It can seem very hard to find a new bike when you have so many choices. Choosing their next bicycle is difficult, even for professional riders. The truth is that there are a lot of things to think about when buying a bicycle. 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. Keeping on top of all the new ideas coming out with bicycling, as well as choosing between the old options, makes choosing a bike hard. Take the easy road, and use the tests we suggest to choose your new ride.
It goes without saying that choosing the correctly sized bike is of utmost importance. To accomplish this you need know your inseam measurement. Simply measure the distance from your groin to the bottom of your foot, down the inside of your leg. You should be able to sit on your bike while keeping both feet flat on the ground. This is for safety more than anything else, if your brakes should fail you will not be able to easily stop the bike otherwise. Believe it or not, your bicycle seat should not sit at its lowest setting, resting against the crossbar. Always consider that you are going to have to raise the seat up off the crossbar when you are shopping for your bike. When you bring the seat up a few inches, you are going to have more room between the crossbar and you, and this will make for a much more comfortable ride. The check my reference 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.
Don’t forget to buy your safety gear. There have been many advancements on bicycle helmets since they first were introduced. Now they offer better protection while being a little bit more stylish. You should never, ever ride your bicycle unless you are wearing your helmet. Sometimes that fraction of padding really can save your life!
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. Another piece of safety equipment that you should think about getting are pants clips, especially if you are going to be using your bike as a primary mode of transportation. These are clips that keep your pants legs up and out of the way of your gears and chain.
Your main priority is the physical fit of your bike. This is the most important thing to consider when looking into using a bike to get around. Safety is important when on a bike but do not overlook comfort, otherwise those long rides will soon grow tiresome.