bike chick tip wednesday

welcome to bike chick tip wednesday! i am very excited to start this weekly post about how to buy a bike, bike accessories and bike maintenance. i could hardly sleep last night in anticipation....these posts will generally be long winded due to the fact that there is so much bike info out there so if you are in it to win come along for the ride :D

tip #1
sit down and think about the type of riding you want to do. a bike can go anywhere but if you are just cruising around town on a full suspension mountain bike you may have more bike than you need.  i go on long bike rides and ride around town so i have a mixte framed road bike that is able to do both providing that i have all the right gears :D i also have urusla my 3-speed which is more appropriate for my daily commute to bart and riding around town plus she is the most comfortable to wear skirts and dresses in!

another thing to think about when looking for a bike is that all bikes ride differently. my 3-speed has a more up right position when riding but is heavy. road bike and mountain bikes have a a more leaned-forward position but are usually lighter. these different types of things create different feels when riding and how you handle the bike. a lot can change the position of the bike by the different type of handle bars that are on a bike so sometimes taking an older road bike and putting cruiser style bars gives you the best of both worlds... but that i will save for another post :D

if you are stumped and don't even know where to begin, try going to your local bike shop and trying some different bikes out or better yet rent different bikes for a day. can you stand comfortably over the bike? can you get the seat high enough for your legs to not feel cramped? i know from experinece that it takes more then just a lap around the block to know if a bike is a good fit. when i went to purchase my very first bike i got so excited that i rode it up and down the block and said yes to the guy and gave him my money...don't let new bike fever fool you. a couple months later i decided i didn't like the bike and felt it was a bit too small for me...it can take some time to find a good fit but when you do you will have you bike forever and it will be your best friend!

well i hope that little intro helped, i'll be back next wednesday with another bike chick tip...i am off to pack for my awesome camping trip with a group of really fun girls..so this will be my last post until sunday. have a great rest of your week. i will be thinking of you while laying in the sun and drinking a beer or two or three :D

xo,
cb