| For most of us, well-intentioned but casual
bike riders who secretly believe
we might be Lance Armstrong's
heir if we only had a few more
hours a day to spend on our bicycles,
buying a new road bike is tantamount
to buying a road bike frame. The
frame is what we're thinking of,
something new and shiny and colorful,
something we suspect even car
drivers envy when they see us
flash through the snarl of traffic.
Truly, a road bike frame is a
beautiful thing and part of the
reason we love bicycling. When
you have the good fortune to be
looking at new bicycles, though,
you definitely want to look at
a few elements besides the color
of a road bike frame. Face it.
When you're on your way back home
from a long Sunday ride and you're
riding your thirty-fifth mile
smack into a stiff headwind, the
fact that your frame is cobalt
blue or even Bianchi green is
not going to help you. The length
of your seat tube is going to
help you and the length of your
top tube and even the angle of
the three main tubes all put together
is going to help (or hinder) you,
but color is not. If you shop
at a discount store or even a
general purpose sports store,
if you get any help at all in
choosing a bike that fits you,
it will probably consist of a
clerk instructing you to stand
over the top bar of the frame
and see if you can comfortably
straddle it with your feet on
the floor. This is not really
particularly helpful, especially
if you happen to have anything
unique about your physique, like
long legs combined with a short
torso. If you have long legs,
you can straddle almost any bike,
but will your body be able to
relax comfortable in the stretch
between your saddle and the handlebars?
The whole geometry of the road
bike frame matters a lot to fit.
And fit matters excessively to
comfort. If you're a racer, comfort
will not be your only consideration.
Indeed, it may be down among the
last elements you consider. Speed
is not usually built from comfort,
and the road bike frame that promotes
speed is built of different materials
than one used primarily for recreational
riding. Frames can be made of
titanium, chrome-moly, aluminum
or steel, and each metal has different
advantages of weight and strength.
Frame geometry varies, too, with
touring bikes featuring a longer
vertical base and top tube than
the skittish racing models. So
when you're looking at road bike
frames, think beyond the paint.
Get a frame that fits both you
and your purpose. Whether you
do your research online or in
a good bike store, you'll be glad
you took the time. Alastair Hamilton
is a successful writer who offers
a truly unique depth of experience
in competitive cycling, he also
contributes adding technical articles
on road bikes ( http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com/road-bikes.html
) to some cycling online magazines.
Further information on bike components
and cycling reviews at http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com
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