Steve+Johnson+Mountainbiking

A brief History about the sport mountain biking. The sport as we know it today as a concept of about 5 different types of styles of mountain biking started back in the 70’s. It all started out when three guys in California, USA named Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly raced down the Repack dirt tracks of Marin County. The bikes used back then have changed significantly since the 70’s from being 25 kilo bikes to 16. The change of bike technology has changed the way people can control the bikes. From going from no travel in suspension, to 110 mm to now 230 mm and even 12 inch rear suspension, but most sit around the 8 – 10 inch. Riders are influenced by the styles of Motocross riders for jumps and the way of controlling the bike through different sections of tracks. From starting off being cross country (All mountain terrains) we now have Downhill vertically challenged riders, Slopestyle for the jump riders that thrive off 70 foot gaps, Dirt jumps, similar to slopestyle but smaller and free riding which consist of the obstacles found in slopestyle but also consist of wooden features and in the woods and also Utah as its famous for its natural landforms for riding. NEVER RIDE ALONE!
 * __ Mountain biking __**

I'm mainly going to focus on downhill. Downhill is one of the hardest types of mountain biking around. it involves racing again the clock as fast as you can through a rough track involving rocks, roots, flat corners, berms, ruts, jumps and drops.

Equiptment needed: A good quality bike. A strong tee shirt and pants/shorts. Full face helmet. Body armor (recomended) Gloves Shin/ knee pads. Strong shoes.

Available tracks. A lot of tracks that have a good name are either on private property or on a mountain which is mostly covered in snow in the off season. so this makes things rather awkward when your new into the scene. Great places to ride are: You Yangs Regional Park just outside of Little River Narbethong just outside of the Black Spur ( hard track to find) Warburton just past Yarra Junction ( Also hard to find) Mt Bulla (open in December to February) Long Gully (Only open on Ride days)

If going on a day trip with a few buddies its important to bring the following things: Water Slow carbohydrate foods A basic first aid kid Mobile phone Car Powerade

Bike shops: There are alot of bike shops around to buy some good bikes from. I recommend Bicycle Recycle in Moorabbin Melbourne Victoria located on South Road who will give you a great deal on quality parts and bikes. [] media type="custom" key="10782590" Thinking about racing? Well Victoria has the best state series to date. We have the biggest amount of riders, even from out of state and Victorians. Read more here: []

Why go for a pedal? Mountain biking in general is great. It keeps you active, fit and in shape. its a great way to have some fun in the bush with some mates to shred some tracks!

Crashes: If you ride i bike you will have a crash at some stage. great things to remember are: DONT freak out, stay calm so you dont go into shock. Try not to move around allot of your seriously hurt Never leave an injured friend

Environmental Issues: So obviously at one stage all tracks were not legal. So be careful where you ride. All tracks but 1 listed above are okay to ride whenever you please. Be careful when riding and make sure to pick up rubbish or place in bins provided. Have fun and SHRED!