Bicycle Size and Prices

If you are looking to find the right bike to buy, you want to make sure that it is the right size. Having the right size bike means that you will have a more comfortable ride, better control, and will be safer.

When you first size a bike you want to look at the frame size. The most popular frame sizes for men is 19 inches and 17 inches for women. These sizes are a starting point and are based on height, so for instance if you are taller than 5'11" then you may need a 20 or 21 inch frame. The size of the bike is directly linked to the kind of riding that you plan on doing. Check out my previous post for more factors on that. If you are interested in doing road biking, then you want about two inches of clearance over the bar when you stand with your feet flat on the ground. For a hybrid you want three inches and four inches for a mountain bike. Make sure that you are comfortable with the saddle height and handlebar height. That can be a matter of preference and comfort and both are adjustable.

Probably the most important factor to consider is price. As stated previously, if you are a pro or amateur rider, you already know the model you want and are willing to pay whatever that price is. For the rest of us, the price means that we want the best bike for how much we can afford. It's not necessary to pay a huge sum to get a decent bike though.

Of course the first thing is to know exactly how much you're willing to spend. The next step is do you want a new bike or used bike. A used bike has an advantage if it is for a kid in that getting a new size as they grow is less of a big deal. Garage sales, Craigslist, ebay, are all fair game to find something in that range. A disadvantage is that you may need to be a little bit of a handyman, but none of the tasks are really difficult and there are good books to help out. It's not like working on a car.

If you want to buy new, you can go to a real bike store or to a chain store like Walmart or Target. Chain stores offer no service or expertise in helping you choose and it may also be a hassle if you need to do a return for some reason. A bike store probably has people in it that like to ride, can offer helpful advice, and do repairs. Try to find a store that you are comfortable with and that you want to give your business to. Keep in mind that it doesn't matter if your spend $100 or $2000 the shop should still try to be helpful to you. Be sure to say exactly what you want to do as this will tend to prevent the salesperson from trying to up sell to you. They probably will make recommendations though as they want you to get a quality product. Advantages would be its nice to have something new, and the level of service, but a disadvantage could be the price that you end up paying.

The final factor in buying a bike is "Do you like it?" If you don't like the color, the style, or it feels weird it's probably better to pass and keep looking. A bike that you don't like probably won't get ridden very often, and after all isn't that the purpose in the first place.