What Kind Of Bike Is It?

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the July 31 to August 6, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

According to the intended use and for which the bike is designed, adult bicycles can be broadly categorized into four types: ROAD BIKES, CROSS BIKES and CITY or CRUISER BIKES, and MOUNTAIN BIKES.

While there is a lot of use overlap in bike design, each type of bike is designed to provide optimum performance, comfort and safety under specific use conditions. So which type is your bike?

The ROAD BIKE, sometimes called a racing bike because it is derived from the bikes used by bicycle road racers and tri-athletes, is for fast travel, hard training and competition on paved surfaces.

Because it is generally ridden on relatively smooth paved roads, its frame is made as stiff and light as possible and its frame geometry is designed to give it quick, very precise response to rider input. Its components, especially the wheels, tend to be lighter than those for other categories, again because they are not designed to get banged around as much.

Its dropped handlebars, sometimes equipped with aero bar extensions, are designed to give the rider good leverage for climbing and sprinting, and to position the rider in an aerodynamic ‘tuck’ for speed. Its high-pressure, narrow tires reduce rolling resistance to a minimum.

BUT: The rider tends to be so stiff for comfort on rougher surfaces. The frame and components are too light to take the pounding of off-road excursions. The handlebars position the rider in a way that many find uncomfortable for more casual riding. The narrow tires are not recommended for use on loose surfaces.

The CROSS BIKE, also often called a HYBRID, CROSS TERRAIN BIKE or FITNESS BIKE, is like a Swiss Army Knife. It’s a versatile tool that does many things.

The Cross Bike is a good choice for the rider who is not looking for ultimate in performance either on or off the road, but who wants a bike that will handle paved roads, bike paths, graded fire trails and dirt roads. It is not as fast on pavement as a road bike nor is it designed for hard off-road use on single-track or rocky, rutted, rugged terrain like a mountain bike.

By changing tires, handlebars and shifting and braking controls, your dealer can alter a cross bike’s performance range to favor either paved road performance or dirt road performance, to suit your intended use.

The CITY BIKE, also called a CRUISER or COMFORT BIKE, is designed for comfortable, low-maintenance, casual riding.

It is often equipped with three, five, seven or more gears which are housed in a rear when hub. Its frame is designed for comfort rather than for high performance, and its fat tires are designed for solid, rather than loose, surfaces. It is ideal for around town, for gently rolling or flat rural roads, for a ride around the park, or for a quick trip to the store.

The MOUNTAIN BIKE is designed to give the rider maximum control and durability on a wide variety of harsh terrain.

Everything about Mountain Bike is more rugged. Its frame geometry provides maximum ground clearance and allows you to quickly and easily shift weight to change the balance of the bike as terrain conditions dictate.

Its wide, high-volume tires absorb shock and provide a bigger, more stable footprint on loose or slippery surfaces. Its wide-range gearing, usually with 18 or more speeds, provides the right choice for almost any condition. Many Mountain Bikes come equipped with suspension systems which help absorb the shocks and vibrations of rough trails.

BUT: A Mountain Bike is heavier than a road bike. Its wide tires have greater rolling resistance that road bike tires. While more comfortable for many people, the rider’s more upright position is aerodynamically inefficient. A Mountain Bike is not the best choice for long, fast rides on paved surfaces.

And while the rugged appearance of a Mountain Bike might suggest that they are indestructible, they are not. They are tough and sturdy, BUT as with any machine, abuse soon takes a toll on their ability to perform.

Mountain Bike riding is very different from riding on road. For starters, it is almost certain you will fall off.

Off-road riding usually involves many variables such as changing traction, obstacles, line of sight, uphill, downhill, soft surfaces, dry surfaces, wet surfaces. Off-road riding requires managing complex and constantly changing rider-to-bicycle feedback loop of traction, weight distribution, application of power, application of brakes, and steering driver by the conditions one encounters.

The complexity and ever-changing nature of off-road riding requires focus, concentration, strength, fitness and learning to read the trail. The art of managing these while surrounded by nature makes it a wonderful and exciting sport.

If you have ridden your mountain bike on a paved road, or on a gravel or dirt road, you have done very little in the way of learning to mountain bike. Learning to ride off-road is a process. It does not automatically occur because you have a mountain bike. Learning to ride off-road does not come from watching “extreme” mountain bike vides of T.V. In fact, the riders in those films are professional entertainers and/or lunatics, not teachers.

Get training. Join a club and find experienced people to teach you. It is likely that your retailer can hook you up with local riders. Practice and learn to stay in control. Carefully, progressively, learn to expand your limits, but always ride within them.

Until then and have a safe ride all the time. Put on that cycling helmet each time get on your bike. Remember: YOU CAN BEAT THE EGG WITHOUT BREAKING THE SHELL.* (SP10)