Image via Complex Original
For people who don't know what they're doing, walking into a bike shop in 2014 can be daunting. There are so many brands, so many styles, so many different bikes made for so many different things. Even narrowing down the scope—in this case to road bikes—doesn't make things much easier. There is still seemingly so much to learn. The best thing to do is try out a lot of bikes, and find what works best.
But before that, it's good to read up and know a little before even setting foot in the door. So, to try and make things a little simpler, we broke down some basic knowledge that ought to make the whole process a little less mystifying. Here are 10 Things You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Road Bike.
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Figure out its main purpose.
A road bike can serve many purposes—recreation, commuting, racing, touring—and it's important to figure out which will take priority. There are excellent bikes that can do all of the above, and others that are better suited to specific tasks. A heavier bike with mounts for fenders and racks isn't the ideal racer, and a lightweight carbon job with super-skinny tubular tires makes for a lousy commuter. What the bike is for is as important as what the bike is.
Understand what "expensive" means.
Depending on how long it's been since you last bought a bicycle, there might be some degree of sticker shock when you start looking. Most decent road bikes are gonna start at a thousand dollars or so and go up—way up—in a hurry. Buying a $500 bike might seem like a good idea as far as an initial investment, but if you start riding regularly, you'll understand where the extra money goes. And while it's possible to upgrade a thousand dollar bike, a $500 bike is the type that gets sold on Craigslist for $250. Spend the extra money now to save some later.
Sizing is extremely important.
Even the greatest deal in the world isn't worth it if the bike doesn't fit. And raising the seat sky-high isn't the answer either. Positioning is just as important, and if your butt is a foot above your hands, riding isn't going to be very pleasant. Go to an actual bike shop, and get sized by someone who knows what they're doing. It will make the whole experience that much better.
Bikes say something.
Let's talk about cars for a second. Certain ones are more likely to draw attention than others. The same applies to bikes. And while that all-over logoed, team-painted, super-exotic carbon fiber race machine may look fast standing still, it's also going to draw the attention of would-be racers (who are going to be convinced you're fast and try to smoke you) as well as would-be thieves. Sometimes it's good to be less conspicuous.
You will upgrade things.
Don't worry so much about parts. Seats and pedals in particular are generally provided (if they're provided at all) as placeholders, as it's assumed the rider has his or her own preference. And other parts, even ones as major as the wheelset, aren't necessarily meant to be ridden forever. So don't ignore the component package completely. As the frameset is the biggest building block of your bike, make sure that's exactly right—the rest can always be changed.
Do materials matter?
Yes...and no. Carbon has become very common and relatively inexpensive in recent years, as companies like Giant, Specialized and Trek offer complete bikes from under $1,000 to more than $10,000. Aluminum is still used as well, but primarily in either low-end bikes or stiff, featherweight climbers. And steel and titanium, both of which have their faithful disciples, are both most commonly found in framesets only (as in, build your own bike). As far as a price/weight/comfort ratio, carbon fiber seems to offer the most value. And sometimes lower-cost bikes feature the same carbon framesets as their (way) higher-priced brethren.
Electronic or mechanical?
The bicycle derailleur—the part which allows a cyclist to switch gears—was developed in the late 1800s, but didn't become common racing equipment until the late '30s. Since then, advancements have come quickly, with some sort of new development coming roughly once every other year.
Current high-end systems feature 11 gears on the rear wheel and two or three up front. Shifting is either mechanical or electronic, and while electronic shifting is still mostly a high-end option, the technology is beginning to trickle down. On a first bike, however, mechanical is probably still the way to go.
Every bike is laterally stiff and vertically compliant.
Read enough bike reviews and they all start to sound the same. Because they basically are. Bikes are lauded as "laterally stiff and vertically compliant," meaning they don't twist sideways under power but offer a little up-and-down flex for comfort. The very nature of the traditional double-diamond bike frame (what most bikes have looked like for a century) assures this. And in fact, while there are any number of bike companies, there are a lot fewer who actually make their own bikes. Some prestigious models are produced by the same less-prestigious company that offers their own bikes for a lot less. So please do read, but pay attention to the right things.
You are not entering the Tour de France.
The Lance Armstrong era is over, and with it should be the idea that the ideal road bike has racing heritage. Trek sold a lot of carbon race bikes (and aluminum bikes made to look like race bikes) off Lance's seven Tour wins to people who probably would have been happier on something a little less zoomy. A more upright position may not look as cool, but it's much easier on the body over longer rides. Riding shouldn't be a chore.
It's not fast or slow, you are.
Bike companies will try and tell you that their bike will make you faster. To a degree this might be true, whether it's a case of stiffness or aerodynamics. But unless you're an experienced racer, the difference will be so negligible as to not be noticable. By all means read the ads and the reviews, but understand that being fast is in the legs, not the bike.
