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After a new bike? If you’re not already familiar with the esoteric world of bikes it can be a little daunting once you start researching the marketplace trying to find what bike suits you best. With so many bike brands offering so many models of such variety where on earth do you actually begin? And then there is your budget to consider!
Many potential bike buyers combine the rhetoric of magazines and manufacturers with advice from friends and family. After all, they have a bike, so they know what they’re talking about, right? Well, yes and no.
One of the absolute key fundamentals when it comes to buying a bike for yourself is figuring out what you want to use it for. And be honest with yourself. There is little point in falling in love with a super sleek time trial bike if your main purpose for your new bike purchase is so you can cruise the waterfront in comfort. Even if that time trial machine does comes in your favourite colour.
Follow this very simple guide to buying your new bike and you shouldn’t go far wrong.
1. What do you want to use your new bike for?
Instead of heading for a category of bike and trying to work out which style you’re after, take a step back and ask yourself what you actually want to use the bike for. This will naturally lead you to a category of bike that suits you best and whittles away a significant majority of the styles of bike available.
The most generic categories are:
- Road
- Time Trial & Track
- Mountain Bike
- Path & Trail
- BMX & Jump
Read through all the below taking into account that many styles come in women's and men's specific models, asking yourself (be honest, remember) what you want from your bike, do you want to:
- ride pretty much exclusively on the road, with the traffic, and cover distances of over 15km? Yes, hitting up the tarmac is for me
– Talk to me about Road Bikes
- use the bike as part of your upcoming triathlon races, or perhaps you’ve seen the cycle velodrome and really fancy a crack at that? Yes, I feel the need for speed
– Talk to me about Time Trial & Track Bikes
- perform most of your riding off-road, hitting the trails and riding the dirt? Yes, dirt is most definitely where it’s at
– Talk to me about Mountain Bikes
- ride on the road occasionally, use the provided cycle lanes and paths where there may be some gravel or dirt, for distances of around or less than 15km? Yes, biking is a casual pursuit for me
– Talk to me about Path & Trail Bikes
- hit the jumps in your local skate park and/or generally play around in the urban environment with your friends making use of the obstacles on offer? Yes, isn’t this the only kind of riding?
– Talk to me about BMX & Jump Bikes
So you’ve realised that a road bike is the way forward for you and the appeal of hitting the tarmac and feeling the speed as your skinny tyres whisk along the asphalt is too much to resist. Nice. So where to now?
There are many factors to consider when getting a road bike. The most important is fit. If the bike doesn’t work with your body shape then it’s never going to be enjoyable to ride. Most road bikes are available in a wide range of sizes so try a couple out and bear in mind that if you’re not used to sitting on a road bike you’re going to feel a little like you’re doing a Superman stunt with the stretched out position.
Other factors to consider are the geometry of the bike, its components and the material it’s made from.
Geometry
Do you see yourself as the racer, head down in the sprint, gunning it for first place or a slightly more relaxed rider, still in the mix but willing to take it easier when the mood fits? Road bikes actually come with differing geometries to reflect these different types of rider. The differences are often slight but help you get a bike that suits you best.
Material
Most road bikes are now either made of an alloy such as aluminium, or carbon fibre. Other materials such as steel and titanium are used but are far less common. Carbon fibre is currently ‘en vogue’ as it offers the perfect combination of light weight, stiffness and compliancy where required. If you are able to secure a carbon fibre frame then you’ll likely have a great chassis for all the components to hang off.
If not, aluminium bikes will come through cheaper, still offer a great ride, and leave you with a better component group.
Components
The frame and fork are the heart of the bike and the components compliment them. If there are very steep hills in the area you intend to ride most make sure that the bike has the range of gears to help you climb them as it’s no fun walking and pushing.
The wheels are one of the most important components on the bike and any upgrades here make a large difference to the performance of your bike.
View our Road Bikes here
Casual Road Bike Race Road Bike
Unless you’re already a dedicated cyclist, triathlete or track rider it is unlikely that you’ll want to go for a dedicated time trial bike. They’re uncompromising and designed for one thing only: maximum speed, with comfort being a distant second consideration.
Road bikes can be very easily modified to work very well in triathlons thanks to a few accessories and some careful aftermarket component choices so do consider a road bike and see our Road Bikes above.
View our Time Trial bikes
Time trial bike
You’ve realised that dirt, mud, roots and rocks are where the real appeal lies for you. You’ve probably now realised there is a plethora of choice out there – full suspension vs hardtail vs fully rigid, disc brakes vs rim brakes, one gear vs some gears vs up to 30 gears! Then we have frame materials and the amount of suspension travel on offer. To make this as simple as possible we’ll need to break down a little further the kind of riding you want to do.
Just to compound matters there are different sized wheels to consider with 29” wheels being en vogue currently over the more conventional 26” wheels bike. This is a whole other debate with advocates for both wheel sizes defending their corner with passion. We’ll cover this topic on its own at a later date. For now, just be concerned with the following:
Cross Country Rider
This category covers the large majority of mountain bikers. You just want to ride off-road, taking the ups with the downs and generally have a blast in the dirt.
Bike manufacturers cleverly spec their bikes with components that match the model of bike, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about bike spec and should focus more on what you want out of your bike.
Mountain bikes have evolved from fully rigid clunkers into the pedigree machines they are today. Most riders will be looking at a bike that is either fully suspended or a hardtail (front suspension) with disc brakes for consistent stopping power. If you want a bike for casual off-road duties then you should be looking at something with between 100-120mm travel front and rear. This is absolutely plenty for most riders and most trail conditions. If, however, you really do fancy taking on some of the far more technical terrain and parks then a bike with 120-150mm travel would be best for you.
If budget is the deciding factor between a hardtail and a full suspension bike it is very likely best to go for a hardtail as the bike will be significantly lighter and come with a far better spec list of components that will last longer and be far lighter.
View all our hardtail MTBs and our full suspension bikes
Hardtail Bike 100-120mm Full Suspension XC Bike 120-150mm Trail Bike
Cross Country Racer
Speed and podiums are the ultimate goal. You watch what you eat, you train and you feel the urge to compete. Choose a bike based predominantly for its weight. Racing cross country bikes are light and sport steep geometry designed to turn fast. Most commonly they are hardtails with a 100-120mm suspension fork but full suspension racing bikes are gaining in popularity thanks to their comfort. Again, these usually come with between 100-120mm travel.
XC Race Bike
Downhiller
You’d rather lick the dried-up mud off your legs than ride up that trail choosing instead to wait for the uplift service or gondola or very casually push your bike back to the top of the trail. Downhill bikes are highly technically evolved, generally quite dear, and designed purely to be driven by gravity. Usually the reserve of experienced off-road bikers.
View our Downhill Bikes
Downhill Bike
Bikes are for cruising and enjoying the scenery, right? Speed is not the determining factor, comfort and enjoyment are. There are a myriad of bikes that cater to your needs with bikes tuned slightly more towards path and trail (for some very light off-road duties), those that are designed to keep you moving quickly along the road and those for just looking really quite cool.
So, which one? For commuting and general road riding you’ll want a road-orientated bike with geometry that offers a more relaxed position on the bike than a conventional road bike with thin road-going tyres to help keep speed up and effort down.
If you think you may not be sharing your time between commuting and paths and trails then a road-going bike with a flat or riser bar and slightly knobbly tyres will still see you zipping along the rods but keep your more stable when it comes time to hit the gravel.
If it’s the latter you’re after there are also bikes that come under the ‘urban’ category. Designed for minimum maintenance and to look chic and understated whilst out and about. Great for nipping to the café, and generally blasting around the streets.
View our Path & Trail bikes
Road-orientated Bike Road/Trail Bike Urban Bike
You’ve seen the pros hitting up the vert ramp, tail-whipping a spine or launching the doubles and you just know that’s what you need in your life. BMX and Jump bikes are small, manoeuvrable and inherently heavy as they’re built to take abuse.
Many riders are using mountain bike sized wheels (26”) as they’re easier to ride, often come with front suspension and generally more versatile for use in other scenarios.
The truly dedicated will have a BMX designed specifically for the purpose but if you’re unsure which field you want to get into, a dirt-orientated mountain bike will fit your needs perfectly.
View our BMX bikes, or our 4X & Jump bikes
BMX Bike 4X / Jump Bike
What is your budget – and think about the extras!
Unfortunately, unless you happen to be an oil baron, budget is always a factor. As with most things in life, the more you have to spend the better the bike you’re going to get. But none of it matters if you don’t buy a bike that will fit with your intentions for it, so this is the over-riding consideration. What will work for you?
If you’re relatively new into the world of bikes you’re going to need some budget for the essentials such as: helmet, spare tubes, pump, lubrication for your chain, the correct clothing. As a rule of thumb, keep 10-20% of your budget for these things if you’re new to bikes and you shouldn’t end up overspending.
Conclusion
Don’t be put off by the choice. If you follow the guide and secure some sage council you’ll get just the right bike for you.
If you’re even remotely unsure get down to your local bike shop for their advice. That’s what they’re there for and it’s their job (and passion) to know what will suit you best. A good bike shop will take all your needs into consideration and provide you with the best bike for you. They want you to enjoy it – after all, they want you to get into it and enjoy riding your bikes. Bikes aren’t just a mode of transport, they’re a way of life, and if you get into it, you’ll get hooked and return again. So trust them and get out there and enjoy it!
Happy riding.
All prices are shown in New Zealand Dollars and inclusive of GST unless otherwise stated.
© 2010 Sheppard Industries Ltd
