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The front forks of bicycles have changed massively since the invention of the mountain bike. Due to the introduction a requirement developed for protection from impact of rocky mountains. A requirement that simply had not been there before.

Generally on MTB’s now days you will usually find that the front forks have an integrated set of shock absorbers, with the blades being made from upper and lower extendable tubes, called ‘legs’. These telescopic tubes allow the impact of the rocky terrain under the tyres to be reduced, thereby making the bike much easier to control in rough conditions.

The characteristics for MTB Forks can change massively, with the forks travel and handling characteristics setup to a specific discipline of mountain biking. For example, the cross country rider will require a different suspension fork to a downhill mountain bike racer, who will have a different fork again to a freeride rider. Cross country bikes will not require as much suspension fork travel, typically near eighty to one hundred millimeters and can be made from lighter metal when compared to the suspension used on a DH mountain bike. This is basically as they won’t receive as much punishment as they might in other situations.

When suspension was initially introduced onto mountain bikes, a travel distance of the above amount was normal. Now though, DH forks offer typically around 150 to 200 mm of travel. There are some downhill mountain bike forks though which can offer anywhere up to 300 millimetres of travel for the most extreme conditions!

Some mountain bike suspension forks may also allow the rider to change the suspension travel to suit particular sections of terrain. A higher travel for DH and extreme terrain, and less travel for the not so rough cross country or up hill sections. The rider may even want to completely eliminate suspension fork travel all together which would be an advantage on a smooth concrete road for example. This lockout capability may even be activated remotely from the handle bars making use of a cable.

Whatever the discipline of mountain biking you do, it benefits you to choose your mountain bike front suspension forks carefully as when you pick the right forks you will gain a noticeable performance advantage.

If you enjoy playing bicycling, I’m sure you will enjoy any of the many cycling gps units available today. There is nothing more irritating to me then having to stop riding to decide exactly where I’m at.  It used to be a routine of looking for road signs and then estimating your location and distance remaining on your ride.  Any cyclist can relate to thiswhether mountain biking or touring. GPS technology has solved this problem with the development of new cycling GPS units on market. In fact, there are now so many cycling and handheld GPS units available that you really should read some GPS reviews before deciding which is the best for you.

GPS navigation units in vehcles have been around for quite some time but it is only fairly recent that major GPS device manufacturers have started producing cycling GPS systems. The basic benefit of the cycling GPS receiver is that it will tell the user the location and the distance to the destination. Nothing could help the rider more with enjoying the ride then knowing how far his next stop is or how far that next intersection is from his position and all provided with just one look at his cycling GPS.  Cycling GPS has definitely improved the safety level of touring or mountain biking for that matter.  No more having to guess on positioning and distance and most importantly, no more taking that precious extra time of searching for road signs and estimating travel time. The new cycling GPS systems do all the hard work for you and allow you to simply enjoy the ride.
These cycling gps are easy to use and quite affordable. The basic uses allow you to instantly know the distance to your destination they are capable of much more.  As newer models are released they seem to provide you with more and more choices.  Many are available with a handlebar mounting bracket and this enables the rider with instant positioning updates.

The majority of roads and park trails in the United States have already been mapped so you certainly benefit from a cycling GPS unit.  Garmin made their name in the GPS field and they offer several models of handheld and cycling GPS systems.  They provide from basic GPS functions to small wrist units that are capable of monitoring barometric pressure.  Of course you still have do the cycling but all the direction taking and map reading can be a thing of the past.  These units can be literal life savers if you do a lot of off road mountain biking.  Just decide which model fits your individual needs, set the destination and start riding.  Cycling GPS is becoming one the more popular bicycle accessories on the market.  You are in for a much improved ride.

These top five are not just for the bike but for the owner too when out and about riding. Get those bike pedals ready because here they come.

5.
Energy bar or energy gel.
These things are great for anytime before or after the events you take part in as they restore the essentials you have just lost or about to lose making you feel a lot better. You can even get gel that actually overtime helps support you when building up your muscles. The gel is great because you can use it on the go.

4. The bike helmet
No professional cyclist can go anywhere without one of these. This really is only in the top five as it is so vital for cyclists to own one.Of course it cannot be forgotten just how many different helmets there are with some even made for hot or cold weather.

3.  The bicycle computer
This is certainly a must have for all riders who take cycling very seriously. Easily attached to the front of the bike they can record nine different pieces of data.

• Current Speed
• Odometer
• Trip Distance
• Elapsed time
• 12/24hr clock
• Average Speed
• Pacer
• Maximum Speed
• Dual Wheel
• Temperature
• Cadence

2. Wheels
At number two simply because I love to change the wheels on my bike. There are thousands of designs to use ranging from the plain wheels that come with every bike or various other ones like zipp wheels.

1.    At number one is the most important thing you need on a long riding trip. There is a reason why I haven't kept mentioning whats at number one and that is simply because it is a boring one.
A simple water bottle comes in first simply because without it you would certainly not be able to carry out long stretches.

Well there you have it, the top five things to take with you and use when using a racing bike.

Bikes shops Sussex is a perfect example, have fun!