As a mountain biker it is very important that you know the basic parts of your mountain bike so that you know what you want when purchasing/ repairing/upgrading your ride when the parts wear out or maybe when you want a lighter weight that will help you increase your speed.  Knowing you're mountain bike parts, will remove the dummy feeling about the components that make your ride a worth experience travel. 

When I purchased/assembled my mountain bike, I really don't have that much idea on what brands and types of bike parts are essential to have a solid state mountain bike, that will look awesome and at the same time with greater performance compared to those ordinary mountain bike which could be purchased on non-specialty shops like hardware.  

First thing to be considered when purchasing your mountain bike is to identify what type of riding you are planning to do. Is it free ride, hard tail, downhill or full suspension mountain bike? 

Here are some of the basic parts of the mountain bike, if you plan to assemble / canvass. 

Frame - the mountain bike frame is the foundation/skeleton/core of the bike.  This is responsible in holding all the other mountain bike parts, whether they are the basic parts or bike accessories.  It is very important that you decide the right frame size that matches your height and inseam to reward yourself a comfortable ride.   The mountain bike frames comes also in different materials according to their price and lightness - steel, alloy, aluminum, carbon fibre and the best of all is titanium material. 

Fork and Shock Absorber - mountain bike suspension systems minimize the shocks or jolt every time you put your bike into its limit such as riding in rough terrain or trails.  The two general classification of suspension systems are front suspension and dual suspension.  Front suspensions have a set of shock absorbers attached to the front wheel.   While dual suspension have rear and front sections which is very ideal for technical terrains. 

Handlebar -mountain bike handlebar is located at the front of the bike, this is what you used to steer or maneuver your bike.  It also comes in different styles and shapes to meet the specific needs of any rider.  This also holds the derailleur shifters, brake levers, headlight and cyclocomputer attachment.  As a general rule to provide additional comfort, the handlebar should be wider than the rider's shoulders.  The wider the handlebar, the more control and leverage but the response time in making turns would be slower and difficult.  

Stem - mountain bike stems connects the steering tube of the fork and handlebars.  This will help determine the distance of your reach to your handlebars and your position.  The longer the stem, the more stretched out you are.  Stems are measured in terms of millimeters. 

Headset - mountain bike headsets is responsible for the rotatable interface between the fork and the frame.   Most of the headset consists of two cups that are pressed into the top and bottom of the head tube.

Saddle - mountain bike saddles help improve the comfort of your ride.  Without a standard measure saddle that will catch your entire butt, then surely a pain on the road will be encountered.  Take not also that more padding does not mean more comfort; it still depends on how you adjust your seat properly. 

Seat Post - mountain bike seat post are designed to take all the abuse that the trail can throw to the rider.  There is also a suspension post which is a great way of minimizing the bumps out of your ride without too much hassle and expense but with the comfort of full suspension model. 

Cranks - mountain bike cranks holds the chain rings and chains which make the mountain bike move 

Rod - mountain bike rod holds the cranks and the pedals. 

Pedals - mountain bike pedals is where you step your two foot to create a cycled motion that will make the bike move.  Choosing the right pedals will make you a better rider, make your ride safer, gives you more control with your bike and provides more pedaling efficiency.  The four basic type of pedals are basic platform, advanced platform, toe clips or cage style and clip less.  There is also newer type of pedals, which features a dual platform such as basic platform on one side and on the other side is cage style. 

Hub - mountain bike hub is located at the center portion of the wheels which holds the spokes attached to the rim and 2 machined metal flanges.  

Spokes - mountain bike spokes are wires joining the hub to the rim, which adds extra strength to support your weight on the wheel.  It also transfers the power of your pedaling from the hub to the wheel. 

Rim - the mountain bike rims holds spokes in the inside and the tire on the outside.  The rim is commonly a metal extrusion that is butted into it to form a hoop.  The rims usually measure between 26 - 29 inches in diameter.  This also improves the ride to be smoother and safer especially in withholding bumps, jumps and obstacles. 

Tires - mountain bike tire is the only bike part which has direct contact to the ground.  The tires are usually wider and knobbier, which provides better traction and stability.  Most tires have inflated tubes/interior inside but there are newer variations also which features a tubeless tire system.  The important things to be considered when selecting your tires are weight, traction and durability. 

Cassette - mountain bike cassette/cogset is located on your rear wheel.  Usually a mountain bike has 5-9 stacks of sprocket, which is used by a rider to shift; to make the riding/pedaling easier especially on hills and to go faster on flat surface. 

Chain - mountain bike chain are circular set of links used to transfer the power from chain ring to cassette.

Front Derailleur - mountain bike front derailleur is used to shift the chain rings from one to the other.  In short derailleur is used to change the speed of pedaling when biking. 

Rear Derailleur - mountain bike rear derailleur is used to shift the cassette from one to the other. 

Derailleur Shifters - mountain bike shifters control the front and rear derailleur, allowing the shifting of the gear from low to high speed and vice versa especially when crossing different terrains.  The shifters almost have a similar look with the brake levers and are located next to the handle grips. 

Brakes - mountain bike brakes is very important part of the bike because of its primary purpose to stop the bike.  Aside from that, they also help regulate the speed, control your bike and make it possible to perform advanced techniques.  The two basic types of brakes are the disc brakes and the rim brakes.  Disc brakes perform best even on muddy situations, but they are usually heavier than rim brakes. 

Brake Levers - mountain bike brake levers is the mechanical or hydraulic mechanism used by rider to transmit the force applied by the rider to the brakes.  The brake levers are mounted on the handlebars within easy reach of the rider's hand.

General Santos City is now an emerging Adventure Race here in the Philippines because of the recent awards it had received last year (2010) for the "Best Tourism Event of the Philippines Adventure and Sports Category, City Level by the Association of the Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).  This event was organized by the City Government of General Santos City through Tourism, Cultural Promotion and Development Division of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office in partnership with the Department of Tourism.  This event is an annual activity spearheaded by Hon. Virgie T. Llido- the Sangguniang Panglungsod - Committee Chair on Tourism and Race Director Mr.Jing Velos, a well known and experienced mountaineer, caver, biker, photographer and one of the pillars of the Sarangani Bay Area Outdoor Club.  

This event will surely promote the historical and adventure destinations in General Santos City.  With my first time personal chat to Mr.Jing Velos last March, he had greatly informed us that this year, they had prepared more demanding challenges, which will be on May 5-7, 2011.  On the first day will be the pre-race activities, then on the 2nd and 3rd day will be the actual adventure race and awarding ceremony.  This event aims to bring together the different outdoor/backpacker lovers, photographers, artist, hobbyists, academe partners, investors, bloggers, outdoor clubs, shop operators, tour and guide operators.

General Arze could be associated to the avatar, which I usually brought with me when traveling.  I first used the concept of avatar last 2008, when I joined the 3rd Annual Penek Busay of the Digos Active Mountaineer.  This was also the first time; I did backpacking here in Mindanao, since I came back from a 2 year worked from Metro Manila.  The avatar helped me with my struggles in the wilderness especially in moments of lost on the trail or for those times I wanted to be alone while reflecting on the things that happened through my life.  General Arze had been with me in many of my journeys, whether in food tripping, mountain climbing, mountain biking, caving, falls hopping, zip lining and many more. 

Please feel free to browse some of the adventures of General ArzeAvatar.  More backpacking adventures for 2012, I am already planning my calendar of events.

AMSIKONG FALLS
General Santos City, South Cotabato  

Amsikong Falls is located between the territorial boundaries of General Santos City and Polomolok town in South Cotabato.  This falls flows from the mountaintop river in Camp Flores in Polomolok down to the granite boulders and limestone cliffs of Barangay Conel, creating small pools.  


Itinerary 

1. Don’t be late

2. Approximate trekking time: 3-4 hrs

3. Expect to rain during duration of the trek. Prepare for wet and cold trekking.  Secure all your clothes and electronics in plastic bags.  Bring a raincoat or poncho.

4. Suggested trekking attire: long-sleeve shirt, jogging pants or leggings.  Also bring your trekking gloves (if you have pair)

5. Bring flash light or head lamp and extra batteries (in case of emergency)

6. Bring sufficient trail food and meals for the duration of the climb

7. Bring tissue or baby wipes and extra plastic or garbage bags

8. Keep your personal trash


FEE: 100

- Transportation Lagao public market to barangay hall of Conel (vice versa) .  We discouraged bringing your own vehicles because you would be already tired after the trek.  But if you insist, you may.

- Registration fee on barangay (if required)

- Gasoline share for barangay, if service can be provided from barangay hall to jump-off

- Guide fee, for strict compliance with the barangay regulations and for protection purpose.

Purok Balakayo, Barangay Olympog of General Santos City, South Cotabato is one of the heavens paradise of the Tuna Capital of the Philippines.  It is where the first and only zipline and cablecar in Gensan is located.   The hills is also an ideal place for trekking, camping, photo ops, trail running, motor trailing, mountain biking and many others.

But then last October 22, 2010, he officially purchase a brand new mountain bike with the help of Sir Dodong in identifying what brands or parts to be purchased and at the same time considering my budget and likes.  On that day, he pedaled his MTBike from the shop up to Malesido Phase 3.  The ride was just simple yet fulfilling because after how many years of not biking, he was able to make it to their house without any scratches and glitches.   

For those who wanted to go solo ride, please consider some of the safety tips, advantages and disadvantages.  Mostly of which are base on my observations, experiences and readings. Safety Tips:

Advantages:
-   You don't need to wait for fellow riders who might be late or not show up anymore.  Thus the group ride could not be compromise with the speed of each rider.  In this way you could go as far as you want thinking only of your own schedule.

Disadvantages:
-   If you ride alone, make sure to choose the best routes and trails on which you think your safety would not be compromised.
-   Solo riders are mere subjects to bully especially if they saw you that you pedaled slow or push you bike on steep ascents/descents
-   No one will be able to help you directly in case you get into trouble even though you have to shout loud, especially on those rural areas.

This was the first time that I was able to purchase a Deuter product.  The product I'm trying to tell you was the Deuter Race Bike Cycling 10Liters Backpack.  The design of the backpack was very well groomed, neatly tailored and looks more athletic.  Its clean design was made of technical hexlite 210 / microchip-nylon, which made the product perfectly lightweight, weighing only about 520grams.  This backpack was the smallest of the Deuter race series and was designed with an optimal ventilation system making the product more comfortable to use.

With its air stripes back ventilation and teardrop shape. This lightweight race pack will follow the curve of your back, providing much comfort even if it fully loaded.  It has also a highly breathable mesh shoulder strap with anti-chafe pads that will keep our shoulder from being hurt so much.

Biking nowadays had gone to the next level due to the introduction of the cyclocomputer.  With this advancement of technology I decided to purchase an entry level 8 functions cyclocomputer named as CatEye Velo 8.  This bike device is very simple to use and it requires no tools to install / setup.  If I'm not mistaken I think, I had finished installing it around 3 minutes or lesser only.

Comparing to other Velo products, this one has larger button for changing the cyclocomputer display function and larger screen for a more precise recording and viewing.  This device can measure a rider's current speed, maximum speed, average speed, trip distance, odometer, clock, elapsed time and calorie consumption.  It has also an auto start/stop functionality, which means that the device start measuring automatically when the rider starts pedaling and stops when the bike is in a full stop.  The device has also an auto power-saving mode that will activate after 10 minutes if the main unit does not receive any signal.  Depending also on the rider's choice it could be set into inches or centimeters.  Although it is also impossible for a biker to reach a maximum speed of three digits, still the display could accommodate up to 300 kph/185 mph.  It's pace arrow only measures the speed unlike other products that measure the heart rate and cadence.  If the current speed is faster then an upward arrow will be displayed on the screen and if slower on the average speed then a downward arrow will be displayed.

After more than a week of enjoying my new passion, my co officemate introduce me some cycling accesories such as the prominent ToPeak brand.   From their I had gain the idea of what accessories I should put on my bike. 

Let me introduce to you the ToPeak - Wedge Pack Medium, my first mountain biking accessories.   Sometimes this pack is also called as saddle bags as this are place under the mountain bike saddle.

Here's the wedge pack features, which will help you decide on why to purchase one:

It has a capacity of 1.07L if not expanded and 1.31L if expanded.   Enough to fit my cellphone, camera, charger, extra t-shirt, wallet, coin purse and other small personal things. It's exterior fabric is made of 1000 Denier Nylon with Dupont Teflon Coating.  This only means that the product is durable and the fabric is not prone to ripping or fraying even if used extensively.  All the zippers are also genuine brand ensuring tough years of service.   Overall the product only weighs 165 grams.

It has also a white coloring 3M reflective strip for maximum nighttime brightness and visibility especially if mostly of your bike parts are colored black.  The wedge pack has a quick release mounting system that allows fast and easy tool-free mounting and removal of bags.   It has also a seat post strap, which makes the wedge to be attached more stable.

The product is also compatible with red lite LED.  And lastly it has a weatherproofing as it is provided with a rain cover for additional protection.

The MOB Helmet upper and lower outer shells are 100% bonded to MOB proprietary EPU Expanded Polyurethane) In-Mold2, a shock-absorbing foam which greatly enhances the quality and safety of a helmet.  Not only that, this product it provides complete supreme durability for the rider because each EPU cell is individually closed together, so that it holds air well to resist impact. The helmet has also a LocWell dial, one of the most advanced head-circumference retention systems on the market.  MOB's unique 'S'-shape belt design alleviates excessive tightness, while the extra coverage hugs your head more securely.  The large dial wheel on the back helps to get the ultimate comfort dialled in perfectly and gets the rider the right position automatically.  This LocWell dial is only available on selected models and I'm lucky enough that what I had purchased has this kind of feature. Today's road test of my new and affordable helmet was worth riding.

Lastly the helmet is certified to CE EN 1078 helmet standards.
1. Place the helmet level from front to back on your head.
2. To insure the correc fit, push the helmet front to back and from side to side.
3. Adjust the strap divider and fasten the buckles as mere necessary.
4. Check the strap length again to make certain the strap is adjusted properly. The strap should be secure but comfortable, under the chin and the hselmet should be level and secure on the head.
5. Test the overall fit of the helmet with the strap secured.

During the past, when I heard of the word arch, I was usually thinking of  brick architecture during the time of the Ancient Romans, as seen on some movies that depicts the history and culture of one's civilization.  In simple words arch can be define as a man-made/natural-made freestanding structure, commonly shaped like an inverted U.  In the Philippines, we could compare the look of the arch like the one used in the Santacruzan festival or Flores de Mayo, welcome signage when you entered or leaved a barangay, city or municipality.  Arch are also used on some sports like running and biking, and they generally served as the start and finish area of the race. Here's one amazing photo of an arch, which was made of dozen of bicycles.  This one is located in Toronto, Canada.

Photo Credits: http://urbiker.com/