Choosing the right bike may appear as simple as waiting for Black Friday and ordering a bike online at a discounted price. Nothing could be further from the truth. Choosing the right bike for you requires more dedication and knowledge as you will see here.
Do your research – learn about bikes
There are many types of bikes. You can only know them by learning about them. There are city bikes which are made for people who ride from home to work and vice versa. These are bikes with standard features since they are just expected to cruise.
Mountain bikes are built with rugged features to support any extreme riding adventure that you might want to embark on.
Beach cruisers are made with broad tires and rims to move easily on the beach. Hybrid bikes are a mix of mountain and city bikes. These are just a few types of bikes; there are more.
Know what you will use the bike for
As you have seen in the preceding section, there is a bike for just about any use. A road bike is made for long distance riding on fairly flat terrain.
A mountain bike is made for an outdoor enthusiast who is not afraid to go off the beaten path, and the city bike is made for just that – city riding.
A hybrid bike is a good option for people who ride a lot in the city but at the same time, they do love to tread the unbeaten trails.
Make an approximation of the time that you are going to be on the bicycle so that you can choose one with the right saddle. More padding is better, especially for long riding and for big people. On the other hand, if cycling on a beach is your goal, you can choose one of the best beach cruisers.
Choosing your right size
Size is everything in a bicycle. Today, some bicycles come with adjustable seats and handlebars, to allow you to find a perfect size on your bicycle.
When you buy a regular bike online, you will want to look at the sizing chart first. Check the bike’s weight rating as well. Always buy a bike that has been rated for weights and size bigger than yours.
Every bike that you buy online has a certain age group that it is recommended for. If you are an overweight male or female, look for a bike that is rated for overweight people, and probably one with a steel frame, good coaster brakes and variable speed/gears.
Choose the right frame
If you are looking for a road bike that you can ride for hundreds of miles on your road trip, you want it to be as light as possible. Thankfully, the market has anything you need, with some of the lightweight bikes coming in aluminum frames.
If that is not light enough for you, you can buy a bike made with a carbon fiber frame. These will be more expensive than the heavier steel frame bikes, but they compensate for that with the little weight.
Comfort
No matter how expensive or affordable a bike is, if you do not feel comfortable on it, the whole meaning for buying the bike is lost. Hybrid bikes have more padding on the saddle.
Mountain bikes have good suspension for absorbing the shock when you are going over rocks, ruts and boughs. This protects your wrists.
Road cruising bikes have handlebars that you can hold in different positions and they have mountings for cargo carriers. Most importantly, to ensure your comfort, you need a bike that is made for the purpose that you intend to use it for. No matter what your own requirements are, you can always have those features in your custom bike. It’s up to you what features you like on your bike.