Biking

Do you think getting an e-bike would make you lazy? Well you might need to reconsider that because recent studies have shown that on average people who have electric bikes get more exercise than if they’d stuck to traditional analogue bikes. But that seems counter intuitive, so why is that?  Let's find out...

We’re very excited to welcome Forbidden bikes from Canada to Outside Sports in Queenstown. Named after Vancouver Island’s Forbidden Plateau – the founder’s local riding spot - Forbidden was established in 2019 and focusses on ride quality and performance above all else - through innovative suspension, geometry, materials, and construction.

We’re proud to welcome Mondraker to the Outside Sports family.  

Mondraker was founded over 20 years ago in Spain and is dedicated to building high-performance mountain bikes with pioneering developments and advanced technologies. Similarities between the rocky riding environment in Spain and the Southern Lakes of New Zealand make Mondraker mountain bikes a great choice for Kiwi riders. 

Now let’s take a look at some of the unique technology exclusive to Mondraker bikes that makes them so special to ride. 

The plan was to ride 4 awesome West Coast trails over 4 days. We would start with 100km odd on the Wilderness Trail from Hokitika to Greymouth on the first day followed by the Paparoa Trail, the Old Ghost Road Trail and finally the Heaphy Track.

WorkRide is an amazing new scheme to get more Kiwis on bikes. Employees of organisations that join WorkRide can buy their new ride at Outside Sports at a saving of...

Pampered bikes are happy bikes. If you make it a habit to do a little home maintenance on your bike it’ll last longer, perform better, and be safer to ride....

With mountain biking the conventional wisdom is that all you need to do to get fitter is ride more. And while that’s true to a certain extent, to improve your overall riding ability and prevent injury you need to train your body in three distinct ways. Together they’ll make you a much more capable and resilient rider. 

In New Zealand bike routes and trail ratings apply to mountain bikes, rail-trail and road bikes. They are officially graded from 1 to 6 - with 6 being the most difficult and requiring the highest level of skill and fitness. Knowing the trail rating system and what each level means will help you plan your next ride with more confidence – especially if you’re new to biking on the trails around the Southern Lakes.

Your mountain bike can only perform as well as its suspension set up. When you know how your bike’s suspension adjustments work, and how to change them to suit you and the terrain, your riding will be more fun and safer too. 

This is the never-ending debate among people new to mountain bike riding – and plenty of riders who’ve been doing it for a while - ‘should my next bike a hard tail or full suspension?’ 

Ultimately the choice between a hardtail and full-suspension mountain bike is fairly simple. It depends on terrain, your body, and your budget for purchase and maintenance. 

Bike frame geometry is one of the most important parts of bike design and has a huge impact on how a bike looks, feels, handles, and performs. In this introduction...

Mountain bikes, especially dual suspension bikes, are sophisticated pieces of kit with lots of moving parts that are exposed to the mud, dust and sand. When they get dirty, they work less smoothly and get worn a lot faster because dirt deposits can be extremely abrasive.