Chapter 1
Your Bike: The Basics
In This Chapter
Deciding to ride a bicycle, or to ride a bike more, is a move you wonât regret. You may have worked out that itâs better for the environment, better for traffic congestion and your community and, Âperhaps most of all, better for your health. When you start riding, youâll kick yourself that you didnât do it earlier.
Riding a bike is fun â it starts that way and it doesnât stop. Every time I rest my feet on my pedals and speed off down my steep driveway, I get a feeling of great pleasure, just as I did when I was a boy and first took off on a bike with a spirit of freedom and adventure.
But itâs not as simple as just going to the shop, buying a bike and riding off down the street. You donât need to know a great deal initially â you can go on learning about bikes forever â but you need to start with an awareness of the basics.
Get the wrong bike and your relationship could become rocky and eventually fall apart. Get the right one and itâll be a marriage made on the perfect bike path. And from there, the richness of your developing affair with your bike will have you dreaming of all the possible things the two of you could do.
This chapter covers the basics to get you started (or back) on the bike and on the right path to a long life together.
Meeting Your Bike
When looking for your bike, play it cool and get it right. A key point in searching for any new relationship is to be self-aware, and thatâs true for cycling as well. Know your own needs and be positive about them. Focus on the many positive aspects a bicycle can provide, rather than what it canât give you.
Stay in control and donât let your feelings be dominated by any past experiences. If youâre coming back to cycling after a break of many years, keep in mind that bikes are different these days. Your perfect bike is out there waiting for you â one that will be kind to you and that you will love.
Defining Your Needs
Before you can choose a bicycle, you do need to have some idea about what kind of riding you intend to do. The more precise you can be, the easier it will be to choose the type of bike to buy. If you already know youâre going to be cruising to work in style (and still beating the train there), or joining your mates on weekend runs with the peloton (a group of cyclists riding in a pack) or following them on singletrack mountain bike adventures, then thatâs great â youâre halfway there.
Asking the Tough Questions
If, like many people, you want your bike for a few different kinds of riding, then youâll have to look at whatâs on offer. It might help if you ask yourself some of these questions:
Bikes are very good for lots of things. You might have made the decision to start riding to work â good for you! â but then realise that not only is it quicker to get to work on a bike, but itâs also much quicker to get to the shops. So you need a bike thatâs fast on tarmac, but that can also be loaded up with some Âpurchases and doesnât stand out as having cost a royal ransom â so you can happily leave it tethered on the street or at the shopping centre.
If youâre after a bike to take on holiday (which is a very good idea) or for daytrips, then you might well be riding on both roads and trails and youâll want to be sure youâve got one that is comfortable and can handle these different conditions. Grab a copy of Cycling For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, for more details about choosing the right bike for your needs.
Building a Relationship with Your Bike
Once youâve found your perfect bicycle, the fun doesnât end there â you then get to start building a strong, long-term relationship with your bike.
You can work out where itâs going to live. (A bike can somehow seem not very big until you realise youâve got nowhere to put one.) Then you can spend time getting to know all your bikeâs different parts, learning names of bits you never knew existed. The bottom bracket wonât seem so base. Youâll get to grips with handlebars. Youâll get your teeth into forks. You can then kit your bike out with various accessories and presents, and introduce it to family and friends â and perhaps you can even get them involved in your trips out with your bike. To ensure you and your bike both look the part, you can work out the most appropriate attire for the kind of cycling you do together. And Âfurther down the track, you may even consider taking your loved one on a well-earned trip away. (You could even check if family or friends want to go along too!)
Finding a space for your bike
Owning a bike is a marvellous thing, but before you walk away from the shop wheeling your brand new friend, you have to give some thought to where youâre going to put it. If youâve got a big shed or garage with plenty of space, you certainly donât have to think about it very long. Thatâs where itâll go.
