Where to Buy Your Bicycle
All bicycle stores and shops carry parts and accessories for your bike – be it a performance bike, trek bike, or just for riding around the neighborhood with the kids.
When choosing a bicycle, decide where you are going to be doing most of your riding. That information will help you determine the price range and quality of bike you are looking for. If you are looking for an inexpensive, off-the-shelf bike, a department store or discount store might have what you need. However, bikes purchased from a specialist bicycle dealer usually have better parts and components, come fully assembled and checked by a bike mechanic before you leave the store.
Most bicycle shops also carry a large selection in many price ranges. Everyone is catered for in a good bicycle store; from the top-end road cycling enthusiasts – right down to kids with their first bikes. There are several types of bikes to from which to choose. One is the mountain or all-terrain bike. These bikes are designed for casual cycling and have the wider or ‘fat’ tires. You can ride these bikes on hard, dirt-packed roads or off-road. Other types of bikes are racers and touring bikes, which have narrower or ’skinny’ tires. Touring bikes are fitted out for long distance touring. Hybrid bikes are a cross between a road bike and mountain bike. They have upright handlebars and a tire somewhere between wide and narrow. Most bikes sold today for adults are multi-speed bikes with up to 24-speeds.
Picking the right Accessories
Bicycles have many accessories. The most important accessory you need to buy is a bike helmet. Bike helmets are compulsory for all cyclists. Wearing a helmet reduces the chance of serious head injury in an accident.
Another accessory you might want to consider purchasing is a pair of padded cycling shorts. These shorts come in many different styles and have extra padding in the seat to make riding more comfortable. Cycling gloves are a good investment for long rides.
A seat bag is handy for storing items such as a tire repair kit and extra tube. A pump attached to the frame, for pumping up your tires is also a good idea, or you might consider a water bottle that attaches to the bike frame.