Biclycle - a Life Saver?

Filed under:Best Information, Tours and Bikes — posted on March 22, 2010 @ 1:19 pm

A bicycle is a human power-driven vehicle that has a frame affiliated with two wheels and that is
driven by a pedal. Bicycles were first introduced in the 19th century and it is demanded that currently there are approximately about
one billion bicycles worldwide, outnumbering motorcars 2 to 1. In many regions of the globe, bicycles are the main method of carry. Although
the essential use of the bicycle is as a means of carry, it has developed other uses including recreational activities, fitness activities
law enforcement applications and competitive sports.

Bicycles and Its Story

Since the origin of the chain-driven model in around 1885, the key pattern and the shape of a
typical bicycle has remained relatively unchanged. Nonetheless, the usage of modern material and design methods
such as computer-aided pattern has improved the many aspects of the bicycle. These methods have greatly aided the spawn of
specialized bicycles for particular purposes such as racing, utility and law enforcement uses. Additionally, the concept of the bicycle has up to a great extent extended its contribution for the development of motorcars by introducing concepts such as ball bearings, pneumatic tires and spoke tensioned wheels.

Features of a Bicycle

When referring to bicycles, the dynamics of the bicycle should be thought first. A bicycle has to maintain its center of gravity over the wheels in order to stay upright or balanced.
Therefore, it attains this by the moving forward using the steering which is ordinarily provided by the rider
and sometimes even by the bicycle itself. Additionally, in order to navigate successfully the body of the rider must balance out the dynamics,
especially at turns. A technique referred to as counter-steering is used to attain this task by directly turning the handlebars with the reaches
or indirectly leaning or slanting the bicycle.

Bicycle can be classified as an highly
cost-effective machine looked at in both biological and mechanical view point. Energy needed from the rider for the bicycle to execute its
curiosities are high on the list but given the distance that a bicycle can take you through without fuel, it becomes a
notable journey at the end. The bicycle wheels carry nearly 99% of the energy because the rider exerts energy to pedals. But in
bicycles that have gear mechanisms, the energy needed will be diminished Nonetheless the air drag faced by the rider will
always remain a problem. At higher speeds, significantly greater power outputs are needed to overcome the air drag. When a rider is sitting in an upright position, the
body of the rider accounts for nearly 75% of the full drag experienced by the bicycle and rider combined. Nevertheless, the exerted drag can be significantly
decreased by placing the rider in a supine or a prone position and by covering the bicycle with fairing that is aerodynamic.

The main
features of a bicycle are frame, steering mechanics, seating, drivetrain, suspension, wheels and brakes. Certain bicycles may include optional
mechanisms such as gearing which uses peculiar sizes of gears to obtain a mechanical advantage from the bicycle. By using gears, the efficiency of the bicycle can be increased by descreasing effort and increasing output.

Do You Ride Like A Duck?

Filed under:Tours and Bikes — posted on January 10, 2010 @ 12:14 pm

If you’re looking for a good time riding on gravel roads there are a few strategies that can make your experience a whole lot more fun! Always remember to drive in one gear lower than you normally would, as this allows for minor adjustments in your throttle. It will also take over some of the braking duties without your need to change gears all the time. Remember to stay smooth and fluid with your motions. This is especially important when driving on gravel, dirt and uneven roads. If you stand up on your pegs a lot, remember to use your legs as shock absorbers as this will give you the added advantage of lowering the center of gravity directly to the pegs instead of your seat. Don’t paddle walk your bike as this throws it back and forth, and undermines any benefits gained from centrifugal force established through forward motion.

A simple law of science says when a body is in motion it tends to stay in motion. As long as you stay on the throttle your bike will stay up. If you do a bit of a hill climbing, remember to lean forward. This works especially well when you’re standing on the pegs. When going downhill shift your weight backwards towards the rear of the bike.

Remember to shift your body weight when rounding curves as this will help you utilize far more subtle adjustments to your steering. Overall you are going to get a more stable feeling when you apply subtle, smooth adjustments in steering. For your first gravel drive, find a smooth road and you will have more confidence in your skills. Remember there are always roads under construction and using a bit of common sense goes a long way when it comes to gravel road driving!

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A Resolution You Won’t Break: Cycling

Filed under:Getting Fit, Tours and Bikes — posted on June 12, 2009 @ 4:29 am

Not getting enough exercise? It’s a common thing - we know this, and still so much gets in the way of doing exercise. You witness people packed into gymnasiums doing workouts, and consider : well, I must go to the gym, pay up my member’s fee, then lift some weights. It just seems like loads of bother, isn’t there something I can do that’s not going to throw away my time - even something pragmatic?

Then you may consider purchasing a bike, as biking around is a very effective means to improve your health. You can ride to work or to the shops, so it’s very practical. It’s also money-saving - there’s no fuel involved and the running costs are negligable. It’s also eco-friendly. And not forgetting the minor detail of actually getting fit too.

Still, many people are put off getting a push bike since it’s just TOO much exercise. As bizarre as that sounds, it could be because they may be aged, suffer from particular ailments, be aged, or live in a hilly area that make cycling too “hardcore” for their capabilities. And for a few individuals, it’s not realistic pedaling to work simply because they sweat too much because of the efforts of pedaling.

Now it’s time to talk about e-bikes, or electric bikes. They allow you to give your legs a break on the tough slopes simply by twisting your hand on the grip and allowing the electric motor take over - you don’t need to do any peddling then. Then when you’re ready to switch to manual, just let your legs take over. You get gentle exercise and fresh air without breaking a sweat. E-bikes are also cheap to run needing only a daily recharge if you do around 30-40k a day, although most people require only a couple of re-charges a week as they are not doing this kind of mileage. For the more adventurous, there are even electric mountain bikes for those who want to get out into the countryside but don’t quite have the calf muscles to scale the slopes.

Nowadays the actual cost of buying an electric bike have come right down in price, so you can save yourself a lot of cash on gym memberships, fuel, bus fares etc. by buying and on a regular basis using an electric bike.