Like all mechanical contraptions, your bicycle is vulnerable to wear and tear caused by regular use and exposure to the elements. Routine preventive maintenance will keep your bicycle in peak condition and safe for riding throughout the year. Although some bicycle repair and maintenance is best performed by a qualified bike mechanic, you should be able to do routine maintenance using a few basic tools. Here are some of the things you can do to keep your bike in perfect shape.

Tires

Check the pressure of your tires to make sure they are inflated to proper specifications. Consult the manual or the tire’s sidewall for information on the range of acceptable pressures for your tire. Note any splits or fatigue marks in the sidewall or tread. Inspect the rim for dents, twists or kinks. Spin each wheel to make sure it is true and centered in the stays. If the wheel wobbles from side to side when spun, then it needs truing. Check if some spokes need to be replaced or tightened. If your bike is equipped with quick-release mechanisms, make sure they are securely fastened.

Steering

The handlebars, saddle and pedals must be securely attached. Check the height of the handlebar stem. Make sure that the handlebar stem and seatpost are fastened such that their minimum insertion marks are not exposed. Handlebars should be tight and in line with the front wheel. Check if handlebars and front fork are properly stabilized. You should be able to rotate the handlebar post freely in the front fork. Tighten the bolts that attach the pedal crank-arms to the front bearing. Pedals should be tight, with no binding. Check for looseness in front and headset bearings.

Brakes

Squeeze both brake levers and try to roll the bike to check if the brakes are operating properly. If the bike moves while the brave levers are squeezed or if the brake levers touch the handlebar, then your brakes are too loose and need some adjusting. Make sure brake cables are taut. Check the brake cable for breaks or frayed ends; replace any worn or frayed brake cable. When brakes are applied, the brake pads (shoes) should contact squarely with the rim and should not touch the tire or the spokes.

Chain

Keep your bike’s chain clean and properly lubricated. Use a rag soaked in de-greaser to remove dirt and grease buildup. Lubricate the chain after cleaning. Bike maintenance experts recommend using a web lube in wet environments and a dry lube in dry environments. Make sure that the chain moves smoothly without sticking or jumping.

Tools for basic bicycle maintenance

Proper inspection and maintenance of your bike requires a few basic tools.

By: Gregg Hall

Did you know that there are several categories that mountain biking can be split into? Each category offers the rider a different experience either as a hobby or as a sport. The different mountain bike reviews are broken down into these categories:

1. Dirt Jumping

This style of mountain biking is known for the high jumps over manmade dirt hills. While in the air, tricks are done on the bike. Six or more jumps are usually done in one run and the jumps are close together so that the biker can get a flow going with their trick riding.

2. Cross country

In this style of mountain biking, you ride your bike up and down hills. It is not the most extreme form in the mountain biking world, but most of this type of ride is in great shape due to the long rides.

3. Cyclo cross

This biking category is a cross between mountain and road biking. The riders learn how to race on and off the course, ride obstacles, and go through rivers.

4. Downhill Biking

Racing downhill the fastest is the goal of downhill mountain bikers. The name of the game is extreme and intense riding, to help give the riders maximum excitement and thrills.

5. BMX

This style of mountain biking uses 20-inch wheels. You can very commonly see this kind of bikes at skate parks or areas with dirt jumps. These BMX bikes are made for performing tricks and doing stunts because they have a shorter wheel base and smaller wheels.

6. Trials

The bicycles used in trials do not look anything like mountain bikes. They have 20 or 26-inch wheels and they have smaller, lower frames than mountain bikes. In trials, riders jump their bikes over different obstacles. This kind of biking takes a great deal of practice, focus, and balance.

7. Freeride Biking

This type of mountain biking involves finding a path down the side of the mountain where you can use all of the terrain to do tricks, stunts, etc. This is a very popular competition, because the riders can express themselves.

8. Street and Urban Biking

Manmade obstacles, ledges, and other urban areas are what this type of biking revolves around. They will do great stunts and tricks on these manmade items, too, including grinds and stalls.

9. Single Speed

This kind of biking is done on a bicycle with only one gear and few other components. This is not to be confused with a fixed gear bicycle. The basis behind this kind of biking is simplicity. This helps the pedaling to be more efficient and the bicycle is lighter and has fewer problems mechanically.

10. All Mountain

All mountain mountain bikes, also known as trailbikes are the workhorse category of mountain bikes. An all mountain bike is a mountain bike built to handle almost everything a mountain biker will run into on a full day of riding.

The all mountain category consists mostly of bikes with about 4 to 6 inches (100 to 160 millimeters) of travel. While they are designed to climb hills very efficiently, they are generally heavier and a bit more stout than the typical cross county mountain bike. They can handle a lot rougher terrain as well.

Trail bikes are what most people should be riding. They are an excellent balance between efficiency, comfort, and control. All mountain mountain bikes are light and efficient enough to get you to the top of the hill, have soft enough squish in the suspension to keep you isolated from rough terrain, and have enough travel to suck up the bigger hits that can leave a cross country racer tasting the dirt.

This may sound simple, but it is rarely carried out since most people train in the discipline they enjoy most, not the discipline they need to work on most.

How to improve your bike performance.

After endurance, the most fundamental fitness component for the triathlete to develop on the bike is force. "Hills make you strong for the flats, but flats don't make you strong for the hills."

Force training on the bike is even more important if you are not lifting weights throughout your base and build phases.

Force is the ability to overcome resistance, such as a rider applying power on the pedals. If you develop force on the bike, you will not only be a faster rider, you will also be able to ride longer and push bigger gears.

The idea behind force training is not to improve the force a muscle fiber can generate, but to recruit more muscle fibers when pedaling. In order to achieve this, bodybuilders lift heavy weights very slowly to induce a near maximum contraction for a relatively long time. For triathletes, the same principle is applied, but it relates specifically to cycling.

The best way to generate a near maximum contraction for a long period is to push very big gears at a slow cadence. When staying seated in the saddle while climbing, you will be able to develop even more muscular contraction.

Sport-specific strength work such as force sessions on the bike is most advantageous for the time constrained cyclist who doesn't have time for weightlifting sessions.

Some of the sessions for triathletes are:

Big gear/low heart rate

Do 3-4 x 5 minutes in a big gear while maintaining a heart rate in zone 2 (of 5, with 5 being the most intense; zone 2 approximates "very light" to "fairly light" exertion.). Sit during the intervals as that best develops the fibers.

As with your training, progress the intervals up to 6 x 5 minutes, depending on your fitness level and the amount of these sessions you have done previously. The objective is to tax the muscle fibers, not the heart, thus keeping the heart rate relatively low.

As you get into the build phase of training, this session will progress to taxing both the muscle fibers and heart rate, such as: 4-5 x 6 minutes in a biggest gear possible with a cadence of 75-80 rpm on a flat to rolling course. Do each interval to exhaustion with five minutes' easy spinning recovery.

The 3, 3, 3

Warm up 20 minutes. On a climb (preferably long), do a continuous 3-minute stand (out of the saddle) in big gear, 3-minute sit big gear, 3-minute easy spin in small gear. Don't let your heart rate get above zone 3 ("somewhat hard" perceived exertion) at any time.

Do this up to 6 times through for a total of 54 minutes, depending on length of the ride. Keep your cadence at 65-70 rpm with the exception of the easy spinning segment. Also, as the season progresses, the intensity will increase.

Rep it

Warm up 10 minutes. There are no prescribed zones, as heart rate is not important. In your big chainring and a gear giving you a cadence of 50-60 rpm, every 3 minutes do 15-20 revolutions of max effort. Complete 6-10. Cool down 5 to 10 minutes. This can be done with other force workouts depending on the length of the ride.

Indoor force/hills

With your bike on an indoor trainer, raise the front wheel off the floor 4-6 inches. Warm up 10 minutes, then in zone 4-5 effort with an RPE of 16-19, do 6, 5 and 4 minutes while attacking the last :30 with an all-out effort.

Recovery is half of the interval time. Raising the front wheel helps simulate your position while climbing a hill. Again, the intensity progresses as you become fitter.

Do not attempt any of these sessions if you have knee problems. When doing these sets, focus on maintaining proper form, avoiding excessive upper body movement. Concentrate on efficient pedal stroke technique.

Don't fall into the realm of mashing big gears. Developing force will make you a more powerful rider, and therefore a faster rider. It will also make you more economical on the bike, as at a given intensity, you will need a lower percentage of your maximal strength.

Eventually, because the bike leg of the triathlon will be easier, you will have more energy when running off the bike, and indirectly, your improved bike strength will be beneficial to your run.

Hillanders Fun Cycling Community di Bali

Titanium has an image of being a rare, hard to get, difficult to work with material. Titanium is an element, atomic number 22 on the periodic table. Titanium is the fourth most abundant metal on our planet. Titanium is most often mined as the ore rutile or ilmenite.

Titanium was not discovered until nearly 1800 and only processed into pure metal in 1910. Over the last four decades titanium has seen significant growth as a commercial product. Titanium is abundant but difficult to refine and process. Unlike Aluminum which is economically refined using an electrical process, titanium is commercially produced by reducing titanium tetrachloride with molten magnesium. The difficulty in manufacturing structural titanium metal, not its rarity, is responsible for titanium's high cost.

Nearly all titanium metal used for production is an alloy. Like other pure metals, pure titanium requires the addition of other elements to achieve the structural properties that performance applications demand. The most common alloy in use (60% of all alloy production) is Ti 6-4, an alloy of 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This common titanium alloy possesses a tensile strength of 135,000 psi. For performance applications RCS uses a proprietary titanium alloy manufactured by Dynamet, a subsidiary of Carpenter Technology. This alloy, known as UPG ®(Ultimate Performance Grade) beta titanium has a tensile strength of 200,000 psi.

Titanium enjoys a space-age reputation as it has been heavily used on aerospace applications from commercial airliners to stealth fighters and satellites. That reputation is undergoing change as many performance applications are beginning to realize the benefits available from highly engineered titanium products. Titanium springs are a large part of this change. Until recently titanium springs were only found on weight sensitive and demanding aerospace applications.

Today, RCS is directing it's expertise with this material to developing high-quality, high-performance parts for applications from downhill mountain bike suspension springs to incredibly precise titanium springs for Formula 1 racing.

Be Seen Wearing It.

For safety and peace of mind.

Terkadang dalam berolahraga/berpetualang kita tidak/lupa memperhatikan hal yang sepele namun ternyata penting juga, salah satunya menggunakan/membawa personal identification gear.

Beberapa waktu yang lalu saya sempat mampir ke salah satu toko sepeda, disana saya lihat ada sepeda yang didekat handlebarnya digantungkan KTP pemilik sepeda tsb, menurut penjaga toko, pemilik sepeda tsb pernah pingsan dan tidak ada yang menolong, sehingga sekarang pemilik sepeda tsb menggantungkan KTP di handlebar sepedanya.

Saya langsung berpikir, untung selama ini saya menggunakan gelang id dari road-id.

Ada beberapa alternatif membawa/menggunakan personal identification gear seperti :

-          Membawa KTP/SIM/kartu nama

-          Menulis di secarik kertas ttg data diri

-          Menggunakan kalung tag spt tentara, dll

Salah satu personal identification gear yang saya gunakan adalah gelang dari Road-Id (bahkan anak-anak saya juga menggunakan gelang dari road-id pada saat pergi/ke sekolah).

Informasi lebih jelas mengenai Road-ID ini dpt dilihat di link banner website dibawah ini :

Dalam waktu 2 minggu barang akan sampai dari Amerika.

Informasi yang perlu di cantumkan di dalam id seperti :

Nama, alamat, no telp pihak/keluarga yg bisa dihubungi dan golongan darah.

Mudah-mudahan informasi ini dapat berguna dan jangan lupa memakai/membawa personal id selama berolahraga/berpetualang.

Cheers ,
Ufi

Pengalaman dari temen yg baru saja pesan Road-ID : http://udey.multiply.com/journal/item/24/THE_WRIST_ID

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Auction Sniper is an eBay sniper that automates the process of placing your bid in the closing seconds of any eBay auction, dramatically increasing your chance of winning. We keep it simple: you tell us what you want to win, and we snipe eBay for you. Best of all, Auction Sniper is free to try. After you win your first auction with our help, you’ll never bid the same way again.

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Have a great day,
Ufi

The Leader in Custom Engraved Billet Accessories

Untuk menghitung spring rate berdasarkan berat badan.

Contoh tampilan aplikasinya :

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” (Heywood HaleBroun)

Quote yang disebutkan di atas memberi definisi baru tentang olah raga. Bahwa sesungguhnya olah raga tidak selalu identik dengan kegiatan-kegiatan standar yang dapat membentuk tubuh Anda seperti fitness, renang, atau sepak bola. Sesungguhnya olah raga adalah kegiatan-kegiatan yang saat melakukannya Anda merasa puas dan bahagia, selain merasa bugar tentunya.

Sports reveal character. Karena itulah Anda tidak perlu bingung-bingung mencari olah raga apa yang tepat untuk tubuh Anda. Biarkan hati Anda berbicara, dan biarkan diri Anda mengikuti kesukaannya. Berikut ini adalah 10 olah raga impian versi Free! Magazine, yang mungkin dapat membantu hati Anda menentukan olah raga pilihannya. (momo)

1. SURFING
Bagaimana olah raga yang satu ini tidak menjadi olah raga impian? Menyaksikan surfer berlari-lari di atas ombak saja rasanya begitu menyenangkan, apalagi kalau suatu saat nanti kita dapat melakukannya sendiri dengan mahir. Olah raga yang satu ini diduga pertama kali dikenal di Hawai, dan kini bahkan sudah diakui sebagai salah satu budaya di sana. Olah raga yang satu ini pada awalnya lebih banyak digemari oleh kaum pria, namun sejak bertahun-tahun yang lalu kaum wanita juga mulai menyukainya. Kita yang tinggal di Jakarta tidak perlu jauh-jauh ke luar negeri untuk dapat menikmati atau mempelajari olah raga ini, karena Bali, Pelabuhan Ratu, Cimaja, dan Anyer nampaknya cukup ramah untuk mempraktekan olah raga ini. Oh ya, saat terjun ke dunia surfing, berarti Anda juga terjun ke dalam gaya hidup surfer!

2. GOLF
Kalau Anda masih berpikir kalau golf itu masih identik dengan orang tua, berarti Anda sudah tertinggal sekitar 10 tahun. Kini golf adalah olah raga yang ramah dan untuk semua orang! Pria dan wanita, tua dan muda. Selain identik dengan orang tua, dulu golf juga identik sebagai olah raga yang mahal dan konvensional. Tapi nyatanya sekarang golf datang menggebrak dengan image barunya sebagai olah raga yang hip, young, dan stylish! Salah satu hal yang menjadikan olah raga ini menjadi impian Free! ialah karena golf itu lebih dari sekedar olah raga. It’s a lifestyle. Untuk mengenal atau mempelajarinya, Anda harus menjalani gaya hidup layaknya para pemain golf handal.


3. MOUNTAIN BIKE
Mountain Bike atau lengkapnya Mountain Terrain Bike (MTB) adalah salah satu olah raga yang perkembangan paling cepat di Indonesia dalam lima tahun belakangan ini. Untuk menjelaskannya secara sederhana, Mountain Bike adalah sepeda gunung, di mana Anda harus melintasi segala medan di pegunungan. Olah raga ini dapat dilakukan sebagai race, namun tidak ada salahnya jika Anda ingin melakukannya dengan santai sambil menikmati pemandangan. Mountain bike itu enak banget, karena selain berolah raga kita juga bisa lebih sehat karena menghirup udara yang lebih segar, sekaligus refreshing sambil melihat pemandangan yang nggak bisa kita lihat di tengah kota. Bersepeda di pegunungan sambil menikmati pemandangan dan udara segar tentu membawa kenikmatan tersendiri.

4. SNOWBOARDING
Olah raga yang satu ini masuk dalam daftar olah raga impian Free! Magazine, karena untuk dapat mencobanya kita harus mengeluarkan uang cukup banyak dan pergi beribu-ribu mil ke negara lain yang bersalju. Sangat menyenangkan? Tentu. Namun Anda harus berusaha sekuat tenaga untuk berlatih agar dapat bergaya seperti atlet-atlet snowboarding yang sering Anda lihat di ESPN. Ingin segera mencobanya? Sabarlah menunggu sampai musim salju di Eropa datang di akhir tahun. Paling tidak Anda memiliki waktu beberapa bulan menabung sebelum pergi ke sana.

5. SKYDIVING
Kalau bungy jumping sudah membuat Anda takut, entah apa pendapat Anda tentang olah raga yang satu ini. Terjun bebas dari pesawat di atas ketinggian beribu-ribu kaki. Itulah skydiving. Saat Anda pertama kali mencobanya, Anda akan ditemani oleh seorang instruktur dan terjun secara tandem. Sebelum terbang, Anda tentu juga akan mendapatkan briefing terlebih dahulu tentang segala teknis yang diperlukan. Yang harus diperhatikan, berat badan Anda tidak boleh lebih dari 100 Kilogram, sedangkan untuk tinggi badan tidak masalah. Setelah mahir dan menguasai semua teknis yang ada, Anda pun dapat merasakan kepuasan menari-nari di udara.

6. ROCK CLIMBING
 Untuk mencoba rock climbing, Anda tentu harus memiliki dasar wall climbing yang baik. Dan jika Anda sudah cukup mahir dalam wall climbing, langsung saja mencoba tingkat berikutnya yaitu rock climbing atau rock crawling. Seperti namanya, di sini Anda harus menaklukan bebatuan-bebatuan untuk dapat mencapai bagian puncaknya. Jika Anda bingung dimana menemukan tempat sepeti ini, Anda dapat mencari biro atau komunitas rock climbing yang dengan senang hati dapat membantu Anda. Kalau Anda tidak memiliki segala perlengkapannya, tempat-tempat semacam ini biasanya menyediakan segala fasilitas yang mendukung untuk memanjat. Selain itu tempat-tempat semacam ini juga menyediakan sarana bagi Anda yang ingin belajar secara private dengan instruktur yang sangat berpengalaman. Kini Anda tahu bagaimana cara memulainya.


7. SCUBA DIVING
Olah raga yang termasuk dalam olah raga air ini sudah diminati oleh banyak orang. Bukan hanya berfungsi sebagai olah raga, melainkan juga untuk refreshing, karena scuba diving memungkinkan Anda untuk melihat keindahan pemandangan bawah laut yang tidak pernah Anda bayangkan sebelumnya. Mungkin selama ini Anda sudah bosan melihat pemandangan daratan yang itu-itu saja, karena itu tidak ada salahnya sesekali mencoba melihat pemandangan indah di dalam laut dengan berbagai hewan laut dan terumbu karang yang sangat cantik. Dengan menyelam, mungkin Anda akan lebih menghargai alam. Melakukan scuba secara beramai-ramai tentunya sangat menyenangkan, namun jika tidak ada teman Anda yang mahir, mungkin Anda dapat meminta instruktur untuk menemani Anda. Tempat terdekat dari Jakarta untuk melakukan olah raga ini ialah Kepulauan Seribu. Kalau mau lebih niat, Bali, Bunaken dan berbagai pulau lain di Indonesia menyimpan potensi alam bawah laut yang sangat menakjubkan!

8. BOXING
Semua orang tahu sang legenda Muhammad Ali, dan semua pria ingin menjadi seperti ia. Karena itulah semua pria pernah membayangkan seandainya diri mereka bisa boxing dan menjadi boxer ternama seperti Muhammad Ali. Boxing atau tinju merupakan perpaduan antara olah raga dengan martial art, di mana dua partisipan yang memiliki berat yang serupa atau seimbang saling berkelahi dengan menggunakan menggunakan tinju mereka. Pada dasarnya ada empat gaya boxing, di antaranya yaitu boxer, swarmer, slugger, dan boxer-puncher. Memang tidak mengorbankan wajah kita untuk ditinju orang lain, namun olah raga ini sangat berkelas dapat mendatangkan penghasilan yang lumayan jika Anda sudah menjadi boxer yang handal. Tapi untuk menikmati boxing, Anda tidak harus menjadi boxer sungguhan kok.

9. HORSE RACING
Jika Anda termasuk orang yang sangat menjaga kelas, horse racing merupakan salah satu olah raga yang dapat Anda pilih. Olah raga yang memiliki nick name ‘The Sport of Kings’ ini sudah dikenal sejak zaman Romawi dulu, dan sekarang termasuk salah satu olah raga yang cukup segmented dan seringkali identik dengan taruhan kelas tinggi. Olah raga horse racing atau balap kuda ini memiliki sepak terjang yang berbeda-beda di berbagai negara, seperti di Amerika Utara, Australia, atau berbagai negara Eropa seperti Italia, Irlandia, dan Inggris. Asia pun juga tidak mau kalah, misalnya India, Mongolia, Hong Kong, dan Jepang. Di Indonesia olah raga ini memang belum telalu umum, namun sangat memungkinkan jika Anda mau mencobanya segera.

10. AUTO RACING
Auto racing atau juga dikenal sebagai automobile racing, autosport, dan motorsport mungkin termasuk olah raga yang cukup umum dan paling dekat dengan kita. Namun olah raga-olah raga ini tetap menjadi impian karena nyatanya banyak orang yang bermimpi ingin menjadi pembalap. Mungkin Anda salah satu di antaranya. Racing pertama kali dikenal pada tahun 1894, dan sejak saat itu namanya terus melambung sehingga menjadi olah raga yang cukup umum dan digemari oleh banyak orang di seluruh dunia. Racing terdiri atas berbagai kategori, di antaranya single-seater racing, touring car racing, rallying, drag racing, sports car racing, off-road racing, dan kart racing.

Dari : The Free! Magazine’s