Bicycle

Cycling and tourism

2012-09-17T01:19:00.001-07:00

Cycle tourism is now growing rapidly in the UK, in parallel
with renewed interest in personal health and fitness, and with
mounting concern over the environmental damage caused by road traffic. The development of the National Cycle Network, with 4,000 miles of route opening in June 2000
and 9,000 miles by 2005, provides both a catalyst and an opportunity for local authorities, tourism promoters and other agencies to define coherent route development and marketing strategies so as to benefit from cycle tourism. Cycle tourism in the UK is currently valued at £635 million per year. The potential for growth here is huge - the forecast for cycle tourism right across Europe is £14 billion per year within 20
years. With potential economic benefits at this scale it is not surprising that there is keen interest in how to develop routes to attract visitors and tourists, and how to market these effectively. The benefits of cycle tourism include reductions in pollution and traffic congestion, economic regeneration and better health. In recognition of this, the overnment is providing a strongly supportive policy framework. Both the 1998 White Paper on Integrated
Transport and the 1999 Tomorrow’s Tourism strategy document call for the development of sustainable transport modes.This information pack draws on basic research into cycle tourism and the motivation of its participants, and includes examples from both the UK and Europe to show the versatility and the wide range of benefits cycle Tourism can bring. The pack is intended particularly for use by Sustrans’ partners in the development of the National Cycle Network.

Cycling

2011-10-04T07:44:00.001-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists.Apart from ordinary two-wheeled bicycles, cycling also includes riding unicycles, tricycles, quadracycles, and other similar human-powered vehicles (HPVs).

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number about one billion worldwide. They are the principal means of transportation in many regions.

Cycling is an very efficient and effective mode of transportation optimal for short to moderate distances. Bicycles provide numerous benefits compared to motor vehicles, including exercise, an alternative to the use of fossil fuels, no air or noise pollution, much reduced traffic congestion, easier parking, greater maneuverability, and access to both roads and paths. The advantages are at less financial cost to the user as well as society (negligible damage to roads, and less pavement required). Criticisms and disadvantages of cycling include reduced protection in crashes, particularly with motor vehicles, longer travel time (except in densely populated areas), vulnerability to weather conditions, difficulty in transporting passengers, and the skill and fitness required.

bicycle photos

2011-05-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Some eccentric bicycles

2011-02-22T15:07:00.001-08:00


Rent Bicycle

BMW Bicycle

www.free-websites.gr

2011-02-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

What bike should I get?

2011-02-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

If you are a beginning off-road rider, you should be looking at a bike with front suspension only (called a hardtail), or even a rigid bike (with no susension fork). A good quality full suspension bike is too expensive to be a beginner bike. If you want the bike mainly for riding on paved surfaces a rigid bike is a better bet.

The frame

The frame is the heart of a mountain bike, and you want to make sure you get a good one. If the bike comes with mediocre parts on it you can replace them, but once you replace the frame it's a different bike.
When looking for a not-too-expensive mountain bike, remember that boring is good. If the bike is too fancy and radical looking, especially if it's inexpensive, it's probably not a good bike. Unless you're going for a full-suspension bike, the traditional diamond frame is the best (as in the Rockhopper below). Any frame design other than this will be more heavy or weaker. The only exceptions in this price range are bikes made by Haro or GT, and these bikes only have small variations on the diamond frame.

If you're not sure exactly what a diamond frame is, let's look at a bike that doesn't have one, the Specialized Enduro below. This bike has rear suspension (the cylindrical bit where the seatstays meet the frame is the rear shock) thus it requires a different geometry to accommodate the shock and the movement of the back part of the bike. You will often see somewhat odd-looking frame designs in full-suspension bikes, but they are rarely useful in hardtails or rigid bikes. (Don't drool too much over this bike. It is unfortunately well out of the price range of this article.)
Many mountain bikes today have a sloping top tube (clearly seen in the Rockhopper). This is a good thing, as it gives you more crotch clearance for the same size of bike. Crotch clearance is the distance between the top tube and your crotch when you are standing over the bike in your bike shoes. It is important because you often crash when riding off-road, and it's good to have a bike that stays out of your way when you come off unexpectedly.

To bounce or not to bounce

Since real rear suspension (as of the Specialized Enduro above) is out of the price range of this article, we'll only consider two kinds of suspension: a suspension fork, and a suspension seat post. First I'll discuss the fork.

Should you get bike with a suspension fork? I think the answer is pretty short and simple: if your main use of the bike is for riding on rough off-road, then get a suspension fork, unless your budget is really low. A good suspension fork is a real boon to off-road riding. Not only does it make the ride more comfortable, but it can greatly improve your control over the bike. For example, if you're coming down a hill and there's a small branch diagonally across the path, the suspension fork can help you get over it safely, while with a rigid fork, your front wheel has more of a tendency to by shunted aside by the branch, leaving you in a heap on the trail. Since most mountain bikes come with suspension forks, this is the easy option.

However, if you have very little money (say you want to spend less than 300 quid, including everything you'll need, like lock and lights), a rigid bike is best, even for riding off-road. For example, a Specialized HardRock Rigid is better suited to off-road riding than most bikes for that price, even ones with a suspension fork. The reason is that most suspension forks on bikes that cheap are really not very good, and while they add a bit of comfort for your off-road riding, they lack the rigidity and damping that allows you to maintain the best control over your bike through the rough stuff. In addition, the frame and other components will be of lower quality to allow for the cost of the suspension fork, and they may not be up to real off-roading. If your budget really is that low, getting a HardRock Rigid would get you riding off-road on a good bike straight off, and then when you've saved up more money you can add a nice suspension fork.

However, many people buy mountain bikes for general purpose riding, not for hard-core off-road riding. MTBs are durable, adaptable machines that can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including riding to work, touring, and just getting out into the countryside for a pleasant spin on a sunny day. If your main use of the bike is not off-road riding, you would be better off getting a rigid (not suspension) fork. Even if your planned use of the bike includes a bit of off-road riding, such as riding on fairly smooth unpaved surfaced (cinder-surfaced bike trails, forest roads), a rigid bike would be best. This is because suspension forks are more expensive, heavier, more likely to go wrong, and more attractive to thieves than rigid forks. In addition, if you stand up to pedal you can lose a fair bit of your energy in bobbing the fork up and down. On rough trails, the suspension fork is so effective at smoothing out the trail bumps that it offsets all these drawbacks, but roads are smooth enough that the fatter tires you get on a MTB provides enough cusioning for all-day comfort in the saddle. This is true even if you get fairly thin (1.5"), smooth, street-specific tires.
Decent-quality rigid MTBs can be hard to find. Many people seem to feel that suspension must be better than no suspension, even for road riding, and so avoid MTBs with rigid forks. However, good bikes are out there (some manufacturers call them "Urban bikes"), and I urge you to make the effort to find them. At time of writing, Marin make the Muirwoods, Specialized do the HardRock Rigid, and Ridgeback do a series of bikes called "Switch". These are super choices for general purpose riding.
A suspension seatpost is another form of suspension that sometimes crops up on some bikes of this price range. They usually come on bikes meant for town use, or on "comfort bikes" meant for slow riding on flat roads, rather than on bikes aimed at real off-road riding. I feel that a suspension seatport is of use either on or off-road. If you hit a pothole on the road, the main place you feel it is in your backside, and a suspension seatpost can help smooth it out. Off-road, it can help smooth out minor trail bumps, allowing you to stay in the saddle for more situations, which can reduce fatigue. It will be of little help on big bumps, which is why proper rear suspension is useful on a bike used for rough off-road. There are some drawbacks to suspension seatposts, and they are the same as for suspension forks: suspension seatposts are more expensive, heavier, and more likely to go wrong that ordinary ones. However, they are much simpler than suspension forks, and they have much less travel, so the difference in price and reliability isn't so great as with suspension forks.

Do you need disk brakes?

Disk brakes are popping up on more and more bikes nowdays, and a few bikes in the price range considered by this article have them. Generally, they are included only on bikes meant for real off-road riding. The main advantages of disk brakes are that they work much better in the wet (especially off-road, since mud can interfere with your braking even more than plain water) and that your rims don't wear down as a result of brake pads rubbing them, so they last alot longer. The rim wear issue ends up being the deciding factor for some people: if you ride in areas with gritty soil, you can wear through rims quite quickly. The disadvantages are that they weigh and cost alot more than rim brakes, add appeal for thieves, and make getting your wheels off the bike a bit more difficult. If you're planning to use your bike mainly for road riding, don't even consider them. They are of most use off-road if you often ride when it's wet, so you'll take full advantage of the reduced rim wear and better wet-weather performance. I would suggest that a beginner would probably be better off without them, because not having them will mean that your bike can have a better frame and components for the same amount of money. You won't really know if you need them until you've been riding awhile and know what sorts of situations you'll be riding in. However, it can pay to buy a bike that's disk-brake ready: it should have disk mounts on the frame, and preferably disk-ready hubs. Then if you want to upgrade to disk brakes it's a fairly painless process, and not all that expensive, as you'll only pay for the disk brakes themselves.

Repair your bicycle

2011-01-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

Now that you have your new or used bicycle, you’re going to need to know some of the simple steps on how to repair a bicycle. Most bicycle repair is pretty straight forward, and with a little mechanical know-how to guide you through the process, you can make many of the repairs yourself.

Bicycle/Bike Chain Breaker Repair Tool Silver

If you are unsure how to repair a bicycle, you could look for a book or guide that explains bicycle repair. Books and guides on how to repair a bicycle are available at any book store or public library.
One of the most common bicycle repairs that riders will have to fix is the chain derailing from the crankshaft. To repair a derailed chain on a bicycle that has multiple gears, simply push forward on the gear changer to give some slack in the chain, and slide it back onto the sprocket that it came off of. For fixed gear bicycles, this repair becomes slightly more involved. You may need a bicycle stand so that you can loosen the rear wheel and slide it forward. From there you can fit the chain back onto the sprocket while turning the pedals to reset the chain into the grooves. That is how to repair a chain that has derailed. If you have a broken chain, then you will need to replace the chain before you can continue riding.
A good thing to have before you set out on a long bicycle ride is a small took kit. A few tools can be invaluable should anything need repaired on your bicycle while you are riding it. A good tool kit for bicycle repair should include an adjustable wrench, a pair of pliers, and an inner tube repair kit or patch kit. Inevitably while you are riding your bicycle you may blow a tire. There are tools available that can fill the puncture hole in your inner tube. Then you just use a handheld pump to fill the inner tube back up, and you’ve just completed a bicycle repair that will allow you to keep riding.
So with the proper tools and a good bicycle stand, you can learn how to do many bicycle repairs with the help of a good bicycle repair guide or book to teach you how.

29 Inches Mountain Bikes

2011-01-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

If you've been in touch with the trends of the industry over the years, you have probably noticed the 29 inch wheeled bikes that came out a few years ago haven't really gone away. The magazines are writing about them more and more, manufacturers are making more and more of them, and even though you rarely see one on the trail, the consumers are still buying them. So what's up? Are they here to stay? Should you consider one for yourself?

Answer:
The answer really depends on you and the type of riding you want to do.

There are certainly some benefits to the 29 inch wheels over the standard 26 inchers, less rolling friction, more comfortable ride, better obstacle rollover, and even better traction. These are some significant benefits that bike designers are always trying to achieve.
On the other hand, looking at the some of the other current trends in the industry, 29 inch wheels are headed in the opposite direction. They have more rotating mass, they certainly aren't lighter, they have a higher center of gravity(just slightly), and designing a 29 inch bike with more than XC travel can pose some serious problems.
Furthermore, for those of us who aren't exactly tall, 29 inch bikes can require some sacrifices such as higher headset/handlebar height, and longer top tubes. Because of this, we will also find a smaller selection of models to choose from.
An interesting fact that proponents of the 29 inch trend like to point out is that the 26" wheel standard has somewhat arbitrarily beginnings. This is true. The 26" wheels and tires used in the early days were simply used because that was a convenient size found on adult and cruiser bikes of the time. However, using this as an argument in support of 29" wheels downplays the fact that those 26" wheels of the day were that size for already good reasons.
I think by far, the biggest argument against the 29 inch category is that it creates some issues with longer suspension travel and it seems that is the way the industry is moving these days.
Some will argue that because of the bigger wheels, not as much suspension is needed, but this only applies to certain circumstances and only to a certain level.
On the other hand, 29 inch mountain bikes are creating some undeniable benefits. For larger to normal sized people who know they don't want more than XC travel (80mm-100mm), these bikes may have some serious merit.
I don't think the debate over Wheel size is going to go away anytime soon. There is no reason why there won't be room for both 26 and 29 inch wheels in the future, or any other size for that matter.
The real trick here is finding a bike that works for you. If it has 29 inch wheels, great.
Either way, 29 inch bikes deserve some credit. Questioning the norm is never really a bad idea.
29 inch bike technology is improving every season. It's fun to watch the new trends.

Bicycle superhighway

2011-01-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Transport for London sees big increase in cycling with Cycle Superhighways.

A part of Cycle Superhighway

Transport for London says studies show a big increase in bike use along two newly-painted Cycle Superhighways.
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They compared numbers in October 2010 versus the same month in 2009 and discovered an overall increase of 70% more cyclists for both routes.
TfL created the pilot Cycle Superhighways last summer, painting bright blue bicycle lanes to designate preferential bike routes into London. CS3 runs roughly along A13 from Barking, England west into London, terminating near the Tower of London. CS7 begins west of London in the Borough of Merton, following or paralleling A24 before ending at Upper Thames Street at Queen Street.
TfL plans to open two more London Super Cycleways — CS2 (Bow-Aldgate via A118-A11) and CS8 (Wandsworth-Westminster via A3205-A3212) — this summer.
According to Bike Hub, about 80 percent of the cyclists on the Cycle Superhighways are commuters.

Why enjoy Greece by bike

2011-01-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

The bicycle is an ideal earth-friendly means to cover distances longer than by foot with minimum impact on the land. No fuel is used in cycling; only the rider's leg muscle power.
The bicycle emits no pollutants to the environment as other mechanized means of transportation do.
A bike tour offers the opportunity to truly experience the local terrain and culture hands-on. You are one-on-one with the environment and the local people. Bicycling slow motion through backroads and countryside terrain is where one finds the true essence of a land and its culture and enables you to enjoy it in an intimate way.
Best of all, a day of cycling provides the opportunity to get physically active outdoors in nature. Without over-exerting yourself, you can experience the high of an aerobic activity and keep your body fit and strong.

For the Earth, for your Health, for Fun --- Bicycling is the activity that wins it all!
The land of Greece and its people will thank you for this.

How to Choose a Comfortable Road Bike Saddle

2011-01-10T00:13:00.000-08:00

Bicycle saddles

if you're not comfortable on your bike, you won't ride. The bicycle component that makes the biggest impact on comfort is the saddle. This makes choosing the right saddle critical.
Step into your local bike shop these days and you can be overwhelmed with saddle choices. Here are a few tips that will help you find the right saddle.
Padding is not always your friend. New riders often make the mistake of choosing a soft saddle for more comfort. Although it may sound counter-intuitive, a firmer saddle will probably offer more comfort in the long-run. A proper riding position will have your weight focused directly your
sit-bones. A firm saddle with offer better sit-bone support. You may experience some discomfort at first, but once the tissue underneath the sit bones is conditioned, the discomfort will dissipate. A plush saddle will offer comfort on short rides, but on longer rides you can experience fatigue and numbness in the groin region. It's always best to minimize pressure on sensitive groin tissues and organs.
One size does not fit all. Just because a saddle is sold as the most comfortable, ergonomic and supportive saddle on the market, doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Everyone is built a little differently and the width of peoples sit-bones varies widely. The angle at which the pelvis tilts also varies. Try a few different brands and models to see which fits you best. Some saddles, like the Specialized Body Geometry products, are offered in multiple widths.

Sport bicycle saddle

comfortable saddle

Give yourself some time to adapt to a new saddle and don't be afraid to experiment with adjustments. A new saddle can take a while to "break-in". Don't be alarmed if you feel a little discomfort on the first ride. Sometimes it takes a few hundred miles for a saddle to feel like an extension of your body. If you've properly broken the saddle in and it still doesn't fit right, try adjusting saddle height, fore/aft positioning and tilt. Often times small adjustments are all you need to really dial-in a fit.

Follow these tips and you'll have a much better chance of staying comfortable on your bike and sticking with the sport.

Winter Biking and Preparations To Take While Doing It To Stay Safe

2011-01-09T23:49:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of biking enthusiasts all over the world as this great sport is a very popular one. If you want to bike during the cold season, you should know that many times this can be dangerous. However, you should practice it during winter too because it can help you remain in shape and lose the extra weight. In this article you will learn the best preparations you should make for biking during winter time.

Driving can be hard during winter but biking is harder. This is because you only have 2 wheels and you have to keep them under control. Cleaning and maintenance should be carefully done before you ride your bike because otherwise you might have accidents.

Also, you should make sure you check its mechanical parts as well. If you do not know your way around it, you should leave checking up to a professional because this is a very serious matter you should take into consideration.
Your battery should also be carefully checked because it is a known fact that it loses power during the cold days. Therefore, you would want it optimal at the beginning of the cold season so that you can rely on it during your travels. You would not want to remain somewhere stuck because your battery has low or no power.
The tires are probably the most important aspects of your bike during the winter. Therefore, you should pay special attention and make sure they are in great shape. Many times good winter tires can save your life.
You should definitely wear your safety gear during the winter because the injuries are more severe when they occur on cold ground. You should definitely wear thermal undergarments as well because they will keep you warm when you need it.
There are many people who want to ride their bikes during winter too. This is normal because biker enthusiasts do not care about the weather as long as they ride their bikes. However, there are a few common sense things you should do before you ride your bike during winter.
Failing to follow the tips above can have dramatic consequences you would surely want to avoid. Besides the things listed above, you should know that cleaning your bike is also important especially when it comes to exposed mechanical parts of some kind.

Being prepared can really help in life