Cyclists sometimes face the dilemma of feeling sore in between their thighs no matter how short the ride is. Others tend to blame it on the sensitivity of the intimate area, but it runs the risk of overlooking one crucial factor. Bike seats or saddles carry the most weight, determine the body’s position while on the bike, and regulate the comfort of the whole ride.

Unfortunately, bicycles already come with bike seats. Here are some tips on choosing the most comfortable bike seat for your body structure.

Experts determined that comfortable bike seats are made depending on the purpose of a ride. As cyclers have a purpose as to why they use bikes, it is vital to know the category of riding. 

Some of the most common ones are:

Finding the Right Fit

Men and women have different builds. Ladies usually have fuller hips and can sit on full comfortable bike seat. Gentlemen, on the other hand, need extra padding to protect their intimate area. Nevertheless, it is still essential to determine what type of ride is on the way.

Also, measuring the distance between the sit bones can help determine what bike seat is needed more natural and faster.

Checking Physical Flexibility

Stand flat on the ground and try to reach out as far as possible towards the toes. If there is a struggle, then there may be a flexibility issue. Hence, there is a high tendency to feel stiff and move a lot while riding. Rounded bike seats may provide a more comfortable ride for non-flexible people.

For those who do not struggle with reaching the toes, it means flexibility is not an issue. It may be easier to find a comfortable position on a bike. Flat saddles provide freedom of movement. Meanwhile, people who are very flexible and can reach their toes easily can ride with curved seats.

Riding Positions

People have varying levels of comfort. It does not depend on the bike seats alone, but the posture of the rider as well. Some rides well in an upright position, others prefer biking when crouched a little forward towards the handlebar, or even in a slightly hovered manner.

Long rides, can lead to numbness or long-term saddle pains. A reliable and durable bike seat can ease off some pressure of one’s pelvis. Choose one that fits the needs and can be a cushion to ward off possible problems in the future.

Once the perfect bike seat is found, set its height to the ideal level where riders can feel comfortable, at ease, and without the feeling of numbness.

Look for a Reliable Brand

The bones one sits on are quite delicate. A sudden, strong impact can break it easily. It can result in mobility issues or can cause a person to become paralyzed for life. Hence, find a bike seat from a company that has a good reputation when it comes to bike accessories. Opt for reliable brands that can provide a durable and comfortable seat.

When it comes to quad bikes and ATVs, you know that they take a lot of abuse through the days, weeks and years. As strong as they are, with regular use, the wear and tear will eventually catch up. So when do you know if your ATV or quad bike needs to be replaced? Over the time you have had your quad bike it will surely gain sentimental value. All those memories and unforgettable days you’ve spent with it add up. Hard as it may be to say goodbye, the day will surely come when it’s time to invest in a new ATV.

Safety Always Wins

In any aspect of life it is incredibly important to stay safe. When it comes to outdoor activities this is absolutely paramount. As you and your quad bike race through the years, it will undoubtedly take some damage. The key is in recognising when you have taken your ATV just a little bit too far. There comes a time when a vehicle is simply better used as a source of parts. When that day has come, hard as it is, you will need to retire your quad bike and decide which ATV you want to bring into the family. Why risk you or your family’s safety by pushing your quad bike too far?

The Law And Road Legal Quad Bikes

When it comes to the law, you never want to be on the wrong side of it. Just like any vehicle, your quad bike needs to be up to the requisite safety standards in order to remain registered in the United Kingdom. After years of use there may be certain issues that prevent you from keeping your quad road legal. If it simply isn’t insurable you will not be able to get your new registration.

Attend To Parts & Motor Issues Before They Happen Or Get Worse

Ensure that your quad is in great shape each time you use it. You may have to change some parts of it to optimise safety and performance, and you can easily get quality ones such as Yamaha quad parts UK shops are selling.

If you’re out there riding your quad bike and you start to notice a rattling sound when you accelerate, this is really not a good sign. This is usually the result of extensive use with low or old oil, which in turn affects the lifters in your engine. It even has a nickname, the “Death Rattle”. One of the ways this can happen is if there is an unnoticed oil leak, which is all too easy if your ATV is in everyday use and/or parked on dark coloured dirt.

If your quad bike is having trouble starting, or dies when you come to a stop, this is just one sign that you may want to invest in a new quad bike sooner rather than later. Other issues such as a bent frame from an accident can and most likely will lead to an engine issue due to a problem with the motor mount.

If you and your quad are in an accident, make sure to have a professional check the frame. If your frame is bent, it’s probably time to retire the bike, use it for parts and purchase a new machine.

So, you are looking forward to purchase a new bike but you are not sure whether you should go for a race bike or mountain bike. Don’t worry! We shall solve that for you. But first things first! Why should you go for a hybrid bike? Hence, before buying a bike, you should re-think about your goals and choose exactly what you want from your bike and what you want your bike to do. By doing this, you will have a much better idea about what you need when you enter the bike shop.

 What are hybrid bikes?

Hybrid bikes are a perfect combo of both road and mountain bike. The tires are made to run on rough thread on the outside and smooth parallel roads on the inside and make your everyday ride experience better. They have big fast rolling tires which makes cycling easier for the rider in comparison to the broader rougher roads on a mountain bike.

Hybrid bikes are usually lighter in weight in comparison to mountain bikes but heavier than road bikes. Do not think of them as cheap mountain bikes as they are not the same. A lot of hybrid manufacturers have an idea that the bikes will be used for general purpose while others come decked with rack mountings and mudguards for effective commuting.

So, that’s the benefits of purchasing a hybrid bike for you. But, how do you choose the right one for you? Because all hybrids are different from one another. Here is a guide to know what to look out for when buying a hybrid bike:

  1. Draft your budget and purchase the best you can in that budget. A decent hybrid bike will be accessible to you at $500.
  2. Unless you are really really really sure what you are doing, then your bike should be preassembled for you and you should be able to ride it out of the shop easily. A lot of people have the knowledge to maintain their bikes, but assembling it together from scratch is tedious and difficult. If you are ordering it online, then they will provide you with the manual and on-site assistance for assembling.
  3. Go for a dedicated bike shop to purchase the bike and find out all about the bike from the staff. Do not be hesitant to put up your questions. You should enquire all the minute details.
  4. You can also purchase the bikes online. Speak to the technical team and check out the reviews of different bikes and choose the one which suits your purpose and preference well. Check this Tommaso La Forma review to find out the details of this bike and see how it suits your preferences well. After doing a comparative study of different bikes, you can settle for the one which meets your requirements well. Once you know which bike fits you, just place your order and it will be delivered right at your doorsteps.
  5. Make sure you know the type of riding you want to see yourself doing. When you have a crystal clear idea of your bike riding goals, you can choose from the plethora of options available.

No matter what hybrid you go for, make sure it fits you. Bikes are available in plethora of frame sizes. You should check out the size chart to ensure that you fit in the accurate height range for your chosen bike. A test ride is also an amazing way to find out what bike is best for you. Apart from it, the live chat assistance will answer all your queries and you will be able to select the right bike for yourself.

If you are an outdoor enthusiast looking for ways to get fit outside the gym, maybe you are wondering which way to exercise is the best, riding a hybrid bike or working out in the gym.

I will try to answer it by discussing some of the pros and cons of each.

To start with, any type of exercise is beneficial, regardless of the fact that you do it inside or outside. It will burn calories, help you to build muscles and improve your mental health.

Cycling on a hybrid bike is a great exercise for many reasons. It does not cost anything after you have bought your bike, it is good for people of any age, its low-impact so you won’t get any joint injuries and finally it helps to exercise your upper and lower body muscles.

Hybrid bikes come with features like gears to take you up the hills. The handlebars are designed to give you a comfortable sitting position and they are ideal for commuting to and from work.

Gym, on the other hand, offers all types of fitness equipment to build your muscles. If your objective is to develop muscle mass then the gym is the only place for you. However, unless you are a professional bodybuilder, the gym can become boring when you go day after day following the same routine.

Biking has its own benefits and you can easily strengthen the lower and upper body which includes legs, glutes as well as hips. It also offers a gentle workout for your knees, ankles and more importantly your back.

Above all, let’s not forget the great cardio exercise you get from biking.

Let’s have a look at some of the benefits of exercising outdoors on a hybrid bike.

Cycling for Muscles

Everyone knows that biking provides an excellent workout for your muscles, here is a list of muscles that you exercise when you are cycling.

Leg muscles: You can tone the muscles like quadriceps muscles (front of thighs), Hamstrings (rear of thigh), Calf muscles, Hip flexors, Gluteus Maximus (your butt).

Upper body: The muscles used for the upper body are abdominal, arms, chest and shoulders, back muscles.

Cycling for Cardio

Heart diseases include high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Cycling regularly will stimulate and improve your blood circulation, resulting in a considerable reduction in cardiovascular diseases.

Cycling can strengthen the heart muscles, lowering resting pulse and reducing blood fat levels.

Some of the best hybrid bikes are designed to take you up the mountains and get the best cardio. These bikes are equipped with gears to vary the stress on your body.

Cycling for Weight Control

Cycling is one of the best ways to reduce weight. It increases the metabolic rate and burns body fat. Cycling and healthy eating should be considered seriously if you are trying to lose weight.

The good part of cycling is that you can vary the duration and intensity of exercise. You can follow a more aggressive weight loss program or a mild one to suit you better.

The experts say that you can lose up to 400 calories in one hour of cycling. This, of course, depends on the intensity as well as the weight of the rider.

Cycling Improves Mental Health

Cycling can give a boost to your mood because exercising outdoors and viewing new routes helps to release adrenalin and endorphins.

This gives you more confidence in life which results in better mental health. There is also a study that reveals that cycling can help people with depression.

Cycling for Better Lung Health

A recent case study shows that individuals who ride a bicycle are exposed to much less dangerous fumes than the people that travel by car.

The results show that a car driver experienced much higher pollution levels compared to a cyclist.

Less Costly

The monthly cost of joining a gym is regularly going up all the time. If you calculate that in terms of what you pay on yearly basis, it can come to quite a lot.

Biking, on the other hand, has no recurring cost. The roads and the mountain are free for you to go anywhere you like.

Lack of Time

It is not easy to find time to go to the gym if you have a busy schedule in life.

The big plus with biking is that instead of spending time sitting on a bus or train, you could bike to work and use the same time exercising.

Conclusion

Hybrid bikes are the most comfortable bikes for leisure rides as well as commuting. As you can see from all of the above that biking is far more beneficial than being inside a gym every day.

The obvious exception is for those who are following a bodybuilding program and working to develop muscle mass. In this case, biking cannot give you the same results.

Customized bikes were very popular in the 1970s, but this trend is now coming back. The need to personalize the bike to look just the way that you want it to look, to meet your personal preferences or to be a means of self-expression is just too juicy to resist. Thanks to technology, bike customization of today is deeper, faster and more appealing as compared to the decades past. However, are there any particular benefits of customizing your bike? Apparently, there are as you will see below:

  1. Give Your Bike A Unique Visual Appearance

With modern technology and design, you can customize bike to have the most unique and appealing look for miles around. Considering that you are planning to use the bike almost every day, you want it to look as appealing as possible. Because a regular bike comes in a small selection of color and little to no appeal, a cycling enthusiast wants to feel happy everyday that he/she looks at the bike. Besides, racing alone will not enable you to stand out, but racing on a flashy looking bike will make you stand out. For any cycling enthusiast, the bike is an extension of their personality, so you want it to look as awesome as possible.

  1. You Can Add The Missing Features Or The Features That You Want

Every time a new bike comes into the market, it comes with new features that the older versions do not have. Thus, if you have a bike that is a few years old, you may want to bring it up to speed by adding extra features. Customization is a perfect option as it would save you the money that you would have used to buy a new bike yet at the same time allow you to get the features that you want. Male and female have different tastes when it comes to bike design. So, customizing allows you to ensure you have a perfect men’s bike or women’s bike.

  1. Add Value To Your Bike

Just like a car, a customized bike appreciates a lot in value. This means that if you were to sell it in future, it would fetch you a good price than if you were to sell an ordinary bike. Another way in which customizing your bike saves you money is that when a new edition comes out, you can add new features onto your bike rather than buying a new one. This is definitely cheaper than going for a new bike.

  1. To Suit Your Riding Style

Different bike enthusiasts ride differently. Some people ride slowly, some ride fast. To some people, riding their bike is therapeutic. And yet some people even love to take their hands off the handlebars to adjust their helmet, for fun and so on. Unless your bike is customized to suit your riding style, it will be hard to do some of these things safely.

  1. Enhance The Handling And The Performance Of Your Bike

When your bike has been customized with features that improve its performance, you will have a lot of confidence that when you brake, it will stop, when you pedal it will go and that you can take corners at speed without flipping over.