These guys are doing some down hill mountain biking and I think they have real courage doing it. Just sit back and have a look!!!!!

Parts and geography

There are many different components on mountain bikes that are not on some road bikes and some that are, i'm going to tell you the part and where its made: Source:http://www.bodywisecycles.com/stockimage/ebay/dynamix1.JPG

This is a carbon fibre frame at its end result, it weighes, 1310g.


Frame: There are different types of frame, a ridged, a hard tail, soft tail and full suspension. The frame can be made out of many materials but the lightest and what the professionals would probably use is carbon fibre , Is carbon atoms that are bonded to make small crystals that are then twisted to make a yarn which is woven to make a sheet and many of these sheets are glued together to make the frame.


Disc Brakes: They use disc brakes rather then v- brakes because they are better for stopping because they are on the hub instead of the wheel rim which makes them cleaner and less likely to slip and therefoe makes it easier and quicker to stop. They are made from steel components. Steel is an alloy made from iron and carbon, iron comes from iron ore and this is heavily mined in the United States.
Source:http://recklesscognition.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/bicycle_disc_brake.jpg
This is a disc brake mounted on a front wheel.












Suspension: When the first mountain bikes were made they had ridged forks but later on in 1990's they exchanged the ridged forks for new suspension. The reasons that they brought in suspension was because it made it easier for the rider in difficult terrain and it made it physically less strenuous. The suspension that they put on the first bikes had 1 and a half to 2 inches of travel but now it can have up to about 8 inches of travel. The dual mountain bike suspension was invented in Italy in 1915 by a Mr Bianchi which was used with the fold out bike in the Italian army, theres some history and geography for you! It is probably one of the most important things on a professionals mountain bike because with out it they would definatly damage themselves.

Source:http://www.khulsey.com/bikefork.jpeg

This is a suspension and the insides of it. This would be on a mountain bike.

History

Soure:http://www.mbaction.com/Media/News/walk%20back%202-B.jpg
One of the first mountain bikes in the mid 1970's




The name mountain bike first came around in 1966 it was printed as a "mountain bicycle" and it was a normal cruiser bike but it and been done up with more heavy duty parts and it was used to free wheel down mountain trials. Mountain biking as a sport took off in the 1970's, they would set up races and time trials for cyclists to take part in. But we did not get the light frames and intense wheels and things till the road biking companies started building bikes in the late 1970's and the early1980's. All this high-tec gear sed on the bikes today came from the road biking companies.

My bike

This is my bike, it is a felt Q220 mountain bike. What I love about my bike is the disc brakes and the suspension. The paint job I think is very slick.

Introduction

Im Aj browne creator of "MOUNTAIN BIKES WITH AJ" which is, as the name suggests about mountain bikes. I myself don't down hill mountain bike but I do have a mountain bike for cycling to school and a form of getting around. I am though interested as how such a light and smallish form of transport can withstand the extreme downhill biking. I will also show the link between mountain bikes and geography.
So sit back and enjoy.