Right bike, Wrong bike.

From what I've observed of a lot of riders around my neck of the woods, it's clear that their bikes are an extension of their personalities.  One young lady is often seen pedalling what seems more like a vase on two wheels because it has so many plastic flowers sitting in the front and rear baskets.  The young hipsters favour the fixie in its various guises.  Commuters favour hybrids for their cross purpose ability between trails and roads.  Regardless of what you ride, when sitting watching the passing parade or being a part of it, it's a great sight and makes me glad we are not all riding the same style of bikes.  Although I have read some claims that China's ride to prosperity began on the back of the mass produced bike called the Flying Pigeon that has sold half a billion bikes.  But then again the Chinese communist party has not been widely  known for encouraging individuality.

As a keen bike rider I'm often asked what bike I would recommend to buy.  This question is usually met with another question along the lines of what type of riding do you plan on doing, because just like having the right tool for the job, the right bike for the ride is equally important.  It also explains why regular cyclists will often find themselves with two or more bikes.  Sure the expensive road bike will get you to the local shops, you don't really want to have to carry an equally expensive lock with you to protect your pride and joy. Riding on the road bike without the padded lycra can be a little uncomfortable, not to mention a little difficult when it comes to balancing the shopping on the handle bars.  So when it comes to getting around town or riding with the boys my trusty vintage mountain bike does the job and the shopping bags sit nicely on the handle bars.

When my wife scored a new job 9km  across town last year she started riding her "ladies bike" as she liked to call her Giant Transcend seen below, 3 days a week and caught the tram once a week. The bike was bought a couple of years earlier as a replacement for a mountain bike, for short trips around where we live, towing our twin boys in a bike trailer and the occasional bike trail outing.  After 2 weeks Paula gave public transport the boot as she decided it was faster and more fun to ride than catch two trams.  After 3 weeks of riding more than a few kilometers in an upright position on the  Paula decided she needed a bike that allowed her to lean forward over the bars, but not a full on road bike.  This time I had my toughest customer of all.  If I got this wrong like I did the bad mountain bike purchase of 1999 my cycling credibility would be in tatters.  My starting point was what would I want to ride if I was doing that trip?   The bike was going to be ridden about 80 km a week on city roads, across tram tracks and bike paths in all conditions.  Therefore having a bike which allowed Paula to lean forward, was simple to maintain, had a range of gears to deal with the undulating ride, had excellent braking capability, was relatively light, had good components and fit the budget.  A trip to Velo Cycles our local bike shop, some research on line and some recent articles in the Bicycle Victoria magazine provided a good insight into what was available. My recommended purchase was the Bauer Urbanite seen below.  Paula went in and had a test ride, we negotiated a price and bought a new bike which has so far exceeded expectations.       

To summarize which bike you should buy when next in the market for a new bike, here are the main points to remember

- Match the bike to the type of riding you are going to do most often

- Do your maths.  If you are using the bike as an alternative to a car or public transport, calculate how much you are going to save by travelling by bike and use that to form your budget.  For example if you lived in Melbourne's Zone 1 public transport zone, using a bike instead of public transport  would save you $35 a week , which over 26 weeks is $910 which would buy you a decent bike.

- Always buy the best bike you can afford or even spend a little more

- Check out the second hand market via bike club sites, bikeexchange, ebay & the trading post online.

- Talk to other cyclists who might have a bike to sell you or might know someone who is thinking of selling

- Go to a reputable bike shop that will listen to what you are after and help match you to the best bike for you, not what they want to sell you

- Do your research and read impartial reviews on the bike or ask a cyclist friend to point you in the right direction.  Most cyclists love nothing more than spending time around bikes.

- Buy some kit which will make the ride more enjoyable such as an anatomical seat, moisture wicking clothing, clip in shoes

Well that's my story and my list, which is no doubt incomplete, so share your stories, wisdom and knowledge on the topic.