If you’re planning to buy your first mountain bike, you are probably wondering what size to get. The “what size bike for me?” question comes up over and over again, so here is the answer…

What is the ideal mountain bike size for me? I’m 6’3″

What size mountain bike for a female, 5’2″ 120 lbs? I’m looking to get into mountain biking, and I was wondering what size bike frame and what size wheels I need, because of my short height.

Those are just two examples of the questions I hear. It’s usually the same question, but with a different height and weight!

Let’s start by looking at what sizes are out there…

Mountain Bike Frame and Wheel Sizes

In general, mountain bikes are available with frame sizes of Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large. The frame measurement is the seat tube length. A Small frame will usually be a 15″, Medium 17″, Large 19″, and X-Large 21″.

But just as important is a seldom mentioned measurement – top tube (TT) length. The length of the top tube partially determines how far you have to reach to the handlebars while seated. This is actually more important to getting a correctly sized, comfortable bike than any other measurement.

To make things even more complicated, frames vary between manufacturers. Some companies measure differently, and most will have different geometry, leading to very different feelings from the same size bicycle!

For example, I love the feeling of Giant frames in their 18″ size. But on a 19″ Specialized, I almost feel cramped. Crazier still, I have a 21″ Trek frame that I got when I was in middle school (I was maybe 5’5″ tall then.) So your size also depends on which brand you choose!

Some manufacturers such as Trek and Gary Fisher and doing bicycles with geometry specifically for women, so that is an option for some smaller women. If you are around 5′ tall, you may prefer a women-specific design.

The most popular wheel size is 26″. Just about every mountain bike you look at will have 26″ wheels, so there isn’t much to worry about with wheel size.

Gaining in popularity is the 29″ wheel size. A few years ago you rarely saw a 29″ wheel bike, but today, there are actually quite a few 29″ bikes out there. While there is a hot debate about which size wheel is better for mountain biking, I’d say stick with 26″ wheels unless you already know the advantages and disadvantages of 29″ wheels (in which case you probably understand frame sizes as well.)

The only other thing to know is to avoid 24″ wheels in almost all cases. Those are typically found on small mountain bikes at department stores, and replacement parts (tires, tubes, etc.) are hard to find. Only look at bikes with 24″ wheels if you are particularly short and can’t get comfortable on a small 26″ wheel bike.

The Size For You

In general, if you’re short, you’ll get a size small. If you’re tall, you’ll get a larger size. But you also have to consider inseam length rather than just your height. And then your arm length comes into play as well.

All I can really tell you without fitting you on a bike is, “if you are 6’3″, start by looking at the XL size” and, “if you are 5’2″, take a look at bikes in the XS and S sizes.”

It’s impossible to determine your exact size over the internet! Bicycle geometry (not to mention the human body) is too complex and unique to analyze so easily.

Bottom line: There is no “this is the size for you” answer to this question. Anyone that gives you a specific size to get, without discussing specifics about the exact frame in question and seeing your body, is just guessing (and most likely wrong.)

How to Actually Get the Right Size Bike

If you’re serious about getting a proper-fitting mountain bike, you owe it to yourself to visit a bicycle shop. Not a department store, not a sporting goods store, and not an online retailer.

You want to actually see the bikes in person and take them for test rides. What’s cool is that you don’t need to walk into a shop and know exactly what size to get. That’s the point of bike shops – they help you pick the right size bike!

But before you go shopping, here are some tips on bike fit:

It should be comfortable. Comfort is subjective, so it’s up to you to pick out which bicycle seems most comfortable. You should be able to sit comfortably on the bike and reach the handlebars without being too stretched out. Likewise, you might not want to be too upright.

Get some standover clearance. Since mountain biking can be dangerous and there’s always a possibility of crashing, you want to have some clearance. Look for about 2-4″ of clearance between your crotch and the bicycle’s top tube.

Get the smallest bike that still fits. You want the smallest frame you can get that still provides the correct riding position. (To get the correct position, you need to test ride and fit the bike in a bike shop.)

The smaller frame is easier to handle and provides more standover clearance, plus it’s a little lighter and stiffer.

Be wary of certain deals. Some unscrupulous bike shop employees will attempt to sell you a bike that’s a size too big or small in order to clear out old inventory. Even if they offer you a good deal, I don’t suggest getting a bike that doesn’t fit perfectly!

Test ride. Finally, test ride the bikes. It’s about what you like, and a test ride is the best way to figure that out.

Then and only then should you decide on the right size bike!

After a few years of braving the cold every day, I decided it would just be more efficient to ride indoors sometimes. I purchased a cheap indoor trainer (on sale for $55,) used it for about a month, then it crapped out.

That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because once I returned the trainer, I grabbed a set of rollers, and I’ve been hooked ever since!

The rollers I purchased were the Performance Travel Trac Alloy Rollers. I usually see these in the Performance Bicycle catalog for $130-150. If you watch for them to go on sale, use a coupon, and/or join the Team Performance discount club, you could get them even cheaper (mine were effectively $110, although that was years ago.)

The rollers are lightweight and they fold for easy storage, and the alloy drums are strong, durable, and smooth. You only need an adjustable wrench to adjust the front drum for your wheelbase.

I have been using these year round (but mostly during the winter) since 2004, which means I’ve put about six off-seasons of riding on these rollers. Despite those thousands of miles, these rollers are good as new! Even the connecting band looks good (it hasn’t cracked, stiffened up, rotted, etc.)

I should also mention that these are stored in an unfinished, unheated basement that leaks all the time. They aren’t pampered, but you wouldn’t be able to tell.

I can’t complain about these rollers at all. The price was great and they do what I want – allow me to ride indoors and have it feel like I’m actually balancing my bike. You could pay $400 for Kreitler rollers, but unless you need the resistance units or just like to spend money, it’s not necessary.

Resistance? Well, I can get in the big ring and spin at an unrealistic 40mph on these things. So a stationary trainer does look good from that perspective. But I still work up a sweat on these rollers, that’s for sure!

My final verdict is…

Rollers are way more fun than a stationary trainer, and these Performance Travel Trac Alloy Rollers are inexpensive yet offer great quality. (I see no need to buy more expensive rollers unless you need a resistance unit.)

I love these and highly recommend them for anyone who wants a set of rollers.

Official website: www.PerformanceBike.com

Ever come back from a winter ride and your feet are so cold you want to cry? That happened to me for years… until I discovered wool socks!

Wool socks alone won’t prevent frostbite, but they are so cozy and comfortable I can’t imagine wearing anything else in cool weather! One of my favorite wool socks is the DeFeet Woolie Boolie.

Wool is one of my favorite materials, especially when it comes to socks. Wool socks are just plain awesome! Old timers will question your choice, saying something like, “isn’t wool real scratchy and itchy?” Well, it used to be, but not anymore!

Today’s wool garments are extremely soft and comfortable, warm, good looking, and durable. The Woolie Boolie socks are no exception.

Some things I love about the Defeet Woolie Boolie socks:

• They work in a wide range of temperatures during the fall, winter, and spring. I wouldn’t wear them during the summer, but they seem to regulate heat well so that they are comfortable whether it’s 25 or 55 degrees! I think this is because of the design. It has thicker wool in some places plus Aireator mesh on top of the foot.
• They remain warm, even when wet. This is great because your socks are bound to get wet at some point (especially in the spring when it’s extremely wet, but not cold enough for big winter booties.)
• They feel thick without being bulky. I have some wool socks that are so thick they don’t fit into my shoes at all! But the Woolie Boolies feel thick and cushy while still being just thin enough to fit into my cycling shoes! (They aren’t super thin though – if you want a lightweight wool sock, try the DeFeet WoolEator instead.)
• The cuff length is just right. At 4″, the cuff comes up high enough that it’s above my winter cycling shoes or hiking boots and is long enough to tuck underneath tights to seal out wind… but not so obnoxiously long that they feel like shin pads. It doesn’t slide down, either, so you never have to adjust them.
• Durability is impressive. I take good care of my clothing so it usually lasts a while, but I love these socks so much I sometimes wear them all day long for days at a time! Even so, they have outlasted many other wool socks! (These socks have a 34% nylon, 64% wool, 2% Lycra blend, so that could be part of the durability equation vs 100% wool socks.)
• Comfort! I can’t say enough about the comfort of these socks! They are extremely soft and utilize a nearly seamless design. From now on I might forget about other brands and just wear Woolie Boolies every day during the winter!
• Easy to care for. While most of my cycling garments recommend hand wash and hang dry, these Defeet socks are easy. “Machine wash cold, tumble-dry low, no chlorine bleach.” So you just throw them in the washing machine! You could hand wash them, but they seem plenty durable enough for the washing machine, so do whatever you want.
• Made in the USA. It’s so hard to find anything made in the USA these days. Nothing against China and Taiwan, but sometimes you just want to wear something made in your own country!

One final note on the sizing:

I wear shoe size 11.5 or 12, so I got size Large in these socks, which is for shoe sizes 9.5 – 11.5. It was a perfect fit!

I have purchased XL socks before for shoe sizes 12 and up, but those tend to be too big, and might be better off as “13 and up.”

My final verdict is…

While I haven’t worn every wool sock out there, these Defeet Woolie Boolies are my current favorite wool sock. I wear them for running, hiking, and biking, but I love them so much it’s not unusual for me to wear them all day long!

For $12, I recommend grabbing a couple pairs of these for cool and cold weather.

Official website: DeFeet.com

Buy online: www.JensonUSA.com | REI.com

Looking to start riding BMX? Here is what you need to know, broken down by category.

Note: this is for freestyle BMX, as in dirt jumping, park, street, vert, and flatland. (BMX racing, the less popular meaning for “BMX,” is not discussed here.)

 

The Bike

The first step to riding BMX is to get a bike!

Where?

As a beginner it won’t make much of a difference what bike you get, as long as you don’t get it at Wal-Mart. While the quality of their Mongoose bikes has improved somewhat in recent years, the bikes are typically put together incorrectly, which could lead to a safety hazard. It’s just not worth it.

If you want to go bike shopping, you can probably find a reputable bike shop not too far away. If ordering online works for you, you can browse these two popular retailers – DansComp.com and Albes.com.

Just remember, if you order a bike online, you need to be able to install a few parts and adjust it properly before riding!

How much money?

Just about any bike for $220 or more will be pretty good. If you can afford $400, you’ll get a good bike that will last a while, but I wouldn’t spend more than that on your first bike.

There’s no point getting an expensive or light weight bike because you’re going to break parts no matter what they are. You can’t learn BMX without breaking stuff, so break the cheap stuff when you learn, and then you can get a better bike once you’ve improved.

What size?

You don’t need to worry too much about sizes when first starting out. All the bikes will have 20″ wheels (except for a few 16″ and 18″ bikes, made for young kids,) so that’s a given.

The only other size to think about is top tube length. This is typically between 20-21″ (although there are flatland bikes with 18-19″ top tubes.)

Top tube (TT) length is personal preference, and you’ll probably prefer a certain size after riding multiple frames over a few years, but there’s no hard rule for your first bike. A 5’5″ individual could ride a 21″ TT, while a 6’3″ rider would be perfectly alright on a 20.5″ TT.

But in general, someone over 6′ tall would probably feel more comfortable on a bike with a 21″ TT. Someone barely over 5′ tall would probably only want a 20″ TT.

 

Safety Equipment

If you’re getting a bike, don’t forget the safety equipment! This comes in very handy, especially when you’re learning!

The most important piece of safety equipment is the helmet. While head injuries aren’t the most frequent, one head injury could lead to brain damage or death. Riding without a helmet isn’t worth the risk.

Also very important are shin pads. Damage to your shins is usually superficial, but it occurs frequently, and it hurts!! So I highly recommend wearing shin pads, even if you’re just doing some basic tricks. (Some nice knee pads extend down and cover the tops of your shins, which is nice. I have some Shadow Conspiracy soft knee pads that work well for covering my knees and most of my shins.)

Next up, gloves. Gloves are great because they keep your grips from getting sweaty and slippery, and they also prevent your hands from getting scraped up when you fall.

Also, knee and elbow pads can lessen the pain of your crashes.

One last word of advice though: be aware of your safety equipment!

You could actually hit a point where too much safety gear becomes a problem. For example, a full-face helmet could obscure your vision. Knee pads can catch on your seat or handlebars, throwing you off the bike. Elbow pads could hamper arm movements.

The point is, be aware that riding in full safety gear will feel different than riding in shorts and a t-shirt!

 

Tricks for Beginners

Once you have your bike and safety gear, you’ll undoubtedly want to try some tricks.

The tricks you focus on will differ depending on whether you ride park, dirt, flatland, etc., but there are basic tricks everyone needs to learn at the start.

Here are a couple key skills…

1. The Manual

This is where you ride along, pull the handlebars back and lean back, with your butt over the rear wheel. The goal is to coast forward, keeping the front wheel elevated (it’s like a wheelie except you don’t pedal.)

There are two hints to doing a good manual. First, keep your arms straight. You use your body to control the manual, not your arms.

Second, shift your body to maintain balance. While doing a manual, you will subtly shift your body weight left, right, forward, and back to keep the front wheel in the air.

2. Bunny Hop

The bunny hop is a crucial building block for every other trick out there.

The first step to a bunny hop is to pull up on the handlebars. Once the front wheel is up, push the handlebars forward while also pulling the pedals up and back with your feet.

What happens is you go up off the ground and level the bike in mid air. Then land smoothly! (Absorb the shock with bent elbows and knees.)

 

More Tricks

A few ideas for more tricks to learn as you improve…

Park

If you will be riding skateparks, you need to learn how to ride ramps. Ramps are usually steeper and more slippery than they look on TV, so you just need to get out there and get the feel for ramps.

You will want to learn basics such as jumping over a box jump and airing out on a quarter pipe. If there is a small half pipe, you could learn how to “drop in.”

Street riding

If you’re a street rider, you’ll be using manuals and bunnyhops a lot. You may also want to learn the 180 bunnyhop.

If you want to grind, I suggest learning feeble grinds on flat concrete ledges or wooden benches. The feeble grind is where your front tire is on the ledge and your back peg is grinding. It is usually the easiest grind to learn.

Flatland

For you flatland riders, here are some tricks to learn: frontyard, backyard, squeakers, flatland tailwhips (with front wheel on the ground,) and the fire hydrant are good options.

(Click here for flatland how-to videos.)

Dirt jumping

For dirt jumping, you need to learn how to ride a dirt jump! Just to go over a jump, get air, and land safely is a skill that takes practice! I recommend starting on tabletop style jumps, as they’re more forgiving if you don’t make the landing.

Keep honing your skills on the jumps and when you’re ready, try tricks like the x-up, one hander, tabletop, etc.

 

More resources

For more information on freestyle BMX, here are some sites to check out:

BMX Trix
This is a very old website, but navigate to the “How To” section to find how-to videos for flatland and street riding, as well as ramp building.

BikeGuide
BikeGuide is a great resource for BMXers and the best part is the forum where you can connect with other BMX riders.

Sportskool BMX
Sportskool offers how-to videos from the pros, and one sport they cover is BMX.

Here’s a sample video covering the basics of BMX:

 

Good luck getting your bike and getting started riding BMX!

Retailer Name: VeloWear.com
Website: www.VeloWear.com

Continue reading for my thoughts and opinions on VeloWear, a bicycle gear retailer offering Voler clothing and accessories…

Product Selection and Availability

VeloWear offers a wide selection of Voler apparel. If you are looking for Voler, perfect! If you’re looking for Assos or Pearl Izumi, you probably want to look elsewhere!

But from Voler, you’ll find shorts, jerseys, jackets, arm warmers, hats, etc. You could easily piece together a few complete outfits (aside from shoes, helmet, and sunglasses.)

Pricing

Prices are pretty good at VeloWear. The normal prices are on par with some other retailers, but in general, Voler offers a good value.

And there are some good deals to be had. For example, if you buy a grab bag of random jerseys, you can get three jerseys for $30.

Discounts & Coupon Codes

The discounts here are awesome!

The first thing you want to do is join the e-mail list, then you’ll get coupons for 20-40% discounts! For example, I got their amazing Elite DX $120 bibs for $72 during a “12 Days of Christmas” sale, and the $99 Campione shorts for $53 during a “new product launch” special!

Also, at one point they had “Indy” shorts on sale for $35. Yep, just $35 for bib shorts! (Just so long as you don’t mind the indigo color.) But heck, that’s a good deal, even if you only wear them on the indoor trainer!

Ease of Use (Website and Shopping Cart)

For the most part, the VeloWear.com website functions properly. Sometimes the pictures load impossibly slow, or the alternate views of certain items aren’t crystal clear, but that’s my only complaint.

I’ve ordered from them at least five or six times (usually their shorts, which I love,) and ordering has always been flawless. Going through the shopping cart (which they call the “Musette Bag”) is no problem.

Shipping & Handling

Typically, shipping and handling is free! That is just icing on the cake after finding great 40% off discounts!

And the free shipping is relatively fast, so it’s awesome all around.

Customer Service

All in all, the customer service and culture at VeloWear seem pretty cool. They include Tootsie Rolls candy with each order, which is always a welcome treat!

Just the fact that they take the time to add candy for everyone really sets them apart. (It’s way better than getting tons of advertising pamphlets with your order!)

My final verdict is…

If you want Voler gear, this is the place to get it. I’ve always had good luck with this store, and I love getting Voler bib shorts from them.

Check it out.

Official website: www.VeloWear.com