Mountain Bike Living

What is the difference of different types of bicycles?
Hi, I recently stumbled upon this question and i was just wondering if any bicycle experts out here could help me with their vast knowledge.
In terms of efficiency, what is the difference of direct drive, single, speed , derailleur systems and internal hub gears systems on bicycles?
Thank you very much

Performance, weight, speed, comfort and the type of riding you are doing.

A single speed or fixed gear is great if you do easy commutes: no hills or speed records (cruiser)

A dérailleur is used for multiple gears like a road bike, Hybrid or a Mtn. bike to allow you to change gears for hills or speed.

Internal hubs are great for cruisers that want that extra help up hill without worrying about your chain coming off, or losing the look of a fixed gear.

im looking for a new ride for the next race season. i have an 07 spec epic expert and im considering upgrading to the marathon model or maybe th new trek fuel ex.
i want to get reviews of what other people think of these bikes and others. any good sites?

Try http://mtbr.com. There are lots of review of bikes, components, trails, races, etc.

Hope this helps.

I am an amateur at this and my girlfriend and I know we would enjoy it. I want to get something dependable because I know I would attempt to treat it rough. I would like the different speeds and such and I am not sure if I need full suspension or only front. Plus if you could explain the different lingo that goes with shopping for a mountain bike. Thanks

For $200 you will need to buy a used bike. Nothing new at that price will handle rough service.

Basic Lingo:

Fork- Holds the front wheel and allows steering.

Frame- Structure that hold everything together into a bicycle.

Hardtail- bike with front suspension only

FS or Full Suspension- Suspension front and rear. Not necessary except for extreme conditions

Speeds- Total number of gears. Does not dictate how fast the bike will go. Multiply front gears x back gears to determine number of "speeds"; ex: 3 in front x 7 in back =21 speeds.

Grip Shift- Shifters that are actuated by "twisting".

TriggerShift (or) RapidFire- Shifters that are actuated by pushing or pulling with thumb or index finger.

Front derailleur- Changes gears on the chainrings (by the pedals). LEFT shifter is used.

Rear derailleur- Changes gears on the cassette or freewheel (on the rear wheel). RIGHT shifter is used.

Rim- Metal "hoop" that holds the tire and tube.

Spokes- Metal "wires" that hold the hub to the rim.

Hub- Center of the wheel (comprised of rim, hub, spokes, tire, and tube) that houses the axle and bearings.

Quick Release- A cam operated unit that allows fast removal of wheels (if so equipped) or adjustment of saddle height.

Cassette (or) Freewheel- group of rear gears. Primary difference is the method of attachment to the hub.

V Brake (also Linear Pull)- a type of brake that uses 2 long brake arms, attached to opposite sides of the frame/fork and connected by a cable running across the top. These are the standard brake for most all terrain bikes and many mountain bikes.

Disc Brake- a type of brake that uses a small disc attached to the hub and a caliper attached directly to the frame. Used primarily on bikes used for offroad but seeing expanding use on "Walmart" bikes intended for onroad only.

Frame size- Measurement of frame between center of bottom bracket and (usually) top of seat tube to determine standover height. Larger frame, taller rider.

Bottom bracket- Area that houses the crank and pedals.

Mountain bike (MTB)- Intended for riding offroad on varying degrees of rough terrain. Secondary use for onroad but not optimum usage. Typical price is $600 and up- as price goes up it becomes more dedicated to offroad use.

All Terrain ATB (or) Sport bike- Intended for on road or off road on smooth trails (rain ruts/small rocks/gravel). Good choice for city commuters or riders that ride on a variety of surfaces. Typical price is $250 and up.

Utility bike- Appears as an ATB or MTB but is generally under $200 and intended for occasional onroad use only, NOT for offroad. "Walmart" grade.

Shimano- Largest manufacturer of bicycle components, on about 90% of the worlds bikes regardless of price. Makes a wide range of products in different price ranges. Most bikes that specifically say something like "Shimano Equipped" tend to have the lowest grade of components.

I hope this helps… everytime I defined something it forced me to define something else!

I am looking for a bike that I can use not only for easy mountain biking trails, but also for riding around my neighborhood. I have seen hybrid bikes and Im not totally sure what those are. Can someone please help me or point me in the right direction!!! Thanks

You sound like a candidate for a hybrid. They are called that because they are a cross between a road and mountain bike. The frame is similar to a mountain bike. Wheels are the same diameter as road bikes (700C) but narrower and tires have less aggressive treads than a true mountain bike. They often have front (and maybe seat) suspension, but they will usually have mountain bike style handlebars and gears. They are well suited to city roads, bike paths and hardpack trails, but being a hybrid are less suited to long, fast road rides than a road bike or to rough/demanding trails than a mountain bike. See the article at the link.

Why do people ride bikes in the street and not the sidewalk? I think it would make more sense to ride on the sidewalk where you don’t have to deal with traffic. So why do they ride in the street?

In almost all places a bicycle is considered to have all the rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle.
It is a myth that it is safer to bicycle on the sidewalk. While non-cyclists might think it logically safer because they perceive bicycles as slow moving vehicles they are normally fast enough to be a hazard to pedestrians.
Also, consider that even an unfit rider can easily propel a bicycle at 10 mph, this is 4 times the normal walking speed. A car driver would never expect someone entering a crosswalk at that speed.
Part of the problem here is that no one seems to want to share the road and act with consideration of our fellow human beings. Too many people think that the road is for their use solely, I include drivers and bicyclists as having this mentality. Is that bicycle really that hard to look out for and go around? And if you are on a bicycle impeding traffic in a place where a motor vehicle can’t safely pass is it all that hard to pull over and let them pass?
If we all just used a little common sense and showed some courtesy for our fellow man we would all be a little safer and happier.

We don’t have a car and we have two parking spots so we put two bicycles in them. Today my landlord said it looks "tacky" and we need to move them. I feel I should be able to put them there. Does he have a legal right to say I can’t?

I don’t believe so since it is something that gets you from point A to B.

I’m going to be making a run down an approx. 1mi long hill and was wondering what the world record was for the highest unassisted speed reached on a mountain bike. I’m not going to be towed to obtain a higher speed. It’s just going to be me and my bike.

Good luck the record is 130 mph.

http://www.mtbontv.com/2007/09/130-mph-downhill-speed-record/