Mountain Biking Accessories

Like any hobby, there are always 'extras' and 'upgrades' to purchase in order to maximize the experience. Mountain biking is no different. Except these accessories can save you some skin or maybe a broken bone or two!

Here are some mountain biking accessories you truly need before bounding over hill and dale.

Mountain Biking Helmet

No question, a mountain bike helmet is the most important mountain bike accessory that you need. A good helmet should always be worn while riding, otherwise you're just inviting unnecessary danger to your sport. Besides, it takes hours to be seen in the emergency room when you could be out riding! Read the rest of this entry

Trek Mountain Bike Review

Trek's humble beginnings started in a rented barn in Waterloo, WI.  Today they have a 43,000 sq building  to house their bigger OCLV Carbon facility as well as an ever-growing engineering and R&D dept.   A lot has changed in the past 30 plus years!

Trek is committed to outfitting the world’s best riders with the world’s best bikes as they compete in the world’s toughest races.

Trek's Professional Mountain Bike Team

Owned and operated by 23 Degrees, with Trek as title sponsor, the Trek World Racing team is one of the first World Cup teams to combine both cross-country athletes and downhill athletes into one highly competitive squad.  Their schedule includes over thirty stops on four continents.

Trek is also heavily involved with cycling at the non-professional level.  It's their contention that the bicycle is a simple solution to some of the world’s most complicated problems.   Trek commitment to helping the world become a more bicycle friendly place.

With the world facing skyrocketing obesity rates, escalating traffic congestion and the concerns of global climate change, Trek's opinion is that the bicycle is an under utilized solution.

To that end, Trek has sponsored - 1 World, 2 Wheels .   The objective is to alleviate obstacles that prevent people from using bicycles for transportation, as well as recreation.

A key goal of 1 World, 2 Wheels is to increase US trips taken by bicycle to 5% from the current 1% by 2017.    (With nearly 40% of car trips taken being under two miles, it's an achievable goal.)

On to the bikes!

Trek has many mountain bike models to choose from.  Whether you're interested in a quality entry-level,'beginner bike', or a serious competitor, Trek most likely produces a model to your liking.

Trek Hardtails Reviews.

69er - The inverse mullet. It’s party in the front, all business in the back. With a 29" front wheel you get trail bikeconfidence, and the 26” rear wheel makes it race bike fast. Inspired by Travis Brown.

Review: 5 Stars - "Fantastic Bike!"
By ChuckVerified Reviewer from Seattle Washington on 6/25/2009
Pros: Durable, Great Components, Great Geometry, Great value, Handles Well, Lightweight, Sweet Paint Job
Cons: Grips
Best Uses: Climbing, Single Track, Trail Riding
Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"I got this bike a while ago and after my first ride I was always wondering when I would be able to go again. The bike does exactly what it's supposed to do. It rolls over roots and rocks like they were nothing and it still has the same acceleration as a smaller wheeled bike. The maneuverability is that of a 29er but its a small sacrifice for the other things the big wheel brings you. Also this bike has a sweet paint job and I have had no problemswith chipping."

9 Series - The members of Team Trek/VW reach for Trek’s OCLV hardtails when the course demands maximum efficiency and absolute minimum weight. Built around an 80mm or 100mm suspension fork, the 9 Seriesenables the racer in you.

Review: 5 Stars - "AWSOME AWSOME AWSOME AWSOME AWSOME"
By Nathan Smith from Turlock Ca on 7/19/2009
Best Uses: Climbing, Descending, Great for everthing, Single Track, Trail Riding, Urban Riding
Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"Buy it no cons its like a farrari on 2 wheels. Worth every penny"

8 Series - The privateer racer who wants speed and efficiency on marathon climbs and technical trails picks the 8 Series, a top-shelf hydroformed aluminum hardtail frame with premium parts spec and a 100mm travel suspension fork.

Review: 5 STARS - "Best in it's class!!"
By Nick -Verified Reviewer from Chevres, Belgium on 4/2/2009
Pros: Durable, Good Geometry, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight
Cons: Color
Best Uses: Climbing, Single Track, Trail Riding
Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"What can i say this bike rocks!! fast, light, and climbs like a champ. Going from a full suspension to this makes me wish i never got a FS for XC races. this bike flies. the only thing I don't like is the color but it's growing on me. the whole bike has XT parts what can you say but great!! Put on a scale with my DH pedals and the bike weight in at 25.1 lbs. if you have to deside from a 6 series to a 8 take the extra step and get the 8 you won't regret it!!"

6 Series - For the singletrack enthusiast who wants a lightweight aluminum frame but needs a parts group that packs a punch. 100mm front suspension by RockShox complement a bike that’s ready for any trail adventure.

Review: 5 Stars - "Great Bike!!!!"
By Drewsky25 from LA, CA on 10/20/2008
Pros: Durable, Good Geometry, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight
Cons:None
Best Uses: Climbing, Urban Riding
Describe Yourself:Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"This bike is a great on and off mountain bike for the avid rider. If you are not a hardcore downhiller and want to ride ocasionally on a mountain and also street, this is probably one of the best coices for you. I am veryhappy with the purchase!"

4 Series - Beginning and novice riders should pick the 4 Series for their first foray onto singletrack. A 100mm suspension fork and hydroformed aluminum frame keep it light and durable with the most performance for your dollar.

Review: 4 stars - By Trailpatrol-Verified Reviewer from Zimmerman, MN on 6/18/2009
Pros:Durable, Good Geometry, Handles Well
Cons:Poor Tires, Uncomfortable Seat
Best Uses:Single Track, Technical Riding
Describe Yourself:Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"I use this bike as a park ranger and a volunteer National Mountain Bike Patrol member. Added a new seat and tires and it is good to go, wherever I want to go. Singletrack, sandy trails, hardpack. I love the geometry ofTrek's MTB frames. Now if I could just get it with a SRAM X-7, that would be MTB heaven!"

3 Series - The perfect bike for the beginner heading out to the local park or taking the long way home. The 3 Series offers an aluminum frame, an 80mm suspension fork and durability for years to come.

Review: 5 Stars - "Absolutely Awesome"
By Crush from S. Korea on 9/23/2008
Pros: Durable, Good Geometry, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight
Best Uses: Climbing, Urban Riding
Describe Yourself: Casual Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"Great performance for the price. I enjoy riding but i'm not hardcore. It is the absolute for a intermediate riderwho doesn't need rear suspension."

820 - The 820 is the easiest way to get on a Trek. For the entry level rider who wants comfort and durability, the steel-framed 820 gets it done with a 21-gear Shimano drivetrain.

Review: 5 Stars - "Awsome"
By chillytater from Fairbanks Alaska on 5/3/2009
Pros: Comfortable, Durable, Good Geometry, Handles Well
Best Uses: Urban Riding
Describe Yourself: Casual Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"Well i love this bike granted i have only been rideing el cheapo department store bikes i really didnt see the need for a bike over 150 bucks until my roomate let me ride his 6 series i thought he was crazy for spending that much on a bike but the next day i went to same store and was surpized to find the 820 its so comfortable the gears r so smooth i love the shifters the brakes are great and the warranty is awsome as soon as my wife gets up here im goin to buy her the wsd model Its just and awsome bike"

Trek even makes a Police Bike! - Protect the peace with the lightweight ride and rugged toughness of Trek’s hydroformed Alpha Aluminum frame. Your new cruiser comes with all the essential extras that help you get the job done. Your job is hard enough, your bike should be the easy part.

Review:  5 STARS- "Best Police Bike"
By Cop from St. Louis on 7/21/2009
Pros: Durable, Great Components, Handles Well Off-road, Lightweight
Best Uses: Off-Road, Pavement
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"I used this bike, and older models, on full-time bike patrol in St. Louis for 18 months. Best patrol bike ever! It is whisper-quiet, works well on both pavement and in parks, and is perfectly balanced. Handles great and comfortable for hours."

"I beat the heck out of it in the field and in numerous trainings and never had a problem with it beyond routine preventative maintenance. I have put it head-to-head against Smith & Wesson, Raleigh, and Canondale in the field and in training...this bike wins, hands down! I hope we can buy more next year..."

Trek Full-Suspension Mountain Bikes

"We Believe in Suspension Intelligence"

Bikes with front and rear suspension allow greater control and comfort in all conditions, but not all full-suspension bikes are created equal. Only Trek mountain bikes give you ABP, Full Floater, and EVO Link suspension technology that is tuned for each category. Explore our lineup to see what meets your demands.

The Top Fuel:  Trek Claims "Our Fastest Mountain Bike Ever"

Top Fuel- Ultimate weight savings. Ultimate pedaling efficiency. The ultimate cross country race bike. The all-new 2009 Top Fuel 9.9 SSL combines Trek's top-shelf OCLV Red Carbon with a host of technological innovations, all designed to make you faster. ABP Race. Precision Fit Sockets. A no-cut seatmast. BB90 and an exclusive 2x9 crankset made just for Trek. It all adds up to the lightest, fastest full-suspension mountain bike we've ever made. Eat your heart out hardtails.

Review: 5 stars- "Light as a hardtail smooth and fast"
By Lefty the Rocket-Verified Reviewer from Cape Cod, MA on 3/19/2009
Pros: Balanced Suspension, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight, Plush Feel
Best Uses: Mountain Biking, Racing
Describe Yourself: Competitive Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"This bike is by far the nicest full suspension bike I've ever ridden. Lighter than most hardtails, this thing climbs like nothing I've ever ridden before. The ABP works great no more suspension lock-up under hard braking, the full floater gives a bottomless feel to the rear suspension. A real race bike straight out of the box."

FUEL EX - The answer to that age-old campfire question: If you were stranded on a singletrack-laden island and could only have one bike, what would it be? Light, agile, and efficient thanks to its OCLV Black frame.

Plush, comfortable, and in control courtesy of cutting-edge suspension technologies like ABP, Full Floater, and EVOLink. It's the new Fuel EX 9.9. And its ready for any trail, any mountain. Built with top-shelf parts from Shimano, SRAM, Fox, and Bontrager, the EX 9.9 is more than ready for your go-anywhere, do-anything adventures. And it means your buddies will have to find a new question to wile away the hours.

Review: 5 stars - "Best bike ever!"
By Napfgoldwascher - Verified Reviewer from Madiswil, Switzerland on 6/8/2009
Pros: Balanced Suspension, Durable, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight, Plush Feel
Best Uses: Downhill, Free Riding, Mountain Biking, Racing
Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"After riding a TREK 9900 and a TREK FUEL 100 I'm riding now this FUEL EX 9.9.
For me it's really the best bike I have ever seen and ridden within the last 20 years!"

Remedy 9 - Here it is. The undisputed king of the mountain. The All-Mountain World Champion. The Remedy.

You don't win in Downieville unless you've got a bike that can carve, climb, and descend with the confidence of a DH bike and the agility of an XC bike. That's the Remedy. A bike built to handle anything you throw at it.

Drops. Stunts. Challenging descents. All-mountain. Every mountain. Both ways, up and down. With the best components from world-class manufacturers like Shimano, SRAM, Fox, and Bontrager, the Remedy 9 features an ultra-light, ultra-tough Alpha Red Aluminum frame with 150mm of smooth, efficient, and seemingly endless travel. It's the ultimate ride for the ultimate in all-mountain excursions.

Review: 5 stars -  "want a little stronger parts"
By biker dude - Verified Reviewer from danville on 8/6/2009
Pros: Balanced Suspension, Durable, Great Components, Handles Well, Lightweight, Plush Feel
Best Uses: Downhill, Mountain Biking
Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"just want saint cranks and shifters maybe even brakes"

Session 88 FR - The Measure of All Bikes

The Shore special. A gravity sled machine. Andrew Shandro's go-to park bike. Whatever you want to call it, the Session 88 FR is engineered with one thing in mind: highly technical downhill riding. With a freeride-specific component spec like the RockShox Totem, Shimano Saint and Fox DHX 4.0, the Session 88 FR can hit the stunts that make your spine tingle, the drops that make you drool and the berms that bring a smile to your face.

Review:5 stars - "Epic Ride..."
By BenderVerified Reviewer from West Hartford, CT on 6/29/2009
Describe Yourself:Competitive Cyclist
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

"This is the best DH/FR bike ive ever ridden. The suspension is so plush and bottomless. Usually after a day at a mountain my hands hurt by then end but this is the only bike ive ridden where this hasn't happened. Words just dont do this bicycle justice..."

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If you've been interested in mountain biking for any length of time, you've heard the name "TREK".  Maybe it's time to see what all the excitement is about!

Giant Mountain Bikes

For nearly three decades, Giant has been steeped in the growth of cycling and the cycling culture. Giant is an active participant in the development of cycling; either as a means of simple transportation or contributing to the widely popular world of recreational and sport cycling.

The Giant name is synonymous with technological innovation and the state-of-the-art designs.  They are dedicated to proving the best quality and most innovative bicycles to its customers.

Giant is committed not only to recreational and competitive cycling, but also the entire cycling industry and our environment. Not Satisfied with being the world's most widely known bicycle brand, Giant is in constant pursuit of its vision of becoming 'The Best Bicycle Company in the World'.

The Giant Mountain Bike Line Up

Giant groups their mountain bikes into five main categories:  Competition, Trail, All Mountain, Free Ride, and Sport

The Competition line is for those diehard purists looking to leave the competition in the dust. Giant’s race machines set the pace with Anthem Advanced, Anthem X, XTC Advanced, and Glory DH

• Anthem Advanced - Full composite engineering from the world leader in composite bicycles, Adam Craig’s race-winning know-how and the supple response of 3.5-inch travel Maestro Suspension make Anthem Advanced the one to beat. Race-tuned, race-ready. Built to win!

• Anthem X - The Anthem X’s precision-fabricated ALUXX SL frame gives you everything you want for XC: superlight quickness, amazing torsional stiffness, loads of tire clearance, 4 inches of incredibly active Maestro Suspension and race-tuned geometry that lets you rail singletrack like a Stinger missile.

• XTC Advanced - Light, fast, quick, nimble—that’s Giant Mountain Bike Team member Adam Craig, and this is the hardtail he wanted. This is the ultimate racing machine, engineered with Advanced Composite Technology for trail-smoothing suppleness and absolute power delivery. When going fast is the only thing that matters.

• Glory DH - The Glory DH’s 8.8-inch Maestro Suspension is fully active over everything from stutters to less-than perfect landings, whether you’re speed-checking or pedaling for all you’re worth. It’s the backup you need when you’re throwing everything you’ve got into beating the clock

The Trail line is designed to devour sweet singletrack in super-sized helpings courtesy of the award winning Trance X. Light enough to climb the highest peaks, smooth enough to rip back down.

• Trance X - is cutting-edge superiority with features like a hyper-engineered main triangle, absolutely dialed geometry and 5 inches of Maestro Suspension that’s active under pedaling and braking alike. But all you need to know is this: Trail riding just got that much better.

The All Mountain group is designed to conquer and accomplishes that goal with the Reign and Reign X. Packing 6 to 6.75 inches of Maestro suspension, these all mountain machines give you the confidence to blaze new trails.

• Reign - a true all-mountain performance machine.  Six inches of aggressive downhill Maestro-equipped travel that’s supple and controlled when pedaling uphill or powering the flats. Nothing puts you more in touch with the trail, or more in control—under any conditions.

• Reign X - with 6.7 inches of always-active Maestro Suspension lets you pound pedals uphill and blitz down Buttressed, hydro-formed, perfectly welded ALUXX SL aluminum and the best suspension on the trail make this the ultimate all-mountain machine.

Free Ride is for bombing burly mountain terrain or perfecting tailwhips at the park.  Giant presents the Glory and STP to keep you charging all the way.

• Glory - Technical spec meets the technical trail. Overbuilt with 8 inches of coil-over Maestro Suspension, onePointfive headset and freeride-specific geometry. Because out there, there’s no substitute for strength. Or the confidence and talent to make it stick.

• STP - Zero hype. One hundred percent creed. Butted ALUXX SL alloy gives STP a lightweight chassis and the strength to last. Tight, precise geometry for no-guesswork tire placement—with a low saddle and tall cockpit that puts you solidly in control.

Performance Hardtail is for devotees who demand lightweight and responsive simplicity.  For that kind of performance, nothing beats the traditional hardtail. From lightning-fast race bikes to efficient, affordable trail bikes, XtC has it covered.

• XtC Alliance -  a lightweight chassis packing real heavyweight performance. Pure efficiency and the most supple, controlled ride Giant’s engineers can coax out of composite and aluminum alike.  Its go-fast technology, stripped to its trail-pounding essence.

• XtC - ALUXX SL butted aluminum is the perfect platform for aspiring racers and hardcore trail riders. Experience aluminum’s near-perfect efficiency, with the race-tested geometry and trail-taming suppleness only Giant can engineer.

The SPORT lineup are machines that can go from city streets to singletrack without missing a beat. Aimed at adventure, the versatile Sport Mountain range is all about expanding horizons.

The Sport models include:  Brass SX, Brass , Yukon FX, Yukon, Rincon, Boulder SE, and the Boulder

Giant mountain bikes always top the mountain bike reviews. They last years longer and tolerate intense rides better than most other off road bikes. If getting more for your money and having a dependable bike means as much to you as getting out and riding, then a mountain bike by Giant is the way to go.

Here is a collection of Giant Mountain Bikes currently available on eBay.

Review and History of Specialized Mountain Bikes

Bike building philosophy at Specialized is more on par with being a religion.  And so is actually riding them.   The Specialized team is devout – and fanatical - about riding!  Bikes are their passion.  And the folks at Specialized feel, to be the best, you must be a fanatic. Read the rest of this entry

Hardtail or Full-Suspension?

Everyone has a preference (and an opinion!) when it comes down to the best set-up for mountain bikes:  hardtails or full-suspension. This “discussion” is sure to launch some heated debates so let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two camps.

When it comes to bike weight, a full suspension bike is going to be heavier.  Fact.  A cross-country bike is equipped with more rough-terrain features for you to haul around.

Not having this added weight makes the hardtail a bit more nimble.  Weighing less, the agility factor gives the nod to the hardtail. Read the rest of this entry

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