How to Choose a Perfect Road Bike

Road bikes are meant for rides on paved roads. A good road bike will make your ride smoother, and will help you go faster.

Choosing a bike can be very difficult especially if you are a novice. There are so many different models available in the market, thus you will surely be confused when you go to shop for one.

Most of the people ignore this point, and end up buying the wrong bike! There is no point in buying a very expensive bike, if your new found love for biking is evanescent. If you are sure that you are going to be a serious biker, then you should invest a significant amount on your bike.

If you feel that are you not going to bike often, then avoid the temptation of buying the most expensive bike in the shop just because it looks cool. For most of the people, appearance comes first. There is no doubt that if your bike looks good, you would enjoy biking more, but buying a gorgeous bike would be pointless if you do not intend to use it often.

Spend enough time on deciding the design and color of your bike, but do not get carried away and forget the frequency of your bike usage.

Before you go out to shop, you should finalize your budget. Remember the point mentioned above while deciding your budget. Fixing a budget is probably the best way to make choosing a bike easier. When you know your budget, you will not keep checking out models above your budget, and you will also not waste your time on the models way below your budget. Thus, fixing a budget saves a lot of time.

Generally steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon are used to make bikes. Aluminum bikes are light in weight but are too rigid. You might not experience a smooth ride on a bike made from aluminum, as it is not so good at absorbing shocks.

Steel bikes are considered better than aluminum bikes in terms of riding comfort, but they are not as light as the aluminum bikes. Titanium bikes are lightweight, and their ride is similar to a steel bike, these bikes are very expensive.

Carbon bikes have gained huge popularity in spite of being costlier than steel and aluminum bikes. Carbon bikes are lightweight and good at shock absorption, and thus they offer a very smooth ride.

When you go to shop, observe the bike that you intend to buy and pay attention to the following:

Seat to Handlebar Distance
Sit on the bike and see whether you are comfortable with the distance from the seat to the handle. This distance should be optimum to ensure a good ride. If you feel that you are not seated properly, and you have to stretch a lot to reach the handle, you should opt for a different model.

Handlebar Width
The right width is one of the factors that contribute to the comfort of a ride. There is no standard width defined. Sit on the bike and grab the handle, and see how you feel. If you do not experience any discomfort, the handle width is right.

Remember, too much width will not be good for your shoulders and back, and if your handle is too narrow, then it is not good for your chest.

Handlebar Drop
If the drop is too low, then you will have a problem riding the bike, because:

• To look ahead while biking, you will have to strain your neck a lot.
• You will have to sit at the tip of your seat while biking, this will lead to excess pressure on the perineum.

So, make sure that the drop is not very low.

If your bike has components from Shimano or Campagnolo, then you do not have to worry about the quality of the components. Apart from them, there are many other companies which provide good bike components. If you buy a cheap bike, it will have cheap components, and such a bike might start giving you problems in a few weeks. If you want your bike to last longer, make sure that it has components from a good brand.

The points mentioned before will help you choose a bike, but before you buy a bike you should test ride it. Riding a bike is the best way to understand its merits and demerits. A bike might look magnificent when it is on display, but not all good looking bikes are great for riding.

If you are happy with the test ride, go ahead and buy the bike. Once you have the right bike, I am sure that you will have a great time riding it.