Because cycling carries many benefits, many people are venturing out into the real world of traffic on the two wheels without a motor.
One of my friends is looking for a new bike that would be suitable to ride the short route from his work to his home. I did a little digging, and this is what I found.
Are road bikes easier to ride? Bikes are geometrically the same. Road bikes are designed for pavements which means it will be slightly more difficult to balance because of the sleek, yet robust weight change.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at how various types of bikes ride, as well as which ones tend to ride easier than others.
Read Also: Are Bicycle Pedals Universal?
How Does a Road Bike Ride
Road bikes are light, sleek, and polished with a design for speed. With its “over the handlebar” makeup that encourages posture for more control, many would say that it is the least comfortable of bikes.
However, the gear ranges tend to be a tad higher than that of your typical mountain or hybrid bikes.
A groupset is basically a package creator for bikes. It determines which components combine with others. A bike model’s groupset is time consumed, hard refining consistency.
If worried about the combinations and the complex gear sets, just tweak the groupset. This gives you more power over the reality of how the bike will ride daily.
The speed potential typically is favored by the most number of people. One of the cons of riding a road bike is the gear range.
Since it was designed typically for speed, the differences are subtle, and lower speeds will be difficult to maneuver in. A little bend in the elbows will do the trick.
Road Bike vs. Mountain Bikes
In the bike world, the higher the gear ratio, the higher the speed potential of the bike.
Road bikes are on the high gear ratio spectrum, making them easier to ride due to the agility and rhythm that are more in tune with the roads that you’ll be riding on.
Road Bike’s frame boosts the rider to sit in a more erect position. This gives more control that will be needed in those high gears.
This bike also aids with climbing up inclines, unless it’s a downhill bike.
Mountain bikes are built for mountains. With this being said, they will be slower paced on pavements of any kind and slightly rough on the cyclist’s ride.
Mountain bikes also have additional:
- Suspension
- Weight
- Gear ratio
- Tires
These are some of the largest reasons as to why they ride differently.
Recreational Uses
Road bikes and mountain bikes are both used for recreational use. However, mountain bikes are going to require more of an output on the riders end.
While road bikes are simply going for a swim. Mountain bikes are typically used in many different situations. This entitles them to a more diverse speed gear set.
With all the hills, sudden stops and crooks and crannies, mountain bikes need the extra freedom in range.
Unfortunately, the road bike is limited when it comes to speed gears, yet it will soar past a mountain bike if placed in a race.
Road bikes are by far the fastest, yet the mountain bike will be the most flexible in the gears.
Are Road Bikes Safer?
Injuries can occur while on any bike, but riding in the mountains is far more dangerous than riding on the sidewalks downtown.
For this purpose, road bikes are considered to be safer. Road bikes are more suitable for daily use. One important factor that comes into play for all cyclist is weight.
Weight will counterpart in determining the speed potential as well. Higher speeds account for a higher rate of falling or losing control of the bike.
Tire width compared to its pound per square inch is a well know formula when trying to figure some of the questions tied to control and handle.
Example: A person of an average weight being around 130lbs will pair with a 25mm tire width that will give approximately 85 pounds per square inch, and so on.
Importance of the Wheel
The importance of wheels is evident. The wheels are dependent on the weight of the bike, determine how well a bike accelerates and carries momentum, and dictate bike aerodynamics and handling in the wind.
Road bikes are typically the safest with its frame and posture settings. However, speed will have to be monitored more closely to ensure safety.
Cycling does require skill and a rather technique to balance. It is planned and created to keep cyclists off the ground. All is fair in gravity and cycling. Don’t be afraid of the brake shocks.
What Road Bike Should I Purchase?
New cyclists need to know that up abrupt hills or canyons, triple or compact cranksets are best. Experienced cyclists and flat-land cyclists may prefer a double crankset.
Most aluminum frames provide a quality ride and are less expensive than carbon fiber. Most aluminum-frame road bikes that are made with a carbon fiber front fork to absorb some road vibration and give an enhanced ride quality.
Carbon-fiber bike frames offer a more vibration-absorbing ride than an aluminum frame. For this reason, they can get a lot pricier than aluminum-framed bikes due to the extra time it takes to create.
Price does not guarantee the quality of the ride. The ride quality would depend on the specific frame of the bike.
Buying a road bike is not difficult, but knowing a few guidelines could save you the trouble of either spending too much or too little money on what you truly are looking for. There are three factors to seriously consider when looking to purchase a bike. These are:
- Quality
- Price
- Durability
Read Also: What Bike Size Should I Get?
Geometric Performance
Road bikes that perform geometrically are favored by competitive riders. They allow a more elastic and formable form to the betterment of aerodynamics and are more receptive to steering input.
Professional bikes that are used for race or competition have sturdier frames with lighter wheels with an even heftier ticket price.
Road Bike Models
There are two top companies responsible for the varied road bike models: Shimano and SRAM.
Shiamno Models start at entry-level and go as high as pro level. However SRAM starts at general, which is not far from entry-level.
In the order starting from entry-level to midrange to the high-end enthusiast to pro-race level, these are the models from Shimano:
- Sora
- Tiagra
- 105
- Ultergra
- Dura Ace
For starters, if you are looking to upgrade levels within a year, I would advise starting with the general use level road bike, Tiagra.
The SRAM models starting at general are:
- Apex
- Rival Force
- Red
Custom-Built Option
The custom-built bike option arises when the choice of wheels are not defaulted at the purchase of the bike. If In cycling, the higher the model corresponds with, the lighter and faster the wheelset is.
Recreational and fitness riders are less likely to worry about wheel choice. Competitive cyclists, however, are a different scenario.
Wheelset will be everything on the track. A wheelset upgrade is widely considered the best return on investment for decreasing bike weight and increasing its responsiveness.
A groupset is basically a package creator for bikes. It determines which components combine with others. A bike model’s groupset is time consumed, hard refining consistency.
The groupset system is the isthmus to define the quality of a bike and the difference between any others. Shimano and SRAM are well-known component distributors of drivetrains.
Why Should I Get a Road Bike?
10% of the entire world’s population cannot afford a car, yet 80% of those same people can afford a bike. Cycling provides affordable travel that can cut down the cost of factors such as:
- Gas
- Pollutants
- Time (in some cases)
Also, many cities such as New York and Los Angeles are leading the way for “greener” cities, which is seemingly having a large impact all across the country in helping the environment, while keeping people healthy and saving money.
Becoming More Socialable
Purchasing a road bike encourages social activity. For those who are commuting from home to work with no room in between for free time, cycling is interactive, and there will always be someone you stroll by in route.
Socializing may not have been on your mind when thinking of reasons to get a bike, but it is certainly one of the great underlying aspects of it.
Staying Healthy
On top of making friends, the action of cycling is easy on the joints, provides an aerobic workout, builds muscle, improves balance and even constructs bone density. So, there is no doubt why getting a road bike is basically a need be.
However, road bikes beat those simulator workout bikes in the gym or in your home.
Being in the city and actively engaging in experience bypasses the urge of needing or wanting to exercise on a daily basis. This enacts the mind to want to ride where people are more frequently.
Environments thrive when there is nothing interfering with it. Commuting 10km would decrease the greenhouse gas emission by 1500km each year.
Talk about going green! As mentioned earlier, we are seeing a large increase in many cities promoting biking as a means of travel as well.
Having a road bike would not only be a health investment, but also an adventure most people are wishing they still had in their lives. Cycling also relieves many suppressors of the day.
Road bikes are for more acceptable use. The daily use of a quick workout to store or just for a change in close scenery is where these bikes come in.
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