Here are some useful stretches that we recommend to perform after riding. Sometimes you might feel that some body parts are stiff or pulled more than others. When riding in terrain that you are not used to, you will do a lot of physical effort with muscles that are not used to doing so. In those cases, it is extremely important to perform long stretches with those muscles.

1. Stretching your calf: While bike riding, a lot of physical effort is done by your calf (the back part of the lower part of your leg) – Stand a step away from a wall or a strong support. Lean on the support with your forearms, while your head is resting on your hands. Take one leg ahead of the other. The front leg should be bent and the back leg should stay straight. Slowly move your hip forwards. Move forward slowly, until you feel that you are stretching the calf of the straight leg. Keep the foot of your straight leg flat on the ground. Hold the stretch for about 20 seconds.

2. Stretching the Achelles Tendon area: Stay standing in the same posture. Slightly bend the knee of your back leg, while keeping your foot flat. This stretches the lower areas that are closer to your ankle and Achilles tendon. Keep this stretch for about 10 seconds.

3. Stretching the upper hamstring and hip: sit down and hold the outside of your ankle with one hand. Hold your arm around the bent knee. Gently pull the bent leg towards your chest until you feel a stretch in the back of the leg you are holding. Hold this stretch for about 20 seconds. In order to perform this stretch you might want to sit against a hard surface for support.

These were only a few examples for stretching. These tips should not come instead of consulting a fitness instructor.

There are many components that together allow us to have a pleasant ride on our bike. There are different components that differ between different kinds of bikes. One of the components that are crucial to our riding experience and enjoyment are the bike’s handlebars. The important task of handlebars are to allow us to have a firm, yet comfortable grip on our bike throughout, sometimes, a rough downhill trail, or long single rider trails. The comfort of our hands on the handlebars will contribute or take away our enjoyment of the ride. Here are some variables that should be taken into consideration before choosing handlebars for your bike:

Width: There is a tradeoff considering width. On the one hand wide handlebars allow you to have a comfortable and firm grip. On the other hand, narrower handlebars make the bike easier to maneuver sharp turns and downhill trails of Morzine. Narrow handlebars make the bike more aerodynamic. The best compromise between the two is a width of about 15 cm wider than the width of your shoulders. In any case, the decision is very individual. Before choosing handlebars, such as most bike parts, it is best to ride with them a bit to decide if they are right for you.

Design and Materials: The two main components of handlebars, as of bike frames are aluminum and steel. One can find handlebars made of carbon fiber and titanium handlebars rarely. Just as in choosing a bike frame, the usual tradeoff considering handlebars is weight versus strength. If you are more or less an average bike rider it is best to pick a material that is in the middle of the two these two ends.

These were the first two categories you should think about when choosing handlebars for your mountain bike. Next time we’ll give a few more categories for you to think about, together with some riding tips.

Once in a while, I look at professional bike riders in magazines or on television and ask myself: "how do they make their work so well?" – Mostly, the differences between professional bikes and serious biker’s mountain bikes are not so substantial. The answer I am told when asked, and is also the answer which I believe is true – it’s not only what bike you have – what really matters is what you do with it. A good bike provides its rider good performances if the bike is fitted to the rider’s dimensions and needs and takes good care of the bike. It’s not enough to own a state of the art mountain bike. If you don’t take care of it properly, even a pro bike will deteriorate as well and will provide you with only mediocre performances.

Here are some useful tips given to me by professional mountain bike riders on keeping good technical care of your bike:

- Keep your chain lubricated. A lubricated chain will allow you to have a smoother bike ride.

- Replace your chain between 2-3 times a year (depends how much you ride regularly).

- Check all nuts and bolts after rides. Loose nuts or bolts can move important handles and leavers, which if taken out of their fitted position will lower the quality of your bike ride.

- Make sure you ride with the proper air pressure in your tires. When riding in harder terrain, it is recommended to lower air pressure on your bike.

One of the advantages of taking a biking vacation, and to Morzine especially is that you can learn a lot of important information on keeping up your bike from peer bikers and instructors. We’re expecting to see you in Morzine this summer!

In the first part of our mountain bike brake review, we gave a short summary about disc brake systems for mountain bikes. Disc brakes have their pros and cons. Disc brakes are not the most popular kind of brakes used in mountain bikes. One of the main reasons is because of their high price. On the other hand, when coming to rent a bike on your next vacation at Morzine, you might want to think about renting a bike with a braking system that you don’t have on your own bike. This can be a chance to experience another kind of riding (and braking).

This Blog will give a short summary on rim brakes. Most non professional bikers have rim brakes on their bikes. The tradeoff between rim brakes to disc brakes is between braking efficiency and light weight. Disc brakes are much more efficient brakes, yet rum brakes are much lighter.

Throughout the years, rim brakes have developed into many sub designs of braking systems such as V-brakes or U-brakes. The idea behind rim brakes is that, when squeezing the braking leaver on the handlebar, friction is made by pads (usually made of rubber or leather) onto the rim of the bike’s wheel and thus causing the bike to stop.

As said before, the main advantages of rim brakes are their low costs, light weight, simple maintenance and yet high power. Some of the main disadvantages using rim brakes are that they are prone to weather and track conditions much more than disc brakes. Rim brakes can get clogged up with mud or snow or can get lubricated by too much water. If you use rim brakes on your bike, you should get them checked every once in a while to make sure they are not worn down.

In conclusion, if you are about to purchase a mountain bike and are not yet professional, I would advise you to purchase rim brakes. On the other hand, for your next biking vacation in Morzine I would recommend trying something new and trying out a disc bake bike.

I’d like to share with you my reasons for riding Downhill mountain biking. For years I was a pretty standard mountain biker. I rode single tracks and different nature trails with my mountain bike. The first time I heard of Downhill riding was in a magazine I subscribe to. I was surprised to read that there was a whole section of mountain bike riding I was not aware of. At that time I was planning my summer vacation. I was looking for an area that I would enjoy a comfortable climate, beautiful views and enjoyable bike trails. A short search through vacation options brought me to making a reservation in Morzine for a week in July. My wife and I (we both enjoy mountain biking) thought that this vacation would be a good chance to try out a new biking style that until then was not familiar to us: Downhill riding.

My distinct memory of the first downhill trail that I rode down is of a feel of adrenalin. The adrenalin levels you can get to riding downhill trails, especially riding down the trails of the French Alps are amazing. I can’t tell you that it wasn’t hard or that I didn’t fall down here and there (it takes time, effort and experience to be a expert downhill bike rider) – but I can definitely tell you one thing – at the end of the first trail and every other downhill trail I rode downhill since – my first thought is: "when and where can I do this again?".

I highly recommend trying out riding a downhill track. Be careful – it’s addictive!

In our last post we gave summaries on different kinds of breaking systems that are available for mountain bikes. Most of the trails at Morzine are down hill trails. An important skill that is needed for a down hill rider is to know how and when to brake. It is important to know that a major part of breaking efficiency while mountain biking actually does not have to do with the breaking system on the bike. It has to do with how the bike rider takes advantage of the brakes on his bike. Here are some tips that can help you break efficiently. Efficient breaking can help you stop your bike safely and reduce the wear and tear on your brake pads or discs:

* The first step to efficient braking is to make sure that the brakes are adjusted to the bike. The braking lever on the handle bar should be comfortable to the rider.
* While riding, when you notice that you’ll need to use the brakes soon, start breaking gradually and slowly. Don’t apply great pressure at once.
* Apply even pressure on the front and back brakes, in order to stop safely and efficiently. Applying pressure only on the back break will cause a slower stop. Applying pressure only on the back wheel is dangerous and can cause a nasty fall.
* Using the brakes is not the only way to stop your bike. You can use the terrain. If you are riding down a hill, if you wish to stop – find a short incline that will help lower your speed.
* If you feel that while turning you need to break, try to brake as far into the turn you can in order to avoid falling.
* An experienced rider was once asked what the best way to use bike brakes was. His answer was – Don’t use them. Find the way to control your bike with minimum breaking use.

There are many mountain bike accessories available in the market. Of course, not all of the accessories available are necessary or needed. I would like to recommend using an accessory that helps my plan and manage my bike rides, and makes all of my rides much more enjoyable. The biking accessory that I recommend purchasing is a speedometer.

There are many benefits in riding with a speedometer on your handlebar. The speedometer allows you to know very important information. The basic information that every speedometer provides you with is your speed and the distance you have passed (it’s also an odometer). Most speedometers today provide you with more useful information, such as the time, your average speed, your highest speed yet, features of dividing the distance you have passed into a few sections, and some even combine a built in GPS.

From my experience, the benefits of using a speedometer on your bike are divided into two. First, using an odometer helps you plan your bike ride. If you have installed a speedometer on your bike, you can plan your ride by distances. This new option suddenly makes plan a lot simpler. Secondly, having the knowledge of what speed you are riding and what distance you have passed, helps you manage your bike rides and make the most of your bike rides. For example, you can plan a training plan based on riding distances and yet stay spontaneous and ride on new routs every time, while keeping the framework of your plan. If you know what distance you have passed it is a lot easier to navigate and find your way around trails.

In the different trails around Morzine, there are trails that are well marked. For those of us who enjoy navigating themselves, there are trails that are not marked. It’s helpful to ride those trails with a speedometer on your bike.

Have a Fun ride!

In the past, it was known that mountain bike brakes are more or less the same. Over the years, new kinds of brakes have been developed. Today, when a mountain biker comes to purchasing a bike the kind of braking system is one the most important variables in choosing a bike. In order to help all of us know what kind of bike to choose when purchasing a bike or when renting one while vacationing at Morzine, I’ll bring a short summary of some of the main kinds of braking systems in the next few Blogs.

Disk Brakes

Disk brakes are a relatively new kind of brakes used in mountain bikes. This kind of braking system has been used for years in cars and motorcycles. A disc brake consists of a metal disc that is attached to the wheel hub and turns around with the wheel. When activating the brakes, the disc squeezes the wheel and causes it to stop rotating. Disc brakes provide efficient and safe braking for mountain bikes, especially in downhill trails.

There are many advantages in using disc brake systems, especially while mountain biking. Disc brakes perform in any kind of condition – water, mud, of snow doesn’t stop disc brakes from giving maximum braking power. As appose to rim brakes, disc brakes don’t get worn out over a long period of use.

Disc brakes have a few disadvantages as well. They are usually heavier and more expensive then rim brakes. Older kinds of bikes usually are not always fit for installing disc brakes.

Disc brakes are recommended for the more experienced bikers, who know what they are looking for. If you are a beginning mountain biker, I recommend using rim brakes. In our next Blog Posts, we’ll bring a short summary of hydraulic and rim brakes.

With the arrival of the hotter seasons of the year, it is important to remember some of the important aspects of summer mountain biking. Wherever you’ll ride this upcoming season you will encounter the effects of the summer – hot weather, high sun and ultra violate radiation and dryness.

· Keep hydrated – drink enough water! – Every rider must set out to bike rides with at least a 2 litters of water. It is too easy to get dehydrated, since sometimes dehydration symptoms appear after it is too late. In order to avoid this unpleasant experience, keep drinking even when you are not thirsty. It is better to drink small quantities over many times, instead of big quantities in a few stops. I found that riding with a water pack helps avoid dehydration, since drinking with it is very easy and doesn’t require any effort.

· Radiation – The high altitude of Morzine and the French Alps should come in consideration, while preparing for a summer ride in these areas. This special attention should be translated into actions such as applying sun block before every ride and sun exposure and wearing sun glasses. With the advance of health studies which confirm the connection between exposure to the sun in high altitudes to many health conditions, it is important to keep close care of this issue.

We wish you an enjoyable, safe and healthy summer.

Mountain biking has become a popular hobby and sport among many people. As we wrote in pervious posts, a large number of mountain bike riders live in cities and in areas that are far away from biking trails. There are different ways to reach bike trails from the city. One option is to take your bike on public transportation. The advantage of this option is that you don’t have to worry about were to leave your car.

There are many disadvantages to this option. The two main ones, in my opinion, are that you are depended on bus and train schedules and the second that you have to hassle carrying your bike and your gear as well. The most convenient way to get to bike trails from the city is carry your bike on your car with a bike rack. There are many kinds and options of bike racks.

Here are the main categories of car bike racks: Racks that allow you to mount your bike on the roof of the car and racks that allow you to carry your bike on the back of the car. In this post I’ll mention the main advantages and disadvantages of each kind of bike rack. Next time I’ll give a few tips on how to choose the best bike rack to fit your bike and your car.

Rear mounted bike racks – The main advantage of rear mounted bike racks are that you don’t have to install anything on you car in order to carry your bike. One can install a rear mounted bike rack on any car. This fact give you flexibility, for instance, to alternate on which car you carry your bike. Its main disadvantage is the space and width it takes up in the back of your car. Some times these racks block the driver’s view, or make driving a bit harder.

Roof mounted bike racks – The main advantage to these kinds of bike racks. It doesn’t make driving harder. The bikes don’t block the drivers view and they are very steady. The disadvantage is that you need to install it on your car’s roof. You can’t switch it easily to another car.

There is no argument that bike riding is a healthy exercise. It’s an enjoyable way to lose weight, improve your cardiovascular endurance and to strengthen muscles. Riding up and down the slopes of the French Alps only enhances these advantages. With the major advantages of bike riding, we should all know that there are risks to our health if the riding workout is done is in an uncontrolled manner. There are a few important stages that every rider has to go through before the beginning of the bike ride:

1. Doctor checkup – In the past few years there have been too many instances of bike riders who were injured while riding by a cause of heart attacks or other health problems caused by conditions that could have been detected in advance.
2. Warm up – It is extremely important to perform a warm up of at least 15 minutes before beginning a ride. The warm up should include all of the muscles that will be working hard while riding. In the next Blog posts we will devote an article to warm ups.
3. Stretch muscles before and after riding – Some of the most common bike riding related injuries have to do with puling muscles. Stretching muscles warms your muscles before the workout and gives them flexibility that will help avoid pulling muscles. Stretching muscles after the ride helps your muscles achieve better flexibility and helps the muscles go back to their normal mode without shock. There are many training experts that claim stretching before and after the workout is just as important as the workout itself. We will devote a Blog post to recommend a few important stretches.

It is important to go through these three steps in order to have an enjoyable and safe bike ride.

One of the useful services offered in the hotels and resorts of Morzine in addition to mountain bike instructors and trainers are fitness advisors. Take advantage of the Fitness advisors – You might learn new stretches and techniques that will use for years of riding.

In spite of being a popular and enjoyable sports activity there is no doubt that mountain biking can be quite dangerous. Riding up or down a steep narrow path with high speed can be an amazing and adrenaline-full experience. Yet, if the bike rider isn’t aware of the risks and hazard of bike injuries, he is definitely prone to be part of the yearly statistics of injured mountain bikers.

In our next two posts we’ll try to expand your awareness on how to avoid injuries while mountain biking.

Avoiding neck pains

Neck pains are one of the most common pains felt by bike riders. Neck pains can be a result of mental and/or physical tension or as a result of riding in an incorrect posture. A lot of riders feel neck and shoulder pains after staying in one riding position for a few hours. Here are a few tips to avoid neck and shoulder pains:

- While riding, put your hands on the top of the handlebar and sit in a position that your back is straight. Loosen your right shoulder; push your right arm down as much as you can while leaning your head left. You’ll feel a stretch on your right neck. After a break of about a minute, do the opposite stretch on your left side.

- Don’t stay in one riding position for more than half an hour. At least once an hour get off your bike to stretch out a bit.

In our next post, we’ll write about how to avoid back and knee pains and injuries. As all advice given on our site, this information should not replace any professional advice. I recommend participating the sessions given by mountain biking instructors on avoiding injuries in Morzine.

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. Here are some tips to help prevent biking injuries:

* 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.

In our last post we wrote all about mountain bike pedals. There is another tip you should take into account before embarking on your biking vacation to Morzine. It is known that not only the pedals are an important component of the bike. The shoe that the biker wears has a lot to do with the experience, enjoyment and affectivity of the bike ride.

What makes a riding shoe unique?

A riding shoe has to keep the rider’s foot comfortable and not swelling for hours of intense activity. Originally mountain bike shoe were made of hard leather soles with a metal or a plastic plate nailed to it in order to connect to connect to the pedals and allow the biker a better grip of the pedals. Since the clipless pedals became more popular, riding shoes advanced accordingly. Today there is a wide variety of kinds of biking shoes available in the biking market.

Here are some features of biking shoes, which allow the biker a safe, efficient and fun biking experience:

1.Sole – it is important to look for a smooth, tough and inflexible sole in order to allow an efficient connection to the pedal and make the most energy effective cycle of the crank.
2.The sole should be slightly curved at the ball of the foot in order to transfer force to the toe when cycling.
3.Velcro straps are better for use in biking shoes, instead of laces. The Velcro allows more flexibility in use.
4.Shoes that unhook easily.
I advise any biker to ride regularly with biking shoes. There are both healthier and safer for the rider’s foot than regular shoes. If you do not own a pair, a vacation in Morzine is a wonderful chance to purchase one in one of the many bike stores. If you are not interested in purchasing a pair, you can rent one to enjoy on your vacation.

A family ride can be a cheerful experience.

But what if the kid never been on a bike before.

Purchasing a child seat can solve the problem. You can buy it in morzine shop, or all other bike shop, in reasonable prices, and it is also a good time to take him with you and find him a helmet.

Helmets can take many forms and colors and it’s important to choose one that fits the child. Choose a kid helmet that can by adjusted to the kid’s head, so he will use it for long time. Also important choose one that protects your child’s nape.

Let your kid choose his helmet, kids eye usually caught by color and texture, it’s good that he like his helmet, and it can save some of the argument on putting it.

The first track you take him should be somewhere familiar. The kid must get use to his new situation, moving fast and rocking in his seat. For the Kid it will take some time to digest his new situation and so taking the ride where he fill safe can speed the process. Some kids enjoy the ride immediately but for others it may take a while.

Riding with "extra weight" and unexpected moves by the kid affects also affects your balance, so keep practicing under those new conditions until you feel ready to go the distance.

When going on long trip, make sure every thing you need is with you, make sure every thing secured and can’t fall and hit your baby.

Make more stops the kid cannot seat all day and he also have to move his body else he might fell a little cranky. Take fruits and snacks for refreshment breaks, different kinds of food can solve different kinds of crises.

Enjoy the ride!

There are many mountain bike accessories available in the market. Of course, not all of the accessories available are necessary or needed. I would like to recommend using an accessory that helps my plan and manage my bike rides, and makes all of my rides much more enjoyable. The biking accessory that I recommend purchasing is a speedometer.

There are many benefits in riding with a speedometer on your handlebar. The speedometer allows you to know very important information. The basic information that every speedometer provides you with is your speed and the distance you have passed (it’s also an odometer). Most speedometers today provide you with more useful information, such as the time, your average speed, your highest speed yet, features of dividing the distance you have passed into a few sections, and some even combine a built in GPS.

From my experience, the benefits of using a speedometer on your bike are divided into two. First, using an odometer helps you plan your bike ride. If you have installed a speedometer on your bike, you can plan your ride by distances. This new option suddenly makes plan a lot simpler. Secondly, having the knowledge of what speed you are riding and what distance you have passed, helps you manage your bike rides and make the most of your bike rides. For example, you can plan a training plan based on riding distances and yet stay spontaneous and ride on new routs every time, while keeping the framework of your plan. If you know what distance you have passed it is a lot easier to navigate and find your way around trails.

In the different trails around Morzine, there are trails that are well marked. For those of us who enjoy navigating themselves, there are trails that are not marked. It’s helpful to ride those trails with a speedometer on your bike.

Have a Fun ride!