How to Buy a Bike

How to Buy a Bike

Buying a bike can be a fun and rewarding experience.  It can also be a bit intimidating because you may not know enough about the products you're looking at, and feel overwhelmed by all of the choices.  Once you know the basics, you'll have enough knowledge and ammunition to zero-in on exactly what's best for you.

Hybrid Bikes

Anyone who hasn't ridden in a while (years), and begins looking for a new bike, is going to automatically run to the nearest shop and get a hybrid.  Why, because they look more comfortable than a road bike.  You can sit up straight and hold your arms out in front of you.  A road bike looks too difficult to use because you're all hunched over and "racing".

After they buy their hybrid they'll find out that it's great for riding around town; traveling bike paths; going to the store; and any number of other short distance rides.  Once they become a stronger rider, their 10 mile ride will turn into 15 mile trips.  And a month later they'll be riding 20 miles because of the challenge.  It's at this point they begin to realize that everyone on a road bike is passing them by.  Why?  Because road bikes are faster, lighter, and have a better riding position.

Now that same person goes on a 30 mile ride and finds out how hard it is to pedal their bike this distance.  Their wrists are sore, their posterior and other body parts hurt, and they don't know why.  The answer is - it's because they're riding a hybrid bike.  These are great for short rides, but not a good choice for long ones.

After a few months of riding that "perfect" hybrid bike, they're back at the shop looking at road bikes.

So before you go out and get a hybrid, be absolutely sure you don't plan on riding long distances.  Although you can certainly do long rides on hybrids, they're not as comfortable or efficient as a road bike.

Choosing a hybrid bike is pretty simple.  You'll want lots of gears (triple chainring), perhaps some shock absorption, an aluminum frame, and not spend a lot of money.  You can go into any bike shop, close your eyes and point.  Right in front of you will be a hybrid that meets these qualifications.  It's simply a matter of how much you want to spend.  More expensive bikes have better shifters, better braking and lighter frames.  Take some for a test ride and choose your winner.

Road Bikes

Choosing a road bike is a much more complicated process, because you'll have a lot of important decisions to make, that greatly effect price and performance.  You simply can't afford to make a mistake.

Although price may be a big factor in your choice, it's best to go look (browse) at bikes in every price range so that you fully understand the differences.  Don't worry about what you're going to spend later.  Use this as a learning experience.  Why not test drive the Corvette?  That way you can compare the ride to another sports car costing half the price.

Go ride a $5,000 bike and then try one that's $2,500 and another that's $1,000.  If you can't tell the difference between them, than there's no reason you would ever want the more expensive bike.  But, if the more expensive bike shifts better, handles better or simply "feels" better, you may be able to find a cheaper bike with some of these same characteristics for a lot less.  Get the idea?

After your test rides you should be able to gauge what expensive feels like, vs. inexpensive.  Now you've got to get to work and begin narrowing down your decision.

Frame type - Metal or carbon? 

This decision will impact your final price more than any other. 

Metal frame bikes (aluminum) are substantially less expensive because the materials don't cost much and the frames are mass-produced on machines.  Aluminum frames tend to vibrate more on the road and they'll send the bumps up through your body, when compared to carbon.  Some manufacturers are better than others at reducing this vibration with aluminum.  So if you definitely want an aluminum frame (costs less), than try a few different brands to see which one has the most supple ride.

Carbon frames are hand made and take several days to build.  The builder starts out with flat sheets of carbon and wraps it around forms in the shape of bike tubes.  Next they're glued, sealed, baked and assembled.  It's a very expensive and time consuming process.  If you've ever ridden on a carbon frame bike, you'll probably never go back to metal.  Carbon feels more supple and absorbs the road.  Just be prepared to pay a premium for carbon.

Many manufacturers combine both aluminum and carbon components on the same bike.  The frame may be aluminum, however the front fork (the two long pieces connecting the handlebar to the front wheel) will be made of carbon.  This will greatly reduce vibration, because the carbon fork will help to absorb bumps, before they reach your handlebar.

You should also be aware that metal frames are made with other materials.  For example steel and titanium.  Steel bikes have been around forever (well it seems that way).  Most mass manufacturers have gotten away from steel road bikes and now use aluminum because of its light weight.  However, there are now specialty bike builders that still use steel on hand-made bikes.  You won't see these in your local bike shop, only through custom builders or boutique brands.

Titanium is a frame material found on a limited number of road bikes.  Its primary advantage is durability.  A titanium (Ti) bike will flex and bend without cracking, moreso than an aluminum or steel frame.  So Ti frames would be best suited for rugged use, which is why you'll find Ti most often on mountain bikes.  They take lots of pounding.

The mechanical components of a bike - gears, shifters, brakes, etc, - are called a groupset.  Some cyclists like to call it a "grouppo".  It just sounds better.

There are three major companies that manufacture groupsets - Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo (often referred to as "Campy").  Shimano is the dominant company that you'll see on most bikes at every price level. SRAM is used on mid-range to high-end road bikes, and Campy is usually only seen at shops that specialize in competitive cyclists.

All three have have strong points and weaknesses, and it's really a matter of personal preference.  Ask three cyclists which is better and you'll get three different answers.

Each of these brands has various levels of groupsets that are targeted to different buyers.  There's high-end, light weight products for racers; upper-end products for non-racers that still want the same performance level; mid-range products for the best price to performance ratio; and lower-end products for less expensive bikes.

For example, Shimano has three primary groupsets for road bikes.  Dura-Ace which is most expensive (racing level), Ultegra is one level down (recreational high-end) and the 105 which is the best price to performance product in their line.  Shimano has other groupsets below the 105 for entry-level road bikes.

You may see bikes that mix and match components from one group to another.  There could be 105 brakes, with Ultegra cassette and a Dura-Ace crank.  This is done because bike manufacturers need to sell bikes at certain price points, such as $1,500.  If they were to use all Ultegra components on the bike, they couldn't sell the bike at this price. 

So you've got to be very careful in looking at groupsets.  They may say it's an Ultegra bike, but only a few of the components are from the Ultegra line.  Most of them are from the less expensive 105 group.  Is this bad?  Not necessarily.  If you can get a carbon frame bike at a price point that works for you, it's not going to matter which model cassette is on the rear wheel. It only matters that the bike works for you.

Chainring

You need to decide whether to get a Double, Compact Double or Triple chainring.  Someone purchasing thier first road bike will usually get a triple.  These are best for "emerging" cyclists who are new to road riding and need extra gearing to get up steep hills.  Compact double chainrings are the most popular choice for experienced riders. A compact double gives you a large gear for the highway and smaller gears for climbing hills (just not as small as a triple).  Double chainrings are for accomplished cyclists that don't need smaller gears at all.

No matter how much you discuss chainrings in the shop, it's all meaningless.  The only way to know which of these three choices to make, is to test ride all of them on terrain similar to what you normally ride.  Don't buy a double or compact double unless you've tried them first, to see if you're a strong enough rider.  Otherwise, get the triple to start out with.

Knowledgeable cyclists can go on and on about how important wheels are to the performance of a bike.  Manufacturers will match the appropriate wheel with the bike during assembly.  A $1,000 bike will have heavier wheels than a $5,000 bike.  It's not something that you should be terribly concerned with on a new bike.  You can always upgrade wheels if you become a competitive rider.

Pedals

Go ahead and spend $1,000 or more on a bike and it won't come with pedals. What?  Anyone who rides a high-end road bike uses clipless pedals and each rider has their own favorite brand.  You need to buy pedals and shoes for your new expensive road bike. Let the shop help you decide what's best for you.

Saddle

For some reason, the first thing that every owner of a new road bike will do, is change the saddle.  If it doesn't feel comfortable in the store, have them change it out to another model.  Most any bike shop will do this.

Fit

Where you buy your bike is just as important as what you buy.  You've got to consider all of the decisions listed above, plus you need to choose a frame size that fits your body.  This is something that the bike shop will do.  Once you make that decision, you're going to have to live with it for thousands of miles.  A frame that doesn't fit will be uncomfortable and can cause pain.  A good bike shop will measure you to determine the correct frame size.  They'll set up a bike on a trainer and fine-tune things such as seat height and handlebar angle. 

Shops in our Area

We're fortunate to have several excellent bike shops in the DC area, and you'll be able to find all of the top brand names not far from your home.  Go into these shops and talk to them.  Take a look around to see if it's organized and well run.  Get a feel for what brands they carry and how much inventory they stock. Then go to another shop and do the same thing.  This will help you gauge which shops to consider and which ones to avoid.  Also, speak with the service manager to see what the wait time is for repairs.  If it's two weeks, than you may not want to buy your bike there.  Who wants to leave their bike in the shop for two weeks, just so they can change a brake cable?

New Bike for the Century Ride

If you're considering a new bike for the Century ride, than use this information to guide you.  We recommend a road bike over a hybrid.  Choose a frame and groupset that fits within your price range, which results in the best performance.  And above all, be sure to go to a bike shop that listens to you and helps you select that perfect bike for the Century.