Along With Giving You A Better Selection And Expertadvice, Bike Shop Personnel Can You Help You Getfitted To The Right Size Bike. You Can Get The Bikeeither Too Big Or Too Small, Which Will Cause Yourenjoyment To Suffer. Follow The Tips Below, And You'll Have The Perfect Fit For Your Mountain Bike.Standover HeightWhen You Check The Fitting Yourself, The First Thingyou Want To Check Is The Inseam Clearance, Or Thestandover Height. You Want To Have Plenty Of Roombetween Yourself And The Top Tube When You Come Toa Stop. There Should Be Around Four To Six Inchesof Clearance From The Top Of Your Inseam To The Topof The Top Tube.Leg And Feet PositionThere's A Nifty Formula For Determining The Leg Position For Riding A Mountain Bike. When Ridinga Mountain Bike, The Terrain Constantly Changes, Raising You Off The Seat Constantly, Sometimes Justslightly, Other Times Completely Off.Therefore, You'll Need To Sit Your Saddle Slightlylower Than You Would On Any Other Type Of Bike. Be Sure You Take This Slightly Lower Seat Heightposition Into Effect When You Factor The Size Of The Frame.Riding CompartmentThe Next Thing You'll Want To Check Is The Rider Compartment Layout (the Distance Between The Saddleand The Handlebars). Once The Proper Leg Extensionhas Been Determined, Be Sure The Handlebar Is One To Two Inches Below The Height Of The Saddle. Youshould Never Have The Handlebars Higher Than The Seat, Unless There Is Some Type Of Upper Bodyproblem.Dual Suspension BikesWith Suspension Being At Both Ends, You'll Want Your Weight More In The Middle Of The Bike So Thatyour Weight Is Distributed Evenly Between The Frontand Rear Suspension Units, Thus Allowing The Front And Rear Suspension To Work As A Unit. This Can Be Done Quite Easily By Using Either A Higher Or Shorter Stem To Raise The Hand Height, Which Will In Turn Move The Upper Body Up And Theweight Towards The Rear. The Increase In Rise Shouldn't Be No More Than Two Inches, Then The Decrease In Reach Shouldn't Be Any More Than Twoinches.Test RideOnce You Have Taken All Of These Steps Into Account, Go Out And Test Drive The Bike. Make Sure You Wear A Helmet, Even If You Are Going To Be Testingfor A Brief Period Of Time. Be Sure That The Tiresare Set To The Right Pressure, And The Shop Hasadjusted The Bike For You Properly.You Should Have A Shop Employee Observe Your Bodyposition And Ride Height While Riding, To Determineis Any Further Adjustments Need To Be Made. Ridethe Bike Around For A Bit To Get Used To Its Handling And New Equipment. Start Off Slowly, Thengive The Bike A Bit Of Time To Present Its Personality.After A Few Minutes, You Might Notice That Somethingisn't Working Correctly Or Just Doesn't Feel Rightin General. If This Happens, Go Back To The Shop And Have The Problem Corrected Before You Rule Outthe Bike. The More You Ride Bikes, The Easier It Will Be Totell The Difference In The Ride Types. Keep In Mind,it May Take Months And Even Years To Appreciate Theway A Bike Handles. Talk To Those Who Ride, Andask Them If They Ride The Bikes They Sell. This Way, You'll Learn More About The Mountain Bikes Youlove So Much!(word Count 583)PPPPP
