Tour De France Blog

I’m interested in getting my stomach tighter for Summer and I plan on getting myself a bike to ride around in, in my neighborhood. Do you think bike riding and drinking lots of water will help tighten up my ab area?

Kinky boots answer is the way to go.

The short answer is YES. riding a bike is an excellent way to get rid of that pot belly. All the stomach/core excercises that have been recommended will strengthen and tone your stomach, but it will still have a layer of fat covering it unless you do long sessions of cardiovascular exercise in the ‘fat burning’ zone.

exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day with your heart rate a 70 to 80% of maximum – max heart rate is generally 220 minus your age. Burn more calories than you take in. These are the ONLY non-medical methods for losing weight.

Drinking water will do nothing to help you lose weight unless you seriously curtail all other drinks that contain calories and drink water instead.

When you are ready to purchase a mountain bike, if you are like most mountain bikers, you start reading mountain bike reviews. You may have found, however, that not all mountain bike reviews are accurate – or even honest! The fact of the matter is that some dealers and even manufacturers actually pay people to write good reviews – of bikes that the reviewer has never even had the opportunity to ride!

There are countless sites that carry reviews of various mountain bikes. Some of the sites are very dependable and others simply cannot be counted on. It’s hard for the average mountain biker to know who to believe – beginner bikers who have yet to make their first mountain bike purchase don’t stand a chance!

If you are looking for reviews, stick to the sites and publications that can be counted on for accurate and valuable information. Most print publications have accurate reviews. When reading one of these reviews, it is important to look on the edges of the page for very tiny print that says ‘advertisement.’ If you see that, you can be sure that this is not a real review you are reading. It is an advertisement disguised as a review. Its purpose is to get you to buy the bike – not to point out both the pros and the cons! Move on!

When looking for reviews online, stick to the better known online magazines such as Singletrack, GearHead, Mountain Bike Review, and Mountain Bike. These are the online magazines that will give you the most accurate information in terms of reviews. You will also find the latest mountain biking news, as well as quite a bit of information on races and trails. These four websites are vitally important to serious bikers.

Of course the best reviews are the ones that you get from other bikers, in person. When you see a mountain biker on the trail riding a bike that you are interested in, take the time to talk to them. Tell them that you are planning to purchase that particular bike, and ask them what they like about it, and what they don’t like. Find groups of mountain bikers in the parks, and try to talk to them when they are taking a break. This way, you won’t be interfering with their ride, and you can get several different ‘in person’ reviews.

Ask as many questions as you possibly can – but try not to keep irritate them by keeping them from enjoying their ride. After speaking with them – or before – sit back and watch them ride. You aren’t watching their technique – although that may be interesting – what you want to watch for is how well the bike handles. Seeing the bike in action is the second best review that you can possibly have – the first best review you can get is your very own review!

As your interest in a particular bike grows, you will want to try one out for yourself. You can test ride bikes that are for sale in bike shops, but you can’t really put them through the motions well enough in a ‘test ride’ situation to learn what you need to know. Your best option is to test ride a friend’s bike. Take it out for a day, and see what it can do in relation to what you can do with it. Give it a great workout, and by the end of the day, you will know enough about the bike to write your very own review.

Do your part in the mountain biking community by contributing your own reviews to the websites that allow consumers to submit mountain bike reviews. Be clear in your writing, and honest in your opinions. Make sure that you have your facts straight, and be sure that you distinguish between opinion and fact! You will be doing many other mountain bikers a huge favor by submitting your honest – and accurate – mountain bike review!

Trevor Mulholland
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/mountain-bike-reviews-finding-a-trustworthy-source-11068.html

I’m planning on doing cardio to start off the new year as one of my resolution. But what would be the best cardio to do? Running or bike riding?

No, riding is better especially if you do sprint riding it will burn fat and calories much faster than long distance running. Aerobics is great fun too, anything which gets your heat rate up to ensure that you burn all that fat away. Good luck.

A new bicycle that is on the market is the lowrider bike. This bike has gained great popularity because they are easy and comfortable to ride. Many people enjoy the lowrider bike because it gives them a chance to express their individuality and style, thus becoming an essential facet of the life that they lead. People may even add features to their bike, including hydraulic systems, sound systems, and hand painted touches to make it into their very own customized creation. For many people, making their bike reflect their style and riding it around to show others is a source of passion and excitement.

People who love lowrider bikes can point back to the one that was rode by Eddie Munster during the 1960′s television hit, “The Munsters”, as where their love began. Ever since this bike was first ridden during this fun TV show, people have been in love with the Schwinn Stingray that was customized by George Barris. When mountain bikes and BMX bikes were first introduced during the 1980′s, lowrider bikes took a downward turn in popularity.

Do you want a lowrider for yourself? If so, you will find that there are several different ways that you can have one. You can choose to build one yourself or you can pay someone to build you a custom lowrider bike for you. One place that is full of information is on the internet. You can also locate lowrider bike clubs on the internet that will give you all kinds of information on the fun events that they have, as well as the many lowrider bikes that the club members have created. This is a great place to get some ideas. A website sponsored by a manufacturer of lowrider bikes is also another great source of information for you. They will have a list of all of their parts and accessories that they have available, as well as different components to allow you to create your own lowrider bike. The more information that you read and learn from, the easier it will be to create a lowrider bike that you will enjoy riding for many years to come!

Alastair Hamilton
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/going-down-low-to-a-lowrider-bike-99161.html

As a sport or a hobby, mountain biking can be split into 9 different categories.

These categories are very versed in what they offer. They are:

1. BMX
BMX is a style where the bikes offer 20 inch wheels. These bikes are commonly used at skate parks or with dirt jumps. Because of their smaller wheels and shorter wheel bases, BMX bikes are much easier to perform tricks and stunts with.

2. Cross country
This type of mountain biking involves riding your bike up and down hills. Although it’s the least extreme form of mountain biking, most cross country riders are very fit and go on long rides.

3. Cyclo cross
This is a cross between road and mountain biking. These riders have to go over obstacles, cross through rivers, and race on and off the course.

4. Dirt jumping
Dirt jumping involves jumping the bike over large man made dirt jumps then doing tricks while they are in the air. These jumps are normally close together so riders can go over six or more jumps in one run, gaining a flow to give them more speed for bigger jumps.

5. Downhill
Downhill mountain biking involves racing downhill as fast as possible. This type of riding is very intense and extreme, offering riders the chance for ultimate thrills and excitement.

6. Freeride
Free riding involves finding the perfect line down the mountain using all of the terrain to express yourself. These competitions are very popular, as riders can express themselves any way they see fit.

7. Single speed
Not to be confused with fixed gears, this is a form of cross country biking that’s done using a bike with only one gear and fewer components. The idea with single speed is simplicity. The straight chain line will provide efficient pedaling, and the lack of components mean less mechanical problems and a lighter bike.

8. Street and urban
This type of riding involves riding in urban areas, ledges, and other types of man made obstacles. Riders of street and urban biking will do tricks as well, such as stalls and grinds.

9. Trails
Trials are considered an aspect of mountain biking, although the bikes used look nothing like mountain bikes. They use 20 or 26 inch wheels and sport small, low frames. Trail riders will hop and jump their bikes over obstacles, which requires an extreme amount of balance and concentration.

Andrew Manifield
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/types-of-mountain-biking-134993.html

well ive been riding my bike a lot lately to get in a good conditioning shape for wrestling season (starts in 2 weeks) and today i did a 58 mile bike ride on my mountain bike (Colorado elevation 6000ft) . it was mostly flat riding with small hills and then about 5 miles of hard uphills…

so what muscles have i been working doing this?

Quads (of course), glutes, hamstrings, calves, shins, shoulders (like a pushup), and everything in your forearms. It also works your delts, a little, and your neck muscles. Your abs/core get a bit of a workout, too. Mostly you get a good cardio, especially at 6,000 ft!

Motorcycle safety clothing and why this is important

To improve motorcycle safety many countries order the wearing of protective clothing by motorcyclists, especially a helmet. Other protective equipment may include certain types of jackets, gloves, boots, and pants. Jackets meant for motorcyclists are typically made of nylon, leather, or Kevlar. These jackets usually include heavy padding on the elbow, spine, and shoulder regions. Gloves are generally made of leather or Kevlar and some include carbon fiber knuckle protection. Boots, especially those for sport riding, include reinforcement and plastic caps on the ankle and toe areas. A well-protected motorcyclist will wear boots with heels that fit on motorcycle foot rests (pegs) and provide good ankle support. Pants are usually leather, nylon, or Kevlar. Except for helmets, none of these items are required by law in any state in the U.S. but are recommended by many of those who ride.

Types of clothing

Leather Clothing:

Leathers are 1-piece suits, or 2-piece jackets and trousers worn by motorcyclists mainly for protection in a crash. The leather used is not fashion leather but protective leather which is stronger, rather flexible and much tougher. Both leathers and joins (seams and zips) should be officially tested for ergonomics and impact scrape, cut, tear and burst resistance. They do not have to be too heavy and there is no such thing as rivalry leather – just safe and unsafe leather and joins.

Typically, an accident at a race track will result in the racers sliding, rolling and tumbling for reasonably long distances and long times compared to an accident on the public road. This is because of the large safety run-off areas found on most race tracks; hence racers have a much lower probability of hitting hard vertical solid objects during a crash. Some racing leathers have additional protection properties to increase sliding and decrease bouncing and rotation. To decrease or prevent such injuries, most modern racing suits have an area that helps sliding at the knees, shoulders and elbows – often made of titanium or high-density plastic, so the rider slides more along the track environment and so decreases the bouncing and rotation through the air, which may cause inferior injuries from angular accelerations and rotational forces

Currently there are two major styles of motorcycle leathers: the tight fitting and sometimes colorful one or two piece suits based on motorcycle racing leathers; and the somewhat looser fitting leather trousers and jackets, usually black and often decorated with metal studs and tassels.

Textile Clothing:

Increasingly, motorcyclists are choosing protective equipment make up of man-made textiles rather than leather due to their improved weather protection from heat, cold, and water, and the increased value these garments tend to provide in terms of pockets and vents. Common materials include high density (600–1000 Denier) ballistic nylon (e.g., Cordura) and Kevlar (or blends of Kevlar, Cordura, and Lycra) and often include waterproof liners made from materials such as Goretex.

Motorcycling  Boots:

Boots are worn by motorcycle riders and passengers to prevent or diminish harm to their feet and ankles while riding and in the incident of a crash. Tough, strong, moderately flexible boots with rigid soles provide the rider protection from a number of risks. Boots with oil-resistant, rubber-based merged soles give a grip on the concrete and help keep the rider’s feet on the foot rests. If the boots have heels, they should be low and wide to provide a firm base when standing with the bike. In a crash, boots may avoid or reduce foot and ankle injuries.

Helmets:

A motorcycle helmet is protective head covering used by motorcycle riders. The primary target of a motorcycle helmet is to protect the rider’s head during impact, although many helmets provide additional protection such as a face shield. In some countries the wearing of motorcycle helmets is compulsory.

Helmets are made in 2 main layers: hard and energy-absorbing. The hard shell spreads an impact over a larger area, while the liner (often polystyrene foam) absorbs energy so less is transferred to the skull & brain

Gloves:

Motorcycling racing glove

Motorcycling gloves are typically gloves made of leather. They may have gauntlets to protect the rider’s wrists from injury, and help shrink drafts while riding in colder climates. Motorcycling gloves typically have reinforced palms anticipated to protect the rider from scratch injuries in case of an accident.

Optional characteristics include additional protection or weatherproofing. For touring gloves, such additional features may include advanced insulating materials and waterproof/breathable fabric, although touring gloves may still lack advanced armouring features used in motorcycle racing gloves.

Gloves intended for motorcycle racing typically feature precurved finger sections and the best available protection, obtained through additional armour incorporated within the glove. Although maximum tacility is an noticeable starting point for racing gloves, additional protection should not be discarded. Additional protection may involve titanium or carbon panels for knuckles and the joints of the fingers. Furthermore, racing gloves may and often do add in additional wrist and other protection panels to protect the heel of the hand, back of the hand and other easily injured parts of the hand.

faport
http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/motorcycle-safety-clothing-and-why-this-is-important-921166.html