Choosing the Right Bike for You

It can seem very hard to find a new bike when you have so many choices. Take heart! Even professional cyclists struggle when choosing their next bicycle. Because there are so many choices, it is hard to buy a new bike. You need to think about safety, comfort, what the bike will be used for, how often the bicycle will be used, where the bicycle will be used and, if we’re being honest: style. Choosing between all of the options available can be overwhelming, especially since new developments in cycling happen all the time. Here are some of the criteria you should use when you are buying your next cycling bicycle.

How your bike brakes is incredibly important. You have to think about what you are most comfortable with along the lines of stopping your bicycle. There are some bicycles that have breaks that are designed to grab onto the wheels and squeeze then in order to stop the motion, and this is great for a hobby rider. However if you use your bike regularly and on serious terrain you should go with more sturdy brakes. For such cycling you should look to disc brakes, these are located within the wheel itself and are less likely to be weakened over time or worse, fail. You shouldn't keep the bicycle seat at the lowest setting, either. You always want to bring the seat helpful resources up at least a few inches when you begin to ride, so keep this in mind when you are picking your bike. You will have a much more comfortable experience when riding if you are able to get some clearance between the crossbar of the bicycle and you. The goal here is to create a height with your seat so that when your pedal is at its lowest position your leg should be almost (but not quite) fully extended.

You also want to make sure you leave some room between you and the crossbar of your bike. When selecting a bike make sure you move the seat up slightly, to around a few inches above the height of the crossbar. Make certain you can still place both feet flatly on the ground. Each type of bike will require differing clearance amounts. As an example, with a touring bike you will only require around 1". For mountain bikes you will require somewhere around 3 inches.

You will see there are many things you should consider when you are finding the bike that's right for you. There are tons of varieties of bicycles, as well as innumerable amounts of accessories available to you, so sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. If you will not jump into things and try and educate yourself on what you need, you will be pleased with the results.

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