| When you are ready to purchase a mountain
bike, if you are like most mountain
bikers, you start reading mountain
bike reviews. You may have found,
however, that not all mountain
bike reviews are accurate – or
even honest! The fact of the matter
is that some dealers and even
manufacturers actually pay people
to write good reviews – of bikes
that the reviewer has never even
had the opportunity to ride! There
are countless sites that carry
reviews of various mountain bikes.
Some of the sites are very dependable
and others simply cannot be counted
on. It’s hard for the average
mountain biker to know who to
believe – beginner bikers who
have yet to make their first mountain
bike purchase don’t stand a chance!
If you are looking for reviews,
stick to the sites and publications
that can be counted on for accurate
and valuable information. Most
print publications have accurate
reviews. When reading one of these
reviews, it is important to look
on the edges of the page for very
tiny print that says ‘advertisement.’
If you see that, you can be sure
that this is not a real review
you are reading. It is an advertisement
disguised as a review. Its purpose
is to get you to buy the bike
– not to point out both the pros
and the cons! Move on! When looking
for reviews online, stick to the
better known online magazines
such as Singletrack, GearHead,
Mountain Bike Review, and Mountain
Bike. These are the online magazines
that will give you the most accurate
information in terms of reviews.
You will also find the latest
mountain biking news, as well
as quite a bit of information
on races and trails. These four
websites are vitally important
to serious bikers. Of course the
best reviews are the ones that
you get from other bikers, in
person. When you see a mountain
biker on the trail riding a bike
that you are interested in, take
the time to talk to them. Tell
them that you are planning to
purchase that particular bike,
and ask them what they like about
it, and what they don’t like.
Find groups of mountain bikers
in the parks, and try to talk
to them when they are taking a
break. This way, you won’t be
interfering with their ride, and
you can get several different
‘in person’ reviews. Ask as many
questions as you possibly can
– but try not to keep irritate
them by keeping them from enjoying
their ride. After speaking with
them – or before – sit back and
watch them ride. You aren’t watching
their technique – although that
may be interesting – what you
want to watch for is how well
the bike handles. Seeing the bike
in action is the second best review
that you can possibly have – the
first best review you can get
is your very own review! As your
interest in a particular bike
grows, you will want to try one
out for yourself. You can test
ride bikes that are for sale in
bike shops, but you can’t really
put them through the motions well
enough in a ‘test ride’ situation
to learn what you need to know.
Your best option is to test ride
a friend’s bike. Take it out for
a day, and see what it can do
in relation to what you can do
with it. Give it a great workout,
and by the end of the day, you
will know enough about the bike
to write your very own review.
Do your part in the mountain biking
community by contributing your
own reviews to the websites that
allow consumers to submit mountain
bike reviews. Be clear in your
writing, and honest in your opinions.
Make sure that you have your facts
straight, and be sure that you
distinguish between opinion and
fact! You will be doing many other
mountain bikers a huge favor by
submitting your honest – and accurate
– mountain bike review! Mt-bikes.com
provides you with information
on giant mountain bikes, trek
mountain bikes, mountain bike
reviews, mountain bike holidays
and specialized mountain bikes.
http://www.mt-bikes.com |
