THE BIKE AND A TRAIL RIDE

“any idiot can ride a bicycle but it takes a special kind of an idiot to ride a 100 mile.”

Himalayan Trail and Dust Team

The major part of a mountain bike is the frame. This is something you realize later after getting used to what your bike is all about. The fact is that you are actually purchasing a frame from the brand. It’s the frame that comes with a warranty and any damage to the frame and the frame shall be replaced. The material used is usually aluminum alloy or carbon. The brand only owns the frame of the cycle, all other parts like the front suspension, the brakes, the rear suspension, gear set, cable housing, sprockets, peddle, quick release, derailleur, the cassette and the tire etc. are owned by other prominent companies which more or less have a monopoly in the market. It is the combination of your bike frame and the parts attached to it that decides the price of the bike (Farrel, 2016)

(image source : pinterest)

The average weight of the bike is around 14.5 kg and bike companies have been trying to reduce the weight year after year. The latest in line are the carbon fiber bikes which have become very popular and have brought down the weight of even a full suspension bike under 10kg. The whole idea is to facilitate climbing and decent. Cannondale has already copyrighted a specific design called as the single suspension which results in a much lighter weight of the bike. Specialized Levo FSR Comp 6Fattie has a mechanism which assists in paddling with its integrated motor system if you paddle it hard enough. (Mander, 2016) Such a system is not popular in the mainstream mountain biking as the true essence of mountain biking is to sweat it out. Sea otter hosted the first electric mountain bike race in 2016 and it signifies the changes which are coming up in the coming years (Farrel, 2016). While climbing requires reduced weight decent would require technical modifications to tires, seat post and the tires to enhance stability. For example a 29” tire which was introduced in the market around a few years ago is much efficient in tacking larger obstacles than a 26” tire. It has more ground contact resulting in more stability and the most important benefit is that it is better suited for taller riders. Choosing your bike has a lot to do with your height as purchasing a wrong bike size would result in back and other injuries. Things like frame sizing, saddle height, saddle position, handle bar reach, handlebar height and control position are some of the things that define a comfortable mountain biike fit (Warland, 2011). The disadvantages of a 29” tire are that it is heavier and wont accelerate as fast as a 26” tire. I personally prefer the third size which is a 27.5” tire having advantages of both 26” and 29” respectively. (Xavier, 2016)

Himalayan Trail and Dust

The reason why we have so many categories in a bike is that there are specific types of riding which requires specific modifications in a bike to maximize performance in that particular category. Technology is very subtle in cycling which a biker would realize when a single half turn on the adjustment screw of the cable can completely change the way gear shift up or down the sprockets in a cassette. It has been observed that the user would modify some of his equipment to fit his own personal requirements for example chain guard to protect the frame from the chain and the D.I.Y chain guide and many more improvisations that a rider would develop through his own innovation. ( Herstatt, Luthje, & Hippel, 2006)

Here are some of the major parts of a mountain bike:

Bottom bracket: the part to which peddle is attached.

Cable guide: guides the cables below the bottom bracket.

Cassette: a group of sprockets over which the chain shifts.

Derailleur hanger: the rear derailleur is attached to the hanger ( aluminum body)

Derailleur: an assembly of levers that help in chain shifting.

Fork: the front tubes holding the tire.

Rim: part of the bike which supports the hub and to which tire is attached to.

Hub: core of the wheel.

Spokes: connects the rim to the hub. There are 36 spokes in a wheel.

In the cycling community there are some slangs used as the whole communication comes up to different level this being a very technical field.

Here are some of the common slangs used:

balaclava: a thin hood that covers the head and neck with an opening for the face. It’s worn under the helmet to prevent heat loss in cold or wet conditions.

bead: in tires, the edge along each side’s inner circumference that fits into the rim.

blow up: to suddenly be unable to continue at the required pace due to overexertion.

bunny hop: a way to ride over obstacles such as rocks or logs in which both wheels leave the ground.

cadence: the number of times during one minute that a pedal stroke is completed. Also called pedal rpm

chainring: a sprocket on the crank set. There may be one, two or three. Short version is ring.

chasers: those who are trying to catch a group or a lead rider.

cleat: a metal or plastic fitting on the sole of a cycling shoe that engages the pedal.

drafting: riding closely behind another rider to take advantage of the windbreak (slipstream) and use about 20 percent less energygranny gear: the lowest gear ratio, combining the small chain ring with the largest cassette cog. It’s mainly used for very steep climbs.

granny ring: the smallest of the three chain rings on a triple crank set.

bonk: too tired to continue.

Presta and shrader: types of air valves for pumping air into tubes. Air is locked inside the presta by a screw mechanism.

The video above shows professional riders that are members of the Himalayan trail n dust making a tough uphill climb to Kaniyal village which is the gateway to one of the best trails around the place. This video was recorded by me while participating in the practice ride. These trail rides that take you through off roads to single trail (the size of one cycle) or jeep roads and rough terrain which would also include downhill segments. Gone are those days when mountain bikes were designed only for uphill climb or downhill decent. It was really tricky to combine the agility and lightness along with good suspension features. But today you will find these trail bikes which are specially designed for both the purposes. There are bikes which are called “Fat bikes” designed to travel through snow with their heavy tires. (Mander, 2016)

This specific trail goes through the jungle with narrow trails and break points where there are small streams of water flowing down towards the town. My cycle tire became misaligned while riding downhill as one of the spoke had become loose. Luckily the other riders had the spoke wrench a small little tool which can dramatically change the whole shape of the tire. The rim itself is a loose carbon fiber circular structure which only gains proper shape after you have tightened the spokes correctly. It’s also important to keep the rim centrally aligned over the hub so that it does not rub against the frame of the bike.

One thing a rider must know is to repair his own bike. Whenever a rider is going out for an exploration ride it’s quite possible that the gear might get stuck, the chain might come off or the tire might go flat. It is advisable to take your personal repair kit and extra tube or a puncture kit as it will become an impossible task if you have wondered too far to come back home.

Works Cited

Herstatt, C., Luthje, C., & Hippel, v. E. (2006). User-innovators and “local” information:. study of innovations developed by mountain bikers.

Farrel, P. (2016, July 6). THE ROOTS OF DIRT: HOW MOUNTAIN BIKES WENT FROM CLUNKERS TO GLOBAL PHENOMENON. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from www.wired.com: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/history-mountain-bike-unsurprisingly-badass/

Mander, B. (2016, august 5). Think Off-Road Biking’s Too Tough for You? These Mountain Bikes Will Change Your Mind. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/think-off-road-bikings-too-tough-for-you-these-mountain-bikes-will-change-your-mind-1470345662

Warland, S. (2011, march 18). what mountain bike. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from the bike radar: https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/technique-perfect-mountain-bike-fit-29498/