There's no shortage of reasons why people are taking up cycling. Some decide they want to cycle more now because the price of gas has risen so high, and because it costs so much to keep a car maintained. Some are 'going green' and taking an active part in trying to help our environment by choosing to ride a bike over a car.
And others still are riding simply because they love to ride. If you fall into these categories or are in one of your own and you are shopping for a new bike, take the time to read up on some of the things you should know before buying. You will be surprised at how much more there is to a bicycle than just the looks. Outlined hereafter are some pointers you can take into consideration when going out to buy your bike.
You must make sure you get a bike that is the appropriate size for you. The measurement of your inseam is needed for this. Your inseam is the amount of inches from the bottom of your foot, up the inside of your leg to your groin. Ideally you should be able to place both feet on the ground while on your bike. This is for saftey reasons and will allow you to stop the bike if go to this website your brakes fail, avoiding any injury.
For road bikes take away 9 inches from the total of your inseam. 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. Again this is to account for the type of tires you will be using. Mountain bike tires are thicker than road bike tires, designed for rocky terrain. You can of course use a mountain bike for road cycling but this isn't supposed to be their primary use.
How many gears do you need? 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. A bike isn’t better just because it has more gears than another. You may never have cause to use all the gears. It’s a waste of money to pay for all those unused gears. If your bike is going to be the main means of travel for you, you absolutely must get the number of gears you need for the situations in which you’ll ride.
When purchasing a bicycle, you have tons to consider. You have innumerable decisions to make as you choose how safe a bike to buy, as well as one that is pleasing to the eye. It’s perfectly normal for you to feel a little overwhelmed and perhaps a little perplexed when starting out. Do your research and then you’ll feel better prepared to choose your new bike.
Before heading out to the store, learn a little bit about the available choices. It will pay off in the end.