Created On: April 4th, 2021
Published On: January 2nd, 2022
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Well, this is going to be a real challenge, I mean how can I teach you a lot about bicycles in a 20 minute reading session, correct? It begins with understanding what kind of bicycle you wish to own or use, because there are basically mulitiple different types of bicycles, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to break it down into just a few categories:
Mountain Biking (Dual Suspension or Hardtail Bikes, 26"/27.5"/29" Rims/Tires)
Trail / Hybrid / Gravel Bikes (Can be 26"/27.5" or 700x35c or larger Rims/Tires)
Fitness / Commuter Bikes / Touring (Usually 700c Rims/Tires with a flat bar handlebars)
Racing / Road Bikes (Only Narrower 700c Rims/Tires or BMX Racing Bikes)
Stunt / Trick Bicycles (Can be a Freestyle BMX or Larger Fixed Gear Bikes)
Other (Beach Cruisers / Fixies / Non-Specific Use Bicycles)
Of course these categories are lumping a few different types of bicycles into one category, but for the sake of simplicity, you will be focused on what you will be using the bike for mainly, obviously if you are trying to get fit, fitness / commuter bikes are great for this task, especially fixed gear bikes (Fixies as most people call them), and that's because you have to work harder to go up hill! However, road bikes can also be used to get fit, and indeed riding around on gravel roads and trails with a big hardtail can be a good workout too, so technically any bike can in fact get you fit!
I've always believed that bicycles kind of were for 4 main purposes, stunts / tricks, trails / offroad, commuting / riding day to day, or purely for racing, but that's just my view of it, and so take what I say here as a grain of salt, no need to split hairs with technicalities at all. There are two kinds of offroad bicycles you will be riding, light trails / gravel biking, or true mountain biking, which is going where nobody has gone before, including over creeks and uncharted territory, and that may include some large rocks to jump over too, so if you want to do the uncharted territory, then you will definitely need a dual suspension mountain bike or at the very least a high quality Hardtail MTB. (Mountain Bike)
If your plan however is to just do light trail riding, maybe even some back road running, and city commuting, then a gravel bike or hybrid bike will probably get you by, and I personally have converted some hardtail mountain bikes for the pure purpose of light trail riding and road commuting both, it just requires puncture proof tires with nobby style tread. You do NOT want to try braking on gravel with flat / slick tires, you'll go down instantly, and it hurts bad believe me!
You want the right tires for the path you are on, many hybrid bicycles aren't really built for gravel or offroad, but are just fine on dry dirt paths and some light offroad, but nothing serious mind you! Gravel bikes aren't really built for jumping dirt hills either, leave that to the mountain bikes and BMX bikes please, unless you want bent rims. (Hehe, not I said the captain!)
Next, you need to consider your weight, anyone over 170 lbs is considered "Heavy" for bicycles, so you really do not want to ride certain types of bicycles, and by that I mean a traditional road bike will tear your butt up fast if you are heavy and your weight will make you feel every bump in the road, indeed most bikes cannot handle over 230lbs of TOTAL CARRYING WEIGHT. I do NOT recommend trying to bicycles if you weigh over 230 lbs, it will likely lead to broken bike components and possible damage to your spine or tear your musles, especially tendons in your ankle or wrist, and though I'm no doctor I've heard of 280 lb guys getting on bikes and being completely torn up from riding in just a month.
If you weigh over 230 lbs, then you will definitely want to consider dual suspension or comfort bicycles, and you can always convert the tires to slicks for the road, you might even buy an extra set of rims & tires just for that purpose. (It takes no time at all to switch rims, just a few minutes!) If you weigh over 170 lbs, you will likely want to at least consider a comfort commuter, especially if you are older (Over 40), because the road really can start to wear and tear on your body fast if you are heavy and older. (I am both heavier and older by the way)
Secondly, you will want to consider the seat you are going to be using, it MUST have a groove depression in the center, and this part helps prevent permanent damage to men's uretha track, so make sure it's a DEEP groove in the center or more favorably, completely missing the center of the seat, and this style of seat is far more comfortable for women too. (A certain bicycle company sold A LOT more bicycles just for this fact alone.)
Tires matter A LOT, many corporations put on the cheapest and crummiest tires on their bikes these days, they are paper thin, and won't hold up to any kind of sustained asphault or concrete riding over a month or two, not to mention you will get A LOT of flats if you try. Obviously, the corporations did this on pupose, to sell you more tires and tubes, and low and behold just look at the cost of the aftermarket tires, tubes, and rims, it's OBSCENE!
I feel like today's bicycles have gone far beyond "Normal Pricing" and have drifted into absolutely ridiculous pricing (Anything over $600 for a bicycle in my book is considered ridiculous), after all, it's just a piece of steel or aluminum with wheels on it, come on! For this very reason I only buy used bicyles, I have to laugh at these people paying over $600 for a bicycle, indeed I've seen a lot of bicycles that people paid well over $1,200 for go for less than $400 in the used market, even bicycles as much as $4,500 have sold for $450 on the used market, and people who try to get over $500 for a bicycle in the used market are being completely asinine, obviously they are uneducated and don't understand the true value of a bicycle is not as high as retail prices them at.
If you want to purchase a dual suspension bicycle, then that's all the more reason to shop used, because the decent quality ones start at like $1,200 and go up from there these days, and it just doesn't make practical sense to spend that kind of money on something as pitiful as a bicycle. It's a mechanical device, not a freaking motorcycle mind you! (I've seen motored dirt bikes that went for less than $1,200!)
To me the bicycle market is so, what's the word for it, niche? It's like men decided to make it 'a "Man Thing" to own and ride bicycles only (Refusing to drive a car anymore), oh sure, you can still take the city bus or a cab if it's a dire need, but many men have turned towards commuting on bicycles on a serious side as a lifestyle, and I too am one of them.
Mountain Biking riders are a bit different than the "Roadies" as some like to call them, which are people who love to ride road bikes, many bicyclist are like in a click, they only chum it up to people like them, and by that I mean they don't hang out with roadies if they are a mountain biker, they like rolling with people who like to go where road bikes cannot. It's almost a cult thing, really, and though a lot of women do get into bicycles, most of them are usually found riding fitness / hybrid / commuter / beach cruiser / road / gravel bikes, mainly, though a few do actually get into mountain biking and other sports.
Women do not dominate the bicycle world except in the trick bike department, they completely OWN IT, and one woman in fact has become world reknown for her skills at trick bikes, indeed she is absolutely amazing too, but I'm not here to discuss trick bikes, sorry. You are here to read about bikes, but that boils down to three things, what you will ride your bike for, and who you are as a person, because not all people have the mentality to be a die hard commuter, a hill / rock jumping mountain biker, or a tour de France rider... (Those people who go on looooong rides).
Bicyles are, for a lack of better words, a fad market, today one type of bike is in style, in the next few years a new type of bike will be in style, but many riders tend to stick with what they first choose to ride, and though some may choose to ride all types of bikes, they still sway or lean towards one type of bike more than the others, though this is NOT all true mind you, but it is however generally the truth. (There are always those unique cases out there, you know who you are.. :) Today electric bicycles are the new fad, but die hard cyclist aren't really going to drop the kind of money they are asking for those things, and they stopped becoming truly bicycles when they made pedal assisted bicycles, they are wholly a motor driven bicycles and are more like a scooter, though scooters have actually been around a long time.
It really does defeat the purpose of a bicycle to put a motor or power asssitant to drive the bicycle, you see, the true point of a bicycle is, it WAS cheap, it was something even a kid could ride, and if you were sharp enough, you could get around town without dropping a dime on gasoline! Of course the industrialist / capitalist that took over our government a long time ago, which has led us towards where we are today, and to ever increasing profitability and sales, they just keep changing things and raising the prices of everything. (To decrease the value of the money you work for.)
Sure, there are still cheap chinese retail bicycles, but real bicycles aren't bought at China Mart, and bicycles need maintenance, so you will either have to learn how to fix bicycles or visit a bicycle shop to get your bicycle fixed or tuned up once in a while. However, due to the economic strains being pressed down upon everyone in America today, it's become almost intuitive to utilize a bicycle and a bus instead of a car or at the very least a moped to avoid the price gouging oil capitalist stranglehold on the economy and a family's budget. (Imagine being a mom with a minivan and 6 kids to lug around all day, that'll be like $120++ / 3 days for gas, talking about a roving rent payment, whoosh!)
Retail bicycles have become like disposable lighters, I said what I said.
Bicycles are still an option, there is still a very strong used market out there, but keep in mind thieves are everywhere today, so you MUST always lock up your bicycle EVERY TIME you leave it alone, even in your garage too, and all it takes is the wife leaving the door open and bam it's gone, just like that! Don't be an idiot, use a U Lock or THICK Cable Lock, don't leave your seat on the bicyle if it comes off easy either, and don't just lay your bike up against the wall at a gas station or fast food restaraunt, it will disappear in SECONDS!
If you are going to ride on the road, always travel on the left side with traffic coming at you, wear bright colored shirts, use flashy bright LED lamps on the front and rear, and watch for people running stop signs and turning on you (Both sides) at EVERY intersection, if you travel on the right side you cannot see the nut jobs driving at you and you are easier to run over, so, BE SEEN & avoid the cagers! (A slang term given to people who drive cars who often suffer from road rage because, well they got issues, like a monthly car payment, lol!)
I'd also warn you to stay on the left because I have witnessed MANY people driving while texting, they have run over many pedestrians, bicyclist, and it happens EVERY DAY, so make sure you pay attention to how the vehicle ahead of you is driving, and do NOT give them the benefit of the doubt, assume they don't see you always! (This information can save your life, so follow it!)
With gasoline going up to $4/gallon and higher, many lazy people will be squeeling and crying about gas, especially when it starts going up to $5-$6/gallon, and yes it will probably reach much higher than that too before this summer (of 2021) is over. I can and do almost everything I would normally do with a vehicle on a bicycle, except long travel, and you can use a bus for that, so there's no excuse not to ride every day unless you are physically incapable or the weather is just too severe, which is often these days. (Don't be a chump, dump the pump!)
Speaking of pump, make sure you have a quality air pump, mountain bike (MTB) tires use 30-35 PSI and 700c Tires generally use 60-80 PSI, I wouldn't recommend over 40 PSI in the front unless you have shocks, and most 700c bicycles do not, so a lower inflated tire in the front helps reduce road shock on your hands / wrist / arms. If you want to travel the distance, then you will need to get A LOT of practice climbing long hills with a decent slope (10-20%+), this will help build your stanima and strength in your legs, and it will give you heart a real workout too!
Getting fit is one thing, building stanima and strength requires you to really push yourself hard and for a long time, and the more you ride up hills, the stronger you get and the easier it become to pedal on flat or slightly sloped roads. Take your time, carry at least 1 full water bottle, and I would recommend drinking Tang or something that just isn't plain water unless you plan on riding in the heat, and temperatures can greatly effect your ability to stay hydrated.
Once you become dehydrated it's pretty much over, you are going to have to take a break, get cooled down, and I do not recommend drinking coffee, tea, or alcohol while training. It's virtually impossible to ride while drunk (You have no balance), you can get hurt bad, and even get your self killed, so don't be stupid and drink and ride a bicycle.
I'm teaching from experience here, some of it is common sense though (I don't drink Alcohol), and some of it is wisdom passed down by other riders. You need to carry at least a set of basic tools, one inner tube, a inner tube repair kit (If you have the time to patch), and make sure you carry a tool that will allow you to remove thorns, metcal, etc from your tire, because you cannot air up a tube with a thorn in your tire, so check the tire BEFORE you install the new or repaired tube.
It's rather rare to run into serious problem on the road, like a bent rim, but if by chance you fear you will bend a rim while riding, then you should at least carry a universal spoke tool, or at the very least one that fits your spokes, and this will allow you to fix a rim enough to ride home (Hopefully), you may also need to tune your bike on the road too (If going on long trips). I recommend you carry as lite as possible, two water bottles is a bit excessive unless you plan on riding beyond 10 miles (Both ways), but for those serious about long road trips, I'd recommend getting the water back pack (Especially if it hot outside!), and plan your trips well.
Learn how to utilize roads to avoid uphill riding can increase your stanima on a bicycle, though it may add more time to your ride, and you will learn over time to just consider the elevation in roads around you, because this is how you can look for a different path to avoid big climbs. Of course if you are training, then hills aren't an issue, but if you are daily community, then you should learn the path(s) that are best for your route to work or wherever, and be extra careful to stay off of busy streets as much as possible, this reduces the chances of getting ran over by drunks, speeders, or people who text & drive.
Safety first always, planning helps a lot, and focus on the road before you most of the time, unless you are looking out for cars / obstacles, or children running around. Avoiding potholes in the road is a much, even if you do have a full suspension bike, and also avoid those huge metal plates the city often places in the road when doing repair work, those can bend a rim real bad!
To be a good rider, it's more than just the bike, it's learning how to navigate paths, especially if you plan on riding offroad, and this is something you develop over time, so go slow if you are new territory! Those guys you see flying 90 to nothing down a mountain are PROFESSIONALS who have ridden the paths A LOT, they are NOT beginners, and thinking you can ride like that out of the gate is just stupid, so don't even try it!
Learn a lot about riding on difficult trails before you jump into more difficult mountain biking, you may ruin a few bicycles and yourself if you don't follow this advice, and I've seen quite a few people ruin a few bicycles and themselves in my days, heck I have even wiped out badly a few times in my decades of bicycle riding. Good bicycle advice isn't always easy to find, learn how to fix bikes, maintain them, and service them, a clean & lubed bicycle works a lot better than a dry chain, dirty brakes, and dirty tires with mud all over them, so learn to clean a bike well.
Going beyond the basics here, serious bicyclist study a lot about bicycles, they learn parts, why some parts are better than others, which tires are better for what type of riding, and how to avoid overly expensive stuff (E.g. Carbon Fiber), because if you really want to break it down, shaving a few grams off of your parts by going to carbon fiber is NOT going to make much of a difference at all! Indeed, better tires and derailleurs are probably the two most major ugrades for a bicycle, everything else is pretty much secondary.
I don't like disc brakes on anything but Moutain Bikes, but if you plan on doing a lot of down hill riding, then at least one disc brake is very nice, because it can sustain a long brake, and other parts simply cannot handle the heat of long downhill braking. The cantilever brake is better by far because it's much lighter than disc brakes, and mechnicals is better than hydraullic disc brakes due to cost and hydraullic brakes tend to be far too touchy and strong for braking (IMHO).
Stopping is just as important as going, because emergencies arise, especially if you tend to ride around looking around instead of paying close attention to your path and the surrounding area, and this is where disc brakes shine, instant stopping power IF you have great traction. Once you have selected the proper bike, tires, and brakes for the job, you are ready to learn how to ride, picking up a cheap bike to learn how to ride is doing your self a disservice, but it may be a chance to teach you just how crummy cheap bicycles are compared to light weight alunimum bicycles with quality parts on them.
Big fat tires get flat tires very easy, especially those super thin mountain bike tires or fatty bike tires (Huge Tires), and using that stupid green goo in your tube is just dumb, it puts far too much weight on the bicycle and slows it down far too much, not to mention it can be a real pain the neck too! I've seen experience riders use multiple inner tubes or use 2 tires to completely elliminate getting flats (Expect for sharp metal puctures that go through even puncture resistant tires), and yes people do get tired of fixing flats on BMX bikes (The only bike I've seen people use 2 tires on).
They made a new slime strip that fits in smaller tires, it is sort of a hard plastic coiled up insert, retailers usually carry 2 coils in a package, but I've never used them, and considering how well mutliple innner tubes or tires work at reducing flats, it might be worth a try. Once you overcome all of the nuicancess of riding, you should probably share your own experience online too, and help new riders learn what you learned.
I'm running out of time, I cannot cover it all, I failed, but did I? Well, not really, because there is A LOT to learn about bicycles, if you want to learn the technical stuff, well there are ample websites just for that, and indeed you can learn a lot about bicycles on YouTube, but the best place for quality information is on Sheldon Brown's website, this guy is a pro and really knows his stuff! There are many bicycle forums if you have specific questions too, so don't be afraid to join the online world, there are A LOT of cyclist out there, and they love to talk online too!
I hope that my perspective on bicycles has at least helped you clarify what bicycling is really about, what you really need to consider the most (What type of rider you will become), and if bicycling is right for you, because obviously it's not for 300lb + Riders, it's just not going to end well for them, sorry. (Too painful & dangerous, because falling off with that kind of weight can be DEADLY!)
Furthermore, I gave you some advice you would be well advised to consider, especially the YouTube thingy, because learning is critical today, and bicycle I'd dare say will play a HUGE role in the future of many poor (And getting much poorer by the year) people's lives, but you don't have to be poor to ride bicycles! It's just that most of the rich people find it a bit too hard for them to endure, after all it's such a "Serf Like" device, and they can after all just buy one of those motor assisted electric bikes and "Act like a cyclist." (Hehehehe)
Lastly, there are two types of riders you will encounter, hard core and recreational or sports riders, the hard core riders tend to be loners, and that's because they don't ride for fun or sport, it's a way of life for them. I ride every day, weather permitting, and have enjoyed riding all of my life, but when you ride alone away from traffice you get this great feeling of freedom and peace!
Thanks for reading, I hope this blog helps you, and please share a link with others, thanks!.
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