
TIPS, TRICKS AND biking RESOURCES!
Below are a collection of videos that will help you understand your bike better to ensure you have the best ride possible out on the trails, roads, bike paths, or wherever your bike may take you.
HOW TO USE YOUR BIKE AND HAVE A GOOD RIDE
WHAT MAKES UP A MOUNTAIN BIKE!
GET TO KNOW THE PARTS AND COMPONENTS ON YOUR BIKE
SHIFTING!
understand your componets and how to use them.
Modern day mountain and fat tire bikes use lever actuated shifters that can be found on the right handle bar that is perfectly positioned for your thumb. Those lever are clicked in to either shift the bike into a easier gear or harder gear. You want to use the gear often and effectively to get the bike into a gear position that makes riding the most efficient based on your terrain.
For more info or help please watch the video to understand gears and shifting!
Most gravel and road bikes have drop handle bars, which look and act different than traditional straight handle bars found on most mountain and fat tire bikes. One key difference is that the shifting levers are intergraded into the handle bar.
If you are new to road/gravel bikes, we highly suggest watching the video to understand how to brake and shift using the proper levers.
how to shift a gravel/roAd bike
tires!
understand tire pressure and how to check them!
Each type of bike has a different optimal tire pressure. Mountain bikes like low tire pressure that provide lots of grip on the trail. Road bikes like high tire pressure for better speed and efficiency. Fat tire bikes like extremely low tire pressure and gravel bikes like to be somewhere in the middle. If you don’t know the tire pressure for your bike, almost all tires list on the side wall the optimal tire pressure for your bike.
For more info or help please watch the provided video to understand tire pressure and how to put air in or out of your tires.
Pumps, if you need them, are conveniently located in the Gear Libraries and at each pump and repair station throughout the region.
Tire pressure is listed by minimum and maxium, these numbers don’t mean that where they have to be pumped to.
SEAT ADJUSTMENTS
DROPPER POST, QUICK RELEASE, HEX KEY
Some modern day mountain bikes use lever actuated seat adjusters called dropper posts. These post are hydraulic seat tubes that go up when the lever on the left side of the handlebars is pressed, but also can be put down by sitting and applying pressure to the seat when the lever is pressed. The advantage of a dropper post is the ability to make adjustments to your seat height with out having to dismount from the bike.
Some bikes will have a more traditional quick release, which is a tension clamp on the seat tube. When the lever is released, with your hands you can manually adjust the seat height. This does require you to dismount the bike.
Lastly some bikes will have a fixed seat clamp that will require a tool to loosen if you need to adjust the height. There are tools to do so on the back wall of the Gear Library, so please check the type of seat adjustment you have before leaving. There are also tools that can be used at all of the pump and repair stations throughout the region, including at trail heads.
Please watch the videos provided if you’re not familiar with these methods of adjusting your seat height.
e-BikeS
An e-assist bike, or electric-assist bicycle, is a regular bicycle with a built-in electric motor that helps you pedal. It's designed to make riding easier—especially up hills, over long distances, or when you're carrying extra weight. The key is - you still have to pedal for the bike to move! When you start pedaling, the motor automatically kicks in to give you a boost. You still have to pedal, but it's much easier. The level of assistance can be adjusted depending on terrain and your riding style.
We highly recommend riding the bike in others other than the trails first, so you can get used to the accelerations when the e-assist motor kicks in.
Don’t know how to use the e-assist or gears?
For a better understanding of these bikes work please watch the brief videos!
What they are and how we use them!
fat tire bike?!
Fat tire bikes are a new addition to the spectrum of mountain bikes in the last decade. Known for their distinct look, FAT TIRES, these multi purpose bikes are great for beginners and winter riders.
Due to their large tires and low riding pressure, a fat tire bike provides a very soft and forgiving ride that lets you ease into mountain biking at a slower pace. The other advantage those large tires provide is great surface area which allows the bike to float above the snow and ride during the winter.
For a better understanding of these bikes please enjoy the videos!
What they are and how we use them!
Balance bikes
Balance bikes are the latest addition to the kids biking world. Due to their low center of gravity and extreme simplicity, these bikes are proven to give kids a lot more confidence riding a bike than the traditional training wheels, and they help make the transition to a pedaled bike easier.
If you have never worked with a balance bike before, enjoy the video to understand how they work!
The newest and best way to learn to ride a bike!
beginner tips and common issues
When you ride a bike you are sharing the road or trail with other people and it is important to understand the rules and etiquette in order to remain safe and mindful of those around you.
For a lot of new riders getting on a bike can be intimidating; follow along with the video to see tips that help boost confidence as you get you going on your bike.
Bikes are machines and machines do break sometimes. One of the most common issues and one easily fixed yourself is a dropped chain. Watch the video to help learn how you can quickly get the chain back on yourself.
If you run into issues that you are not comfortable fixing yourself, get yourself and the bike to a safe place with cell coverage. Please reach out to us or one of the local bike shops for assistance. If the issue cannot be resolved where you are, please coordinate to have yourself and the bike picked up.