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Buying a Bicycle: a Complete Guide

By :jun wei 0 comments
Buying a Bicycle: a Complete Guide

Do you want to buy a bicycle and start cycling more to get fit and know how to choose a bike? That's fantastic, and you made a great decision.

You are on the right page to find the solution to your problem in the article below.

Step #1: Choose The Right Type

Where do you plan to ride?

There are many different types of bikes, each good for another purpose.

When considering which type of bike to buy, you need to ask yourself some critical questions.

Each bike is different and is most suitable for a particular style of riding and a specific terrain. Using a bicycle in ways it was not intended to be used will cause a lot of stress and damage your bike and body.

Where Do You Plan To Ride?

The most important question is, do you plan to ride only on paved roads? Or do you wish to stick to off-road conditions 100% of the time? You should either look for a road bike or a mountain bike in these two cases. If you plan to do both, the best choices would be hybrid, cyclocross, or gravel bikes.

Step #2: Intended Usage

How often do you plan to ride?

Do you want to commute on Sundays, or are you planning to enter some severe competitions?

Depending on your planned usage, you need to choose the right components for your bike.

Step #3: The Right Price Expectations

Should I pay $$$ or $$$$?

Do you want to commute on Sundays, or are you planning to enter some severe competitions?

Depending on your intended usage, you need to choose the right components for your bicycle. Cheap parts will leave you with high maintenance costs, and in the long run, you will not be saving money.

Differences Between Men's and Women's Bikes

The differences between men's and women's bikes are not significant. Sometimes, these are the same bikes with different stems and saddles, and frames have different geometry and design.

Usually, men's bikes can be perfect for women and vice versa. Women often have a shorter torso than men, so their effective top tube length should be smaller; if a woman buys a men's bike, they should consider using a shorter stem. So, if you have an opportunity to buy a women-specific bike, you should do it.

Step #5: Choose The Right Size

There are plenty of different bike sizes available. How can I choose the right one?

Picking the right size is relatively easy. That's good to hear because choosing the right size is one of the most important steps when buying the perfect bike for yourself. Even if you choose the right type of bike and spend a lot of money, if the size does not fit you well, you will not be able to use it to its full potential.

You need to consider three main things To choose the right bike size:

  • Height
  • Inseam length
  • Ape Index

As you can see, bike wheels come in different sizes, confusing the unknowledgeable. However, most of the time, the choice will be already made for you by the manufacturers.

Where To Buy A Bike?

After knowing what you need to be looking for, the question is where to buy it?

Below, you can see some retailers that we recommend as reliable choices.

  • Amazon
  • JensonUSA
  • Backcountry
  • Competitive Cyclist

There's more choice than ever when buying a bike, whether browsing your local bike shop or shopping online.

As a result, choosing the best bike for your needs can be a minefield – but fear not, because SISIGAD is here to help.

Let us guide you through buying the perfect bike, from finding the suitable machine for your goals, setting a budget and choosing a shop, selecting components, getting the right size, and taking a test ride.

You can follow the ultimate guide to buying a bike in eight steps:

  • Set your goals
  • Set your budget
  • Choose a shop
  • Choose your gears
  • Choose your brakes
  • Get the right size
  • Do you need suspension?
  • Take a test ride
  1. Set your goals

Where to start? Well, we would recommend deciding on your goals for the bike first. If you can describe what you want to do with your new bike, you'll start to narrow down your options immediately.

Are you commuting?

What's the best bike for commuting? Many bike commuters prefer the more upright position provided by a flat handlebar on a hybrid bike that combines speed, comfort, and versatility and is likely to be faster than a hybrid.

Is Road Riding Your Thing?

If your goals are a bit sportier or you're expecting to ride further but still on the tarmac, you should certainly be looking at drop-bar bikes.

They are found in race-oriented designs with a more aerodynamic riding position or endurance-type bikes, where the position is a bit more upright.

Taking To The Trails?

A mountain bike is away if you want to head out onto the trails. Perhaps you're already into outdoor sports and want to get deeper into the countryside, or you fancy zooming around your local trail center or bike park.

Either way, you need an upright position for control, fat tires with lots of grips, an extensive range of gears, and powerful brakes.

They have drop bars but chunky gravel bike tires with plenty of grips, so you can tackle two paths.

What About An Electric Bike?

Do you want a little help getting up the hills? Take a look at an electric bike HovAlpha 26" Step-Thru Fat Ebike. The latest battery and motor design advances mean electric bikes offer a genuine advantage, especially when tackling hills and zipping away from the lights.

Do You Need Urban Practicality?

A folding bike may be perfect for you if you plan 'mixed-mode' trips, such as a commute involving a train ride.

While folders are usually a bit slower and heavier than regular bikes, nothing beats their ease of parking or convenience. Electric folding bikes are also available at the luxury end of the market.

Set Your Budget

Once you have decided what type of bike you need, find out how much you have to spend?

Non-motorized bikes typically cost from around £200 upwards. You can get bikes that cost less, but they're almost always poor quality.

You'll start to see bikes with a relatively lightweight, well-thought-out frame and branded components at this price point. Most importantly, it should be durable.

However, if your budget can stretch and you plan on using your bike regularly, we'd recommend spending around £1,000. Here, the best road bikes under $1,700 and the best mountain bikes under $1,800 start to sport quality components with a frame-worthy of upgrading as your riding progresses.

Choose Your Gears

Let's take a closer look at some of the specific details you need to consider when buying a bike.

Most modern bikes have lots of gears. Systems with 20, 22, 27, and even 30 gears aren't unusual.

The idea here is to provide you with a wide range of gears to ride comfortably up or down anything, so it's not the number of gears that matters but whether the range fits the terrain you'll be riding in.

The gears are part of the groupset – a collection of components comprising gear shifters, derailleurs, crankset, bottom bracket, chain, and brakes.

Most bikes should be specced with a group set that matches its intended use. Still, there can be significant variability from one bike to the next, so make sure your potential purchase has appropriate gearing for your planned riding.

Choose Your Brakes

Many new bikes now come with disc brakes, replacing the older-style rim brakes.

Disc brakes give you more consistent stopping, particularly wet, and better control over how hard you brake. They're a bit heavier than rim brakes, though.

More expensive bikes will have hydraulic disc brakes, whereas mechanical disc brakes are more usual on cheaper bikes and offer improved modulation and are a worthwhile upgrade if you've got the cash.

Get The Right Size

One of the many reasons to buy a bike from a specialist shop is that they'll make sure you get a frame that's the right size.

Bike size is quoted in centimeters, inches, or T-shirt style. Getting the size right is essential for both comfort and safety. All bike brands will usually have a size chart on their websites that gives the accurate measurements of each bike size.

The Suspension Question

Mountain bikes intended for actual off-road use have shock-absorbing suspension systems.

Bikes with suspension just upfront, in the fork, are known as hardtail mountain bikes, while bikes with front and rear suspension systems are referred to as full-suspension bikes.

Different mountain bikes have different amounts of suspension travel, so how much suspension do you need on your mountain bike?

It depends on where you are planning to ride your bike.

Take A Test Ride

When it comes to testing your potential purchase out, even a ride around the block or car park can help you get a feel for the fit and handling of your possible new bike.

Taking a bike for a 'proper' ride, be it on your local roads or trails, is a sure-fire way to determine whether it's your next true love.

If you still have any questions, you can ask in the comment section.

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