The Beginner's guide for getting started Touring by Bike
Submitted by Andy_B on Tuesday, 17 August 2021 Page Views: 244
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During the trip, you can not only visit famous sites, mountains and rivers, examine the terrain, humanities and climate, customs and traditions, but also be in the middle of unpolluted nature, taste delicious food from all over the world, and eat pure green fruits and vegetables.
Cycling is basically the same as any other sport for strengthening the body. It can strengthen the heart and lung function, prevent high blood pressure and vascular sclerosis, and is one of the best equipment to overcome heart function problems. The most prominent advantage is that compared to other sports, such as running, climbing, etc., more calm, easy to last, and can adapt to a wider range of people.
However, it has a higher insecurity factor, producing the possibility of athletic physical discomfort and pain, and even disease, and more painful areas and types than other sports. So the more knowledge you have about long-distance cycling, the more extensive it is, the better, to make the best of its strengths and avoid its weaknesses and make the best of its sporting effects.
Bicycle purchase
When traveling by bicycle, it is most important to have a light, sensitive and reliable bicycle that can adapt to various road conditions to make the journey easier, more comfortable and safer. So before you buy a bicycle, be prepared to have a more comprehensive understanding of the bicycle, and because the bicycle is a more expensive commodity, especially for working-class people, more careful, the best once to buy never regret the love of the car.Classification of bicycles.
Bicycles can be divided into two categories: 1) bicycles for daily use and 2) bicycles for sports.1. Bicycles for life can be divided into men's and women's, standardized and weighted, and can be divided into 28, 26, 24, 20 and other categories in terms of size.
2. Bikes for sports can be roughly divided into several broad categories such as mountain bikes, road bikes, and skill bikes according to their functions. Mountain bikes are divided into general mountain bikes, off-road bikes, climbing bikes and speed bikes. Among the many types of bicycles, the most suitable bicycles for long-distance travel are general mountain bikes and cross-country bikes or travel bikes.
How to buy a bicycle
1. There are two basic principles for purchasing a bike, one is one's financial situation and the other is one's hobby. A good bicycle will show all its excellent characteristics during a long trip. If it is a short trip and the roads are relatively flat, you can easily complete the whole journey by having a 28 or 26 type ordinary bike. Whereas the terrain on a long trip is very complex. In terms of road surface, there are differences between oil, concrete and gravel roads, and in terms of terrain, there are plains, hills and mountains. So in order to adapt to these complex terrain, according to their own economic conditions to buy a higher grade of mountain bike or off-road vehicle. The higher the grade of the bike, the more outstanding the excellent characteristics.2. The difference between high and low bike grade: the high and low bike grade can be reflected from every part of the car. Here are four main parts.
Frame
Sturdy and durable is the basic requirement for the frame. The main materials used in bicycle frames on the market today are steel, aluminum and titanium carbon fiber. The advantage of steel is that the strength, toughness and shock absorption are very good, and inexpensive, the disadvantage is too heavy, the surface is easy to rust. The main advantage of aluminum alloy is light, not easy to rust, the price is moderate, the disadvantage is that the material characteristics are more brittle, poor damping effect. The advantages of titanium alloy and carbon fiber is tough, lightweight, strength and damping effect are very good, the disadvantage is that the price is expensive.If you want to travel for long distance, then a carbon fiber mountain bike frame is highly recommended. Rinasclta bike is one of the best carbon fiber bike parts manufacturers in the market, you can even customise your own painting and logo on the frameset, which is a big plus for the cycling adventure.
Shaft
We are referring to the assembly shaft parts here, which includes parts such as shaft rod, steel ball, bowl and shaft gear. There is a difference between ordinary shaft, sealed shaft and bearing shaft, of course, the sealed bearing shaft is the best. It is strong and durable and sensitive and light, with low repair rate and long maintenance interval.Transmissions
There are many kinds of brands, Shimano is recognized as an excellent brand. SHIMANO transmission quality is divided into eight levels, all levels of precision, smoothness and toughness of the parts are different, unless experts, it is difficult to distinguish its level from the surface with the naked eye, the means to distinguish it is with the help of the markings on the surface of the parts.• XTR - competition level
• Deore XT - advanced off-road enthusiast
• Deore LX - general off-road enthusiast (introduction to mountain off-road)
• Deore - off-road enthusiast entry
• Alivio - mountain bike recreational use
• Acera - mountain bike entry
• Altus - general use Tourney - citybike
Shock
The dampers (shocks) are divided into two groups, front and rear, used to reduce the impact of different road surfaces on the front and rear wheels and improve the comfort of riding. However, some riding efficiency will inevitably be lost, especially with the rear shock, which is particularly noticeable. Considering that long-distance trips are mainly ridden on the road, only the front shock absorber is sufficient. There is a difference between resistance rubber, pneumatic and hydraulic. The best is the "hydraulic shock absorber".3. The size of the bike. There are two sizes, one is the size of the frame, and the other is the size to be adjusted according to the size of the individual.
• The size of the frame. The general mountain bike frame has three sizes: 16, 18 and 21 inches. When buying a bike, you can choose a different size frame according to your height.
• Adjustment size. The saddle of the ordinary car is wider, the saddle of the competitive car is narrower, long-distance travel because of the long riding time, the crotch frequently rub, very easy to sweat, narrower saddle can reduce the friction area, easy to ventilate, is one of the measures to prevent crotch injury. The main thing is the position of the saddle. The position of the saddle is controlled by three data, which are front and back, height and angle. It is very significant to adjust the saddle well, it can bring out the maximum human leg strength during the riding, reduce the fatigue level and avoid ligament damage. So it must be adjusted carefully.
• Height: This is one of the most important control data. The international common calculation method is to use the height × 0.62, for us, easy to apply two methods, one is to stay in place, riding in the saddle, two toes just touch the ground; another is in the ride with two heels to do pedaling action, in the case of the buttocks do not sway, two feet in the pedal to the next stop when the size of the legs just can straighten. The saddle height for long-distance riding is better to be slightly lower on this basis.
• Front and rear size: Adjust according to personal height and arm length, it should be adjusted at 2-5 cm after the vertical line of the center of the central axis.
• Angle: The height of the saddle should be adjusted to horizontal when it does not exceed the height of the handle. When the height of the saddle exceeds the height of the handle, there should be a certain angle of inclination, in general, the center of the handle and the front tip of the saddle back edge becomes a straight line for the best, can be under this principle, according to personal feelings and then make appropriate adjustments.
• Tires: Generally, the tires of mountain bikes are 26, and this value refers to the diameter of the wheels is 26 inches. The thickness of the tire is divided into 1.50, 1.75, 1.95 and 2.10 four, this value refers to the diameter of the cross-section of the tire in inches, to 1.75 or 1.95 is the most appropriate.
With many thanks to Gritstone for their kind help and support of this article, including their lovely photos.
