How to buy the best bike for you. This little guide is here to provide the basic help needed in buying the correct bike for you.
So, you have decided that you want a new bike. The first thing to do is to consider what type of riding you are into, and for who you are buying the bike for, regarding age, height, weight, etc.
1 What type of riding do you do.
The type of riding you dogreatly effects the type of bike you should buy. For instance, if you do alot of riding around town, without any large bumps or off roading, a rigid bike [thats one without any suspension] with a single speed front anda few gears at therear are perfectly adequate. If possible, look for bikes with a sturmey archer [epicyclic/internal] gear mech, as they aren't going to get damaged, they are going to work moreefficiently, and need less work put into them to keep them running. The same can be said for the brakes. Look for roller brakes [drum brakes] or V brakes. Drum brakes are great for urban riding as they are, like the sturmey archer gears, completely sealed and as such will not fall apart, or needany repairing. The main thing to remember here is that you just want a reliable bike that will run day in, day out without any hitches! Another thing to look out for are slick tyres, or tyres with reduced tread. these tyres are great on tarmac as they have a lower rolling resistance compared to tyres with more tread, thus the slicks will enable you to ride faster and more efficently. By far the best urban bikeI have personally seen and used is the Giant NRS 3. It isnot cheap, but will keep running forever!
Another example, taking riding to the other extreme, is freeriding or downhilling.Thisstyle of ridingputs alot of stress through a bike as large jumps and hard landings are frequent, along with having to braveall types of conditions. As such avery strong bike frame is a must, with a long travel suspension fork, and almost definately a rear suspension unit. Suspension manufacturers to look out for are Marzocchi, Manitou, Whyte, Rockshox andPace.
Rear suspension isn't essential andriding with a rigid rear end [hardtail] will enable you to learn how to manage your bike and get to know how to ride effieciently, howver the more you progress,the larger the jumps will be, as suchrear suspension will definately be needed when you progress.
Brakes on these more extreme bikesshould indefinately be disk brakes, as they will work in near on all conditions, and have a phenomenal amount of braking power.
Hydraulic disk brakes aremuch better than cable operated ones,as they haveopposing pistons which both clamp the disk brake rotor, whereas the mechanical brakes only have one piston, which bends the rotor onto the other brake pad, causing uneven diskpad and rotor wear.
Disk brakes are alot easier to damage than rim brakes, however the increased stopping power renders them imperitive to have on your bikewhen doing more extreme riding.
Brakes to look out for are made by Hayes, Hope, Avid, and Shimano. Some other companies such as Diatech and Formula also make some budget brakes of a more high quality.
When doing more aggresive riding the chain will have a tendancy to come off, unless a suitable chain device is used. Chain devices will prevent the chain from coming off and usually have a system of rollers [jockey wheels] and plates on either side of the chain wheel, to keep the chain from slipping off. Good manufacturers of these are MRP, DMR, Truvativ, and E-Thirteen.
2. Intended user
The bike bought should definately suit the rider, otherwise a less enjoyableride will be obtained, as such you wontwant to ride any longer!
For urban bikes and cross country [xc] bikes the rider should be able to sit on the seat, and just about be able to touch the ground with thier feet with thier toes. This is to get the most effiecient ride with the least wasted energy. It is also important as if a bike is too small the rider will feel squashed and be ableto move properly. Similarly if a bike is too large for the rider they will feel stretched and uncomfortable, and not be able to make nessarsery movement.
More extreme bikes wheretricks and stunts are done must be smaller, so that they dont get in the rider when they are doing the tricks etc.
Age is also afactor to be taken into considerationbecause if the rider isyoung, they will find it harder touse a heavier bike. Also younger riders should start offon a bike with only a rear brake and no gears- we dont want to be confusing the little tykes now!
.......................................A brief roundup.......................................
So things to consider:
The type of riding you are doing, remember, less bumps, less bounce, [less suspension needed], also the more aggressive the riding, the smaller the frame.
The type of person riding- younger riders need bikes they can easily pedal with, and not break [theres going to be alot of falling off...] also they shouldnt have too many controls- no gears, also just a rear brake- a single brake is all that is needed, and make sure it is a rear brake, as the kids may panic and slam on the brakes, as such if the only brake they have is a front one, they will go flying and you'll never hear the end of it!
Manufacturers to look out for.................................................................................
Complete bikes- giant, trek, kona, cannondale, DMR, merlin, to name but a few.
Brakes- Hope, Hayes, Shimano, Avid, etc.
Suspension- Marzocchi, Manitou, Rockshox, Pace, Whyte, Fox
Wheels- Mavic, DMR, Halo, Atomlab, Sun Rhino
Drivetrain- shimano and SRAM [you're unlikely to get anything other than that anyway]
Things to AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE......................................................
Frames- Apollo, Unknown frames, Older saracens, any bike which is sub-200 pounds.
Forks- RST, Shockworks, Chilliworks, SR Suntours [however some more expensive ones are ok]. If it has less than30mm travel it not really worth buying.
Brakes- mechanical disk brakes,centre pull brakes, spoon brakes.
Wheels- no name wheels.
Thats about it!
Have fun, and good luck with finding the bike for you.
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