Many differing options are available to you as you look to purchase a bicycle. Take heart! Even professional cyclists struggle when choosing their next bicycle. Because there are so many choices, it is hard to buy a new bike. Planning ahead for things like bike use, safety and comfort, as well as where it will be ridden, and what it looks like, will help you make a better decision. All the existing options make it hard to make a choice; this choice is made more difficult by all the emerging technologies. Take the easy road, and use the tests we suggest to choose your new ride.
One thing you can consider when choosing a bike is whether or not your feet can rest flat on the floor while you are sitting so you can stop yourself. Some experts, however, say that this is not a good idea. These experts say in order to have the best cycling experience you can, you should allow for a few inches between the ground and your feet. When buying a new bike, you will see the seat is placed extremely low to the crossbar, so when you sit on the bike with your feet on the ground and are able to bend your knees, you should pick a different bike. Your knees will cause interference as you are pedaling, because they will come up higher than they should, which is a result of your knees being bent when you are at rest with your feet down.
If you intend to get a road bike then take 9" away from your total inseam. The size of the tires a road bike uses look here are the reason for this. Road bikes are meant for city cycling—the tires are thinner and work best on concrete paving. For a mountain bike take away 12 inches from your inseam. This is because the tires of a mountain bike are different than those on a road bike. Mountain bike tires are thicker than road bike tires, designed for 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.
If the bike you are buying is for your child, then you are going to have to think of something completely different than outlined here. You will want to choose a bicycle that is sturdy with wide tires and easy to use brakes (most children’s brakes operate by moving the pedals backwards). You will definitely have to consider how the bike looks when shopping for a child and you will want to find a well priced bike because children grow so fast.
As you can see, there are several things you should keep in mind when you decide on a bicycle that's right for you. It can become a frustrating process at times to try and figure out exactly what bike you need and which accessories you should get to go with it. As long as you go about the process slowly and research a little before you go, you should have no problem finding the perfect bike.