What to Look For

• Buying a bike can be great fun, but it can also be difficult to know where to start when faced with row upon row of shiny machines.
• From fold-up commuter bikes to lightweight racers with impossibly thin tyres, the range is immense. BMX bikes rub handlebars with off-roaders, while touring bikes jostle for space and attention with hybrid machines designed to do a bit of everything.
• So where to start? Clearly the obvious first step is to work out exactly what you want to do on your bike – or at least, what you expect to do most often. Are you planning the occasional weekend ride with the family or off-road antics in the local woods? Is the bike for an adventurous teenager or a sober commuter?
• Deciding what you need it for will help to make the choice of machine more manageable. Then you need to think about price range, build quality and added extras such as suspension, number of gears, etc.
• When choosing your smart new bike, bear in mind that efficient cycling depends on reducing friction and weight as much as possible.
• Fat, knobbly tyres may be great when ploughing through mud, but they will take much more effort per mile when popping out to the newsagents.
• It’s the same with full suspension. You need your effort to be translated into turning the wheels round, not bouncing the saddle up and down, so if you are planning to stay on the black stuff as opposed to the brown muddy stuff, don’t be swayed by the latest technology. Road racers – even Tour de France stars – don’t have suspension on their bikes.
• The number of gears available these days ranges from five to twenty-odd, and again you need to think how many you really need. If you live in a hilly area then 18 or 21 might be useful, but if you are likely to stay somewhere in the mid-range then 10 will probably be enough.
• Make sure your bike is comfortable. Choose the right kind of saddle and make certain that the machine fits you. Any reputable shop will be happy to take as long as you need to make sure you are buying something that is your size.
• Think about accessories such as panniers and a bell, and make sure you have front and rear lights and the batteries to make them work. Even if you think you will only ride during the day, there is always a chance that you will be delayed and end up cycling in the dusk, if not in the dark.
• A helmet is not compulsory, but most people with a brain – particularly one they want to protect – will see the sense in investing in one. There is plenty of other protective clothing on the market and most of it has the additional advantage of being high visibility so that car and truck drivers will see you just that bit earlier.
• A pump will prove useful if you haven’t already got one lying in the garage, and a puncture kit might just save you from a lengthy walk home one day.
• There’s a fair bit to think about, but get it right and your view of the Kent countryside will never be the same again!

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