Why Should You Use A Road Bike Size Chart When You Buy A Bike

When a person first starts looking to buy a new bike there are a lot of questions that go through their minds. They are concerned about the look of the bike, what it’s made out of, its quality and so on but often little thought is put into the size they should buy. Those who have been riding a while realize that size is very important to the comfort and efficiency of their rides. That is why we use a road bike size chart to help us.

You can find all kinds of sizing charts for road bikes on the Internet. But these charts are only meant to be a guideline. The only way you can know for sure is to try the bike. One of the reasons is each company tends to make the geometry of their bikes slightly different. Now this is good because that means you have a variety of bikes to look at and find one that really fits you well but it makes finding that bike more difficult.

It is not only the size of bike that needs to be right but the fit is where the fine adjustments are made to get the bike set specifically to you. If the fit isn’t right then you won’t be comfortable and if you’re not comfortable you won't tend to ride. Not only that but you end up using more energy to get the same result out of your bike.

Yes there are some common rules for getting your bike to fit right but they are only that and because we are all different the way a bike fits us is bound to be different. As I said already that getting the fir right is further complicated by the fact that manufacturers use different geometries for their bikes which position the rider differently causing them to feel different to each person.

Getting this all correct is really important before you buy your road bike. So once you have figured out the right size of bike the way you get the fit right is to adjust the saddle and handlebars to the right position or height to suit the person that is going to ride it. It can be set close for you by years of cycling experience but really there are only two ways to get it fit properly.

The first requires you to have your bike hooked up to a computer and you to ride it while a technician makes minor adjustment and by seeing your output they can get the setup right. This cost a fair amount of money and the places you can do this are few and far between.

The second take you riding the bike and maybe with the help of a technician adjusting the bike over a number of rides to try and find the sweet spot. They do this by adjusting the seat up and down and forward and back to get it set right. They also can adjust the handlebars up and down and forward and back by using different stems.

Sounds all pretty complicated and it is. Some of the adjustment are a comfort thing with they will need input from you on. To get your performance maximized it might require the bike to be set not quite as comfortable as you would like so sometimes compromises are necessary depending on your preference.

All in all buying the right size of bike can be added by you using a road bike size chart to buy the right size but it is the fit of the bike that will get you riding down the road in comfort and with minimized effort.

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 Road Bike Size Chart, visit Best Entry Level Road Bike.