What Sort of Bike should I Buy?
So, you've either decided to go cheap or splash out, the next question you need to ask is what do you want the bike for? You are probably aware that there are a number of different types of bikes. These different styles are designed for different things. Most cyclists end up riding Racing/Road bikes or Mountain bikes although a lot more people are now buying Hybrid bikes which are suitable for commuting and weekend riding with the family. Racing bikes are designed to be light and fast, with light-weight frames, narrow wheels, and big gears. They are designed for riding on roads at high speed. They aren't designed to withstand being beaten about by jumping off, or riding up curbs and the generally higher gearing can make it harder to ride up steep hills. Mountain bikes, on the other hand, are designed to take a beating. They have bulky frames and thick tires. They have small gears so you can pedal easily up hills. Their bulkiness and small gear makes them slower though. At one end of the cycling spectrum you h
ave super lightweight racing bikes made from exotic materials, such as carbon fiber and titanium (costing thousands of dollars). At the other end of the spectrum you have purpose built downhill racing bikes with full suspension, extremely strong frames and wheels and disc brakes (also costing thousands of dollars). Of course somewhere in the middle there are models to suit most riding styles and budgets.
So which of these types of bikes should you get? If you plan on just riding along a well-made cycle way and you want to get from A to B quickly a Racing bike might be what you are after. On the other hand, if you need to spend a lot of time riding along foot paths, and up and down curbs, or you want to take your bike off road on weekends, then perhaps you need a Mountain bike.
The situation gets complicated though. These days you can also get Hybrid bikes that are a cross between these two general types of bikes, see the picture above. They come in a range of different types. There are lighter mountain bikes with larger gears and narrower wheels which combine the robustness and comfortable 'sit up and beg' riding position of a Mountain bike with features that make them faster. At the other end of the hybrid range you have Racing bikes with a slightly heavier frame, flat handle bars and mountain bike hubs. These try to keep the light and fast characters of a Racing bike with features that make them a bit tougher.
There are also oddly designed bikes called City or Comfort bikes. These have things like folding frames or frames that allow you to easily step on and off them. There are some very innovative designs around and if you want something a bit different then it might be worth considering one of these.
Something to be cautious of is the fancy looking bikes, especially those with front and rear suspension. First of all you need to ask if you really need a bike with front and rear suspension. Next you need to realize that suspension is a complicated thing, if a bike is cheaper and looks fancy you need to get suspicious and ask why it is so cheap. Good suspension systems should provide shock absorption but should not bounce up and down when pedaling, like some of the cheaper models which resemble pogo sticks.
The best way to choose what sort of bike you want is to decide roughly what type of riding you do and then look at the web sites for the different bike manufacturers (I'll come to this later) and see what they have to offer. The companies will usually have pictures of the bikes and details about what components they have on them. Once you get an idea about the bike you want go into a bike shop and try it out.
So, you've either decided to go cheap or splash out, the next question you need to ask is what do you want the bike for? You are probably aware that there are a number of different types of bikes. These different styles are designed for different things. Most cyclists end up riding Racing/Road bikes or Mountain bikes although a lot more people are now buying Hybrid bikes which are suitable for commuting and weekend riding with the family. Racing bikes are designed to be light and fast, with light-weight frames, narrow wheels, and big gears. They are designed for riding on roads at high speed. They aren't designed to withstand being beaten about by jumping off, or riding up curbs and the generally higher gearing can make it harder to ride up steep hills. Mountain bikes, on the other hand, are designed to take a beating. They have bulky frames and thick tires. They have small gears so you can pedal easily up hills. Their bulkiness and small gear makes them slower though. At one end of the cycling spectrum you h
ave super lightweight racing bikes made from exotic materials, such as carbon fiber and titanium (costing thousands of dollars). At the other end of the spectrum you have purpose built downhill racing bikes with full suspension, extremely strong frames and wheels and disc brakes (also costing thousands of dollars). Of course somewhere in the middle there are models to suit most riding styles and budgets.
So which of these types of bikes should you get? If you plan on just riding along a well-made cycle way and you want to get from A to B quickly a Racing bike might be what you are after. On the other hand, if you need to spend a lot of time riding along foot paths, and up and down curbs, or you want to take your bike off road on weekends, then perhaps you need a Mountain bike.
The situation gets complicated though. These days you can also get Hybrid bikes that are a cross between these two general types of bikes, see the picture above. They come in a range of different types. There are lighter mountain bikes with larger gears and narrower wheels which combine the robustness and comfortable 'sit up and beg' riding position of a Mountain bike with features that make them faster. At the other end of the hybrid range you have Racing bikes with a slightly heavier frame, flat handle bars and mountain bike hubs. These try to keep the light and fast characters of a Racing bike with features that make them a bit tougher.
There are also oddly designed bikes called City or Comfort bikes. These have things like folding frames or frames that allow you to easily step on and off them. There are some very innovative designs around and if you want something a bit different then it might be worth considering one of these.
Something to be cautious of is the fancy looking bikes, especially those with front and rear suspension. First of all you need to ask if you really need a bike with front and rear suspension. Next you need to realize that suspension is a complicated thing, if a bike is cheaper and looks fancy you need to get suspicious and ask why it is so cheap. Good suspension systems should provide shock absorption but should not bounce up and down when pedaling, like some of the cheaper models which resemble pogo sticks.
The best way to choose what sort of bike you want is to decide roughly what type of riding you do and then look at the web sites for the different bike manufacturers (I'll come to this later) and see what they have to offer. The companies will usually have pictures of the bikes and details about what components they have on them. Once you get an idea about the bike you want go into a bike shop and try it out.
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