I want to keep up with husband better when we go mountain bike riding…so how do I slowly build my endurance and power on the bike?
I already work out…I run 4-5 days a week, strength train 4 days a week, and will go riding once or twice a week.
I do a lot of other activities so I don’t to become a better athlete overall but for awhile I want to focus on mountain bike riding.
Anyone have any tips or suggestions?

Hum… Very good question!

First of all, running and weight lifting are great, but to go faster on a bicycle you need cycling specific strength. Nothing develops your cycling specific muscles like riding a bike. Thus, cutting back on your other activities and upping your cycling will improve your mountain biking. Keep in mind, riding a mountain bike on rough trails can be really hard on the body. Too reduce stress on the body many top mountain bikers do a significant amount of conditioning riding on the road.

Secondly, you need to figure out why you are unable to keep up with your husband. Is he able to ride through tough spots better? Does he descend like a God? Is he fearless? If he pulls away from you for one or more or these reasons, it would indicate you need to improve your technical skills. Or, does he pull away from you on ascents? Does he have more endurance? These things would indicate he is in better bicycling condition.

Hope this helps.

I would like to do some mountain biking in mexico. I currently travel to Guanajuato a lot, but I am also interested in any other good Mexican mountain biking destinations.

Here's bicimapas index and it looks like they have 3 routes with maps and fotos in the Guanajuato area

http://www.bicimapas.com.mx/Indice%20de%20Bicimapas.htm#Mapa

just wondering what kind of shoes guys wear when they go downhill mountain biking. ive been watching some freeride clips and it looks like they're wearing skateboarding shoes but I couldnt really tell for sure. thanks in advance for your help.

Im a big fan of clipless pedals, if you get Shimano M540 pedals and shoes to suit, you can try them out! If you cant get on with them, then use another pair of shoes as this pedal has a platform as well!

Worth checking out eh?

What are some good sites online to shop for mountain biking shoes? Both of the local bike stores near my house have an extremely limited selection of shoes (like three pair each). Performance and Nashbar seem to have a good selection, but never the right sizes. What I'm looking for is a shoe (SPD) that you can get off the bike and walk around easily. I'm not looking for the type of shoe that looks like a road shoe with a little tread. Any help would be appreciated.

Honestly, I would try a few more Local Bike Shops, even if you have to travel a bit. Shoes vary greatly in their geometry, and it's relatively easy to end up with a pair that doesn't fit well. At least try them on at the shop, and then if the price differential is huge, consider getting them online.
if you can't find what you want online at Perf or Nashbar, try REI. Decent selection and they're having a sale. They are also good to deal with.

Many of my friends who know me say that I am a bicycle freak. It's true though. I like to ride my bike down the hill a lot with my riding buddies. However, people keep asking me isn't dangerous or scary to do that kind of sport? I replied, I think riding downhill on your bicycle is just as dangerous as playing soccer or hockey or rugby as you could get hurt as well or even break your body parts from doing those sports. So, what do you guys think about extreme mountain biking, if you ever seen or tried it before?

To follow up with what Alex said - I just bought new disability and life insurance. Bicycle racing of any type was not even listed on their form for 'hazardous activities'. They had over two hundred activities listed, and more than half of them were related to motorsports, followed by dozens of water sports, skiing sports, cave/mountain related categories, they even had a 'Swamp Buggy' category, but no cycling of any kind.

Of course you can get hurt, To quote for the standard atheltes release for cycling "I realize cycling is an inherently dangerous sport". So is walking across a city street. I've been racing for 20 years, had dozens of crashes, but alway managed to walk (ok, hobble) away. Yet, I have a friend who was in a local soccer league, did a sweep kick, caught another guys leg just the right way and shatterd his ankle, requiring two surgeries and a series of pins. He still can't run after 5 years (my friend, not the other guy).

I don't think of riding down a local hill with your buddies as extreme. Careening down a ski slope at 60 MPH on a full downhill rig? That's extreme.

Don't be stupid about it though. Always wear a helmet, always make sure your brakes work, and your tires are properly inflated. You don't want to _invite_ disaster.

an extreme Mountain Bike Crash with 170 kph

Duration : 0:1:30

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Technorati Tags: 170, bike, Crash, extreme, kph, mountain, with

Next video in this series: http://www.monkeysee.com/play/6406-mountain-biking-getting-started

In this video Scott Scudamore and Shawn Punga of the International Mountain Biking Association will teach you the basics of riding a mountain bike.

Duration : 0:3:2

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Technorati Tags: bicycle, bike, biking, climbin, cycle, pedal, pedaling, Ride, riding

I have a Giant mountain bike that has a stem that is low. I feel like a stem that is higher would be better when riding downhill. My question is, what is the usual stem degree for mountain biking? I live by the desert and some trails are very steep.

Thanks in advance.

a higher stem wont really help, a shorter one will, since when you are going downhill and you throw your body back, having a shorter stem means you wont have to reach as far. i have a Bontrager Select on my bike and i love it. i think its an 80mm, 10degree upsweep. it very comfortable and super, and only costs $25. i've been using if for 2 years and no problems at all. i dont do much downhill, but i use it on my XC race bike.

if you do alot of downhill, you may want to look into getting a dual crown fork with the integrated stem. they keep your front end up higher for more control and the built-in-stem angle is optimal for controlling a bike going on the steeps. if you have about $700 or $800 to burn, check ebay for a Marzocchi 888, rock shox boxxer, manitou stance kingpin (lower end, but still reliable), or maverack DUC32 (inverted fork, very light and very cool).

if you have a lower budget, then just getting a shorter stem will help. here are several short length stems i found on JensonUSA.com from $21-$80:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST707A00-Race+Face+Diabolus+Stem.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST602A02-Race+Face+Evolve+Dh+Stem+05.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST607A00-Truvativ+Hussefelt+Stem.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST402A03-Easton+Vice+Dhfr+Stem+07.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST402A05-Easton+Vice+Am+Stem+07.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST402A04-Easton+Havoc+Dhfr+Stem+07.aspx

Road Trip.
Canada.

Duration : 0:4:5

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Technorati Tags: bike, downhill, Freeride, mountain

One of the most highly anticipated mountain bike video releases of the year, ROAM is the second film from the critically acclaimed group of film makers know as The Collective. Shot on gloriously detailed 16mm film, ROAM really pushes the boundaries, as much in terms of cutting edge riding as breath taking cinematography.

Duration : 0:2:34

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Technorati Tags: bike, Collective, mountain, Roam, The