How to choose the best bike for the city

Features city bikes

Characteristic features of the urban bike - closed (for men) or open (women's) frame, often large wheels with tires of medium thickness, as a rule, the brake pedal. There are always non-removable shields on wheels, the protection circuit, the trunk.

Citybikes main advantage - the almost complete absence of the need to serve them, because all the most wear mechanisms securely hidden.

Some city bikes once completed headlights, turn signals and a signal - it's very useful in urban environments.

Landing on a city bike is very high - you sit as a chair. Due to this, you can slowly and comfortably ride through the city, looking around and looking at the shop windows.

For almost tense account of the vertical position of the hands of the body, but the pressure on the pelvis and spine increases. Therefore, the seat of city bikes are often supplemented by springs or set to the soft seat post, which markedly increases comfort while driving.

What to Look For

Frame

Road bike frame are closed (trapezoidal, male) and open (no top tube, female).

On a bike with an open frame easier to sit down not only in the skirt (Which is why such a frame and was named female), but also in winter clothes: do not turn up a high leg to throw it through the pipe.

However, to ensure sufficient rigidity open frame is more massive and weighs more, so if you have a priority ease, choose bikes with a closed frame.

When buying a bike with a closed frame, please note that the distance between the top tube and crotch should be at least 10 cm (width palm), to avoid accidental injury during heavy jumps off.

Also, for lightness and strength are important frame materials. Today is dominated by the frame of the following materials in the bike market:

• Aluminum. This is the most common and profitable in the ratio of price - quality material. Frame made of aluminum rather light and durable, does not rust.
• Steel. Reliable material well dampens vibration and is quite long. CrMo alloy (Cro-Mo) is often used for the manufacture of frames, which ensures reliability and flexibility, durability and the ability to easily fix the pipe after breakage.
• carbon. Due to the frame of carbon fiber bikes to get really easy, but it greatly increases the cost model. In addition, carbon is rather fragile, so is not suitable for driving with heavy loads.

Depreciation

Mainly on the city bike is found two types of depreciation - rigid (rigid) and a hardtail (hardtail).

If you are going to ride on flat roads of the city and at the same time want easy and cheap bike, choose a model without shock absorbers or rigid.

If the road in your town is poor or sometimes you want to leave on the nature, choose Hardtail - bike with suspension fork. These models are more expensive and heavy, they lose in speed, and the suspension fork requires service, but you do not feel all the bumps in the road.

In some models, lockout function is available (LockOut) - full fork lock operation. This can be useful, for example, if you are traveling on a flat surface of the hill, 100% effort from the legs is transmitted to the rear wheel.

Saddle

If you are not going to ride for longer hours, you are planning a relaxed ride through the city and not go long distance, choose a soft broad saddles, try gel variants - with these seats, you will be the most comfortable.

For those who sometimes want to take a long-term trips, Fit the hard saddles. When you sit, the fulcrum is your sitting bones and tissue and blood vessels of the buttocks and perineum, or pinch. If long-distance travel you choose soft seat, basin sinks into it, as a result you are sweating, there are rubbed sore, but due to the pinched vessels numb buttocks.

wheels

The diameter of the wheels can be 26 "or 28". Bicycle wheel with a diameter of 28 "best overcomes obstacles due to a smaller angle of attack. On it will be easier to call in on the curb or another small hill.

On the other hand, bicycles with wheels 26 "more light and maneuverable. However, the difference between the models is not so great and hardly noticeable while driving.

Switch speed bike

If your city small height difference, you can buy a one-speed bicycle. Such models are lighter, simpler and cheaper. For uneven urban landscape, with hills and lowlands, it is better to buy a bike with speed switch.

If you want a more durable and reliable gear selection, pay attention to bikes with planetary hub. In this arrangement, the details are protected by the sleeve body, making them more reliable and durable.

brakes

Sometimes you can find models with drum brakes, which are located at the rear of the bicycle hub and help to stop when pedaling backwards. However, such a "foot brake" takes time to transition from driving to braking, while rally circuit altogether useless.

Most city bikes are equipped with rim brakes - tick or V-brake.

You press a lever on the steering wheel, the force is transmitted through the cable to the brake lever, and then the brake pads grip the wheel rim. This type of braking is quite reliable, but is light mechanism itself and easy to repair.

It is better to buy a bike with brakes on both wheels or in the rear. This construction provides a safe braking even on a slippery surface, for example on the road after the rain.

Related products

One bike is not limited and will need varied equipment for a safe and comfortable ride. The total value of these supplements can be up to one third of the cost of the bicycle. Best of all, if the hand will always be:

• set of hexagons with a screwdriver;
• pump;
• rearview mirror;
• anti-theft lock for bicycle;
• points (in very dusty);
• backup camera;
• lubrication for the chain;
• gloves - at will, but with them is much more convenient;
• helmet - a must!

cost of

• 120-250 dollars. The mostly Chinese. For adults the most inappropriate category: fast break, and repairs will cost in the price of the bike.
• 250-400 dollars. Decent low-budget boats, if they do not go so often (two hours per day). In this price is worth paying attention to the brand and Merida Rock Machine.
• 450-750 dollars. Good Citybikes, calculated on a fairly long daily walks. In this category is better to take the bike manufacturers, who do not tear up the money for the brand: Author, Kellys, KTM, Univega, Merida, Felt.
• 1 000-2 000 dollars. Big-Citybikes. It is the best city bikes. Require a minimum of maintenance. In fact, eternal. In this category you should pay attention to the brand: Specialized, Orbea, Trek, Gary Fisher, Electra, Rock Machine, Felt, Univega, Marin, Giant, Schwinn, Ghost, Cube.

That's all. If you have your own tips for choosing the urban bike share in the comments to this article.

see also

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• Do not buy a mountain bike for a ride around town! →
• How to ride a bike, not to harm health →