Advantages of the Clipless Pedals

One of the things I hate most about riding a bike is when you are going up a hill, you go over a rock, and your foot slips off the pedal. First, your pedal usually swings around and hits you in the shin, second, you lose your momentum, which is something you need to get up a hill.

With flat pedals, you can ride a bike with just about any kind of shoe. This is convenient, but sometimes your feet will slip, whether because its wet or if you change gears and the pressure needed to push down on your pedal changes. The first solution to this problem was to add toe clips and straps to the pedals, this helped keep the foot on the pedal, but there was a better solution out there.

Clipless pedals are called clipless because they no longer have the straps and clips that cage your foot to the pedal. Instead, you use a special cycling shoe that has cleats (metal hooks on the bottom of the shoe) that clip into the pedals.

There are some disadvantages to clipless pedals:

-When you first use them they can feel awkward.

-Every time you choose to bike, you have to put on you cycling shoes, which may be inconvenient when you aren't going very far.

-To get you foot off the pedal you have to twist your foot, while learning to get use to this action, you may fall a few times.

The advantages to clipless pedals definitely outweigh the disadvantages:

-Your foot is anchored securely to the pedal, so no energy is wasted trying to keep your foot on the pedal.

-Because you foot is anchored to the pedal you not only push down on the pedal, but also pull up on the pedal, giving you more power.

-They also give you more control over your bike.

Although clipless shoes may be hard to get use to, once you do get use to them they will help you become a more efficient biker.

The History of Mountain Biking

Although there was some off-road biking earlier, most people say the beginnings of mountain biking started in the 1970s in California. Some of the people given credit for starting mountain biking as we know it today are Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Cunningham, Keith Bontrager, and Tom Ritchey.

The first mountain bikers were mostly downhillers; they would drive their bikes to the top of a mountain trail and then race down. These first downhill bikes used coaster brakes, but the problem with these brakes was that they would over heat, so the riders would have to repack the brakes with grease, often times halfway through the descent. Later those brakes were replaced by cantilever brakes, which are both lighter and stronger.

About the same time cantilever brakes were replacing coaster brakes, some riders decided that they should ride up the mountain to truly enjoy the downhill ride. This is when multi-speed bikes with shifters and gears came about.

Since the 1970s a lot has changed. Mountain biking has become much more popular. New components like disc brakes and full suspension on bikes are just a few of these changes. There are also now professional racers; and with the rising level of competition, the performance level of mountain bikes goes up as well.

My Ride Up Mueller Park Trail

We went on a ride up on the Mueller Park Trail in Bountiful recently, by we I mean my brother- and sister-in-law and my husband. We started in the morning around 9 and the entire ride took a little over 2 hours. It was a crowded Saturday with quite a few other bikers and hikers and even a few horse riders were up there enjoying the scenery. In total the ride was just under 14 miles round trip.

The best way to describe this trail is by cutting it into 2 halves. The first half is a lot easier and the trail is a lot smoother and wider than the second half of the trial. The land mark where I could mark midway is a huge rock over-looking the mountains called Elephant rock or to some, Suicide Rock. Here is where the trail ends for most of the hikers. The second half is a lot steeper in comparison and a lot more technical. We have to maneuver around and over rocks and tree roots sticking out in quite a few places along the way. All the way at the top is where the trail ends in a small meadow surrounded by trees.

The ride down is worth all the pain going up. It is a blast, but sadly it passes by a lot quicker than the ride up does; riding all the way down in about a fourth of the time. It was so much fun and we'll definitely be doing that trail again!! It wasn't my first time riding this trail and it won't be the last!!

Mountain Bikes vs. Road Bikes

There are four areas where mountain bikes and road bikes differ: shape, weight, tires, and suspension.

Shape: Road bikes are designed for speed. Their handle bars are built lower to position the biker closer to the tire and pedal, making it possible for high efficiency for getting power from your legs and making the biker more aerodynamic. On mountain bikes the handle bars are wider and higher, giving the biker more control over the bike, which is needed when going up and down mountain trails.

Weight: Again, road bikes are built for speed, so a well made bike will lose as much excess weight as possible. Higher quality road bikes are usually made out of titanium or carbon fiber, which are strong, but light materials. Mountain bikes are usually heavier because of their wider tires and suspension systems that help make riding on mountains trails easier to manage.

Tires: Mountain bike tires need traction, so they are wider and covered with deep tread; both of these help the bike stay in contact with the trail. Road bike tires are usually very thin and very smooth. Also, road bike tires are pumped up to around 80 psi or a little more whereas mountain bike tires are around half that.

Suspension: Because road bikes are built for speed, they don’t have a need for any suspension, but they are usually built out of materials that absorb vibrations that come from unevenly paved roads. Mountain bikes, on the other hand, usually have a couple different types of suspension. Hard tail mountain bikes only have front shock absorbers and full-suspension mountain bikes have both front and rear suspension systems.