2010 Colorado Cyclocross Championships – senior men open category.

From touring to off-road riding to track riding to cyclo-riding to recreational biking, there are almost as many different styles of riding as there are bikes. The following is a discussion of three of the most popular styles of biking today.

Street/Urban Riding

Street/Urban riding is when you bike through urban areas, ride on ledges and other man-made obstacles. Some riders execute tricks as well as stalls and grinds. Hybrid bikes, sometimes called city bikes, are typically used for street/urban riding. Hybrid bikes are a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. Most have front suspension with wide comfortable seats and upright handlebars.

Free Riding

The essence of free riding has it origins on the shores of British Columbia. As some free riders have explained it, free riding is more than just riding, it’s about riding with your friends and doing things on your bike that push the limits of both yourself and your bike. It’s not about being the fastest or coming up with a new trick. Rather, it’s about being totally free on your bike. Free riding is different for everyone. Essentially, when you ride for pure enjoyment, do your own thing, in your own way, that’s free riding–making it more of a mindset than a structured style of riding. For example, you could free ride downhill, cross-country or down the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.

Many free ride bikes closely resemble downhill bikes and weigh as much, although they are usually designed to be easier to pedal. Free ride bikes should be in the 30 to upper 50 pound range, have a steeper angled frame in order to make maneuvering on narrow obstacles possible, and be built from stronger, heavier materials.

Downhill Mountain Biking

If you think downhill biking is all about kicking back, stretching your arms and cruising at a leisurely pace, think again. Even though it’s all downhill, biking down a mountain demands concentration, quick reflexes and bike-handling skills much different than free riding or city riding. It’s also a blast! Downhill mountain biking races involve race courses that are designed for riders to speed down while navigating huge jumps, obstacles and more. It’s very similar to motor cross racing.

While it’s true that all bikes go downhill, bikes that provide the optimum ride for Downhill Mountain Biking have what is called full suspension. This means that the front and rear of the frame are equipped with shock absorbers.

If you are wanting to get serious about cycling you need to make sure you are in top shape. Exercise is only one part of the equation make sure you are eating properly and use a system like nutrisystem coupons to help you control it.

Question: is a cyclocross bike still a road bike, or is it one of those weird hybrid bikes?

Answer:

Answer by Wes
It’s basically a road bike with mountain bike tires.

by gasmith

Question: Should I consider a cyclocross?
Looking for a road bike that can handle country and city roads. I was looking at a fuji cross comp and the Schwin fastback cx and was liking the bigger more rugged tires as compared to the very thin tires on most road bikes.

Looking at road rides from 25 to 50 miles per day. Maybe an occasional crushed limestone trail. Want something above entry level. Budget is about $ 650 to $ 700.

Ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer:

Answer by just_hanging_out
I picked up a Specialized hybrid for a few hundred over your budget. Also for the reason of the WHEEL BUILD. Three cross, 36 spoke. I am a little too heavy at this point to hop on one of the common race wheels now! Maybe in a year or two.

Anyways, a hybrid is probably what you want, but if it comes with knobby tires, you might convince the shop to swap them out with a set of good slicks. You don’t want to ride that far on knobbies. And the slicks should be fine on the limestone, if it is anything at all like a smooth dirt path.

To increase your enjoyment of mountain biking, the right shoe is essential. A shoe designed specifically for the mountain biker is the way to go.  Mountain bike shoes come in a variety of prices, from the inexpensive $70 range, up to over $400. The amount of money you pay depends entirely on whether or not you are a casual, once-a-month rider, a serious hobbyist, or someone who competes in races – either amateur or professional.

What is it about mountain bike shoes that make them a) important to have and b) so expensive?

Shoes designed specifically for cycling have stiff soles, which helps the cyclist in transferring the power from his legs and feet to the pedals and thence to the chain for greater speed. Since the road cyclist is expected to be on his or her bike at all times without having to do a great deal of walking, they normally have a protruding cleat which slots into the recess on their pedals.

A protruding cleat would be of no use to the mountain biker, who quite frequently has to get off the bike and wheel or carry it around obstacles. So mountain bike shoes have recessed cleats, that won’t interfere with walking, and aren’t made with a totally rigid sole, but one that will give just a little bit.

There are dozens of mountain biking shoes on the market. Men will find a wider variety of designs then women, nevertheless there are quite a few styles designed specifically for the smaller foot of the average woman.

What makes the mountain bike shoe so important?
The occasional biker usually doesn’t bother with toe clips or clipless pedals….they just hop on their bike and they’re away. However, the serious cyclist wants to get all the power he or she can out of a pedaling, and with the shoe firmly attached to the pedal – either with a toeclip or by a cleat, the cyclist can pull upward on the pedal as well as simultaneously pushing downward on the other pedal, which increases the speed of the bike.

What makes the mountain bike shoe so expensive?
Well, as with any shoe, the price comes down to what the shoe is made of. The lighter the shoe is, the better for the racer. But, lightness comes expensive. Carbon fiber soles are the lightest soles on the market – carbon fiber is more expensive to produce than injection-molded plastic, or plastic and fiberglass.

However, the average rider should be able to get a pair of mountain biking shoes for less than a hundred dollars.

Hey and if money is an issue make sure you search for a discount coupon and find a site like 123inkjets coupon. Just search google for something like “cycling shoes coupon”.

by velo_city

Question: Why don’t cyclocross bikes have disk brakes?

Answer:

Answer by wle ņ│ã∩╬α ░░▒▓▓▒░░
is there something your brakes aren;t currently doing for you?

wle.

by Dave Haygarth

Question: Carrera Roll cyclocross bike?
I am looking at buying a used one of these bikes. Not sure of the year, but it is yellow and black with a Campy Centaur groupset and Mavic open pros. I cant find much on the web about this bike so I am asking for opinions. thanks!

Answer:

Answer by madmac13
did a search and came up with halfords. havent heard much good about halfords. the components however are decent . the campy cenetaur set is roughly the equivelent of a 105 set and i run mavik open pros on my bike and havent had any probs. again i dont know much about the frame but you have piqued my interest as this seems to be decent equip for a bike from halfords. was it stock or did the prev owner build?

edit- carrera is used by 2 companies. 1 $ #!t and the other brilliant. halfords caries the $ #!t. look for a made in stamp or take it to a bike shop for a look over, if te seller is legit he shouldnt mind given the credibility issues with the name. if the frame is made in italy you are straight. if its made in roc, tiawan or vietnam, its quality is questionable. there are alot of great products made out east but in a vacum of info such as this its hard to really tell.
good luck

on an aside, i just purchased a cross bike my self and did a bit of research prior to purchase. im unsure of your pricepoint but i fell in love with the lemond proprad, and the scott cross. i ended up buying a 2006 cannondale optimo disc. i liked the component set and got a great deal. if you are actually going to compete in cross events be warned that the uci does not allow disc brakes in their events so choose accordingly. if however you are not competeing and just need a bike to beat the hell out of. disc brakes are nifty and novel and great for rainy day rides and muddy trail runs. i havent gotten any crap from any but the most snobish of roadies and that was as i passed them (quickly) so im ok with it.
let me know what you end up getting.

Mountain Biking Bay Area GoPro/Flip HD. Clouds Rest to borel hill to the sea, and to the ridge trail. Footage by Ryan Corley Watch original unstabilized www.youtube.com Stephen Anderson wrote the score. You can download the song on iTunes in the link below. itunes.apple.com You can also contact him here. www.stephenjanderson.com