Buying Your Bicycle
There is no greater joy than road cycling. With the wind in your hair and the whir of wheels beneath you, you are free on the open road to explore what you like. In order to get started in road cycling you need to firstly get your hands on a good road bike. Choosing a road bike can be a difficult task for a first timer, but with a little bit of effort and research you can come up with a good deal. Make sure you get a frame that is the right size for you. Getting a professional at a bike shop to measure you is a really good idea.
All bicycle stores and shops carry parts and accessories for your bike – be it a performance bike, trek bike, or just for riding around the neighborhood with the kids.
Most bicycle shops also carry a large selection in many price ranges. Everyone is catered for in a good bicycle store; from the top-end road cycling enthusiasts – right down to kids with their first bikes. There are several types of bikes to from which to choose. One is the mountain or all-terrain bike. These bikes are designed for casual cycling and have the wider or ‘fat’ tires. You can ride these bikes on hard, dirt-packed roads or off-road. Other types of bikes are racers and touring bikes, which have narrower or ’skinny’ tires. Touring bikes are fitted out for long distance touring. Hybrid bikes are a cross between a road bike and mountain bike. They have upright handlebars and a tire somewhere between wide and narrow. Most bikes sold today for adults are multi-speed bikes with up to 24-speeds.
Picking the right Accessories
Bicycles have many accessories. The most important accessory you need to buy is a bike helmet. Bike helmets are compulsory for all cyclists. Wearing a helmet reduces the chance of serious head injury in an accident.
Another accessory you might want to consider purchasing is a pair of padded cycling shorts. These shorts come in many different styles and have extra padding in the seat to make riding more comfortable. Cycling gloves are a good investment for long rides.
A seat bag is handy for storing items such as a tire repair kit and extra tube. A pump attached to the frame, for pumping up your tires is also a good idea, or you might consider a water bottle that attaches to the bike frame.