There are lots of reasons to choose a bicycle as your primary means of transportation. There are many different reasons to cycle, and some have nothing to do with being a preferred method of getting to point A to point B. Lots of people go cycling as a form of exercise. Some people are competitors in cycling. Another group of individuals take pleasure in a simple, relaxed ride through their neighborhood. Regardless of your reason for needing to find a bicycle, you need to take some things into consideration when the time comes to choose the perfect bicycle for you. This article provides some advice to help you along your way.
It goes without saying that choosing the correctly sized bike is of utmost importance. The measurement of your inseam is needed for this. Your inseam is the amount of inches from the bottom of your foot, up the inside of your leg to your groin. When you get a bike you should be able to lay both feet flat to the ground if need be. This is for safety more than anything else, if your brakes should fail you will not be able to easily stop the bike otherwise. You shouldn't ever sit the seat at the lowest click site setting, which means sitting on the crossbar. Be sure to consider these few necessary inches between the seat and the crossbar, when you are out bicycle shopping. You want to have the comfort of the seat being higher up than the crossbar on the bike, because if the seat is sitting on the crossbar, you will not be comfortable. The best way to adjust your seat to the correct height is to place your foot on the pedal at the lowest setting and bring the seat up as high as it can go so that your leg is almost fully extended.
It is important you allow for room between you and the crossbar. When you choose your bike, adjust the seat up a few inches from the crossbar and then sit on the bike. Make sure you can place both feet on the ground if need be. You will want to leave different clearance lengths depending on the type of bicycle you are buying. For example a touring bike will require around an inch. With a mountain bike a clearance of 3" will be necessary. You need to consider several things when choosing your bicycle for the first time. Will this be an activity that you enjoy daily, or will you only be taking your bicycle out on special occasions? What height makes you feel the most comfortable? Are you a person who would rather your feet be flat on the ground when you are sitting or would you rather have a little room between your feet and the ground? These are some of the things you need to consider when choosing your bike.