Orange Street Velo

Best Life Magazine Reports


How To Buy The Best....

A Road Bike
There’s a saying amongst cyclists: Friends don’t let friends buy bikes
online. It’s not that good deals aren’t to be found there (indeed, from an
absolute price standpoint, just the opposite is true), but rather because
online purchases don’t come with the innumerable (and often unwritten)
fringe benefits that many real-world shops provide, such as a fit service,
free tune-ups, and the all-important test ride. These factors are so
important that they comprise the first step in bike buying: Choose the
right store. Here’s how to find a good shop and select the perfect set of
wheels once you’re there. Buy local, your relationship with the bike shop doesn't
end when you sign the sales receipt. Odds are, you’ll need those bike experts to
true your wheels, tighten cables, and even swap out worn parts at some
point. Do you really want to drive an hour to get a tune-up? A good shop
will also organize group rides, provide maintenance clinics that teachskills
such as how to change a tire (it’s much harder than it sounds), and
employ a sales staff that caters to every skill level. You’re going to rely on
their bicycling knowledge until you develop enough of your own, so if you
get attitude, or if the salesman seems uninterested, go elsewhere.
Consider the whole package, once a bike catches your eye
don’t be distracted by its individual components. Manufacturers often
install one high-end part to catch consumers’ attention and then skimp
on the rest of the component package to make up the cost. Consider the
component system as a whole, making sure that most of the parts are
of the same quality. A top-of-the-line Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur
won’t do you an ounce of good if your off-brand brakes fail in traffic.
Upgrade to carbon fiber. Many great sub- $1,000 bikes exist,
but if you can afford to shop above that price point, you’ll be rewarded
with carbon fiber. Most $1,200-plus road bikes come with carbon-fiber
forks, and many also have carbon-fiber handlebars and seat posts, all
of which dampen road vibrations better than aluminum (the material of
choice for less expensive frames). Bottom line: The more carbon a bike
has, the more enjoyable it will be to ride.

+ Best Life No-Brainer
If you can afford it, go for the Cannondale Six Carbon 6—a
smooth riding, full carbon bike for $1800.00
Cannondale.com