Understanding Bicycle Types

Bicycling is one of the most popular activities these days. It is very popular in most countries, and it is popular to all people of both gender and of all ages. Indeed, it is an activity that is enjoyed universally, figuratively speaking. After all, it is a pretty effective way to exercise. After hours of cycling, you are able to burn off a lot of your belly fats, you are able to travel miles, and you are also doing your part to save our mother earth.

However, to get the most out of cycling it’s important you find the right bicycle for you. It’s important to understand that there are many types of bicycles, and each type is generally designed for specific purposes.

In this article, we are going to discuss the main types of bicycles, and we will see where your lifestyle and your exercising preferences fit.

Road bikes

As the name implies, road bikes are bikes specifically designed for concrete and asphalt roads. These are slender, light, and thin bikes designed primarily for speed. Road bikes are not designed to be heavy; they do not need to be.  As a matter of fact, road bikes need to be light in order for them to be speedy. The tires of the road bikes are thin and light, too. They need to be. Concrete and asphalt eats away rubber. Thin tires make sure that there is not too much contact between the rubber and the hot pavement. Furthermore, the thin tires make for easier movement and increased maneuverability. These two are important in busy city roads where there is a lot of traffic.

Basically, the signature design of the road bikes is that they are meant primarily for speed. Everything about it is intended for this purpose: the sleek frame, thin tires, and even the positioning of the driver. If one observes carefully, a road bike driver has his top body forward. This is for comfort, but it is more for aerodynamic reasons.

Road bikes are distinguished from other bikes through two important features. First are the flat-bar handlebars. These handlebars allow riders to ride in an upright position. If the rider wishes to just stroll around or slow down, these handlebars are generally preferred. Most riders also find these more comfortable because of the body positioning that it allows. The second signature feature is the drop-down bar. Basically, the drop-down handlebars is what isolates the road bikes from the other bikes because these allows the driver to take a reclining position, thereby increasing energy efficiency, and, thus, maximizing speed.

Mountain bikes

mountain bikeMountain bikes are bigger and more heavily built that the road bikes. After all, as the name implies, mountain bikes are not designed for use in the pavement. Instead, mountain bikes are meant to challenge the raw forces of the natural grounds. Mountain bikes have full suspension; this ensures comfort even in the most uncomfortable terrain.

Mountain bikes can handle rocky plains, jagged hills, dirt trails, and even semi-dense forests. In order to have these capabilities, the bikes are designed with a heavy and strong body to absorb severe punishments, they also have excellent braking systems which are critical for mountain travels, and they have thick rubber tires to ensure that the bike has enough hold on the ground, however inconsistent that specific ground might be.

There are two general categories of mountain bikes: frontal suspension, and full suspension bikes. Frontal suspension bikes are significantly cheaper than full suspension and offer less comfort.

Recreational bikes

Recreational bikes are also known as hybrid bikes. These bikes are typically favored by individuals who are new to bicycling. Generally, most individuals think that these hybrid bikes possess the impressive features of both road and mountain bikes. Well, hybrid bikes do have some of the important features of the two, but only to a limited extent. Basically, you can use these bikes on the road, and they are equally comfortable off the road.

However, if you are into more specialized biking, you will realize that this hybrid bike falls short of your standards. They may be useable on the pavement, but they do not handle as well as the road bikes. As a matter of fact, using a hybrid might not be a smart idea to enter a very busy traffic.

Women’s bikes

Feminists might say that certain bike manufacturers have gender bias. The truth of the matter is, the physiology of men differ from that of women. As such, bike makers have designed bikes which are more proportionate to the physiological features of women. More specifically, these bikes are a tad shorter than the typical men’s bikes.   Furthermore, mountain and road bikes have versions for females.

So, we’ve summarized the general categories of bikes. In addition, there are other types of bikes that you will see in the bike stores but we’ll save those details for a subsequent article.