Finding the Right Bike

After 55 years of selling bicycles at B&K Bicycle, our staff is more impressed than ever by the proliferation of styles and quality that has evolved in the specialty bicycle market. If your considering buying a new bicycle, it is critical to find the right bike for the way you ride. The following bicycle styles have expanded their choices: comfort, hybrid, moutain bike with slicks, hardtail mountain bike, dual-suspension mountain bike, comfort road bicycle, performance road, and race road.

For some riders it is all about rinding on the plushest seat and be as upright as possible. For this type of rider many of the bicycle companies have further refined what is called the comfort bicycle in the industry. The comfort bike typically has a shock under a very wide seat to alleviate saddle soreness- more cush for the tush. The handlebars can now be adjusted just about any angle to get the right horizontal position. Comfort bicycles have wide tires that are smooth in the middle and often have some tread on the sides that give more traction when the going gets a little rougher.

For the rider who wants to go fast, but not be in the racing position, a new type of racing hybrid has evolved. The handlebars on this type of bike are similar to the straight bars on a performance mountain bicycle, so the body is in a more performance position but not as bent over as on a race road bicycle. Some of the racing hybrids are using the same lightweight frame material and wheels found on higher end road bicycles. So if you like to go fast but not bent over, the racing hybrid might be the right bicycle style for you.

Road riders who enjoy the aero-dynamic advantage of being bent over on a skinnier wheel and faster bicycle than a racing-hybrid now have more choices within the comfort-road, performance-road, and race road categories. Comfort-road bicycles are designed with a gentler geometry for the longer distance rides are now using higher quality steel and carbon tubes that offer the comfort road rider a more compliant ride over the long-haul. The latest and greatest performance road and race road bikes are sleeker, faster, and lighter than ever before. When you put the pedal to the metal, these bikes accelerate because of their nimble and responsive frames. These bicycles typically use the most rigid frames that won't flex during sprints and steep climbs. The lightest of these frames weigh in starting at around two pounds.

For years the favorite mountain bike style was the hardtail mountain bicycle. Four or five years ago, bicycle manufacturers started to challenge the hard-tail design with different variations of the dual-suspension mountain bicycle. The rear shock on a dualie offered a plush ride unlike any hardtail without the shock. The main problem, however, was the "power sucking rear suspension bob." The challenge was to design a bicycle that would give you the cush when you needed it but would not bob away your energy. In other words make the rear suspension action totally independent of the riders pedaling action as well as the rider's weight. Some of the best dual suspension bicycles now have rear shocks that eliminate most of the suspension bob and will compress primarily when the rider hits a bump. The rider's weight and pedaling efforts can now be mostly independent of the rear suspension-a revolution in dual-suspension.

For the kids all sorts of new dirt bicycles as well as trick bikes are making the scene. The manufacturers are beefing up the cranks, wheels and frames to handle the abuse that these younger riders induce when going through their initiation to dirt racing as well as trick riding.

For the beginning two wheeler, we now have bikes that have cutaway frames for boys and girls. This relatively new frame design allows more stand over clearance. A child can then get on a bigger bike earlier and if he or she falls foward because there is no straight bar to land on, a child is less likely to get hurt.

For the 8 or 9 year old, the intermediate mountain bike is getting a whole lot lighter with the same lightweight aluminum frames appearing on the child's bike as the introductory good quality adult bicycles. Again, new cutaway designs in the frame are allowing the young cyclist to ride these bicycles sooner, without the threat of landing on the straight top tube.

Whether you your bias is pure comfort, or pure performance or in between, the proliferation of bicycle styles allow you more choices in getting the right bicycle style to suit your needs. A professional bicycle store that is well supplied can help you find the right bicycle at the right price as well as equip you with the most important accessories to meet all your cycling needs.


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