Watch! Top 5 secrets for beginners to buy a road bike effectively

Posted by tan xiao yan on

As a beginner who have an obsessed feeling in cycling, people usually have the confusion that what kind of road bike should they buy can they get the best feeling with a reasonable price. That is to say, most of the cycling beginners want a cost-effective bike. However, these people have no idea how to choose their first bike as picking the right bike is not as simple as we thought. And now here I am to tell you some secrets to choosing the first bike for the beginners.cycling, posture

Budget
There is no doubt that road bikes can be expensive as their prices range from hundreds of bucks to thousands of bucks. The prices depend on the road bikes’ quality, materials, components, sizes, brands and other changeable factors. How much money you want to pay for the road bike depends on what kind of road bike you need and what quality level you want. However, I strongly recommend you to buy the best road bike which you can afford. After all, it’s a common sense that money talks. If you don’t mind, a second-hand decent, affordable road bike is acceptable. Once you have the conception of how much you want to pay, we can go into the details.

Choose a bike that fits you
If you are a little one, don’t choose a big size road bike while a hefty beginner should know choose a small size one because you won’t enjoy yourself when cycling either way. So it’s of vital importance to know what type of road bike is the best suit for you. After all, the one fits for you is the best one for you. Ask for advice from the shop but never choose a bike which is not fit you because it’s a little cheaper. It would be better if you take a look at the size chart in advance and try it when you want to buy one. In that way can we find the best road bike that fits our height and dimension and have a wonderful experience with it. In addition, if you have some conceptions of what kind of thing you like about your road bike as well as what you don’t like. If you make it clear, it will save you amounts of time and energy.

Frame
As we all know, the frame of a road bike is like the heart of the human. It’s so important that we spend most of the money on it. There are many different kinds of materials to make frames, from steel, aluminum to titanium and carbon fiber which are commonly seen, and there even is a bamboo frame which is quite interesting. Basically, frames made from different materials have corresponding characteristics.

In the four commonly seen materials, aluminum is the most common one in that it’s cheaper than 3 others relatively and at the same time it’s a very good material to make stiff, light frame bikes.

Steel was the most popular road bike frame material until the 1980s and now it’s still a lovely one for excellent designers. Steel is commonly used in custom bikes or those for touring in that the weight of the bike is not so important. Indeed, steel is heavier than aluminum, but it’s much more comfortable and durable.

Titanium is a very great material of making road bike frame because a frame made of titanium can be as light as the one made of aluminum and as durable as the one made of steel while it’s very corrosion resisting. However, with our current technology level, the popularity of titanium is still very difficult. That’s why a frame made of titanium is so expensive, but we still can expect it because it’s becoming affordable slowly with the time going by.

Carbon fiber has come into use for many years and it becomes the favorite material because it’s very light and it can be shaped aerodynamically which place a vital role to make you ride easier and faster. What is more, carbon fiber can be manipulated to even a road bike frame’s stiffness and flexibility which make it more effectively to absorb energy and transfer it to the cyclists, making them easier and more enjoyable to cycling. However, carbon fiber is easy to break without even knowing it which may cause serious injuries, or even worse, death. And now the price of carbon fiber frame is not low which makes many cyclists stop.

Here is my suggestion: whatever kind of frame you choose, pick the best one you can afford because the road bike frame cannot be replaced while other components such as tyres, pedals and handlebars can be changed.

Components
Other from the frame, a road bike’s components contain many things including the pedals, crank, chain, sprockets, brakes, tubes, wheels and many other little things. They work together to make the bicycle go. Despite the differences between the brands, the components all have the same function, that is to say, they do the same job, even if they have some subtle differences in how they achieve their specific tasks. Nevertheless, I recommend the components with a famous brand which their quality and warranty are guaranteed. As for my experience, I can tell you that a road bike with bigger tyres is more comfortable on the roads which are poorly maintained and it’s easier and faster to ride on roads. Whatever you are thinking, try to do some research on the things that you are going to buy and really try it when you buy it and choose the one that you like most and best fits you. And as for beginners, I suggest you that get yourself a road bike with a smaller power which is much easier to control so that you can learn the basics of cycling.

Safety
Whatever brand, frame, components you are going to buy, the most important thing which cannot and should not be ignored is your safety because we have only one life. When buying a road bike, don’t forget to buy yourself a helmet. Still, buy a helmet with the best quality you can afford. If you are afraid that your feet would not be able to cling to the pedals always and bad things would happen, then buy yourself a pedal-shoe combination which makes you easier and more relaxing to ride with a higher security sense and you can improve your pedaling technique at the same time.

After reading this passage, if you have a clearer idea of what things you need to consider when buying a road bike as a beginner, then my job has done. Keeping in mind that the one best fits you is the best one you need. Pay attention to the budget, frame, size, components and your safety. I do wish you can buy a road bike that fits you the best with which you will have a wonderful experience because cycling is awesome!