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Ten tips: Buy a bicycle that's right for you

By LAURA T. COFFEY
Published April 16, 2006

Have you strolled through a bike shop lately? Confusing, isn't it? It's easy to feel overwhelmed, but these tips can help you choose the best bicycle - or bicycles - for yourself and your family.

1. KNOW YOUR INTENTIONS. Do you plan to use your bike to commute to work, take a leisurely ride through a park with your kids or seek out serious off-road trails featuring rocks and stumps? Your answers to questions like these will determine whether you should buy a road bike, a mountain bike, a hybrid or a comfort bike.

2. GET HELP FROM A BIKE SHOP. You stand to receive higher-caliber assistance from the staff at a bike shop than at a department or discount store - plus the bikes will be of a higher quality and not limited to the one-size-fits-all variety. You may pay a little bit more, but this is one area in life where you truly get what you pay for.

3. GO FOR A TEST DRIVE. Bike shops typically let you take several bikes in your price range on road tests, and the shop's staff can make sure a bike fits you properly. As you try different models, ask yourself: Is the seat too hard? Are the handlebars at a comfortable reach and height? Does the shifting feel natural?

4. KNOW WHEN TO BE A PENNY-PINCHER. If you have a child who tends to be really rough on bikes, then it might make sense to opt for a cheaper, mass-market model made by Huffy, Schwinn, Mongoose or Roadmaster and sold at discount stores. Such bikes will be heavier and harder to maneuver, though.

5. WHEN BUYING FOR A CHILD, SIZE MATTERS. Resist the urge to buy a bike your child will "grow into." A bike that's too large can be unwieldy and difficult to control - and that can affect your kid's confidence about what could be a fun pastime and a lifelong form of exercise.

6. CONSIDER YOUR BIKE'S COMPONENTS. A bike shop can help you customize components such as handlebars, handlebar stems, seat posts, saddles and pedals so they fit you well.

7. FACTOR IN YOUR LIKELY IMPROVEMENT. Even as an adult, you can "outgrow" certain bikes as your skill level improves. To avoid this, start out with a model that has a high-end frame with less expensive components. You can eventually replace those components with higher-end features as you get stronger on the bike.

8. ACCESSORIZE WISELY. Must-have gear includes: a helmet; a frame-mounted tire pump; a tube repair kit; tire levers; a pressure gauge; a saddle pack (for your repair kit, keys and wallet); a water bottle; and gloves with a leather or synthetic leather grip and a backing that wicks moisture away.

9. INVEST IN CYCLING SHORTS. Their padding and chafe-free seams make a world of difference comfort-wise. If you don't feel comfortable wearing the kinds of shorts Lance Armstrong wears, you can buy a pair that looks like surfer shorts but has the tight cycling shorts hidden underneath.

10. DO THE RIGHT THING. Once you settle on a bike and buy one, return it to the shop and have it adjusted after about a month's worth of riding, and have it professionally tuned up once a year. Throughout the year, make a point of keeping the chain and gears clean.

Sources: REI (www.rei.com cq; Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org cq)

[Last modified April 14, 2006, 21:59:01]