A Beginner's Guide to Buying a Bike

Executive summary about Bike Buying Guide by Linda Shrieves

There are road bikes and hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and comfort bikes. Beach cruisers and commuting bikes. "City path" bikes and touring bikes. Even the most basic bike, the standard beach cruiser, may be operating under a new alias: a lifestyle bike. 

Bike-shop owners face this problem regularly. People wander in and don't have a clue what type of bike to buy. The answer depends on what kind of biking you want to do—long-distance rides, trail riding, road riding. 

My advice is borrow a bike and see what you think. Don't go out and buy a $5,000 bike. You can have an awfully good time on a $500 bike. 

Not sure what type of bike fits you best? First, visit a bike shop and talk to the employees. If you've been taking spinning classes at your local gym, but now want to hit the road, many bike shops will suggest a road bike. 

Choosing The Right Sized Bike

This guide gives our customers general advice on choosing the right sized bike. Read our introduction to bike sizes below: 

Bike sizes are determined by the frame size, based on the length of the seat tube. Although the size of frames are based on the measurement of the seat tube, it’s not just the seat tube that changes depending on the size – the entire frame changes in proportion to the frame size.

To help our customers choose the right size bike we provide a suggested height for the various frame sizes available. For road and hybrid bikes 1 to 2 inches of clearance is required, mountain bikes require 2 to 4 inches.

Women's mountain bikes have specific differences to men's mountain bikes.