It is very common to ride bikes today. Many people love to cycle, and it is a good hobby to pick up as it will keep you fit and ensure that you are in shape. At the same time, you can get to ride and see different places. While some people want to ride long-distance on the road, you might be interested in going mountain biking.
If you want to take your bike into the mountains and you have no idea what features to look for when you buy your first bike, then you are in the right place because you will learn about what is important to look for in a good mountain bike.
You must learn the right way to ride and buy many other accessories that you might require, but for now, we will focus on the bike and make sure that you get one that has the proper features for you. Try and learn as much as you can about bike terminology so that when you go into the shop, you do not get confused when the shop owner tells you something. Check if the shop owners are willing to take the bike back if you are not satisfied with how it is.
Get the right size –
Do not simply get whichever bike looks attractive and start riding it. Most likely, you will be on the bike for a very long time, so you must choose the right bike for you. You might find sizes of bikes that say small, medium, large. Do not buy anything if the shop owners do not allow you to sit on it and see if it is the right and perfect fit for you.
Small for one company could be medium for another company, or make sure that you know you are buying by testing it out before purchasing it. Look at how high the seat is. See how much you have to learn to reach the handle, see where the pedals are as well. Ensure that you do not feel uncomfortable while you pedal because sometimes pedals can be in weird positions.
Choose a wheel size –
Bigger wheels are more common today, and many people like them, but make sure that you know how the wheel size can affect your ride. If you want to ride very long distances, then having bigger wheels can be a good option because those wheels have to spin less because they are bigger; hence they can help you. The problem with big wheels is that they can break easily, too. If you want to ride on trails, choosing a smaller but strong wheel will improve your riding experience.
Choosing hardtail or full suspension –
You can choose to have suspension on your bike, but that will add extra costs, and there is a greater chance that something can go wrong. If you have a hardtail or no suspension, then you do not have to worry about that extra problem, and it is better for you. In spite of that, there are a lot of advancements in technology, and suspension bikes are made very well, and the chance that something might go wrong is not much.
If you do not want to spend a lot of money on a new bike, then you should choose a bike without any suspension because the suspension will add cost and the bikes without any suspension are very simple in terms of design, and that is why they are cheaper to make.
Weight –
The weight of the bikes is important if you are doing a long ride, and a lot of people might prefer a nice bike that is light but since you want to take your bike on the mountain, look for something that is strong and sturdy over something that is light because you need your bike to hold up the rough riding that you will end up doing on it.
An aluminum bike will be lighter than a full steel bike. If you pay a lot of money, then you will see that as the prices of the bikes go up, the weight also drops because a light frame is used to make the more expensive bikes. If you are absolutely into getting a lighter bike, you can pay a lot of money and even find some carbon fiber frames. These bikes do come at a very premium price tag.
Be aware of any flashy trinkets –
Some things are just added to bikes to make them appear to have more features when they do not provide any benefits. Do not pay any extra money for these things. If you need to upgrade something later, you can do that, but do not ask the people to sell you any unnecessary accessories.
Look for good quality suspension –
Make sure that the suspension on your bike is good and it has good travel, but it is firm as well. If you have to choose between more travel and better quality suspension, then always choose the one which has a better quality suspension because it might not have a lot of travel, but it will be a lot more comfortable to ride.
Look for future-proof design –
It is likely that you will have this bike for a long time, making sure that it has all the features you want, even if you have to stretch your budget a little more. Getting a bike that you wanted in the first place is a good choice because you will not regret your decision later on.
Hold on to your budget –
Although you might want to spend your money buying the best bike that you can find, it would be a good idea if you kept some money as a reserve because you may want to buy some new accessories like a good quality helmet, a water bottle holder if your bikes do not have one, etc. You get specific shoes, cleats, etc., for mountain bikes.
You may also want to switch your tires because off-road tires are very different from tires that you would use on the road. The more expensive bikes come with tubeless tires as well.
Accessories –
Although you must have the right bike, there are some other things that you must be aware of, and you should get their items as well. A good helmet is important because if you fall and hit your head, it can cause serious damage, and since you are on some mountain trail, it won’t be easy to get help. Ensure that there is a place to keep your water bottle, or you can also use a bag with water in it or a bottle on your handles.
If you wish, you can use a GPS tracker to track your workouts and see your progress. Look for good gear to wear as well. If you buy a very expensive bike, you might be able to get many accessories fitted to the bike. You may be able to tweak certain details as well in your new bike.
Brakes –
Most cycles had and still have rim brakes. These brakes are good, but it is better if you look for a bike that has disk brakes. This gives you more safety, and disk brakes work well even in wet conditions. If you pay more money, you can even get brakes that do not work with cable, but they are hydraulic disk brakes. These can be more powerful, and you do not have to maintain them as much.
Conclusion
Always make sure that you try to be safe when you ride, and you are aware of your surroundings when you are riding, and try your best to wear all the protective gear before you start riding. Try and learn the right technique for cycling because that will ensure that you lose as little energy as possible and you perform better. If you are starting out, then you do not need to get the most high-end bike.
You can start with a good one to learn on and then upgrade later on. There is no point buying something very expensive if you are starting out. Unless you have a lot of money you want to spend on this bike, you can buy a bike as expensive as you like. It is no use buying a bike that is too expensive if you are not a good rider because you will never be able to get the full performance out of your bike if you are not a good and talented rider yourself.
There are e-bikes as well today that can help assist you while you pedal. It is still difficult to ride these bikes despite these upgrades, and e-bikes are quite heavy, too, because of the battery and the motor.
