Buying One Of The Cheap Road Bikes On The Market Will Help Get You Started

Right now is a perfect time to shop for a new road bike. There are more manufacturers than ever offering more models at a wider price range. To some that may be confusing but it is to your advantage as you are able to find the one that meets all your desires more easily. For those just getting started into cycling often the place they start looking is at cheap road bikes.

This in my opinion is not a bad idea. When I got started not all that many years ago that is exactly what I did. I wasn’t sure how much cycling outdoors I would do. You see I had cycled for several years indoors in a spin class but didn’t have a bike and cycling outdoors did appeal to me that much. I was encouraged to get started outdoors because many of my friends saw that I was enjoying the class and they rode outdoors during the summer. Needless to say once I got started I got the bug and now it is my tension relief and my fitness program.

So what should you look for in a cheap bike you ask?

Well let’s look at the frame first. Manufacturers today are predominantly using three materials: steel, aluminum and carbon fiber, though you will only find the first two used in a cheap bike. Each of the materials gives a different feel to the way a bike rides.

Bike manufacturers today tend to use aluminum because it is lightweight and stiff. The stiffness of the frame means that more of the rider's energy is transferred into the forward motion of the bike. It is also a fairly inexpensive material to use. However it does give the rider a more bumpy, less comfortable ride.

Another thing that is important is good components. Many of the shifting systems are quite good today but you still need to be careful. See if you can test ride the bike and when you do put it through its paces by making many gear changes. This will tell you how smoothly it transfers from one gear to another. Systems made by Shimano are usually pretty good.

The next thing is the wheel set. Normally all road bikes today come with 700c rims. Rims made out of aluminum are better than steel is for weight but a cheap set of aluminum rims may not stand up to much abuse. You rims and tires are more important than most people realize. But they are where the rubber meets the road and takes all the abuse so a good set is preferred.

Road bikes are definitely a growing area of the market and they are regaining their popularity from the mountain bikes which seemed to take over the market over the last 20 years. Believe it or not people are now trading in their mountain bikes or simply putting them away in favor of road bikes. This may be just another trend but I think it is because they go quicker, have more competitions, are good for exercise and give an all round usability.

Getting into riding by buying one of the cheap road bikes is a great idea and one I used myself.

By: Dave McIntosh

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dave McIntosh has enjoyed cycling for years. If you are looking for more great information on Cheap Road Bikes, visit Best Entry Level Road Bike.