Grown-up guide to bike-buying

Take off the training wheels and start pedaling.

When you were a kid, buying a bike involved pointing a grubby finger at the shiniest thing with two wheels, then watching your mom or dad instead buy something a bit more affordable. But when you’re an adult, there’s a bit more that goes into picking out the perfect two-wheeler. Picking out a bike as an adult who hasn’t ridden since elementary school can be a daunting process. To find out what questions you should be asking when you’re bike shopping this spring, we went to one of the local experts.

A & B Cycle Manager Patrick Winstead says that the most important thing to remember when looking for a bike is to stick to bike shops while shopping. That means no Wal-Mart and no Target, no matter how trendy their Sunday circular is. By shopping at a local specialty shop you’ll probably pay a bit more than you would at a chain store, but the quality of the product, fit of the bike and quality of assembly will more than make up for the extra dollars. Here are Winstead’s five tips for making sure you get the bike that was meant for you.

1. Know what kind of riding you want to do. The two most common types of bikes are road bikes, for Lance Armstrong–like street rides, or mountain bikes, for trails and rough terrain. Or you could find a bike somewhere in between, called a hybrid, which can be great for trails like the Greenways.
2. Get the correct size. Winstead says bikes at large retailers only come in two or three sizes. A & B Cycle, like any of the local shops listed below, has bikes in five or six sizes. Winstead says A & B uses custom-fitting measurements from bikefitting.com to ensure a comfy ride on a perfectly fitted bike.
3. Set a price range. Entry-level bikes start around $300, while a professional bike could set you back several thousand dollars. Different shops carry different brands, so if you don’t see one you like in your price range, check some of the other places listed below.

If riding a bike isn't your thing, maybe watching other people do it is. Check out the Tour of Missouri professional bicycle race coming in September.

 

Where to buy a bike in Springfield

A & B Cycle

3620 S. National Ave., Springfield,
417-866-6621, abcycle.com 

Cycles Unlimited

1254 E. Republic Rd., Springfield,
417-887-3560,
cyclesunlimited.net

Queen City Cycles

301 W. Walnut St., Springfield,
417-831-0800,
queencitycycles.com

Springfield Bike Shop

3201 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield,
417-883-8100

Sunshine Bike Shop

1926 E. Sunshine St., Springfield,
417-883-1113,
sunshinebike.com


This story originally appeared in the April 2007 edition of 417 Magazine.