| |
Fitting A Road Bike Frame To Your Needs By Alastair Hamilton - For most of us, well-intentioned but casual bike riders who secretly believe we might be Lance Armstrong's heir if we only had a few more hours a day to spend on our bicycles, buying a new road bike is tantamount to buying a road bike frame. The frame is what we're thinking of, something new and shiny and colorful, something we suspect even car drivers envy when they see us flash through the snarl of traffic. Truly, a road bike frame is a beautiful thing and part of the reason we love bicycling.
When you have the good fortune to be looking at new bicycles, though, you definitely want to look at a few elements besides the color of a road bike frame. Face it. When you're on your way back home from a long Sunday ride and you're riding your thirty-fifth mile smack into a stiff headwind, the fact that your frame is cobalt blue or even Bianchi green is not going to help you. The length of your seat tube is going to help you and the length of your top tube and even the angle of the three main tubes all put together is going to help (or hinder) you, but color is not.
If you shop at a discount store or even a general purpose sports store, if you get any help at all in choosing a bike that fits you, it will probably consist of a clerk instructing you to stand over the top bar of the frame and see if you can comfortably straddle it with your feet on the floor. This is not really particularly helpful, especially if you happen to have anything unique about your physique, like long legs combined with a short torso. If you have long legs, you can straddle almost any bike, but will your body be able to relax comfortable in the stretch between your saddle and the handlebars? The whole geometry of the road bike frame matters a lot to fit. And fit matters excessively to comfort.
If you're a racer, comfort will not be your only consideration. Indeed,
Schleck ousted from Tour of Spain Two-time Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck is sent home from the Tour of Spain for breaking team rules. Laws secures breakthrough victory Britain's Sharon Laws wins the first major race of her career by sprinting to victory in stage one of the Tour de Ardeche. Tour of Spain latest standings (external) Manxman Mark Cavendish is among the riders at the Vuelta a Espana, the third of the year's three Grand Tours. Blyth out to fulfil Olympic dream Leeds' Anna Blyth wants to emulate the success of her team-mates at the 2012 Olympics Team Sky withdraw from Spain Tour Team Sky pull out of the Tour of Spain following the death of masseur Txema Gonzalez. Millar replaces Thomas in GB team David Millar replaces Geraint Thomas in Britain's three-man team for the road cycling World Championships in Melbourne. McLaughlin smashes trial record James McLaughlin smashes the Guernsey Velo Club's five mile time trial record by 20 seconds. Cavendish beaten again in Spain Mark Cavendish is beaten in a sprint finish for the second time in three days in the Tour of Spain. Tour legend Fignon dies aged 50 Two-time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon dies of cancer at the age of 50. Ill Team Sky riders abandon Tour Two Team Sky riders quit the Tour of Spain during the third stage having been left sick by a mystery illness that has swept through the team. Cavendish loses in sprint finish Mark Cavendish retains the leader's red jersey in the Tour of Spain, despite being edged out by Yauheni Hutarovich in a sprint finish to the second stage. Team hands Cavendish Spain lead Mark Cavendish takes the leader's red jersey in the Tour of Spain after his HTC-Columbia squad win the floodlit opening team time trial in Seville. Storey included in England team Multiple Paralympic gold medallist Sarah Storey is named in England's cycling team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. GB duo join Cavendish at Worlds Geraint Thomas and Jeremy Hunt are named as support riders for Mark Cavendish's bid to win the World Championships road race in Melbourne in September. Hoy and Pendleton set for Poland British Olympic champions Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton will head to Poland in November for the European Track Cycling Championships.
it may be down among the last elements you consider. Speed is not usually built from comfort, and the road bike frame that promotes speed is built of different materials than one used primarily for recreational riding. Frames can be made of titanium, chrome-moly, aluminum or steel, and each metal has different advantages of weight and strength. Frame geometry varies, too, with touring bikes featuring a longer vertical base and top tube than the skittish racing models.
So when you're looking at road bike frames, think beyond the paint. Get a frame that fits both you and your purpose. Whether you do your research online or in a good bike store, you'll be glad you took the time. Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com Alastair Hamilton is a successful writer who offers a truly unique depth of experience in competitive cycling, he also contributes adding technical articles on road bikes to www.bike-cycling-reviews.com/road-bikes.html . Reach further information on bicycle components and reviews at www.bike-cycling-reviews.com
| |