Bicycle Purchasing 101

The first thing to mention here is that you should always follow the golden rule: fit first / bike second. Why is this important? This will rule out bikes that won’t work for you and will help educate you as to your specific needs. This crucial first step will help you buy a bike much more accurately. There are other considerations as well.

One, choose a shop with whom you feel comfortable and well taken care of. Do you feel like the person you are dealing with is experienced and motivated to get you the best possible option? Are the people working there truly interested in learning about your specific needs and goals as a cyclist or are they more interested in moving a product? A high end bike is an investment and we feel that it is not something to be taken lightly. We want to establish a working relationship with our clients in order to be sure they have the absolute best possible experience in our sport long term. If someone recommends a specific brand and model of bike before they know anything about you, this is not an accurate way of going about selling a bike. Make sure that the people you are supporting through your purchase are going to support you long term.

Two, accuracy and understanding of fit are very important. Unless you have had a complete professional fitting, no one can (or should) say to you accurately “you need a 56cm”. One brand’s 56cm frame can be completely different from another. Different companies use different landmarks to establish these measurements. One way to be sure that someone’s recommendation is accurate is to ask them to quantify why you need said frame size. If they glaze over or answer with “stand over the bike and we’ll check”, chances are you should be moving on. There are also different levels of fit expertise. Now that every shop seems to have a “fitter”, how can you determine the expertise of the person you are dealing with? You can ask them about their credentials for one. Also be wary of fit methods that only incorporate anatomical measurements as a means of determining position. This does not in any way take into account your individual strengths, weaknesses or your riding style. There are a lot of technical tools used today in fitting but remember that tools are only as useful as the person using them. Motion capture technology and laser measuring devices are only tools and in inexperienced hands, can do more harm than good.

Three, what material is best? This is a very subjective area. Some will say that you need carbon because it’s lighter and stiffer. Is lighter and stiffer something you need? Carbon is lighter in most cases but remember that frame weight is only about 15% to 20% the overall weight of a bike and bike weight is only 15% to 20% of the overall weight you are moving while riding. Weight matters far less than we are lead to believe. Decisions should be made more on ride character and durability relative to riding style and the type of riding. As an example, someone who is doing loaded touring really shouldn’t be on carbon and someone who is riding multi day races should not be on aluminum. Steel, Carbon and Titanium all have their strong points and they are all great materials for different reasons. The people you are dealing with should be able to give you an accurate idea of what you’ll get from each material and allow you to make the choice.

Lastly, be careful not to get lost in marketing hype. Just because your favorite pro cyclist is riding a particular brand doesn’t mean you should. Remember that pros get paid to ride those bikes and they get paid to say how much they like them. It’s not all that different from a professional track and field athlete or Olympic star endorsing Burger King. We all know that stuff is poison and that they don’t really like it but for the right price, I might hold a Big Mac and say how delicious it is too. Make your own decisions based on real information.