Thursday, July 19, 2012

I have a mountain bike and want to start riding, do I need to join a club?


Continuing with our newbies guide we ask the question. I have a mountain bike and want to start riding, do I need to join a club?


There are many ways to get into riding and to find people to ride with. Mountain bikers are generally speaking easy going and so you will find most of them very approachable and willing to assist to get someone new onto a bike, they love to share!


Clubs are still the traditional and most comfortable route to start out riding for most people. Many of the clubs are originally road cycling clubs or a mix of road and MTB, then there are a few that are only MTB. Clubs can also offer you the affiliation to Cycling South Africa which you need of you want to race competitively. Our clubs section has a list of many clubs around the country. Find one in your area and try it out. As with any club they will have rules, committees and a certain way of doing things. If you like the way they do things then you will fit in fine, if not then try another club to try one of the other routes to get into the community.

 

If you are looking for a cause and a club then consider AMARIDER, the African Mountain Bikers Association. Their soul purpose is to build and develop more mountain bike trails.

 

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Newbies guide to getting into mountain biking

Everyone who starts out in mountain biking follows a similar path and asks the same set of questions. So we decided to put together the Newbies guide to getting into mountain biking. Each week we will answer a few common questions that pop up.

 

I am starting mountainbiking, what bike must I buy?

The first thing is to decide how and why you want to ride, for example racing, recreational, trails, downhill, stage races. This will give you some idea as to what type of bike to buy, hardtail, full suspension, 29er, long travel short travel etc. The second step is to understand the options and technology and what is available out there. There are so many options and it comes down to comparing the options and chosing the right type of bike, spec level, size and price. Best source for this is our Buyers guide which contains some basic information on what to look out for when choosing a bike.

 

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Friday, July 06, 2012

So what is your MTB winter carrot?

Riding through winter is not only for the pros or the obsessed bike riding mad mountainbikers. We ride for enjoyment so motivation is not normally needed. But then along comes winter and warm light is replaced by dark cold. So the a great technique to see past the winter is to find yourself a winter carrot. It must be juicy and tempting.
 
There are many options like setting a distance target for the month to keep you on the bike, picking some MTB races through winter to keep you honest, preparing for a big race at the end of winter that needs some focused training or hooking up your trainer in front of the TV everyday for Tour de France. Then the biggest carrot of all is that when you hit spring you will be feeling good and not have to start all over again.
 
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