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Ready to Roll: What to Look for in a Bicycle

The first thing to consider is where you’ll be riding your bike—and how far you’ll be going. Will you be tearing through wooded trails? Riding through the neighborhood with your kids? Covering hundreds of miles on the road? How you plan to ride will determine what kind of bike you should buy.

What Kind of Bike Should I Buy?

According to the National Bike Dealers Association, there are four primary types of bikes. Let’s take a look.

• Mountain bikes. These are meant for off-road riding and can handle a certain amount of abuse. But they will also work perfectly well for casual rides to the store—or wherever you’d like to go.
• Road bikes. These are designed strictly for pavement—and for speed. Think Tour de France.
• Hybrid bikes. These are a great option for most of us as they’re a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. Hybrids are especially good for commuting.
• Cruisers. These are the iconic bikes with wide, comfy seats you’re likely to see on the beach or boardwalk. Cruisers are ideal for the casual cyclist who wants to sit upright and enjoy the ride.

Once you decide what type of bike is best for you, you’ll need to make sure you get the right size. In general, the frame should be about .65 percent of your inseam. Don’t feel like doing the math? Then use this bike size calculator.

How to Buy a Bike

You can easily pay anywhere from $100 to more than $1,000 for a bike, depending on your needs and your budget.

There are a lot of benefits to buying your bike from your local bike shop. There will be experts there to help you with your purchase and you’ll establish a relationship you can turn to when you have questions or need maintenance or repairs.

Another option is to buy a used bike. Bicycle BlueBook can help you determine the value of a bike. You can also buy or sell a bike on the site, although shipping fees will definitely jack up the cost of your new wheels.

If you buy a new bike online, remember that you’ll likely be putting it together. Depending on what type of bike you buy, that can be quite a job.

About StorageMart

The only downside to biking? You’ll have more stuff to store. If you’re running out of space, renting a self storage unit can be an ideal solution. At StorageMart, you can rent a unit as small as 25 square feet or so—or up to the size of a garage. We offer affordable self storage units that can be rented on a month-by-month basis and are always clean and well lit. Need more info? Check out our storage unit guide or rent a unit online today.