The 5 Factors of Road Bike Buying

Biking

So you want to know how to buy a road bike. For some people, it may be as easy as going to the store, pointing at one, and going home. If you’re like me, it takes a lot of researching, thinking, and decision making.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind when looking to buy the perfect road bike.

Buying a Road Bike

Function

What do you want to do with your bike? Do you want to commute to work, ride a century, compete in triathlons, or hit the dirt trails?

There are 4 main categories of bikes:

Hybrid– a “comfort” bike; a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. Good for casual riding, commuting, and riding on mixed surfaces.

Mountain– a heavier, sturdier bike made for dirt trails and rougher riding; tend to have a good shock-absorbing system.

Road– a lighter bike made for riding on the road. Not as comfortable as a hybrid, but tends to be faster. Road bikes traditionally have handlebars that curve under instead of straight across.

Tri– similar to a road bike, but geared specifically for triathlons. Tend to be light, aerodynamic, and have handle bars made for you to ride in an aero position {hunkered down on your forearms}.

The following is geared towards buying a road bike, but much of it can be used for picking out any type of bike.

Fit

Finding a bike that fits you is probably the most important step. Riding a poorly fit bike can lead to injury and less efficient riding, not to mention it’s uncomfortable.

The first step is to choose the right size frame. Many bike brands come with numbered measurements {usually cm}, like 50, 52, or 54. Other brands come as S, M, L, etc. A bike shop should be able to help you figure out what size frame you need.

Some bikes will just feel more comfortable than others. Choose what feels best, not necessarily what’s the most popular or sells the best.

The second step comes after you’ve bought your bike- have your bike professionally fitted. Many shops will offer road bike fitting services- ask if it’s included with the purchase of your bike. Even the tiniest adjustment can make a big difference in your ride and comfort, including seat height and position, arm position, handlebar height, cleat placement, etc.

Frame

Now’s when you really have to start thinking. What kind of frame do you want? Aluminum, steel, carbon fiber?

Aluminum and carbon fiber tend to be the two most popular options. Some bikes have a combination of both, where most of the frame is aluminum, but certain parts like seat posts or forks are made of carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber tends to be lighter and stronger, but it’s also more expensive.

The two factors to consider when picking a frame include: function and cost.

Function: Is it important to you to have a really light bike? Are you planning on keeping this bike for a long time, or will you want to upgrade in the future?

Cost: Carbon fiber frames are more expensive. Comparing your budget to frame options can make the decision easier.

Many people say you should “buy the frame”. That means buy the best frame for your budget- you can {almost} always upgrade your components later. If you plan to buy a new bike to upgrade in the future, this may not be as important to you.

Components

{I’m out of “F” words.}

The components are the parts that make the bike work. They include derailleurs, cranks, brakes, etc. There are several different companies that manufacture components, regardless of what brand of bike you buy. {Ex. Shimano, SRAM, etc.} Most companies have a line of several different qualities of components.

Talk to someone at the bike shop about what level components might be good for you. If you’re just starting out, low level components might be perfect. If you’re already a serious rider, you’ll probably want something of a higher caliber. If you fall somewhere in between, then pick something in between!

As the components go up in quality, the price of the bike goes up.

Many components can later be switched out and upgraded, but make sure to factor in cost when considering that option.

Budget

Bikes aren’t cheap. Decide how much you want to spend before walking in to a bike shop. If you have a strict budget, it’s better to let them know before they have you test riding a bike you’ll fall in love with but can’t afford. You may have to adjust your budget a little bit, but it’s good to have a starting point.

Also decide if you can afford the type of bike you want now, or if it’d be a better idea to wait and save more money before making your purchase.

Don’t forget to factor in accessories: pedals, helmet, shoes, water bottle cages, bike computers, gloves, sunglasses, bags, lights, bike shorts, etc. It all adds up!

If you’ve bought a road bike, what advice do you have to add?

In other news: the winner of the ZICO Coconut Water giveaway is…..

Brandi!!! Email your address so you can get your case of coconut water! Smile

Fear on Wheels

Biking

You probably don’t pay that close attention, but for some crazy reason you do, you might be wondering why I posted about the fabulous bike I got after 2 years of wishing and dreaming.

Well, let me tell you.

I became absolutely paralyzed by fear.

Fear that this bike was too good for me.

Fear I didn’t deserve this bike.

Fear that I would break it. Wreck it. Destroy it.

Fear I wouldn’t like it.

Fear I wouldn’t want to ride it.

Irrational? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. Going to keep me from riding? No. I mean, eventually.

After years of researching, saving, and waiting for the day I could finally own a road bike, it finally happened.

And then I absolutely panicked. Never once did I think about what it would be like to actual RIDE that bike. That I knew NOTHING about bikes. Not about REAL bikes- bikes I could break and destroy, not hybrid bikes that fell apart every time I blinked but didn’t care about.

Not once did I think about where I would ride. Who I would ride with. How I would ever learn to ride on the road. The time it would take to ride.

What finally convinced me to go with this bike was that the bike guy said I would be significantly more comfortable on this bike when I was riding longer than 25 miles. Did I ever think about how far 25 miles is? No. Not until I took my bike out for the first time and rode 4 miles. FOUR.

25 miles on a bike is like 2 hours. Maybe more if you’re slow like me. How many days a week do I really have time to ride a bike for TWO hours?? Or more?

That four mile ride was all I needed to panic. Absolute, outright panic. The gears overwhelm me. I can barely remember what’s up and what’s down. I’ve been terrified of cross-chaining ever since I learned what it was. How do I avoid it? Doesn’t that mean you miss out on like half the gears? And how do I know I’m about to do it without staring down at the spinning gears between my legs? I certainly can’t do that on the road.

{I mean, seriously, if I Google “chain falling off bike”, a picture of my bike comes up.}

And oh the road. I thought we had enough trails to ride on so that I could avoid the road altogether. But running trails and biking trails are totally different. You cover mileage a lot faster on the bike- which means you run out of trail a lot faster. And parts of the trail turn to gravel and rough patches; wooden bridge slats; tree-root infested dirt segments. Road bikes are supposed to be on pavement. Will 10 yards of rickety bridge pop my tires?

How will I ever learn to ride well enough, or fast enough, to keep up with the “real” cyclists? The ones who meet at the crack of dawn Saturday mornings, on the way home from work on Wednesdays, or Sunday afternoon before meeting for coffee. The ones who could teach me how to ride on the road. The ones that consider 17-19mph slow. The ones who consider a 3 hour ride to a different state a “casual” ride.

How do I know if that clicking in the bottom two gears is normal, or if something’s about to break? What about the constant clatter of what must be the bearings in the back wheel? You can’t read these worries away {my usual coping mechanism}.

Insane. Irrational. I know. {Even more ridiculous considering I’ve ridden more than four miles. Including the 12 miles I rode on this very same model bike a few weeks ago.} I feel ridiculous even just typing this. But it’s real. I promise. After my first ride I called the bike store and asked them to take it back. Ok, I begged. Begged them to let me bring it back and get a bike with streamers and training wheels. One I couldn’t possibly break. One that I could leave out of my sight for .2 seconds and not freak out. There might have been tears involved. Ok there were definitely tears involved. Lots of tears. {The answer was no, in case you were wondering.}

So there’s really only one thing to do. Get over it.

So I’m getting over it. I’m working on it. I’ve promised myself I’m not going to break it by looking at it. If I break the chain, I can get a new one. I can ride the 4 mile trail 80 times in a row until I want to venture on to the road, or get fast enough to keep up with the big boys. And, well, the liking it part? Let’s just hope as the panic dissipates, that part comes back.