Bicycling 101:
Selecting a New Bicycle
By Liz Sands, TCBC Ride Leader
Will a new bike make you faster? Maybe…but there are also other good
reasons to upgrade, including getting a better-fitting bike, one with
a frame material that will give you a more comfortable ride, one with
better components that are more durable and reliable, or just plain
good old fashioned bike lust.
How much should you spend? Only you can decide how much you’re able
to afford, but one guideline that makes sense to me is spending about
the number of miles that you ride in a year. So, if you ride 2,500 miles
a year, it wouldn’t be too extravagant to spend $2,500 on a new bike.
Once you decide on a general price range, select two or three good
local bike shops and see what they have available in that price. Just
as important, see if the staff is knowledgeable about bike fit (see
last month’s Bicycling 101) and ask around about the shop’s service.
Not only do you want to find a great bike, but also a place where you
can bring it in for service or adjustments and be happy with the results.
If you want to get good help in selecting a bike, it’s best to avoid
visiting when bike shops are busiest (like on a Saturday afternoon).
If your schedule allows it, try to visit during downtime, like a weekday
afternoon.
Test ride several different bikes to get a feel for what the ride feels
like on different frame materials, how the geometry of different bikes
affect their handling, and to find which bike fits you best. Try to
find a route near the bike shop that includes a hill so you can compare
how the different bikes feel when climbing. Be aware that if you are
making a significant change (like going from a hybrid bike to a traditional
road bike), probably all of the bikes are going to feel weird or “twitchy”
compared to what you’re used to. Because of that, it’s especially important
that your test rides be long enough to decide which bike you like best.
When comparing different bikes, you don’t have to be a “gear nerd”
but it does help to know the relative quality of the different lines
of components. For Shimano, going from least expensive/lowest quality
to most expensive/highest quality the product lines are: Sora, Tiagra,
105, Ultegra, and Dura-Ace. For Campagnolo, in the same order: Mirage,
Veloce, Centaur, Chorus, and Record. See the April issue of BICYCLING
magazine for a detailed comparison of the different ‘gruppos’.
Have fun shopping, and enjoy the ‘oohs and aahs’ when you show up at
a TCBC ride with your new toy.
Copyright © 2004 Liz Sands. All rights reserved.
