In the last couple of decades a major shift has been happening in transportation. More and more people are leaving the car behind in favor of the bicycle, in the west the car reigned supreme but we are now seeing a growth in popularity of the bike. It could be down to efforts to remain green, perhaps people want to save money on high gas prices, or maybe many people just want to get in shape! Either way you will now find the roads filled with more cyclists than ever before. Have you been thinking about getting a bicycle? If you have then there are several things you should look at when you do.
We’d be misleading you if we didn’t admit that fashion does impact your decision. Favorite colors and styles show in our choices. These preferences must be listened to when getting your next bike. Using style and fashion preferences as your main criteria is silly, unless you are only getting a bike to look good. Safety and comfort should be considered first. But once you have found the safest and most comfortable bicycles, there is no reason you shouldn’t narrow down your choice further by how the bike appeals to you visually.
For road bikes take away 9 inches from the total of your inseam. This is down to the tires a road bike equips. These tires will be thinner and designed for efficiency on concrete roads or pavements. With a mountain bike you will need to take away around one foot from the inseam. The tires on a mountain bike are not the same as a road bike. Mountain bike tires will go be thick and designed for mountainous terrain. It is possible to use mountain bikes for city cycling although this is not what they are best suited for.
How many gears will you use on a regular basis? Make your choice by knowing that if you ride in mountainous areas you’ll need more gears than when riding in a flat area. Just because a bike has more gears doesn't make it better. You may never have cause to use all the gears. It’s a waste of money to pay for all those unused gears. 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.
So many options are available to you as you shop for a new bike. Your choices range from safety issues to those of fashion. It’s perfectly normal for you to feel a little overwhelmed and perhaps a little perplexed when starting out. A little time spent looking into the choices will allow you to relax and buy the best bike for you.
Do this research before you go shopping. The peace it will offer during shopping makes it very worthwhile.