One of the most important components on your mountain bike is your tires. They grip the ground and provide the traction you need on different surfaces. Most mountain bike riders look for light weight, strength and traction in a tire and many advanced riders even have multiple sets of tires for different riding conditions.

So what tire is right for your mountain bike and riding style? With so many different manufactures and models to choose from which one is right for you? These are not easy questions to answer so hopefully we can provide some insight to get you moving in the right direction. Mountain bike parts are not cheap and you want to make the right decision.

Tire Construction:

Consider a Kevlar bead or folding tire - A Kevlar tire weighs an estimated 60-80 grams less then a conventional none folding tire. It does not sound like much of a weight savings but multiple that number by two and then consider the rotating weight. For an extra couple of dollar, in my opinion, it is worth spending the extra money.

Terrain and Tread patterns:

Determine where you are going to ride and how you are going to use the bike. As an example will you be riding on the local trails that are hard packed dirt or on slick rock?

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For hard packed terrain consider a narrower and smooth tire. As an example a tire that is 1.8 to 2.0 wide.

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For hard packed terrain with a good mix of rocks you might want to consider a wider and smooth tire. As an example a tire that is wider then 2.0.

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For loosely packed terrain consider a knobby tire. Choose a tire with a really aggressive pattern as this will help you gain maximum traction in the dirt. You might also want to consider tires that are designed for the front and rear of the bike.

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For muddy terrain consider a narrow tire. Narrow tires will reach the bottom of the mud and create less resistance when turning making it easier for you to move forward.

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For all terrain tires there are so many choices to consider. Many of the major tire manufacturers make very good tires that are great for all conditions.

Riders Body Size:

Consider your body size. If you are heavier you might want to consider a wider tire.

Where to buy:

You can buy your tires at a bike store, order them from an online website or from an individual sell tires posted on a mountain bike classifieds website.

The information above is a rough guide on what to consider when buying new mountain bike tires. Many bikes stores that have bikes for sale and bike parts can also give you their opinion. Talk to your friends and read online forums to see what other riders like and don’t like. The more information you have the better.

See you on the trail.

So you purchased a mountain bike and you have been riding for awhile. You are getting faster and more courageous on your mountain bike but you are getting bored riding on the same trails. You and your friends have realized that you need new trail excitement in your life.

So you have talked to your friends and people at the local bike shop for more information about trails in the area. Most of them pointed you back to the trails that you are familiar with but some have introduced you to a new trail or two.

To add to you trail information many of us in the mountain bike community suggest you try a very handy directory. This is a Google directory that lists sites which contain trail information. Once you browse the directory you will be surprised at all of the trails that riders have documented. I have found that no one site has all of the trail information so you have to browse through the directory.

The web address below will help you find the local mountain bike trails in your region. The link is a Google directory of mountain bike websites that list trail information. Most of the trails listed contain directions to the trail head so you know where you are going. So check it out it is pretty helpful.

Gerald Fusil is a man who always puts his ideas into action and others follow. The founder of the Raid Gauloises, The world’s first true expedition race is always on the lookout to expand the sport. The cost of competing in adventure racing has reached a level that few teams can now afford. Organisers and adventure racers are faced with high travel and insurance costs. One way to attract racers is to offer large sums in prize money, and top teams can make a living, but what about the average racer.

Last Year, During the annual Reunion D’Aventures race, Gerard Fusil added a bike and run discipline which required the four person team to share two mountain bikes during a couple of legs of the race. The trial was a success as teams were forced to think of tactics to complete the legs in the fastest possible way. Some teams doubled up on the downhill sections, others stayed, whilst the more successful set up a relay system with the rider going a set distance before leaving the bike at the edge of the track for their team mate, who would get on and then leapfrog them.

Gerard Fusil saw an opportunity to return once again to the basis of Expedition Adventure Racing. Providing teams the chance to explore a country, interface with the local population and race in exotic locations with out the need to transport large amounts of gear. Gerard Fusil announced his ideas at the Reunion D’Aventures prize giving and the world waited with bated breadth.

September 2005 saw Gerard Fusil Launch the Bike and Run Concept to the World with the Oman Adventure. Details were brief, two person teams to share one bike with only one person to be on the bike at one time. The race would be run in a number of stages including a night stage and teams had to be prepared to camp in the wild. Time was short so Gerard Fusil used the course notes from the 1992 Raid Gauloises for parts of the course.

Gerald Fusil made one other departure from the norm by pre-announcing the lengths of each stay and the names of the overnight camps. The race was to take place on the East Coast of Oman, however some of the place names were only known to the locals.

December 2005. A barmy evening camped by the sea saw Gerard Fusil briefing the gathered teams from France, Oman, UK, Réunion, Austria, Holland and Australia. Most teams had arrived in the morning so had little time to prepare. Support vehicles were shared by two teams, so competitors spent the night poring over maps and packing gear into the vehicles by torchlight.

The following day at dawn a convoy of vehicles transported the team to the start line in a nearby Wadi. The first day included a section of running only along goat tracks and this proved to be decisive as the Australian and one local Omani team got lost allowing a French team to build an unassailable lead.

Later in the week Gerard Fusil had mapped out the course with a 17k twisting climb from the sea to 1500 metres and also a section of canyoning with a number of swims.

Gerard Fusil had arranged camping or bivouacs in a number of scenic areas, with the stages starting in the early morning most teams would finish around mid-day or early afternoon.

The terrain in Oman is varied from lush oasis to harsh rocky hillsides and of course seas of sandiness where the teams finished the race. Gerard Fusil held the prize giving in Muscat the winners being a husband and wife team Wilsa Sport Helly Hansen from France. Second place went to the Australians and a Local Omani team came in third.

Teams came from many different backgrounds, Adventure racers, tri-athletes, marathon runners, mountain bikers; the final count saw adventure racers however leading the way.

Virtually all teams adopted the general tactic of leap frogging, however there were at least a couple of incidents when teams missed the bike, including one on the long climb for an all female team which required an extra 4k to be covered to collect the bike!

The Inaugural race proved to be a success and now Gerald Fusil has announced the second race of the series which will return to a different area of Oman at the end of November.
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