Bicycle Buying Resources
Bicycle Buying Resources
When purchasing a new bike or beginning the sport of cycling you should ask yourself a few questions.
· Who are you planning to ride with and what type of bike do they ride?
· When, where and how far to you want to ride?
· What’s your budget like?
· Do you like cutting edge or tried and true equipment?
·Have you ever felt uncomfortable on a bike and what was it?
Answering the above questions and learning about different bicycle types will make your experience more enjoyable. Afterall, there is a right and a wrong bike for everyone. Let Revolution Cyclery help you find the right one.
Bicycle Styles and Descriptions
Road bikes have drop handlebars and multiple gears, although there are single and fixed gear varieties. Road bikes also use narrow, high-pressure tires to decrease rolling resistance, and tend to be somewhat lighter than other types of bicycle. The term road bicycle also can describe any type of bike used primarily on paved roads in contrast to bikes primarily intended for off-road use, such as mountain bikes.
Cyclocross Bikes are specifically designed for the rigors of a cyclo-cross race. Cyclo-cross bicycles roughly resemble the racing bicycles used in road racing. The major differences between the two are the frame geometry, and the wider clearances that cyclo-cross bikes have for their larger tires and mud and other debris that they accumulate.
Mountain bikes were created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines, on dirt trails, logging roads, and other unpaved environments — activities usually called mountain biking. These bicycles need to be able to withstand the stresses of off-road use with obstacles such as logs and rocks. Most mountain bikes use wheels with rims which are 559 mm in ISO sizing, colloquially referred to as “26-inch”, although the term is inaccurate as it covers too many rim and tire sizes to be meaningful. Wheels used on mountain bikes usually use wide, knobby tires for good traction on uneven terrain and shock absorption. In the current century front wheel suspension has become the norm and full front and rear suspension has become increasingly common. Some mountain bikes are also fitted with bar ends on the handlebars to give extra leverage for hill-climbing.
Since the development of the sport in the 1970s many new subtypes of mountain biking have developed, such as cross-country (XC) biking, all-day endurance biking, Freeride-biking, downhill mountain biking, and a variety of track and slalom competitions. Each of these place different demands on the bike requiring different designs for optimal performance. MTB development has included an increase in gearing, up to 30 speeds, to facilitate both climbing and rapid descents. Other developments include disc instead of cantilever or V-brakes.
Hybrids are designed for general-purpose utility and commuting on a wide variety of surfaces, including paved and unpaved roads, paths and trails. It combines features from the road bike and the mountain bike, and includes variants such as the City bike, Cross bike and Commuter.
In general, hybrids use the mountain bike’s triple crank, its handlebars, giving a more upright posture than road bicycles, and its brakes such as linear pull or disc. From the road bicycle they often take the 700C (larger) wheel diameter for higher speeds, but use a wider rim and tire for increased strength.
Comfort bikes are built for.. comfort. Soft cushioned seat, wide handlebars, easy gearing and an upright riding position combined create this fun to ride bike.
Cruisers (sometimes called beach cruisers) combine balloon-tires, upright seating posture, single-speed mechanicals, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling. The bikes, noted for their durability and heavy weight, were the most popular bicycle in the United States from the early 1930s through the 1950s— and enjoyed renewed popularity since the late 1990s.
