If you have been riding a mountain bike or any other kind of bike for any period of time then you must have had a flat tire at some point which is never fun of course. But flat tires can be caused by many things such as punctures from things like thorns, cheap tubes that can't handle the terrain and even more commonly, pinch flats from improper tire pressure.

Tire pressure is important for many reasons and many people tend not to concern themselves with it or even realized that it matters. They think that if there is air in the tire then that is all they need to worry about. But this is not the case and tire pressure is very important and can make or break your ride.

Let's go back to the flat tire discussion and explain why tire pressure is important for keeping your tires inflated in general. Pinch flats are a very common type of flat and they occur when you run over things such as rocks and your tire gets pinched between them and then ends up pinching the inner tube as well causing it to tear or suffer other types of damage. This normally happens when you don't have enough pressure in the tire to be riding on rocky terrain. The higher the pressure, the less likely you are to get a pinch flat. But don't go thinking that you should just max out your tire pressure to take care of this because doing so can have negative effects on how your bike handles which we will get to next. To minimize the risk of pinch flats you should adjust your pressure to the type of terrain you are riding on.

When it comes to outdoor activities it’s always best to be prepared for any situation that you may run into. And this definitely applies to mountain biking. If you are just riding a local trail for a couple of miles you may be ok with the basics such as water and a spare tube but for those of us who like to put on the miles in remote locations, its essential to be well prepared.

Being prepared doesn’t just mean having bike parts such as a tube and a pump but it also means having things to fix yourself as well as get your out of dangerous situations. You always hear those news stories about hikers getting lost in the woods and not having the right equipment with them to survive on so you don’t want that happening to you.

You need to prepare yourself for going out on the trails so you are ready for just about anything. You should always have the essentials but if you are planning on going out farther away from civilization and other people then you should be sure to take those extra items you may need in case of an emergency. Having the right items will help keep your bike going as well as yourself in case you breakdown.

If you have ridden a mountain bike or any other type of bike for that matter I'm sure you have had a flat tire at some point or another. Fixing a flat for the most part is an easy fix but if you don't have a tube or the right tools it may ruin your day when you have to walk home. Some flats are easier to fix than others depending on the tire type, whether it's the front or rear tire and whether or not you know how to replace an inner tube.

What would you say if you didn't have to replace inner tubes anymore and didn't even have to have them inside your tire? Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it? Well if you have the right kind of tire and the right kind of rim then this is definitely a possibility for you. Running tubeless is staring to become more popular as more tubeless tires hit the market and as many higher end bikes are coming with tubeless ready rims and tires.

Using tubes is the standard way to go and is what people have been doing for years. Most bikes come with tubes installed even if they have tubeless ready tires on them from the factory. The inner tube itself goes between the rim and the tire providing the inflation the tire needs to work. You can put various amounts of air pressure in the tube to adjust to the trail and your riding style. The higher the pressure the less likely you are to get pinch flats but at the same time there is less tire making contact with the ground and you may find yourself bouncing around more off of rocks and not cornering as well.

If you mountain bike in Southern California then you know all about the rocky trails that you have to deal with almost anywhere you go. For many riders this can be a deal breaker when it comes to certain trails because they don't feel confident when riding in those kinds of conditions which is understandable especially for beginners.

But once you tackle your fear of riding rocky trails you may actually begin to enjoy them and start seeking them out! Rocky terrain can be some of the most challenging and fun type of riding you can do because it tests your balance, skill and guts. I'm sure you have seen those YouTube videos of the riders flying down rocky hillsides like they didn't even know the rocks were there.

One key to success when it comes to rocky trails is to have the right kind of bike. Sure you can pull it off on a hardtail and many do but it may give you a really rough ride while doing so. Front suspension is more critical than rear suspension when it comes to rocks since you can really get jarred and have your hands go numb if you are going fast enough for long enough on these types of trails. If you are going to go all out over big rocks at high rates of speed then you may want to go with a coil fork that offers 7+ inches of travel to help smooth it out. But for most of us you can get away with a nice adjustable 5+ inches of travel with an air fork and be just fine. Geometry also comes into play when going over bigger rocks or steeper trails. You don't want to feel like you are leaning too far over the handlebars when going over a big rock or actually go over the handlebars while doing so. Most XC bikes can handle rocky trails just fine but keep the geometry in mind if you are planning ride more technical trials with larger rocks.

As I'm sure you know, proper mountain bike maintenance is essential to your bike performing its best and lasting as long as possible. And with today's expensive bikes, you want to make yours last as long as you can! There are many things you need to check on and maintain such as brakes, cables, tires and suspension components. One thing that is very important to maintain is your chain because without it, you are not going anywhere.

Many people thing that simply dripping some oil on their chain is all they need to do to keep it up to par but that is not the case. Bike chains require additional maintenance that many people overlook. They also require replacement from time to time as well which many people really overlook. In this article we are going to talk about what needs to be done to keep your chain working its best.

These maintenance items consist of the following:

• Chain cleaning
• Chain lubrication
• Chain replacement

Since your chain uses oil to keep it lubricated it tends to collect dirt on that oil and then gum up the chain itself. When this happens your performance will not be at its best and you can have things such as slipping occur when shifting gears or even chain binding in extreme cases which can lead to the chain coming off the chain rings while riding. This is why you need to do regular cleanings of your chain to prevent these types of things from happening. This does not have to be done every ride of course but the time in between chain cleanings will vary on your riding conditions. If you ride in wet or muddy conditions then you will need to clean your chain more often.

When it comes to mountain biking, your equipment is almost as important as your skill level and fitness level. If you are out of shape then it will be much harder to ride your bike and if you have the wrong equipment then the same thing applies.

One thing that will make a difference in your riding abilities that many people tend to overlook are your pedals. After all, your pedals are what connect your legs to your bike so it’s important to have the right ones for your riding style and comfort level. Now you may think that a pedal is just a pedal but there has been a lot of research and development that has gone into the design of mountain bike pedals. And with that said you can only imagine how many different styles there are to choose from.

The first thing you need to decide is if you want to use a flat or platform pedal or a clipless pedal. Platform pedals are what you would normally think of when picturing a pedal and are where you basically put your foot right down on the pedal to pedal the bike. Clipless pedals are the type where you clip the bottom of your shoe into a special clip that secures them to the pedal. I know you are asking yourself why they are called clipless when you clip them to your pedal. It’s because when the toe clip pedals were popular they were considered to be clipped in type pedals and therefore when you didn’t use the toe clip but rather attached them to the bottom of your shoe they were considered clipless. Now let’s talk about the pros and cons of each type of pedal.

Mountain bikes these days are getting more and more advanced to accommodate the more aggressive riding styles and trails that people are taking advantage of. These newer bikes handle much better thanks to better geometry and take the bumps better thanks to improved suspension components. And with these advancements come more speed and when you go faster you need to make sure you can stop. This is where disk brakes come into play. Disks brakes are not an entirely new feature on mountain bikes but at the same time have not been around for too long compared to how long mountain bikes themselves have been around.

Disk brakes have replaced the older style "V brakes" where the pads squeezed on to the rims to stop the bike. This worked pretty well but it was easy for these brakes to come out of adjustment and if the pads weren't sitting on the rims just right they didn't work all that good. Disk brakes have been on cars and motorcycles for many years and now that same technology has been applied to bicycles and its works pretty much the same way. Disk brakes offer much improved braking for today's more aggressive riding styles.

Disk brakes work by squeezing brake pads against a brake rotor to stop the wheel from moving. There are rotors on both the front and rear wheels and you apply brake pressure with the brake levers on the handlebars. And just like with a car or motorcycle, the harder you squeeze, the harder you stop.