Most mountain bikers ride for the fun and the exercise but then you have those who want to take it to the next level and get into racing to satisfy their competitive urges. Maybe you are one of those people who want to take your Strava competition to the next level and try out some head to head racing. This way you can see how your speed skills compare to other riders besides your friends.

There are not too many places that you can go do mountain bike races in the Southern California area but if you want to give it a shot then you should check out the PedalFest race in Castaic, CA which is just a little north of Valencia. This location is pretty central to many areas such as Los Angeles and Ventura County so it's not too much of a drive to get there. Plus the races don't start super early so you don’t have to worry about losing too much sleep trying to get there on time.

The PedalFest series allows you to race for points and place in the series or just race for the fun of it and not have to race all the races. There is an entry fee of $30 per race and $5 for a number plate with the transponder built in which lets them know when you cross the finish line on each lap. You get to keep the number plate to use for your next race. If you register for the entire season it works out to be $25 per race but there is a limit of 150 people to get this discounted rate.

Unless you ride your mountain bike barefoot I’m sure you have wondered if the shoes you are wearing to ride are doing the job or if there is something better out there to help you stay on your pedals. Many people just tend to use whatever shoes they have for riding because they don't know any better. If you are using your normal every day tennis shoes as riding shoes then you are most likely getting the grip and support you need to make the most out of your riding experience and if you think you are then you are wrong!

If you haven't used a mountain bike specific shoe then you don't know what you are missing because it will make a big difference when riding uphill and riding downhill. Regular shoes for the most part are not stiff enough to get proper pedaling power out of and also don't grip the pedals as good as they should. Shoes such as lightweight low cut hiking boots make decent mountain biking shoes because they tend to be on the stiff side and have decent grip but they still don't work as good as mountain bike specific shoes. Your Vans skateboard shoe is too flexible to be a good mountain bike shoe even though you see a lot of people using that type of shoe for riding.

Living in Southern California allows you to do summer like outdoor activities pretty much all year round. And this is great if you are an avid mountain biker. If you live in the Ventura County or Los Angeles County areas then you know how many mountain bike trails you have at your disposal. Sure they may not be as exciting or scenic as trails you would see in the mountains or other states such as Washington or Colorado but when it comes to convenience and variety you can't beat them.

In this article we will discuss some of the best trails in the Ventura and LA County areas so you can go out and try something new if you have been looking for some different rides to do. Keep in mind that there are different types of rides and not everyone may be interested in the best downhill trails in the area so we will discuss different types of trails.

Let's start by talking about the Backbone Trail system. The Backbone Trail stretches over 65 miles from Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades to Point Mugu State Park and offers a variety or riding conditions from smooth rolling singletrack to steeper rocky downhill sections. One good thing about the Backbone trail is that you can ride various sections since it has many road crossings so you don't have to try and do it all at once. One of the best sections is the part that goes from Etz Meloy Mtwy to Encinal Canyon Rd near Malibu. It has sweeping smooth turns with banked berms and is a lot of fun to ride down and not too difficult to ride up.

So you are thinking of adding a little more excitement to you mountain biking activities because maybe cross country riding is not cutting it or you have watched too many Red Bull Rampage videos and want to see what all the fuss is about. Well if you want to add some thrills to your riding experience then downhill mountain biking is the way to do it. Let's just begin this discussion by saying that in order to partake in downhill mountain biking you have to want to do it or else you will just end up hurting yourself.

Downhill mountain biking involves taking your bike and riding it fast down steep hills with obstacles such as rocks, roots and trees to avoid on your way down. Of course there are various degrees of downhill riding with events like the Red Bull Rampage on the extreme end of the spectrum. You don’t need to go down the steepest most difficult terrain to enjoy downhill riding and can work your way up to harder runs as you get more experience.

As the sport becomes more popular there are more and more downhill trails popping up as well as bike parks that offer chair lift or shuttle service to the top allowing you to save your energy for the ride down. Plus there are many unofficial downhill trails all over the place depending on where you live as well as groups of dedicated trail builders make more every year.

The growing popularity of online video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo it makes it easier for people to share pretty much everything they do and that may be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. If you are an avid mountain biker then you have most likely been to these sites to check out the latest Red Bull Rampage video or to research a local trail to see what you are in for before you ride it.

But what if you want to make our own mountain biking videos? What is the best way to go about it? And how hard will it be to make something that someone will want to watch? It's not too difficult to make a decent mountain bike video as long as you are willing to invest in a camera or cameras, some video editing software and most importantly some time to put it all together.

First you will need to get an appropriate camera suited for filming mountain biking. There are a few models out there with GoPro and Contour having the upper hand on the market. These cameras offer HD quality footage while providing many ways to mount the camera on your bike or on your helmet. In general expect to pay $200-$400 for one of these cameras. You can also pick one up used online if you look around.

If you are a regular mountain biker then you most likely wear a helmet and know that staying protected is essential to your safety and continued future riding. One thing you may notice when out on the trail are the people riding without any eye protection. And many people who may be wearing eye protection are not using the right kind for the riding situation.

Eye protection is not just about wearing your sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes even though that is a very important type of eye protection to avoid damaging your eyes or keep you from seeing the trail and other people when you get the sun’s glare in your eyes. Always make sure you have a decent pair of sunglasses on when riding if that's your preferred method of eye protection.

Once you figure out your riding style you can start to try and figure out the best bike for your budget. Of course there are the big names such as Specialized, Giant and Trek but there are other lesser known brands that offer great bikes as well such as Yeti and Scott. And once you pick a model many times there will be different levels of components for that model that will affect the price and performance of the bike. So once you have your price point and know the type of bike you want whether it be cross country, all mountain, freeride, downhill, 29er and so on, then it's time to go shopping.

One of the most well known brands of mountain bike manufacturers is Specialized. They make a wide variety of bikes for different riding styles and have something for everyone. If you want only plan on going downhill then check out the Demo. If you want some cross country action then have a look at the Camber for full suspension or HardRock for hardtail action. If you want something that does a little of everything then you may like the Stumpjumper which comes in 26 and 29 inch versions.