Mountain Bike Upgrades

If you are doing a lot of mountain bike riding, there is a great chance that sooner you will find that your current mountain bike that was fitted with the basics will no longer be enough. 

Being too familiarized with your present bike and the terrain that you ride it on open up those things that you know you need to adjust the function and versatility of your mountain bike, you just sometimes do not know which.

If you are considering going for rougher terrain or is considering a smoother ride check out the tires, there are two basic types:

In general, mountain bikes are fitted with knobby tires. The wider tires allow for better traction and the less PSI of air in the tires assures better surface grip because you have more rubber in contact with the trail. There are two tire diameters though that you could choose from, each serves a different use.

The 26 inch tires – are fitted to traditional mountain bikes and are better suited to riding harsh surfaces. These tires usually are sold with suspensions and are fitted to smaller fork that are straighter for easy and more responsive steering. The 26 inch diameter tires are good for use in forests, isolated trails, and rocky surfaces and are designed to manage the trails humps and depressions pretty well.

The 28 inch tires – are better suited for mountain bikes that are used more for touring. The 28 inch tires are adapted to riding campground trails, touring the park, gentle trails and paved dirt roads. If the bike is not really intended for rough riding, the 28" diameter tires are the way to go. Bikes fitted with a 28 "tires have larger seats and thicker padding for more comfortable riding. For better comfort, this type of mountain bike could also be fitted with seat springs.

Whatever the road condition and the trail you ride on, you will always have to assume that when you go mountain biking, you may be farther away from "civilization" than you originally planned. 

Cyclometer – fit your mountain bike with a cyclometer. This way you will always have a good idea regarding reference points and distances. Carry with you more tools and replacement parts. Sometimes the nearest help could be miles away. 

Pedals – mountain bikes are equipped with platform pedal. Riders who want a firm grip on their pedaling often equip their pedals with clips or change theirs to clipless pedals where they can secure the cleats of their shoes to.  

Hardtail or Dual suspension – if you ride your mountain bike mostly for cruising and smooth forest trails a hardtail is good enough. For a biker though who enjoys the more challenging terrains, a dual suspension is needed. Having suspensions for both the fork and the rear tire allows for excellent riding performance on very rough terrain. Hardtails are good for speed mountain bike riding while a dual is great at managing unexpected bumps and slopes.

Gears – the wide range of gears available for mountain bikes enables the rider to manage different types of terrain. Making adjustments and improvements to the number of gears on a mountain bike really depend on the terrain that the bike is used for. For bikes intended for rough mountain trail riding, add more low gears to conquer wicked slopes an inclines.  
