How to Choose a Bike

Ohh Ho, That’s Great

So Finally you decided to own a bike but are confused about How to choose a bike that perfectly suits you and can fulfill your riding desires, then don’t worry you are at the right Blog as here in this article you will know each and everything you need to take care when before choosing a bike.

I have poured all my previous experience and some research data from the internet so that You can select the perfect bike for yourself.

At first, choosing a bike seems to be very hard but once you got to know your requirements then you will find that it’s very easy to choose a bike for yourself.

Here are some Checklists you must follow before choosing a bike for yourself.

Select the type of Cycle you want
Decide How much you want to spend on a Bicycle
Find Your Bike Size
Decide the Number of Gears you want in your first Bike
Select the Kind of Suspension you want
Have a Test Ride with some of your Selected Rides

So let’s start with the first step of our checklist which is picking up the cycle you want and then move on to deciding the budget for your new bicycle followed by getting the best bike size and other considerations like gears, Suspension, and then buying the best bike after taking test ride from the selected bikes.

Contents

Pick Up the type of Bike You Want

The first and foremost step in choosing a bike is deciding which type of Bike you want to purchase.

This mainly depends upon the use case of the bike like going to work, doing normal Cardio, or just exploring the city. The type of terrain you will be riding on will also be a deciding factor during choosing a bike.

Here in this brief post, I have shared details about most of the common bike types and their physical Quantities which will help you to Choose your First Bike Easily.

Mountain Bikes

These Bikes are basically designed for Off Roading and are equipped with riser or flat Hnadbars along with Little wider Tires which absorb bumps on the mountains and provide a conform riding experience even on uneven terrains.

As riser Handlebars bend more upwards and back, the riders can easily sit back on their seats with correct back posture and retain more control while riding.

Due to Flat Handlebars riders sits up Straight and thus the tension on the upper body is reduced, balancing the bicycle during the ride becomes easier.

Mountain bikes have typically smaller frames and due to this riders can easily maneuver during riding which is a very crucial part of Off Riding.

Road Bikes

With Narrow tires and drop Handlebars, road bikes are mainly designed for roads and smooth surfaces.

They are more lightweight and Aerodynamic than other bikes in the segment. Being lightweight with narrow tires they help riders to achieve speed more easily.

However Due to drop Handlebars the rider is typically in a hunched-over position which can cause bad posture and make you uncomfortable while riding.

Cyclocross Bikes

Cyclocross bikes are another type of road with wider tires which is good to achieve control over the bike and great speed while riding.

These types of bikes are more suited for racing on terrains like grass and unpaved trails. Cyclocross bikes also have drop handlebars similar to road bikes and thus some of the features are common with road bikes.

Touring Bikes

As the name suggests touring bikes are another subcategory of road bikes designed especially for travelers who want to tour around the city or some adventure places with their bikes.

They are designed in such a way that provides a lot of comfort on long rides.

Touring bikes also have drop handlebars like road bikes but their frames are designed for upright position while riding and thus riders are more comfortable riding these bikes on long routes.

Touring bikes are mounted with attachments to carry cargo racks, water bottles, and heavy loads while riding.

They are also equipped with mounting bolts for carrying Cargo racks.

Due to their durability and lower-range gears, they are more suitable for longer rides and can easily carry heavy loads so that Riders can gear up with their essentials and go for long rides.

Gravel Bikes

These types of bikes can be called a special category of road bikes with certain extra features that allow them to ride on the road and also off-road.

They have additional clearance for wide tires and disk breaks which make them popular along riders who are not bounded for a particular kind of terrain for their ride.

Hybrid bikes

Hybrid bikes; as the name suggests have the characteristics and physical features of road bikes, mountain bikes, and touring bikes designed to offer a comfortable riding experience.

Unlike mountain bikes, hybrid bikes also have straight-flat handlebars and provide an upright riding position but hybrid bikes are lighter than Mountain bikes, and being lighter riders can easily reach higher speeds without much effort.

Unlike Touring bikes, hybrid bikes also have places to mount racks and bags to carry belongings if you are planning for a longer ride.

There are many types of Hybrid bikes available in the market like Trekking bikes, cross bikes, commuter bikes, city bikes, and comfort bikes.

You can select your kind of Hybrid bike depending on your usage. However, I will Vouch for city bikes here as they are very famous among people in Metro cities and are the best-selling bikes in the previous 2-3 years.

You can also refer to my previous blog post on What are Hybrid Bikes if you want to know more about Hybrid bikes.

City Bikes

Little heavier than road bikes city bikes usually have bigger saddles and elevated handlebars which allow for an upright sitting position while riding.

City bikes are the best subset of Hybrid bikes designed for short-to-medium length rides in almost every weather condition.

City bikes are designed focusing on convenience and comfort and hence are suitable for the riders who get on the saddle just to commute around the urban areas.

Decide How Much Money you want to spend

With the above-detailed description and features of different kinds of bikes,

I am damm sure you must have selected some of the bikes in your mind but it’s very necessary to decide the budget of your bikes before choosing a bike and in fact, deciding the budget is an important step in the process of choosing a bike for yourself or for someone else.

There are various factors that decide how much you want to spend on your latest bike but the main factor is How much you are willing to spend on your bike.

Once you decide how much you can afford to spend on your bike then here are some other factors that come into the role when you choose a bike.

These include the customization of your bike like the number of attachments you are going to use, the number of racks, bottle holders, etc.

If you want to customize your bike more by adding a baby seat or basket for keeping things you have to increase a little budget as they will add up to the value of the bike.

Most of the affordable bikes are not more customizable and they are also not made to hold the weight of a lot of attachments so if you want more attachments you have to go for some expensive bikes as they perform well even with attachments.

Expensive bikes are more durable and have a longer life than their cheaper competitors and I will always suggest you to invest a little more on your bike if you are looking to commute by bike on daily basis.

A famous blog fitness.costhelper.com have divided bikes mainly into three types depending upon their price.

The Low Range Bikes ( $80- $300)
The Mid Range Bikes ( $300- $1000)
High-End bikes ( $1000+ )

The Low Range Bikes ( $80-$300)

Low-range bikes are basically beginner-friendly bikes that include a functional basic metal frame and are not more durable.

These bikes are best suited for kids or teens who are initially trying their hands on Bicycles and want to understand the concept of balancing.

The Mid Range Bikes ($300-$1000)

The midrange bikes are usually bikes made with aluminum or lighter materials and are more durable than low-range bikes.

They have good-quality saddles, wheels, Chains, and paddles. Some mid-range bikes also feature gears and speed settings.

Mid-range bikes have some attachments like a water bottle holder, basket, etc.

High-End Bikes ( $1000+ )

They are high-Quality bikes made up of the lightest metals like titanium and Carbon and this is the only factor that makes the difference in the pricing of High-end bikes.

They are very user-friendly and are good for everyday commutes and can also be used for small competitions.

If you spend a little more you can also customize the High-end bikes with your preferred frame size, color, and wheel type and put on Some great lights for a better experience.

If you are not willing to spend more but still want a great bike for yourself you can consider buying second-hand bikes.

This is the best way to save money and also buy a durable bike that might be out of your budget and again you are even helping nature by reducing waste by using second-hand bikes.

You may find a lot of local stores that sell second-hand bikes across your city but the best and easiest way to find a budget-friendly bike is to search on Facebook Marketplace. From there you will have options to select from hundreds of second-hand bikes listed in your area.

Since the bike is a little bit technical and a bit mechanical I would suggest you to buy second-hand bikes from third-party sellers as they cross-inspect the bikes and also provide some warranty even for second-hand bikes.

Find your bike size

Now your budget is decided and it’s time to know the perfect size for your bike as it’s very essential to find your correct size before choosing a bike.

I would suggest consulting a specialized professional if you are buying a bike for the first time but if you want to save some bucks and want your bike buying process to be as contactless as possible due to Covid then there are many websites to know your bike size online.

This will not only help you to know the correct bike size but also have an AI-enabled system to determine the correct posture for your body.

I have written a dedicated article on How to Find your bike size but here in this post, I would love to cover the most important sections of the topic here for you so that you can save time switching to different pages.

If You are Planning to find your bike size online then there are tons of bize size calculators available on the web that you can try to know your bike size.

Below I have sorted some of the best Bike Size Calculators which I found to be more accurate according to Reviews available on the internet and my experience.