A biking vacation is an excellent opportunity to purchase your own mountain bike.
If you do not own a mountain bike and you’re not planning on purchasing one, you can rent one. In any case, you should know that it is not an easy task finding and fitting a suitable mountain bike. There are many variables which range from our budget, the style of biking we are intending to do and most importantly – the bike’s size.

Mountain biking through a forest

Just like shoes, you have to know what size you wear. Many bike riders are not aware as to the importance of riding a bike that fits the rider’s dimensions. There are many consequences and medical ramifications that become possible, due to performing physical activity in a wrong posture. Riding a bike of the wrong size, beyond being uncomfortable, is a medical hazard. Therefore, fitting the right bike size is an important issue for anyone intending on riding trails, whichever kind trail he intends to ride.

One of the important measures of a bike is its height. When you find a bike of you’re liking, stand over it. It is most important to have some space between your crotch and the top tube of the bike. If you can pick up the handle-bar to the point which there is an inch and half between the floor and the front tire – the height of the bike is about right. There can be a bit more of space – although any less can cause injuries while riding. Sit on the Saddle and put your feet on the pedals. For this stationary examination ask someone to support the bike so you will be able to put both your feet on the bike and pedal. Pedal to the point where one leg is at six O’clock and the other at twelve.

The leg who’s foot is at six should have a slight bend at the knee, yet not completely straight. The other leg’s thigh should be close (yet not completely) to being horizontal. These measurements will allow you to have healthy and enjoyable rides on the bike of your choice.

The best time of year for bike riding in usually between June and September. Those are the months, which attract most vacation bikers Although the best weather is usually found in July and August, there are plenty of mountain bikers who prefer to come vacate in June or September and enjoy the quite ambience that often exists in mountain biking focused areas in those months. While biking in the beginning and the end of the season, it is possible to encounter cold weather, which reminds us of the winter.

Mountain biking

Here are a few tips for how to dress for riding Downhill trail in winter conditions:

General:  You’ll get very hot when you’re fighting snow and mud. But when you get to a fast downhill, you’ll freeze. It’s best to layer so you can adjust your protection.

Bottom:  It is recommended to wear fleece-lined tights over standard biking shorts. If you get hot, you can strip and dump the tights in your bag. When you come home, you can drop the mud-covered tights and shoes on the porch, and go into the house clean. If you reach a fast downhill, a sweaty crotch can cool down VERY quickly if there’s only one layer.

Top:  Wearing a standard bike shirt over a very thin wool-acrylic long-sleeved upper body tight should keep you worm on a cold day. For protection from cold winds or if you intend on riding some fast downhill’s, add another nylon layer.

Gloves: It is best to use ski gloves.

Shoes: You can either use your summer shoes, wearing a double layer of socks, or purchase shoe covers, which insulate the shoe from cold temperature and moisture. There are special winter riding shoes that have extra padding, yet they are very expensive.

Mountain biking is one of the healthiest and most enjoyable ways of exercise. It improves your general health, while being gentle on your joints. Biking is good for the body in many ways: it improves cardio-vascular endurance; it helps prevent obesity, arthritis, coronary heart disease and helps our body in many ways. Although, biking is a very healthy sport, it contains many hazards and risks of injuries. With awareness to preventing biking injuries, you will be able to enjoy a wonderful and healthy biking vacation. Here are some tips to help prevent biking injuries:

Mountain biking

•Before your vacation it is recommended to go to a health checkup with a physician.

•Warm up and stretch: Before every ride it is important to do some kind of form of warm up and stretching. Warming up increases your heart rate, increases your body temperature which makes your body ready for the exercise. Stretching the muscles makes them ready for the exercise by increasing their flexibility and warming them up. If you simply start your exercise without a warm up, then you are in a high risk for muscle injury.

•Avoid wrist and hand injuries: Wrist and hand injuries are very common among bike riders. These injuries are usually caused by the many shocks and impacts that the rider goes through while biking. Keeping the riders hands in the same position on the handlebar for a prolonged period while biking enhances the chance of wrist injury. Wrist and hand injuries can be prevented by wearing gloves and maintaining the suspension gear of our bike. It is important to occasionally take your hands off of the handlebar and shake them to restore circulation.

•Keep well hydrated: Many injuries and health hazards are the result of dehydration. Make sure you begin your ride with plenty of water and drink during your ride.

The equipment that we take along (or forget to take along) on our biking trail can make the difference between a ride we will enjoy and remember for years and between a ride that we will also remember for years, but not as a pleasant one. Additionally, every area has its own special attributes that riders should now about, so they can fit their gear they bring along accordingly. Here is a basic list of some of the things we highly recommend to bring on a ride on these trails:

Mountain biking

1.Biking Backpack – Backpacks that are especially designed for mountain biking are sold in biking stores. These packs usually are healthy for your bank, comfortable and waterproof.
2.Water – For a ride lasting for more than an hour, bring 2 liters of water. I recommend bringing the water in a water device that can be put in your bag and allows you to drink at any time, hands free (these devices are also known as ‘water bags’)
3.Food – Bring light food such as fruit and energy bars.
4.Pump – Bring a pump that is powerful and small.
5.Two spare inner tubes – Even if you take many precautions, the likelihood for punctures in these trails are high.
6.First Aid Kit – Bring along the equipment that will allow you to take care of yourself reasonably until you get help. Most important is an elastic bandage. Make sure that it is in tact.
7.A Chain Splinter – Bring a good one.
8.Photographers – bring a camera!

Have a fun ride!

In the past few years there have been many developments in the area of bike tourism. My recommendation to most people is to rent a bike at their destination. Nevertheless, there are always bikers who prefer to bring along their own bikes. If you are coming by car from a close destination, bringing along your bike should not become an issue. If you are arriving by plane or train, there are important things you should know before packing your bike. Most airlines vary in their regulation considering packing bikes. Here are a few tips that can help you prepare for your bicycle’s air travel:

· When making reservations, verify with the airline the exact terms, regulations and fees for bringing along bikes as luggage. It is important to be up to date with the latest regulations, in order to prepare for the flight properly.

· Obtain a box that will fit your bike. You can get a box for your bike at any bike shop.

· Remove any accessories you can, such as mirrors, lights, fenders etc.

· Deflate most of the air from the tires in order for them to squeeze easily (deflate most of the air, but not until totally flat).

· Do everything you can to make its size smaller – disconnect the front wheel, disconnect the saddle.

· After packing the bike in the box, pad the rest of the storage room in the box with softer luggage in order to absorb shocks, such as clothes and camping gear.

· Label the box - "Bicycle inside – Please be careful".

These are just a few tips. It is best to consult biking experts before your trip.

Every bike rider wakes up sometimes with the feeling that he doesn’t have enough energy for riding. That feeling can resemble a feeling of fatigue, heaviness or just a basic feel of not being in the mood. Nevertheless, that feeling usually fades five minutes into the bike ride. If so, in order to enjoy many bike rides, it is important to know how to ’shift gears’ and get over the feeling of low energy. Here are some tips given by some of the best and professional riders I know about how to start the day with a high level of energy and with a good mood:

· If you're on vacation, the best way to start the day with plenty of energy and with a thrust to begin riding is to open your window or step outside. The wonderful views will wake you up and fill you with the ambition to ride up and down the beautiful trails. If you are at home, the best way I know is to open a window and turn on some music – within no time you will feel the energy running through your body.

· Eat well – our food affects the way we feel, therefore it is very important to eat appropriate and healthy food. It is important to eat foods as part of an energy promoting diet. Our diets should consist of foods which are part of an energy promoting diet, such as the different kinds of carbohydrates, fruits and protein.

· Warm up – a thorough warm up is important for enhancing physical and psychological energy. Once you’ll get your blood running you will have a good feeling and you will be more equipped to deal with pedaling up and down the slopes of the French Alps.

These were a few tips to help you enhance your energy for bike rides. Every rider has his own secrets to get him going in the morning. We hope these ideas helped you think of some. Have a good time!

Gear shifting on a bike is not a simple task. The complexity only enhances when were talking about down hill riding, especially down the wonderful slopes of Morzine and Les Gets. Shifting gears in a incorrect way can cause for insufficient riding, for the chain to fall off and for damage to the gearing system in the long term. Here are a few tips to help get to know how gears should be shifted, especially while riding down hill trails:

•The right hand gear shift controls the back gears and the left one controls the front mechanism.
•When riding downhill it is usually best for the chain to be on the biggest chain wheel of the front mechanism. Before stopping or while riding uphill it is better for the chain to be on the smallest.
•The basic rule is that the higher the gear, the further the bike goes with each revolution of the pedals. The lower the gear the more power given on each revolution of the wheels (at the expense of riding slower).
•On the back mechanism the smallest wheel is the highest gear. It is important not to ride on a high gear in the front mechanism, while being on a low gear on the back one (or the other way around). That way of riding causes pressure on the chain.
•You can only shift gears while riding.
•If you are a beginning rider, on your first rides, we recommend that the first few trails you’ll ride on your vacation should be easy trail, in order to learn the art of gear shifting, before advancing to down hill trails. In any case, riding the first few trails with a biking instructor is highly recommended. Correct gear shifting is one of the skills that can be learned best while riding the trails and slopes.