Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is a sport where you ride through rough terrain, mountain trails, or even through the woods themselves.  Mountain biking is a very popular sport enjoyed by a lot of people, but it does require a specific type of bike to really be enjoyed to its fullest.

A mountain bike is very sturdy, is lightweight, has multiple gears, and usually has wide tires that are studded for maximum traction.

Mountain bikes need to be very sturdy, mostly because they are subjected to a lot of punishment as they are ridden though the harsh terrain of the trail. Some people restrict their mountain biking to actual mountain trails, but some people actually navigate hilly, rocky mountain slopes on their mountain bikes.

One very unique form of mountain biking is downhill biking. In downhill biking, the riders use very heavy duty bikes to ride from one point up in the mountain to a point on ground level at the bottom. They usually race, or keep time for competition.

These bikes can achieve very high speeds, and often have to undergo pressure and abuse that would shake most bikes to pieces. Some of the highest speeds ever recorded on a bicycle were clocked on a downhill biking course.

If you are thinking about getting into mountain biking, all you really need is a mountain bike, some safety gear, and a quality pair of padded bicycle shorts. You can buy a mountain bike at your local bike store, and you can either buy your safety gear from the same place, or order it online.

Make sure that you buy a bike that fits you well....buying a bike that is too big or too small will not do you a lot of good. And then, you are ready to start looking for some trails!