5 Buying Tips for Buying a Bike

5 Tips for Buying a Bike – The Perfect Bicycle

Buying a bike might sound easy, but there can be more to it than you might first imagine.

Bicycle riding is a great way to spend time with the family and to get exercise. Why doesn’t everyone ride a bicycle nowadays? For one, they are intimidated when it comes time to buy a bicycle. Here are five helpful tips for choosing the perfect bike for you.

Once you learn how to choose a bike, buying subsequent bikes is a piece of cake. You cant just see a bike that is shiny and new and say that it is for you. Most important of all is the fact that the shiny bike will stay in the garage until it tarnishes if you don’t like how it handles.

1. Where will you be riding your bike? This question gets the ball rolling. There are bike shops, fitness stores and department stores carrying bikes but just a few main types of bikes: mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, cruising bikes and road bikes. How often you will ride and the route that you choose determines the best type of bicycle for you. Know what you are going to do.

2. How tall are you? This factor is important because a short person doesn’t want to have a bike that will cause them to hit the crossbar every time they try to stop the bike. Ouch! A bike that is the wrong size for you can mean cramped legs and sore knees or stretched muscles. For the answer to this question, you’ll actually have to sit on a bike or at least stand next to one. If you are a woman and short, then you might want to consider a bike made specifically for women.  Even if you are taller, the geometry of a woman’s frame is different from bikes made for men.

3. Ride a bike. Don’t let the first bike you ride be the one you purchase from the store. Ask a friend for their bike to test drive in advance. Be sure you test ride any bike you buy.  Buy from a bike store where they will allow you to take the bike for a short ride.  The bigger box stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target or Walmart, are not going to let you test ride your bike. Nor will they have staff that are qualified to help you get the right bike for YOU, your needs and riding style.

4. Buy the best bike you can the first time. In a recession especially, people have the tendency to stay on the cheap side. Listen there are some things that don’t pair well with cheap. A bike and a car fall into that category. You will be riding this bike alone or with a carrier for your child. You want to know that you can depend on your bike to keep you safe while you ride.

You don’t have to spend $3000 but get the features you need for the best price. You can also look at used bikes on eBay or Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. But it can be harder to find the right bike in the right size.  We have sold several bikes and be sure if you are buying a used bike that you ask for good measurements so that you can figure out if it is a good fit ahead of time.  Especially, if you are having the bike shipped directly to you.

5. Visit a bike shop for advice. When you want to know something you go to the experts. Those who sell bikes for a living know about bikes. Go here first to get sized for a bike, learn the type of bike you need and find out all the nuances of bike riding. You might decide not to buy a bike from a specialty shop because of the price but you will now be armed with the knowledge to choose a bike from another store without being taken for a ride. A good bike shop is going to be friendly, welcoming and want to have your business.  They shouldn’t have to be pushy.

There is more to bike riding than just riding. That’s the easy part. Choose your bike wisely to get the best for your money.