inquiry 4

What type of biking is the best for physical and social health?

Introduction

This inquiry will talk about three different types of biking; mountain biking, road biking and BMX racing. I will go on to talk about the social reasons people ride and race, and why people want to become professional riders. The physical health benefits of biking will also be considered.

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking developed in the 1978 in Marin County, California. Today it is the most popular type of biking as it is the most accessible and fun - and more tracks are being developed across the world as we speak! Mountain bikes have suspension to enable the rider to ride steeper and more technical trails; with features such as drops, off camber tracks, slippery roots, jumps and sharp corners. Mountain bike’s have a wide variety of gears, so that you can adjust them to suit the terrain, such as high gears for going fast along flat sections, and low gears to make climbing hills easier. Adult mountain bikes used to have 26” wheels, but over the past decade changes in technology mean most MTBs have 27.5” or 29” wheels - this means the bike can roll further - bigger wheels have more momentum, and though they can make cornering harder, technology changes in geometry offset this.

There are several different styles of mountain biking, with specific bike styles to suit. These include; cross country - which is the least technical but long distances - you have to have a lot of endurance to do well in races. Downhill - which is the hardest because it is so gnarly (steep and technical). Finally, enduro MTB - which is my favorite. Enduro typically has 4-6 stages, and the rider is only timed on the descents, meaning you can cruise up the hills with your mates with ease.

Road Biking

Road biking has been around since the 19th century and could be considered the original form of cycling. Any bike can be ridden on the road, but specific road bikes are built to be light and aerodynamic for speed. They do not have suspension (not needed for the terrain, and would add extra unnecessary weight), they also have very skinny tyres because they have less surface area to the ground so you can go faster. Road biking gets you fit quickly, because you ride at a fast speed for long distances - meaning you are on the bike for quite a while - this can also be a risk, because of all the drivers on the road, many who dislike “roadies” or do not look out for them. Road bikes are available in 26”, 27.5” and 29” wheel sizes . Because the bikes are quite simple (rather than technical), they don’t cost too much to maintain.

BMX Racing

BMX racing started in the 1960s in California, it is done on a specially designed and built track. This is usually 350-400m long, up to eight riders start at the top of a ramp, balancing on a start gate, which drops to signal the start of the race. The track is made up of a series of rollers, jumps and corners/berms, and the race finishes when you cross the finish line, making a race around 45-60 seconds long.

BMX race bikes have 20” wheels, they are very lightweight and manouverable, having no suspension or gears. Competitive bikes are often made of carbon fibre, being much lighter than alloy. A ‘cruiser’ class of 24” wheels is also available, and because of the bigger wheels these bikes are a bit more stable, often the ‘oldies’ ride them.

BMX racing looks dangerous because of the speed and jumps, and proximity to other riders on the track. But riders actually feel quite safe as you wear body protection and a full face helmet.

Due to the fact that you have quite a lot of waiting time between races/gates, riders have lots of time to talk with each other and become friends. As you only race on a BMX race track, riders often travel out of town for race meets, this means you can carpool, and get to hang out with other BMX people for the day.

Why do people want to be professional riders

If you like to ride/race new places, pushing your limits, meeting other people, and promoting your sport, then professional riding might be for you. Pro riders train and race as their job; they will have sponsors, and if they are good, will win races for prize money. To be the best, pro riders need to train the best, this means being the fittest, the strongest, having the best technical skills, and mental skills to keep going when it is hard. Pushing your limits when training and racing is important so you get better and better, or if you are behind someone then you are going to push yourself so that you pass them.

Pro prize money is quite significant. A top downhill rider earns $1 million dollars a year and he gets to do what he loves and that is to ride. And the top 10 in the world earn about $300,000 per year including prize money and that is depending on the sponsors and how well known they are. And if you will the world cup you get about $6,700,00 dollars but you have to be darn good to get that.

How does riding a bike benefit you physically

Riding a bike makes your core abdominal muscles a lot stronger because you have to use them so much for balance and stability when you are riding. It makes your reaction time a lot quicker, because you are going so fast you need to think quite fast so that you don’t crash. Biking can also increase your brain power; exercise increases the number and health of brain cells and memory is improved by repetitive activities. Biking helps to get rid of illnesses because it makes your immune cells more active so they do their work better. Riding will make you live longer because you are working out, making you fitter and stronger. Biking is also a good way to save the planet due to the fact that your body is the motor, making it super eco friendly.

Conclusion

In conclusion i think that all types of biking are good at doing different things so i think that BMX it the most socal because you are talking to everyone after you gates and races then you go riding with them if you become friends and you can push your each other. Then road biking is great for getting your fitness up because you have to do so much riding because you ride for such long distances and you go quite fast and you still get some good prizes for winning big events and you do a little bit of socializing but not that much. Last but not least you have mountain biking which is the best if you want the big bucks and it is the most common because it is so esey but it can also be very hard so mountain biking is the best for financial gain.

Bibliography

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/routes-and-rides/10-reasons-you-should-try-a-mountain-bike-race/

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/fitness-and-training/30-great-benefits-of-cycling/

https://inquiry.tbc.school.nz/home

https://classroom.google.com/u/0/c/NTA1MzQ2NjYzODda

https://www.history.com/news/pedal-your-way-through-the-bicycles-bumpy-history

https://www.ibike.org/library/history-timeline.htm

https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1817?amount=125

https://www.cyclinguk.org/statistics