Purchase a New Bike
Ugh... you have finally grown out of your old bike. You will miss it's beautiful paint job, smooth hand brakes, and comfortable seat. Unfortunately, it's time to move on. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy biking anymore. In fact, buying a new bike may be the best thing you've ever done.
Contents
Steps
- Decide what you want. Build a "Bike Profile". Here are some questions you need to answer in your profile:
- What type of bicycle do I want? Will I be mountain biking, road cycling, or is comfort my biggest factor in a bike? If so, maybe look into recumbent bicycles.
- What color bike do I want?
- What size bike do I need?
- Do I want a bike with gears? If so, How many?
- Do I prefer squishy handlebar pads, hard ones, or ones with tassels?
- What kind of seat do I want? Some common types are:
- Foam
- Gel
- Plastic
- Padded
- Rubber
- Carbon
- What kind of handle bars do I want... straight or curved?
- Do I want a brand name bike, or will an used bike do?
- How much am I willing to spend on a bike?
- Anything else?
- Start looking at different bikes. If you see one you like, make a note of the color, size, price, etc in a notebook. Take note of how much each bike fits your bike profile.
- Look at the bikes again. Inspect them closely. If the owner of the store will let you test ride the bikes, do that as well. Try to narrow your choices to about three bikes.
- Make three copies of your profile and decide which of the remaining bikes fits it best. That's your new bike.
- Take your bike home and ride off down the street!
Tips
- Make sure to purchase a good sturdy lock. You don't want your new bike stolen!
- Keep in mind that hardly ever is a bike perfect for you, but some will definitely be better than others.
- Used bikes are often better value than new bikes. A high end used bike is definitely a better choice than a brand new bike of equal price.
Warnings
- You may not find a bike that completely fits your profile, so you may have to change your ideas a bit. When creating your profile, remember that everything you decide may not be set in stone.
- If you buy a bike off the Internet, exercise caution so that you won't get scammed or get a bad bike. (the Internet can lie.)
