Bicycle riding is a great way to exercise the body, but since bike riders share the road with automobiles, proper safety should be exercised to prevent injury or even death. One of the ways you can make yourself safer as a cyclist is to make sure you have the right bicycle to start with. So before you purchase a bike, take into account several different factors that let you know whether you have found the right bicycle to ride on a Montana landscape.
If you happen to be new to bike riding, you should know that there are different types of bikes available, each suited to a particular terrain. Given Montana’s various environments, you want to be sure you pick a bike that suits where you wish to ride. Bicycling.com explains these different types. Road bikes are built to ride on pavements, so there are ideal for riding in your neighborhood. There are also city bikes for people who want to commute to work. Cruiser bikes are for leisurely rides, usually short bike rides in easy environments.
However, if you plan to do bike riding outside of an urban environment, perhaps in one of Montana’s mountainous areas, you should give careful consideration to buying a mountain bike. These are built to handle off-road landscapes. However, some people may cross over paved roads and natural surfaces. While mountain bikes can handle riding on pavement, some people opt for gravel bicycles, finding them to be a better fit.
Whichever bicycle you choose, it is a good idea to test it out before you buy it. Once you have found a dealer in your area, ask the dealer about test riding. Ideally, you should test the bike on terrain that closely matches the kind of landscape you will typically ride on. While testing, you should also sport the kind of clothes you would normally wear while riding. A ride that lasts about 20 minutes should suffice.
Also pay attention to bike features like handlebars, suspension and brakes. According to Lifehacker, bike suspension is important for maintaining your suspension if you are riding on rugged land, so mountain bikes are likely to have significant suspension. If the bike does not have suspension, it is probably built to handle smooth pavement and not mountainous areas. The different positions of handlebars available also give you varying levels of control. Likewise, you may find, depending on the brakes on the bike, that the bicycle is better suited to mountains or city riding.
At Colton Holm Law Firm, we look forward to learning how we can help you resolve your legal concern.Call us today: (406) 259-9986