The preferred mode of transport has taken an unlikely turn in recent years. While the majority of people in the western world seemed most interested in travelling via automobile, in the last couple of decades many people have been choosing the bicycle as their primary mode of transportation. 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! Whatever the reason, there are more cyclists on the road than ever. Perhaps you have been giving some thought to getting a bike yourself? If you have then there are several things you should look at when you do.
You need to make sure you pick a bike that is the right size. Begin by measuring your inseam. Simply measure the distance from your groin to the bottom of your foot, down the inside of your leg. You should be able to sit on your bike while keeping both feet flat on the ground. This is for saftey reasons and will allow you to stop the bike if your brakes fail, avoiding any injury.
If you want to ride a road bike, you will need to subtract about nine inches from your inseam measurement. This is because of the size of the tires on your road bike. Road bikes are meant for city cycling—the tires are thinner and work best on concrete paving. For a mountain bike take away 12 inches from your inseam. Mountain bikes have different tires than a road bike. Mountain bike tires will be thick and designed for mountainous terrain. Mountain bikes can travel on city pavement but that is not what they are designed to do.
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. The number of gears doesn’t make one bike better than another. In actuality, you may never use all the gears. Why spend extra money paying for something that you don’t need? Of course, if your cycling bicycle is going to be your primary mode of transportation you might need to make sure you have enough gears to handle rough situations.
You should keep these things in mind when you go out and buy a bicycle, especially if you want to find the one that is right for you. It can become a bit overwhelming when going shopping for a bike and accessories because there is just helpful site so much to choose from. As long as you go prepared and know what you need and are looking for, you can shed some of that frustration and find the perfect bike.