered his feedback. When the bike is publically unveiled at the Wörthersee VW and Audi car show in Austria this week, Dupont and downhiller Petra Bernhard will be there to demonstrate its capability as a trick bike. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the smartphone interface, which provides “coaching for learning and documenting trick riding” according to a post at PSFK. “The cyclist’s smartphone hooks up by WLAN to the computer – when you start cycling, for example, the immobilizer is deactivated. Video images of the trial drive or of a trick, as recorded via the in-helmet camera, are uploaded to the Internet in real time via your smartphone.”

I won’t get into much detail about the bike itself, as PSFK, designboom, Inhabitat, and others have already written much on the subject. I am interested in Audi’s decision to devote design resources to a ‘sport’ oriented bike though. With many other car companies testing the waters of the urban e-bike market though, I do think it is quite interesting though that Audi designed something specifically for the tricks and trials riding niche. Perhaps this concept bike, which unlike the Audi branded Renovo wooden bikes was designed and developed by the automaker’s talented internal design group, is just to gain a bit of attention for the company as the designers familiarize themselves with the technology. Maybe we will see a transportation oriented e-bike concept from Audi soon (something to compete with the Specialized Turbo perhaps). In the mean time, it will be interesting to see how this bike will be received by the car enthusiasts who attend the auto show in Austria this week. My guess is that impressive choreographed tricks will hold the attention of Audi fans much more than a presentation on the green credentials of e-bikes as a transportation category. I don’t know if that is what Audi has in mind…but it certainly makes sense to me. Now let’s just hope that the next e-bike that they design is geared toward replacing one of their cars for short urban trips. I wouldn’t be too surprised if that is in the works.

Original post by James Thomas

So you did the unthinkable and forgot to clean up your bike for the coming riding season. Now you’re stuck, and the shops are all backed up for weeks.

Well you could panic, cry, curse… or all of the above. Or you could try your hand at bike maintenance and do it yourself. Overhauling a bike may be a daunting task for some but if you’re one who has regular doses of dirt under the nails and knows which way to turn a wrench, a modern bike shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Not too long ago one of my good friends needed to have some work done on one of his bikes. He wasn’t in a rush, but the bike did have a whole season of hard riding and was due for its annual service. This particular ride is a Yeti 303 RDH, a somewhat complex single-pivot bike with a unique slide mechanism for the rear damper. This is a pretty cool ride to talk about, and your bike, more than likely, will not be more technical that this.

Supplies Needed, Plan of Attack

Begin by gathering all the tools, oils, cleaners, and replacement parts (or at least the parts breakdown diagram) necessary for your bike. Things that typically need to be replaced are:

• Inner shift cables
• Outer shifter cable housing (if wear is present)
• Headset bearings
• Suspension pivot bearings
• Fork seals
• Brake pads
• Tires
• Brake fluid
• Fork fluids

With a parts diagrams in hand and a good understanding of what you may need, the next step is to degrease and clean up your bike, which is always a good idea. I typically take the entire bike apart, and have it broken down into assemblies. I will go over the procedure in just a bit, but you will want to remove the handlebar (with shifters and controls attached), front triangle, rear triangle, wheels, and fork as complete units.

Washing

If possible, a good spray-down with a quality bike cleaner is the first step to getting things under way. Do not use a high-pressure wash, but rather a mist or low-pressure setting on your garden hose to rinse things off.

Having recently spent some time at a Fox seminar, the information that I gathered confirms what I just mentioned. Most of the failures they see are due to water contamination from people spraying down their forks with a high-pressure spray. Keep that in mind when spraying down your bike.

If you can afford it, use a bike-specific brush kit or a used toothbrush to loosen up the grime and dirt, then follow with the low-pressure water spray to remove any remaining residue.

The purpose of this cleaning is to remove the major chunks–the finer work will be done step-by-step as you further disassemble the bike.

Don’t forget to towel off the bike when you’re done!

(For more on washing your bike, be sure to check out this blog post.)

Wheels and Bar Removal

Start off by removing the wheels. Place them out of the way for a while as tearing down the bike is the main objective.

Next, cut all the cable ties and start to remove the bar as an assembly, keeping the brakes and shifters attached (front and rear). Set that assembly aside. If you have a double clamp such as the Fox 40 you will have to remove the small clamp that holds the brake cable and remove the brake as well.

Fork Removal and Maintenance

Next, carefully remove the front fork. Start by loosening up the top clamp bolts. I use wedges like the ones supplied with brakes to carefully spread them away from the stanchion tubes to prevent any scratching.  If this is your first time, take a picture of the orientation of the headset bearings so you don’t have an issue replacing everything. Now, carefully lower the fork and collect the headset upper and lower bearings.

If you have ridden your bike for over a hundred hours like the fork pictured–it’s time for service. Believe me, it is much cheaper to spend the time now to replace seals and oil than to replace an entire fork due to lack of lubrication.

Spray down and brush away any grit or grim from the bottom of the fork and the arch. Pay close attention around the main dust seals – you do not want any contamination to drop in here.

With a Fox 40, start the procedure by writing all of the settings down on a sheet of paper. Note your rebound and compression settings. Also note the number of turns on the preload cap on the spring side. Then turn them to full open / no preload.

The fork pictured here is a 2010 model (no Kashima coating, older Fit-style damper), so taking a look at the damper cartridge is a must.

Unscrew the compression dial cover and then use a 2.5mm hex key to carefully remove the two compression dials. Have one of your hands underneath at all times to catch any detent balls if they fall out.

Loosen the lower nut a few turns with a 15mm deep socket, then using the same socket, tap it to release the rod from the housing. Have a container handy to catch the oil.

Now move on over to the spring side of the fork. With a 10mm socket, first loosen the nut, then tap the shaft free. Once the shaft is free, turn the bottom nut fully off the spring shaft. Allow the spring side oil to drain away.

Once all of the oil has drained out of the lowers, pull the lowers off and give them a good once-over with the cleaning spray and a tooth brush. Spray the lowers down and dry them off as best you can.

With a wide screwdriver and a cloth, wrap the screwdriver end with the cloth and then carefully pry off the dust seals. Follow that by removing the foam rings. A further cleaning ensures there is no grim or hidden debris under the seal and foam ring.

With a flashlight, take a look at the upper bushing and check for any discoloration or scratches. If everything looks OK, you can now install the new foam ring and seals. A small tip I picked up from Fox: remove the packing grease that comes installed on the new SKF seals. A lint-free cloth and a wiping motion removes grease easily enough.

Ensure the foam rings are lubed up (using the Fox float fluid) and install them in place (they do not have to be dripping wet). Now carefully install the new seals. I use a tool that I machined myself to do this task (Fox sells something similar for $35) which is designed to squarely tap the seal down without damaging it. This step is new for the SKF seals, and is necessary for proper operation.

Now inspect the damper side. If it looks like the image above, you need to get it repaired. Basically, the diaphragm has pushed its way past the lower nut and is damaged. Have a certified tech look at it, or send it to Fox for repair. Do not continue until that has been repaired or replaced (now would be a good time to upgrade to a newer damper cartridge as well).

Turn the fork with the legs pointing up at about a 45° angle and slide the lowers back in place. Making sure you have enough room, add 50ml of Fox green fork oil in each leg, then slide the lowers all the way down to engage both the damper cartridge and spring.

Make sure you’re using new seals and then install both the 15mm and 10mm nuts. Torque them down to 5.6Nm each.

The fork seal service is now done.

(For an even more detailed article about servicing and upgrading a Fox 40, check out this article. For a very detailed explanation of how to service a mountain bike fork with a Manitou as an example, be sure to read this article.)

Stay tuned for Part 2: Drive Train, Frame, and Brake Maintenance.

Related posts:

1. Mountain Bike Fork Servicing (Manitou)
2. Spring Is Here! (Last Week’s Mountain Bike PODs)
3. Spring mountain bike adventures: Fruita

Original post by element22

That, and the fact this guy is flippin’ flyin’ down the mountain with more steeze than I can even dream of possessing, make this video worthy of a Cinema Sunday, as well as Video of the Year accolades on Pinkbke.

Related posts:

1. Cinema Sunday: MTB Strength Training Exercise
2. Cinema Sunday: Mountain Bike vs. Snowboard
3. Cinema Sunday: Hans Rey at Singltrek pod Smrkem

Original post by mtbgreg1

First, Establish a budget

Modern mountain bikes can cost as much as $10,000, and while these bikes are super cool, there is no need to spend that much to get a bike that will allow you to have a safe and fun ride on the trail.

Penny Pincher: $500 or less.

While you will have some pretty strict limitations in this price range, the good news is that you can find a decent bike for less than $500. In this class, you will want to look for an entry level hardtail from a name brand. You can also look for a mid-level hardtail that is used or a previous model year leftover. Avoid full suspension bikes in this price range. If they are new they will be a low quality “store” brand, and if they are used they will likely be beat up and end up costing you more in repairs than if you had just bought a nicer new one. My first real mountain bike was a Specialized Rockhopper hardtail purchased off Craigslist for $150. One year later I had to replace the fork, but I am still riding it as my work commuter to this day, 8 years and thousands of miles later.

Budget-Minded: $500 – $1,000

In this range you can score a pretty nice hardtail, perhaps even a 29er, or even start looking at entry level full suspension bikes. Watch for used rentals or Craigslist deals to get even more bike for your money.

Mid-range: $1,000 – $1,500

Once you get over $1000, options open up in the clearance and model year close-out choices. There are a number of full suspension bikes and really nice hardtails in this range. These bikes will start to have the same frames as the pricier models, just with cheaper components. Choosing one of these sets you up to upgrade-as-needed with better parts.

Upper mid-range: $1,500 – $3,500

With a little shopping around, you can buy a bike in this category that will last you for years. Most local shops will have race-ready hardtails and decent all mountain or trail full suspension models in this price range. You will also start to see carbon fiber models.

Rides with Mark Zuckerberg: $3500+

If you have this kind of money to drop on a bike, you don’t really need to worry about price per se. You will be more concerned with getting a bike that exactly matches your riding style, or perhaps even two bikes for different riding disciplines.

Next, decide what type of riding you want to do

For simplicity, we’ll break mountain bikes down into three main categories:

• XC
• All Mountain / Trail
• Downhill

Be realistic about your needs here. If you spend most of your time riding local trails and make 1-3 trips to lift serviced trail areas per year, then buying a downhill bike might not be the best idea. A better approach would be to buy a decent trail bike and rent a downhill bike as needed. Again, don’t worry too much if your budget is thin. For most riding on marked trails, any good quality hardtail will get you out there and back safely. Just remember, many of riders hit a lot of trails before full suspension was ever invented! On the flipside, if all your riding is shuttled or lift serviced, then a freeride or downhill bike makes perfect sense, assuming you have the budget for it.

Putting it Together

Once you have your budget established, and your riding style defined, it’s time to try out some bikes!

For this purchase it is highly recommended to buy local and avoid mail order. Whether you buy new, used, or dealer leftover stock, it is imperative that you throw a leg over your first bike before you drop your hard-earned coin. Spend time at local bike shops taking stuff out for short test rides in the parking lot. Once you have narrowed down your choices to a few serious contenders, see if you can do a paid demo on a real trail for a real ride. Also check with the local shop for “Demo Days” where the vendors will set up at a local trail with different model bikes to test. If you are buying used, you may have to judge the best you can by riding the bike around a parking lot.

Photo Credit: Outerbike.com

Ready to Purchase

So you have found the perfect bike! It fits you, it’s within your budget, and you can’t wait to bring it home. Before getting all giddy and handing over your money, do just one more bit of research.

New: Make sure to get the terms of any warranty that comes with the bike. If it’s a model year hold over, make sure the warranty starts when you buy it, rather than when the shop put it in inventory. Also ask about any follow-up tune-ups. Most shops offer free tune-ups 30 to 90 days after the purchase date in order to help you with anything that may have shifted during the break-in process.

Used: On any used bike, even from a friend, look the bike over very carefully. Inspect the frame for any cracks. Make sure the wheels are true. Look for weather cracks on the tires. Check for frayed or stretched cables. Make sure the suspension is smooth and doesn’t creak, squeak, or leak. Check all fittings, bearings and suspension linkages for any play that shouldn’t be there. If possible, it’s not a bad idea to have a local shop look over a used bike for you. The important thing is to avoid spending all the money you have on a bike, only to find out it needs a several hundred dollar repair.

Photo Credit texasdirt

Hopefully this helps take some of the mystery out of bike shopping. Just remember to establish your budget, be realistic about your riding style, and ask lots of questions from the shop or private seller. And once you have that perfect first bike, get out and ride it!

Related posts:

1. How to Choose the Best Mountain Bike Pedals
2. Shopping For A Kid’s Mountain Bike
3. Mountain bike and component price trends

Original post by maddslacker