There are lots of reasons to take up cycling. There are many that decide to ride bicycles because they are able to save a ton of money on both the price of gas and maintenance costs. Some are 'going green' and taking an active part in trying to help our environment by choosing to ride a bike over a car.
And there are other riders who love to do it because it's fun. Whatever your reason for going cycle shopping there are some definite criteria that you need to think about before you make your choice. If you really want to choose the perfect cycling bicycle, you need to think about more than just what it looks like. This article gives you some tips and pointers to help you pick the bicycle that will be perfect for you.
We’d be lying if we tried to tell you that fashion shouldn’t play into your choice. The fact is that we all have color and style preferences. These are going to come into play when you are shopping for your bicycle. Looking good will be a great benefit of getting your new bike, but don’t let fashion choices be the guiding decisions factors. Safety and comfort should be considered first. Then, when safety and comfort have been secured, choose your favorites according to their visual appearance.
For road bikes take away 9 inches from the total of your inseam. The size of the tires a road bike uses are the reason for this. City riding is done with thin tires, designed to work perfectly with the smooth concrete roads and sidewalks you find in a city. If you are looking for a mountain bike, you will want to subtract about a foot (twelve inches) from your inseam measurement. Again this is to account for the size of tires. You will find them to be much bigger and designed to handle rocky terrain. You can use mountain bikes for city cycling, but the opposite is not true and they are nowhere near as good on city streets as road bikes.
Never leave out the safety gear, either. Bicycle helmets have come a long way since they were first introduced. Not only do they look a lot better than they used to, they More Bonuses are also built better to provide greater protection. You should never even think about riding the bike without first putting on your helmet. You'd be surprised at how many lives have been saved from that one simple thing.
You might also consider investing in elbow, knee, wrist and ankle guards—especially if you are going to be going “off road†on your bicycle. Pants clips are another great investment, especially if you are using your bike as your sole means of transportation. Pants clips are designed to hold your pants in place so they don't get caught up in the chain or the gears of the bike. There are many different factors to take into account when finding the right bicycle. Will this be an activity that you enjoy daily, or will you only be taking your bicycle out on special occasions? Which height of bike is the most comfortable fit for you? Do you prefer your feet to rest flat on the ground or do you like to have some room between them and the ground when you are sitting on the bicycle’s seat? You will want to answer all of these important questions, as you make your bicycle selection.