Bicycling

Bicycling can be a fun and rewarding activity or hobby. It can also be expensive, with various pieces of gear and apparel required or recommended. This article will focus on the single most expensive, and most important, piece of equipment you will need for a positive experience bicycling, a good bicycle.

Buying a good bicycle is not just a question of spending money. Good does not have to equate with expensive. In many cases, good equates with wise, as in making wise choices. There are several choices you will have to make in order to get a bicycle that is well suited to your body, the way you ride, and your personal goals. And that really is the definition of a good bicycle.

First and foremost, you will need to decide where and how you will be riding. This will help you determine what type of bicycle you need. Bicycles are made to suit the terrain they are intended to be ridden on. Everything from the width and pressure of the tires to the geometry of the frame to your body’s riding position is determined by the type of bike you purchase.

Bikes come in three main types. Mountain bikes are intended for off-road riding on sometimes rough and terrain. They are built rugged to withstand a certain amount of abuse. They have you riding very upright. And they absorb shock. The negatives are that mountain bikes, with their wide knobby tires, create a lot of friction and drag. This makes them murder to ride on regular smooth pavement

Road bikes are just the opposite. They are built to be light and fast. Their thin, high pressure tires glide over the pavement without sinking in and creating extra friction. They put your body into a bent-over riding posture for maximum wind resistance and peddling efficiency. They are built for speed and distance, but absolutely not for rough terrain or off-roading.

The third major type of bicycle is the hybrid, which as you might guess, is a mixture of the other two types. Hybrids are made with a wide range of features and frame geometries. Some are more like mountain bikes and some are more like road bikes. However, as a general rule, most hybrids are able to make the transition from road to off-road with varrying degrees of ease.

So if you will be riding on the road, your choice would be a road bike or a hybrid that is more like a road bike than a mountain bike. If you will be doing off-road riding, then you are looking for a mountain bike or a hybrid that is built more like a mountain bike. If you are unsure or plan to do both, you might want to check out a true hybrid that can do either.

The next decision is pedals. For purposes of this explanation, they come in three main types as well. There is the old-fashioned pedal that you simply push against with your feet. These are called platform pedals. There are pedals with toe clips and/or straps. Then there are “clipless” pedals that require special shoes.

Since platform pedals don’t give the rider any ability to pull up on the pedal during the pedal stroke, they are much less efficient than the other two types of pedals, which is why those other types were developed.
Both clip pedals and clipless pedals provide a means of attaching the rider’s foot to the pedal, thus allowing the rider to exert pressure throughout the pedal stroke, pushing on the downstroke and pulling on the upstroke. Toe clips come up from the pedal and over the rider’s toe. Straps go around the rider’s foot. Clipless pedals use a cleat on the bottom of special shoes to lock into the pedal.

Making a decision as to which type is right for you may mean a trip to your local bike shop to try them out for comfort. Safety is your biggest concern here. You want to pick the ones that allow you to feel comfortable with your ability to disengage your foot quickly and easily.
Lastly, if the bike you are interested in has pedals you don’t like, ask the dealer about exchanging them for the ones you want.

There are, of course, other feature considerations like the type and brand of brakes, the number and configuration of gear ratios that you can ride, type and location of shifters, etc. But the two most important choices you have are covered here; and to a certain extent, will help to dictate the other choices.

You should also keep in mind that, while quality compoenents are a factor, brand names and sponsorships play a big role in the pricing of a bicycle. You can spend thousands, but you don’t have to. There are good quality bicycles in medium price ranges that are well-suited to most riders.
Once you know what type of bike and what type of pedals, shop around.