Mountain Bikes, Road, and Shop

Hello and welcome to starbikeshop.com! Here we strive to provide you with the top notch data and information on mountain bikes, road bikes, and local shops. The present digitized age of information means that you can gather information on virtually any subject in seconds. The dilemma with this wealth of information is that it’s usually peppered with a fair share of bias. We attempt to exempt ourselves from this all too common practice and invite you to judge for yourself to see how successful we are. If you’re just looking for a flash of information, check out the FAQs or send us an email about what you think we didn’t cover. We’d appreciate the feedback and will work to make our site more comprehensive.

There are several dichotomizing features to the modern mountain bikes. One of the first distinguishing features is what you call it. Some companies make more than a half dozen different makes with multiple models underneath that umbrella. For example, you could have competition, trail, all mountain, free ride, performance hard tail, sport and lifestyle. All of these examples help to define the mountain bikes you would like to ride by the function, or conditions you are looking to dominate. One of the easiest ways to distinguish a bike is by the structure and suspension. Long distance all mountain bikes, trail, or competition will generally be built with a geometry that is more vertically aligned. The alignment of the pipes helps to establish the efficiency of the pedaling you will be doing. This is generally in contrast to extreme downhill bikes, which are angled to reduce the impact from downhill riding and allow the rider to lean back on his pedals so that the suspension absorbs the impact of the large falls and hard plants.

The suspension is the other key indicator of the style of mountain bikes that you might come across. For example, a bike without an suspension might be a road bike, because the suspension causes more air drag and reduces the efficiency of the pedaling. The first form of soft tail, or rear suspension bike was the Y-frame invented in 1997 by the Trek bike company. Since then a multipivoted 5-point invisible hinging rear suspension has gripped the market, but it usually comes with a four digit price tag. This is just the rear suspension, or what makes it soft tail. Hard tail bikes will still usually have a front suspension system on the fork of the front axle. Most mountain bikes will have this because of the harder nature of the biking and the desire for a more comfortable ride. Full suspension generally means both the front and rear suspension and typically refers to downhill or extreme biking conditions.

One of the types of bike that won’t be covered in to much detail is the road bike. This bike attempts to minimize air drag and weight, while maximizing the efficiency of the pedaling. For this reason the seat is higher and the handlebars will be in the rams horn configuration, as opposed to the bar method for mountain bikes. These bikes will also have clip in areas on the pedals so that you can maximize the pedaling potential for the full 360 motion of the turning pedal, by pulling up while you push down with the other leg. Generally road bikes are leaner and the frames are pencil thin, but made of some durable composite alloys, unlike the hollow and bulky frame of a downhill bike.

The last section worth looking into is the value of a local bike shop. A local dealer or bike shop will carry the most important thing for your next trek, information. The best knowledge about the present conditions on the trails, which are good, bad, or just overly tracked. The local professional at the bike shop has the best advantage for your expedition is recommending terrain that fits your riding style and skill on the bicycle. They are your best friend and a great resource for those last minute things you wanted, like an extra power bar or another set of hex wrenches. A well stocked bike shop has it all.

Come check us out anytime, for information on bikes, bike accessories and apparel, or skate shoes.

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