Many people have found reason in taking up cycling. There are those who decide to take up cycling because the price of gas is too high and the cost of maintenance on a vehicle is too high. Some decide to cycle because they want to have less of an impact on the environment when traveling.
And there are other riders who love to do it because it's fun. 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. Here are some helpful tips that you can use to help you decide which bicycle you should buy.
You need to make sure you pick a bike that is the right size. To accomplish this you need know your inseam measurement. Simply measure through your inner leg from your groin to the bottom of your foot to find out your inseam. The goal is to be able to sit on the seat of the bike and still rest your feet flat on the ground. This is for safety more than anything else, click here to read if your brakes should fail you will not be able to easily stop the bike otherwise.
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. 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 always use a mountain bike for city cycling, although this is not how they are best used.
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. The truth is that you might not need all of those different gears. Don’t spend money on something you won’t 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.
There are lots of things to think about when you are trying to find the right cycling bicycle to fit your needs. It can become a frustrating process at times to try and figure out exactly what bike you need and which accessories you should get to go with it. As long as you go about the process slowly and research a little before you go, you should have no problem finding the perfect bike.