Buying a bicycle this season? If you’re riding for health, or buying a bike so you can get in on some environmentally friendly commuting, it’s important to research. From cruisers to mountain bikes to BMXs to portable folding bikes to trikes to penny farthings (although possibly not penny farthings anymore), there are a variety of different bicycles. With spring here and summer on the horizon, bicycling is surely on your mind. If you’re a first time buyer, or haven’t ridden since childhood – there’s no need to fret. Bicycling is one of the healthiest and most enjoyable leisure activities, and can be done practically anywhere!
When you’re thinking of what kind of bike you want to buy, keep in mind what your bicycle’s primary use will be. Commuting, leisure, racing, trail-riding?
Mountain Bikes
Thanks largely to the Xtreme sports phenomenon in the 1990s, the variety of mountain bikes available greatly increased, as athletes and weekend warriors pushed the bicycle into new and never before experienced environments, like trial-riding, somewhat related to its motorized cousin (Time Trial motorcycling). It’s one of the most popular uses of a mountain bike, but there are other variations on the mountain bike now available.
If you’re looking to tackle both the city and on off-road, you’ll want a cross-country bike, with dual suspension; but if cruising is more your speed, try a comfort mountain bike. Other options are available, depending on your preference – urban trial riding and downhill mountain bikes, primarily. Entry prices are slightly higher than other types of bikes, given that these bikes are made to take more abuse and deal with more types of terrain.
Racing & Road Bikes
If you’re jumping into this category right away, and this is your first bicycle since childhood, it helps to be either athletic or ambitious. Because you’re dealing with highly driven people, you’ll find the frames are lighter, the wheels skinner, and the whole bicycle itself to be perfectly calibrated to speed. The narrow base of the wheels means that these are more prone to slide on wet surfaces. If you’re larger, it might not be a sensible or comfortable ride.
Folding Bikes
Folding bikes offer a distinct advantage to the cubicle-dwelling commuter – folded, they’re quite portable, and can be stowed away below the desk for the work day until the commute home.
The Unicycle
Let us not discuss the unicycle.
Bike Size
When selecting a bike, you should pay careful attention to where your feet touch the ground when you sit on the seat. If your leg doesn’t touch the ground, the bicycle’s frame is too large. If your leg sits exactly flat or you have to bend your knees, the seat is too low or the frame is too small, and you’ll create unnecessary wear and tear on your joints and muscles – riding will become a chore. (Note that this is not always the case with BMX bicycles, or other specialty bicycles that have smaller frames.)
Accessories, Other Considerations
If you buy a bike, it’s necessary, and in many places the law to ride with a helmet. Ensure that your helmet fits snuggly and securely over your skull, but is large enough to completely cover any parts of your head that might be likely to make contact with the ground in a fall.
When buying a lock, do your research and you can buy a lock for a fraction of the price of the high-end lock that does the same job and provides the same peace of mind.
Note that you can get more value out of a five hundred dollar bike with two hundred and fifty dollars worth of accessories than a seven hundred and fifty dollar bike with no accessories.
Find out whether the bike you’re buying has a warranty, or if the shop offers service after purchase. You might have to bring the bike in for a tune-up every now and then, and if its included in the price, it’ll make you more likely to take advantage of it. If you’re buying a used bike, look on a listings website or ask some of your friends if there’s a bicycle co-op around, or a reliable shop, where you can get a tune-up if necessary. Bicycles aren’t complicated, and you might even find that you have a for bicycle mechanics!
Now the next thing left to do is learn how to ride!
