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[title]Choosing the best bike for you unfortunately isn’t quite as simple as deciding what colour you want or whether or not you need a basket. There are a number of factors to consider including budget, frame size, what type of riding you’ll be doing and which parts and accessories you need.
To help make your decision a little easier, we spoke to Anthony Cramer of Cecil Walker Cycles to get the lowdown on how to pick the bike that’s the best fit for you. If you’ve still got questions afterwards, Cramer and his team of professionals at the store are more than happy to give you a hand making this decision.
Ask yourself what type of riding you’ll be doing
“We always ask the consumer to explain what style of biking they’ll be doing, whether it’s offroad riding, city riding or road racing,” says Cramer.
If you’re mostly commuting to and from work or school in the city, you probably don’t need a mountain bike. Likewise, if you’re hoping to take your bike out on some hilly terrain you'll need something with fatter tyres and shock absorbers that can handle the bumps.
Heading to the bike shop
The next step is going into a bike shop and asking them about their warranty policy and the services they offer. Just like with buying a car, it’s crucial to make sure you’ll be cared for after you leave the shop with your new set of wheels.
A proper bike shop should also assist you with a fitting and in picking out a bike that has the proper frame size for you. Cramer adds that this is not only a comfort issue but also pertinent to safety.
“Don’t just take whatever bike they have sitting on the floor,” says Cramer. “This is also the reason why you shouldn’t buy online unless you really know what you’re doing.”
What accessories should you buy?
The most obvious item you should get when purchasing a bike is your helmet, but Cramer adds that on top of ensuring that the helmet you choose has been properly vetted and is high quality, you should also consider the colour.
“Black is terrible in the Australian summers because it just absorbs the heat and sort of cooks you,” says Cramer. “White is the best colour for reflecting heat and light.”
You may think that you don’t need lights if you aren’t going to be riding at night, but Cramer disagrees.
“Lights should always be a consideration and nowadays they’re pretty inexpensive to run and most are charged by USB,” says Cramer. “I would suggest that people riding around the CBD area have their lights running 24/7 and not just at night so that motorists can see you all the time.”
Lastly, be sure to get a proper set of locks. Cramer says to avoid cable locks because they’re easy to cut with a set of boltcutters and to opt for chain or u-locks instead.
Be wary of buying secondhand
Cramer says that decent bikes usually start off at around $500 to $600. While that may seem like a steep investment and there are heaps of cheaper bikes available secondhand online, Cramer says to be careful.
“The big problem with secondhand bikes is that they’re often worn out,” says Cramer. “Most of the time that’s why they’re getting rid of it, and people will spend $100 on a bike just to spend another couple hundred fixing it up.”