Bike riding is one of those sports that anyone can enjoy and the benefits are almost limitless. Lots of people ride a bike just as a means of transport, whilst others include cycling heavily in their fitness regime. The fitness benefits for your muscles varies quite a lot depending on which type of cycling you do. If you cycle very long distances at relatively low intensity, your muscles will become very good at endurance and will build many slow-twitch fibres. Conversely, it is powerful fast-twitch fibres that are built when your riding style is of high intensity but over shorter periods of time. But which are the muscles that are demanded the most of when riding.

Quadriceps (thigh muscles). Without doubt the muscles that produce most of the force when cycling are the quadriceps. These are the muscles that provide the rotating movement of the crack by placing down-force on the pedals. Racing bikes in fact are designed to locate the quads directly over the crack so that maximum efficiency is achieved. The quad muscles thankfully adapt quite quickly to exercise, which is lucky as bike riding forces them to work at quite a rapid rate.

Gastrocnemius (calf). Although the calf muscles are much smaller than the quadriceps, they still do and important job of transferring power to the pedals.When the leg is straightened by the quadricep muscles, there is still a percentage of power that can be gained by flexing the calf muscles and pointing the toes downwards. Pinarello make pedals that dynamically pivot to squeeze every last bit of power juice from the calf muscles.

Hamstrings. Whist the quadriceps provide the downward power that propels the bike forwards, it is the hamstrings (back of the legs) that work to bring the leg back up into a flexed (bent) position. This doesn?t require much force on a standard bike as the rotation of the pedals pushes the leg up but when you use cycling shoes that clip to the pedals, a large amount of additional force can be generated by these muscles in the upward movement

Tip 1 – Get the Right Frame – First of all, it is important that you get the right frame for your body when you are choosing the right fit for a Schwinn cruiser bicycle. If you get the wrong frame size in the beginning, you won’t be able to adjust the handlebars and seat to fit you the way you should. When you stand up with your feet on the ground, there should be a couple inches between the top tube of your schwinn bike and the crotch area, this is important and failure to follow this guideline could lead to injury.

Tip 2 – Find the Right Angle and Height of the Seat – The next thing you need to do to make sure that you schwinn bike fits you is to make sure that you find the right angle and height for the seat of the bike. You’ll want to avoid hurting your knees, which can occur if the seat is too low or too high as well. If you need help raising or lowering the seat, read the Schwinn owners manual for help
Tip 3 – Consider the Style of the Handlebars – You’ll find that handlebar style is important as well. You’ll find that the Schwinn cruiser bicycle and Schwinn mountain bikes have special style handlebars that will allow you to sit up while you are holding onto the bars. However, regular 10-speed bikes may have you hunching over. If you have the old handlebars from a Schwinn antique that are uncomfortable, you may want to consider going with a different style.

Tip 4 – Get the Handlebar Height Right – The height of your handlebars is also very important when you are trying to get the right fit for your bike. You should adjust them to be just as high as your seat or even higher so that you don’t have to hung over to hold on to the handlebars. Usually just loosening that top screw will allow you to raise or lower the handlebars, but if you need more help, the Schwinn manual should provide you with easy instructions for adjusting the handlebars.
Schwinn Ridge AL Men’s Mountain Bike (26-Inch Wheels)

Product Features

? Men’s mountain bike with aluminum MTB frame
? SR Suntour suspension fork is smooth and responsive
? Sure-stopping front and rear linear pull brakes
? 21-speed drive train and SRAM trigger shifters
? 26-inch wheels and 1.95-inch-thick tires; 5-year warranty
Product Description

Hit the trail with confidence with the Schwinn Ridge AL men’s mountain bike. Equipped with an aluminum MTB frame and an SR Suntour suspension fork, the Ridge AL is smooth and sturdy. The front and rear linear pull brakes, meanwhile, provide sure stopping power while on the move. And thanks to the 21-speed drive train and SRAM trigger shifters, it’s a breeze to shift gears regardless of the terrain. Other details include rustproof alloy rims and 1.95-inch-thick tires, 26-inch wheels, a Suntour alloy crank, rust-resistant powder coating, and an adjustable quick-release seat. The Ridge AL carries a five-year warranty.
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Trek Mountain Bikes – Riding a Tour
By Trevor Mulholland

If you are in the market for a new bike – or even for your first bike, you definitely need to check out Trek Mountain Bikes. Trek Mountain Bikes have been around since the beginning of mountain bike time, and they aren’t going anywhere soon – except maybe to the next challenging trail!

First you should note that trek designs and manufactures mountain bikes, as well as street bikes, but the company does much more than that. As for bikes, they produce such high quality rides that even Lance Armstrong rides a Trek! What better endorsement could the company have than that?

Trek has a line of accessories that are highly suited to mountain bikers of all ages and skill levels. Clothing and shoes, under the Trek brand are available through the website. You can also purchase helmets and other safety equipment, lights, locks, saddles, racks, packs, trainers, bike maintenance gear, trailers, team wear, Trek souvenirs, and even computers for your bike! Trek even has their own specially designed water bottles, and they sell nutrition bars and packs as well!

Now that you know that Trek is all about bikes and mountain bikes – and fulfilling the needs and whims of bikers and mountain bikers, visit the site, and start building your Trek mountain bike. That’s right! You can build your very own virtual Trek Bike. You can start with just the frame, or select a complete bike. You can choose the color scheme, and many other features as well – when you have virtually designed the bike of your dreams, you can order it if you want to! If you can’t afford it just yet, however, you can save it, and go back and look at it over and over again.

Once you’ve purchased your Trek mountain bike, you may be interested in a Trek mountain bike tour. Trek also caters to mountain bikers with Trek Travel. Trek Travel puts together mountain biking tours. You can plan your Trek Travel vacation based on where you want to go, the type of trip you want to take, the skill level that you are at, the dates you want to travel, or by selecting a pre-planned event. These are often guided tours, and the guides are well trained not only to make sure that you have the best biking adventure possible, but also that you remain safe during your tour.

If you aren’t quite ready to buy the Trek mountain bike, you can still go on one of the many Trek mountain bike tours – and the bike will be provided for you! You get to choose between the OCLV Carbon Fiber Trek 5.2 Madone road bike and the full-suspension Trek Fuel EX9 mountain bike – and the bike is included in the price of your tour. If you’ve already purchased a Trek bike – or any other brand of bike – and you prefer to bring your own bike on your tour, bring it along! Trek simply requires that you pack it in a bike carrying case. You will, however, be expected to reimburse Trek for any spare parts you may use during the trip, and you will be responsible for the care and maintenance, as well as the assembly and disassembly, of your own bike.

If you aren’t in the best of shape, don’t let this keep you from the fun and adventure of a Trek mountain bikes tour! There are easy tours available, where you will average thirty miles per day, or less. The terrain will be flat, and you can ride at your own pace, and riding is optional each day. If you prefer something a bit more adventurous, there are moderate trips available as well.

With a moderate trip, you will ride 30 – 45 miles per day. There will be occasional challenges and climbs, and again, riding is optional. Avid tours cover 45 to 70 or more miles per day and are extremely challenging. Choose the package that is right for your abilities, as well as a tour that fits in with the other things you want to do on your Trek mountain bikes vacation!

Mt-bikes.com provides you with information on giant mountain bikes, specialized mountain bikes, trek mountain bikes, mountain bike holidays and mountain bike reviews. http://www.mt-bikes.com/

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