Many differing options are available to you as you look to purchase a bicycle. Take heart! Even professional cyclists struggle when choosing their next bicycle. The truth is that there are a lot of things to think about when buying a bicycle. Evaluate the safety, comfort, and use of the future bike. You also need to see how the bike looks, and how frequently you’ll ride and the location of those rides. Trying to keep yourself informed of all the new choices, as well those just about to be released, can make it really hard to finally choose the bike for you. Take the easy road, and use the tests we suggest to choose your new ride.
The first thing you need to do is try the bicycle on for size, meaning sit on it and make sure that your feet are still flat on the floor so you will be able to stop yourself. There are experts who state that this isn't a good way to choose a bike, however. They state the best way to choose a bike is to leave a few inches between your feet and the ground so you can have a more comfortable ride. If your feet are sitting flat on the ground while your butt is on the seat, this usually means that the seat is too close to the crossbar and will need to be adjusted for comfort. If this is happening, when you start to pedal the bike then your knees are going to come up too high.
For a road bike you should take away 9" from the inseam measurement you took earlier. This is to account for the size of tires you will use on a road bike. City riding is done with thin tires, designed to work perfectly with the smooth concrete roads and sidewalks you find in a city. You will want to subtract 12" for a mountain bike. The tires on a mountain bike are not the same as a road bike. Mountain bike tires will be thick and designed for mountainous terrain. You go right here can of course use a mountain bike for road cycling but this isn't supposed to be their primary use.
Ask yourself the number of gears necessary for your bike. If you are going to be travelling in relatively flat places, you will not need as many gears as you would need in rockier terrain or a terrain with lots of hills. Many beginning cyclists think that the more gears a bicycle has, the better it is. In actuality, you may never use all the gears. Save your money for a different feature you’ll really use. Find out where you’ll ride your bike, especially if this is your main vehicle, and make sure you have enough gears to handle the areas through which you will travel.
The options and technologies available for biking are overwhelming as you search for a new bicycle. From fashion to safety, you have a multitude of choices to make. Feeling a little defeated at the outset of choosing your new bike is normal. You can rest assured that by doing minimal research into your options, you’ll make the perfect decision for you.
Do this research before you go shopping. You’ll reap the benefits.