Friday, July 10, 2009

Learn How to Buy a New Bike Buying a New Bicycle Guide Tips on How to Buy a New Bike

By Dirk McGinnly

Buying a new bicycle can be a tedious task. Buying a new bike is like purchasing a vehicle, the more effort you put into the purchase, the more satisfaction that youll have in the long run. There are three main factors when purchasing a new bike; weight, cost, and durability.

First, determine the purpose of buying a bike. Do you want to use the bike for commuting? How about mountain bike riding? Do you want to perform tricks on a bike? Determining which type of a rider you are is the first step in purchasing a bike.

Are you a beginner? You might want to choose a bicycle that is medium weight. Most beginner bikes weight 22 lbs on average. The price between a 21 lbs bike and a 22 lb bike can be considerable. Remember to choose a bike that fits your ability (and your pocket book).

Should you buy a bike from a bike shop or from a discount store? This depends on if you want to hand assemble your bike or have a professional assemble it. When you purchase your bike from a discount store, most of the time your bike is in a box and hand assembly is required. Likewise if you do pay additional money to get your bike assembled at the discount store, most of the employees are not bike mechanic professionals, this will result in you paying double as you will have to take your bike to a bike shop to repair your bike.

Choosing quality over price is an important factor in our price sensitive society. However choosing the cheaper bike is not always the best option as costly repairs can add up. If you purchase a more expensive bike from a licensed bike store, minor repairs are usually free and most times bikes purchased from a real bike shop do not break as often.

You need to make sure to test ride the bike. Some important factors to look for are brake stopping time, durability, comfort and response time. Check the gear shifters to make sure they are responsive and shift with ease. The brakes should be responsive and a small squeeze should make the bike come to an immediate halt.

This article went over some key factors when choosing a bike. Make sure to check the purpose of the bike, weight, durability and cost. Remember that cost is important, but it shouldnt be the main factor when purchasing your new bicycle.

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