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May 14, 2014
Treat Yourself to the Perfect Ride
Treat yourself and rediscover the joy of cycling while making your ride better than it ever has been before.
A great bike helps you handle the unexpected. A great bike can make it easier to pop into a store on the ride home and pick up groceries for the evening. A great bike means that an unexpected rain shower is no reason to panic. A great bike is enjoyable to ride even if your trip requires a detour or two.
Every day, I see people who are struggling against their bikes because they simply don’t work for their needs. Purchased for a charity ride or a weekend trip into the mountains, these bikes are suitable for recreation but make daily use unnecessarily difficult.
To compensate for inadequate bikes and accessories, I regularly spot riders with heavy, overstuffed backpacks or with plastic bags dangling from their handlebars. Many are uncomfortably hunched forward and have a strip of street grime up their backs from a lack of fenders.
While these riders still look quite content, since they are still experiencing the sheer joy of riding, I can only think of how much happier and comfortable they could be on a bike designed for daily use.
A great bike comes in many shapes, sizes, and styles, but at the end of the day a great bike supports your lifestyle without getting in the way. It is a bike equipped with fenders for wet weather, racks or baskets for carrying goods, lights both front and rear to see and be seen, and a few other simple but useful accessories.
I understand that cost can be a barrier in the search for a great bike. But when it comes to improved comfort, ease of riding, and often safety, this initial cost can quickly be offset by the improvement to your own health and happiness.
We encourage you to visit a local bike shop that specializes in everyday riding and has a great retail environment with knowledgeable staff to assist you in upgrading your ride.
Even if you do not live near a retailer that specializes in everyday riding you can find products online, like at PUBLIC Bikes, or in many larger retailers, like REI.
So don’t hesitate any longer and find the perfect bicycle and accessories to enhance your daily ride. Treat yourself and rediscover the joy of cycling while making your ride better than it ever has been before. You are worth it.
Mia Kohout
Editor-in-Chief
Did we miss something? Let us know what you would like to see next time: gear@momentummag.com
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I like the more upright ride due to the good visibility I have of both the cars and the crosswalks. I haven’t gone further than about 5 miles in one direction, but I have to hit some hills on the way home no matter where I am coming from. The position works just fine, my bike’s layout still leaves me room to stand up and pedal up the steep section of the hills if needed.
The side benefit of being more upright is that it leaves you with less worry about flashing people if you bike in a skirt or a dress. I saw a woman on a road type bike in a short skirt the other day, and well I don’t think she realized how much was on display as she rode. I couldn’t warn her from my position, I was driving and she was a few lanes over.
But most importantly, I had no idea upright was even an option till just a few short months ago. And I encourage all prospective riders to try all types of bikes to see what matches their lifestyle. For many a casual rider, upright works just fine.
Whenever I see statements such as “Many are uncomfortably hunched forward …”, I cringe a little. Sure, some people may be on road bikes that are designed for that pronounced aerodynamic lean when they have no intention of racing, and others are on bikes that just don’t fit them.
But I have read way too may people praising a Dutch bike / comfort bike that has a “comfortable” upright posture as an optimal choice for day to day cycling and shopping. In my experience, a hybrid or mountain bike with saddle and handlebars at or near the same height (resulting in a slight crouch) is often much more comfortable than a bike that only allows an upright posture because the handlebar is significantly higher than the saddle.
I have found that an upright posture is fine for light riding on level ground, but once you face a serious incline, windy conditions, and/or the weight of shopping on your rear rack, you cannot power the bike as effectively as one that naturally lets you crouch a bit. An upright position doesn’t engage your core as well as even a slight crouch, so almost all of your power comes from your legs only.
I’d advise anyone trying out an upright bike to compare it to one that allows a slight crouch. Try loading the bikes and cycling uphill. You may find that you need that moderately styled bike to really enjoy day to day biking.
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