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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Explore, travel, and get fit on two wheels
Biking For Dummies will teach you the basics of riding your bike as a workout or as a mode of transportation. Great for people of all ages and fitness levels, this book shows you how to select the best bike for your needs, how to ride safely, and how to maintain your bicycle, so you can enjoy the many adventures that lie ahead. This entertaining Dummies guide answers all your questions about e-bikes, cycling etiquette, must-have gear and gadgets, and staying safe out there. Plus, you’ll find bicycle maintenance advice and tips that will help you get faster and ride farther, even if you’re starting from zero. Become a cyclist, the Dummies way.
- Choose the right bike for you and find places to ride it
- Use correct form, learn the rules of the road, and enjoy every ride
- Learn to keep your bike or e-bike in good shape for years to come
- Discover which equipment you need, and which you can live without
Biking For Dummies is for beginners who want to start cycling, and for experienced riders looking for reliable info. Start with a quick ride around the block and branch out to long rides and exciting cycling vacations. There’s no limit to where two wheels can take you.
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Seitenzahl: 499
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Biking For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Biking For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Starting Off on the Right Wheel
Chapter 1: Almost Everything You Need to Know about Bicycles
Recognizing Where Bicycles Come From
Identifying the Parts of a Bicycle
Producing a Bike for Every Rider
Weighing the Benefits of Riding a Bike
Chapter 2: Sizing Up the Right Bike and Fit
Measuring Up to a Bicycle’s Angles
Special Considerations
Choosing the Proper Bike Size
Fitting Yourself to Your Bike
Chapter 3: Cockpit, Part 1: Handlebars, Grips, and Headsets
Handlebars
Grips and Handlebar Tape
Headsets
Chapter 4: Cockpit, Part 2: Stems, Seatposts, and Saddles
Stems
Seatposts
Saddles
Chapter 5: Brakes, Wheels, and Tires
Brakes: The Best Invention Ever
Wheels
Tires (and Tubes)
Chapter 6: Drivetrains
First Things First: Systems versus Components
Crankset
Bottom Bracket
Chainring
Chain
Cassette (or freewheel)
Derailleur
Shifter
Bearings
Pedals
Part 2: Buying a New Bike and Other Gear You Need
Chapter 7: Finding the Perfect Bike
Road Bikes
Gravel Bikes
Cyclocross Bikes
Mountain Bikes
Commuter Bikes
Fitness/Hybrid Bikes
Cruiser Bikes
Cargo Bikes
e-Bikes
Recumbent Bikes
Adaptive Bikes
Kids’ Bikes or Balance Bikes
Bikes by Frame Material
Chapter 8: Purchasing Your New Set of (Two) Wheels
Considering Your Favorite Type of Riding
Finding Where to Buy a Bicycle
Knowing What You Can Expect to Spend
Buying a Used Bike
Chapter 9: Getting the Necessary Gear and Equipment
Safety for Your Head: Helmets
Safety for Your Eyeballs: Sunglasses and Eye Protection
Safety Illumination: Lights and Reflectors
Lock It Up
Ah-Oogah! Horns and Bells
Items Made for Comfort
Maintenance Supplies
Common Accessories
Part 3: Using and Maintaining a Bicycle
Chapter 10: Preparing for Your First Ride
Before Your First Ride
Before Your Next Ride
Chapter 11: Riding a Bike 101
The Basics of Riding a Bike
Teaching a Kid How to Ride a Bike
Chapter 12: Riding Safely: Following the Rules of the Road, Path, and Trail
Keeping Safety in Mind
Rules of the Road
Follow Etiquette for Group Rides
Rules of the Bike Path
Prepare for Riding in Bad Weather
Rules of the Trail
Chapter 13: Fixing and Maintaining Your Bike
Cleaning Your Bike
Cleaning the Chain
Pumping Up the Tires and Checking for Wear
Adjusting the Brakes
Knowing What to Do When a Ride Goes Wrong
Adjusting Gears and Shifting: Mechanical Derailleurs
Repairing and Replacing a Chain
What to Do If You Wreck
Repairing, Replacing, and Retiring Old Bikes and Parts
Chapter 14: Finding Good Places to Ride
There’s an App for That
Locating Local Hotspots
Riding with the Family
Joining a Cycling Club
Taking a Biking-Focused Vacation
Transporting Your Bike
Part 4: The Part of Tens
Chapter 15: Ten Training Tips
On-the-Bike Workouts
Off-the-Bike Workouts
Chapter 16: Ten Bucket List Events
RAGBRAI
Five Boro Bike Tour
Levi’s GranFondo
Multi-Day Bicycle Tours
Belgian Waffle Ride
Grinduro
24 Hours of Old Pueblo
Sea Otter Classic
Breck Epic
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 2
TABLE 2-1: Measurements for Bike Frame Sizes
Chapter 8
TABLE 8-1 Bike-Buying Scenarios
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: The hobby horse.
FIGURE 1-2: The boneshaker.
FIGURE 1-3: The penny-farthing.
FIGURE 1-4: The safety bicycle.
FIGURE 1-5: The basic components of a modern bicycle.
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: A geometry chart for a typical bicycle.
FIGURE 2-2: Closeup of head angle and fork offset measurements.
FIGURE 2-3: A mountain bike with a weird seat tube angle.
FIGURE 2-4: Proper leg extension.
FIGURE 2-5: Proper body position.
FIGURE 2-6: A professional bike fit diagram.
FIGURE 2-7: Proper knee position over the pedals.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: A drop bar and its key measurements.
FIGURE 3-2: A flat bar with a 20mm rise.
FIGURE 3-3: L3GION’s Cory Williams rides in an aero-bar-and-base-bar combo on a...
FIGURE 3-4: A lock-on grip (top) and foam grip (bottom).
FIGURE 3-5: Handlebar tape on a gravel bike.
FIGURE 3-6: A threaded headset shown with the top of a steerer.
FIGURE 3-7: A threadless headset, installed on a bike.
FIGURE 3-8: A top cap, star nut, and compression plug.
FIGURE 3-9: Stealth routing shown (or, rather, hidden) on a road bike.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: A bicycle stem and spacers.
FIGURE 4-2: A quill stem.
FIGURE 4-3: A dropper seatpost, fully extended and compressed.
FIGURE 4-4: A parallelogram suspension seatpost, shown upright and compressed.
FIGURE 4-5: Straight versus offset seatposts.
FIGURE 4-6: A typical 2-bolt saddle clamp (left) and a side-bolt saddle clamp (...
FIGURE 4-7: Saddle width and length.
FIGURE 4-8: Saddle width versus sit bone width.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: A traditional road bike brake caliper.
FIGURE 5-2: Cantilever brakes.
FIGURE 5-3: Linear pull brakes.
FIGURE 5-4: A 4-piston hydraulic disc brake.
FIGURE 5-5: Mechanical disc brake.
FIGURE 5-6: Mechanically actuated hydraulic disc brake.
FIGURE 5-7: A coaster brake is inside the hub and requires an arm fixed to the ...
FIGURE 5-8: Cutaway cross section of a rear hub.
FIGURE 5-9: Center Lock versus 6-bolt mounting interface.
FIGURE 5-10: Pawl and ratchet on the left, drive ring on the right.
FIGURE 5-11: Quick-release skewer (top) versus thru axle.
FIGURE 5-12: Straight pull (left) versus j-bend spokes.
FIGURE 5-13: Bracing angle and rim offset.
FIGURE 5-14: Various rim profiles.
FIGURE 5-15: Rim measurements.
FIGURE 5-16: ETRTO rim width to tire width recommendations.
FIGURE 5-17: Schrader (left) and Presta (right) valves.
FIGURE 5-18: A typical performance tire casing construction.
FIGURE 5-19: of treads, from left to right: sipes, file tread, semi-knob, and k...
FIGURE 5-20: ETRTO rim width to tire width recommendations.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: The main components of a bicycle drivetrain.
FIGURE 6-2: A typical road bike crankset.
FIGURE 6-3: You can see – from left to right – square, taper, Octalink, and ISI...
FIGURE 6-4: Threaded Outboard (left) and PressFit (right) bottom brackets.
FIGURE 6-5: The 24mm versus 30mm spindles, both shown on modern cranksets with ...
FIGURE 6-6: Spider chainring (left) versus direct mount chainring (right).
FIGURE 6-7: Most of the different direct-mount standards for chainrings.
FIGURE 6-8: An example of chain line and chainring offsets.
FIGURE 6-9: Chain parts and a quick link.
FIGURE 6-10: Narrow- versus wide-range cassettes.
FIGURE 6-11: The rear derailleur’s parts.
FIGURE 6-12: Ball bearing size versus spindle size.
FIGURE 6-13: Left and right pedal threads move in opposite directio...
FIGURE 6-14: Flat pedals.
FIGURE 6-15: Clipless pedals for MTB (left) and road (right).
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: A standard cargo bike.
FIGURE 7-2: A bakfiets cargo bike.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Bike measurements (the seat height is G).
FIGURE 10-2: The proper leg extension is knee slightly bent and foot slightly f...
FIGURE 10-3: The ideal brake lever position on flat bars.
FIGURE 10-4: Brake reach examples on drop bar bikes.
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: Reflectors.
FIGURE 12-2: The parts of a helmet.
FIGURE 12-3: Helmet is too big (on left) or too small (on right).
FIGURE 12-4: Helmet straps are too loose.
FIGURE 12-5: Helmet isn’t covering forehead.
FIGURE 12-6: From left to right: left turn, right turn, slowing/stopping.
FIGURE 12-7: Signaling left and right when in a group ride.
FIGURE 12-8: This trail sign shows the right-of-way hierarchy for riders.
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13-1: Presta valve stem closed (left) and open (right).
FIGURE 13-2: A removable valve core.
FIGURE 13-3: Brake lever and caliper barrel adjusters.
FIGURE 13-4: Properly toed and centered rim brake pads.
FIGURE 13-5: Caliper alignment from every angle.
FIGURE 13-6: A tire repair kit, plugging a tire.
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: Hanging-style hitch mount rack.
FIGURE 14-2: Tray-style hitch mount rack.
FIGURE 14-3: A strap-mounted bike rack.
FIGURE 14-4: Suction-cup-mounted bike rack.
FIGURE 14-5: Tailgate pad with bikes.
FIGURE 14-6: An upright hanging bike rack.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Biking For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2024934525
ISBN 978-1-394-21871-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-21873-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-28172-1 (epdf)
Introduction
“Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.”
—EDDY MERCKX, LEGENDARY PRO CYCLIST
Ithought writing this book would be fun, but I had no idea just how much I would enjoy it — or how much work it would be!
I started geeking out on bikes, their components, and their tech long before writing about them. I’ve obsessed over the specs and details that might make my own bike better, tweaked and upgraded my setup, and modified stock parts to suit my needs (or to shave off a few grams).
What I’ve realized is that none of those efforts compares to training harder. My bike got lighter, but my friends who consistently put in the work got faster and better at riding. We all had nice bikes, but I wasn’t putting in the required level of work.
That’s why I quote Merckx at the top of this introduction. As you’ll see, having a good-quality bike is important, but beyond that, the key to enjoying the bike is to just get out there and ride — whether your goal is fitness, green transportation, exploration, or racing trophies.
About This Book
My goal in writing Biking For Dummies is to help you find the best bike for you, get you riding it quickly and safely, bring you up to speed on the latest cycling trends, tech, and terms — and share my passion for cycling.
The point of writing any For Dummies title is to explain subjects so that beginners can understand and learn from them. But I challenged myself to do that and to write content that even my nerdiest bike friends would enjoy reading, too.
The result was an enormous first draft! We ended up cutting more than 100 pages during editing. Unfortunately, that included three full chapters on e-bikes, plus deep dives on mountain bike suspension, tips for evaluating used bikes, a guide to working with your local bike shop, and a lot more. Visit Dummies.com/go/bikingfd for content that didn’t make it into the book.
At times, I may sound overly harsh when talking about the cheapest bikes. I totally understand that budgets vary wildly, but hear me out. My first mountain bike was from a Target department store, and it wasn’t a good one. I’ve worked on many low-cost bikes over the years (because my friends didn’t listen and bought their kids a department store bike anyway), and I can tell you that the frustration from dealing with poorly functioning drivetrains, inaccurate shifting, and plastic parts that break easily leads to overall lower enjoyment that isn’t worth saving a few bucks. A bike is no good if it doesn’t work properly and you have little interest in riding it.
Sometimes, increasing your budget by as little as $100 gets you a bike that works much better, lasts longer, and makes you happier. That said, I’m stoked to see anyone riding a bike, so there’s no bike shaming here. I just want to help you find the best bike possible, so I dive deep into what makes one bike or part better than another.
This book replaces Bicycling For Dummies, and a lot has changed since that one was last updated in 2011! Electronic drivetrains have become the norm, disc brakes are on every type of bike, and e-bikes are taking over urban landscapes!
For better or worse, more and more bikes need batteries, but their shifting and performance have never been better. You can also find a wide variety of apps for planning, mapping, and tracking your rides, and even for customizing your bike’s performance! Technology is here to stay, but as you’ll see, it’s (mostly) not that complicated and truly does improve many aspects of cycling. Fortunately, you can still get a simple “analog” bike and just go ride, too.
Some of the bike terminology I mention may be new to you. To make things easy to digest, I italicize new terms and follow them up with simple-to-understand explanations.
If you run across a word or phrase you don’t immediately understand, rest assured that I explain it at the appropriate spot. I also provide sidebars to explain big-picture concepts that add perspective, on both cycling culture and technology trends.
Foolish Assumptions
The most foolish assumption I made as I wrote Biking For Dummies was that you’d know where I was coming from — as a cycling enthusiast. Writing this book made me rethink how to explain topics to a noncyclist audience, and that led to my rewriting entire sections and spending more time explaining basic concepts earlier in the book to bring you along for the ride at a beginner-friendly pace. This approach assumes that one or more of the following statements are true about you, the reader:
You believe that a bike is a bike is a bike. They’re all the same, right?
You’ve been given this book by a friend who thinks you’d enjoy riding a bike.
You have one or more friends who love riding and want you to join them.
You rode bikes as a kid but you are intimidated by starting again later in life.
Your kids or grandkids are all about biking and you want to join them.
You’re ready to ditch the car and ride a bicycle to commute to work, school, and the store.
You want to buy a higher-performance bike and start riding for fitness or to train for an event but don’t know what to look for, what type to buy, or how much to spend.
You borrowed a friend’s bike and enjoyed riding it and want to learn more before investing in a new bike of your own.
You want a reference for cycling terms and technology and basic tips on maintaining and repairing your own bike.
Regardless of how you ended up here, I wrote this book to share my love for the sport and the bicycle itself. It has changed my life and provided incredible opportunities to explore the world, reach deeper into various wooded areas and communities, and see things not possible from a car or on two feet. And, I’m fitter and faster at 50 than I’ve ever been! I hope you read this book and are inspired to use your bike to improve your own health and expand your horizons!
Icons Used in This Book
To break topics into bite-size chunks and therefore make this book easier to read, I’ve added a few icons in the margins to help call attention to important ideas, tips and tricks of the trade, and even more detail on specific topics.
This icon is meant to help jog your memory about important aspects. Of course, I don’t give you quizzes on this stuff, but this info might help you when talking to your local bike shop or repair personnel, for example.
When I’m about to delve a little deeper into a particular subject, I slap this icon on the text. You don’t have to take the deep dives with me, but they may be helpful on your journey toward greater understanding of the world of bikes.
The Tip icon points to insider knowledge and other info I’ve learned about throughout my journey in the biking world. The tips may save you time, money, or headaches!
The Warning icon points out common pitfalls that people often fall into with regard to biking, or common misconceptions about a particular topic.
Beyond the Book
To view this book’s Cheat Sheet, go to www.dummies.com and search for Biking For Dummies Cheat Sheet for a handy reference guide that addresses common questions about bikes and biking.
Where to Go from Here
Where you start reading is up to you. If you’re brand-new to the world of bikes, just turn the page and start with Chapter 1, which is a fun overview of biking! If you’ve been around bikes for a while, browse the table of contents and pick a chapter that interests you.
If you’re figuring out which type of bike to buy, I suggest reading Chapter 2 and then Chapters 7 through 9, in order. If you’re technically inclined and want to understand what makes some bike parts better than others, reading Chapters 3 through 6 will get you up to speed (heh!) on the latest drivetrain, brake, and component technology. And once you’re into it, check out Chapters 15 and 16 for training tips and details about some of the most fun bike trips, rides, and events on the planet!
Part 1
Starting Off on the Right Wheel
IN THIS PART …
Discovering the origins of the bicycle.
Determining the right size bike for you.
Exploring the basic components of a bicycle.
Chapter 1
Almost Everything You Need to Know about Bicycles
IN THIS CHAPTER
Familiarizing yourself with the parts of bicycle
Exploring the perfect bike (or bikes) for you
Measuring the benefits of bike riding
The bicycle is mankind’s most efficient machine: gloriously simple, and simply glorious in its ability to move us around quickly and easily. Harnessing just two wheels and a little leg (or battery) power lets us roll around town faster and easier than walking and sometimes helping us transport goods, perform services, and even transport friends and family.
Riding a bike means freedom and independence. It provides transportation to school and work — or increasing opportunities for education and income. But that’s not all: Cycling is fun! It provides exercise and a chance to take in some fresh air. It allows people to see more of an area to explore than walking, and we can experience it better than driving.
In this chapter, I explain the basics of this remarkably simple machine, which has stood the test of time (with a few innovations along the way). Granted, there is a lot of the technology that goes into modern racing bikes and long-travel full-suspension mountain bikes, but they are all based on easy-to-understand principles and mechanics. Let’s take a quick look at how the modern bicycle came to be and how it works.
Recognizing Where Bicycles Come From
In about 1818, Baron Karl von Drais invented the Velocipede, more commonly referred to as the “running machine” or “hobby horse” (shown in Figure 1-1), which wasn’t much more than two wheels attached to either end of a plank of wood to sit on. Riders scooted along on them by kicking the ground like Fred Flintstone, much the way kids use Balance Bikes to learn how to ride today. (Training wheels are no longer recommended; I explain why in Chapter 7.)
Credit: alexrow / Adobe stock
FIGURE 1-1: The hobby horse.
Numerous iterations of the Velocipede were made throughout the 1800s, leading to “the Boneshaker” in the late 1860s (see Figure 1-2), which got its name from the extremely uncomfortable experience while riding it. (Ouch!) The boneshaker added a crankset and pedals directly to the front wheel. This meant you could pedal it, which was deemed more elegant than running atop the bike. But steering it got a little tricky — you had to turn the wheel that your feet were pedaling! Plus, speeds were limited by the size of the front wheel. These major design hiccups eventually led to the penny-farthing bike.
In the 1870s, the penny-farthing (so named because the wheels varied in size, much like the two British coins) was also known as the “high-wheel bicycle.” It introduced a much larger front wheel (see Figure 1-3). That meant riders could go faster, but, unfortunately, it put them 4 to 5 feet off the ground! Not only did this make mounting (and dismounting!) the bike a bit tricky, but falling off a bike that high could seriously hurt someone!
Credit: Vizetelly / Pixabay
FIGURE 1-2: The boneshaker.
Credit: Pink Badger / Adobe Stock
FIGURE 1-3: The penny-farthing.
The “safety bicycle” (see Figure 1-4) followed in the 1880s. So called because it has a much safer design than the penny-farthing, it incorporates the classic iteration of a double triangle design — a front triangle and a rear triangle, connected by the seat tube. Not only does this place the riders in a lower, more comfortable position, but the crankset is also finally detached from the wheel. Instead, a chain connected a chainring at the pedals to a cog on the rear wheel.
Credit: Oleksandr Babich / Adobe stock
FIGURE 1-4: The safety bicycle.
This allowed more freedom of steering, different gear ratios, and a wider range of sizes and designs to fit a wider range of riders. As you’ll see, there are a lot of variations on this model now available, but they’re all based on the original safety bicycle concept.
Identifying the Parts of a Bicycle
Most people are familiar with the basic parts of a bicycle from when we were kids. And everyone likely has a general idea of how bicycles work, from the time we first rolled (wobbled, likely) on our own with a parent (or two) running along behind — just in case — to those days when we learned just how important brakes were as that tree closed in frighteningly fast!
With few exceptions, the bicycle still consists of just two wheels, a frame, a saddle, a handlebar, and a human-powered, pedal-driven drivetrain, or the pedals and gears that convert power into motion.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the main parts (shown in Figure 1-5) of a basic bicycle. I’ll show specific examples of various styles of bikes and go into much more detail in Chapters 2 through 6.
Tyler Benedict
FIGURE 1-5: The basic components of a modern bicycle.
If you read this book, you’ll become more familiar with other parts of the bike so that you can make informed decisions about which bike is right for you. Or, let’s say you need to get something repaired and you want to meet your repair person at eye level (“You know — the crank thingy?”), this book will provide you with all the tools to know your bike inside and out.
Producing a Bike for Every Rider
It’s a great time to be a cyclist, but it may also be a confusing time to be a newbie. Nowadays, there’s literally a bike for every purpose.
Not to confuse you right away, but in road riding there are race bikes, endurance bikes, criterium (or crit) bikes, climbing bikes, and aero bikes. Some bikes blend features from multiple categories to become solid all-rounders, but you can always find something for any niche — or custom build one to meet your specific needs.
Mountain bikes have cross-country (XC), downcountry (more trail-capable cross-country bikes), trail, all-mountain, enduro, freeride, and downhill. And for gravel, there are race, adventure, and bikepacking models. Cargo bikes have front loaders, rear loaders, and family haulers.
Whew! That was a lot, but don’t worry. In Chapter 7, I explain every variant and help you narrow it down to the best bike for the type of riding you will do.
Categorizing types of bikes
Here’s a quick primer on the main types of bikes you’ll find and where they’re used.
Road bike:
Skinny tires and curved handlebars are designed for going fast on roads.
Gravel bike:
It’s like a road bike, but with bigger tires to handle dirt and gravel roads.
Mountain bike:
Flat bars, big tires, and suspension help this model tackle MTB trails and bike parks from mild to wild.
Commuter bike:
This one has flat bars, medium tires, and an upright seating position, usually with storage options for getting through the city with work or school gear.
Fitness/hybrid:
This upright bike with skinnier tires blends road bike speed with commuter bike comfort.
Cargo bike:
Usually an e-bike, this one has mounting points for baskets, trays, bags, shelves, and other ways to transport gear and people.
e-bike:
A bicycle with an electric motor to assist your pedaling, this one comes in all varieties, though you still have to pedal. Otherwise, it’s a moped.
I can name more, including kids’ bikes and specialty models for special use cases. Again, I’ll explain all of them in great detail in Chapter 7. And I’ll share tips on where and how to buy a new (or used) bike in Chapter 8.
Weighing the Benefits of Riding a Bike
From getting in shape to saving money to exploring new areas, the benefits of riding a bike go way beyond the obvious. This section details a few of my favorite reasons for cycling.
Taking a look at the physical health benefits
Exercise in any form is beneficial. Our human bodies are meant to move, but modern life has diminished the need for movement (or, sadly, effort).
Riding a bike is obviously exercise, but it provides so many different ways to push your body and improve its physical state. In Chapter 15, I provide tips on training to prepare for biking adventures and explore ways to get the full benefit of seeing the world on two wheels.
Now’s a good time to remind you to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Cycling is an enjoyable, low-impact form of exercise that you can ease into, but (and especially if you’re starting from pure couch potato status) it’s a good idea to see your doctor first for a basic checkup to make sure you have no underlying health issues.
Examining the mental health benefits
Studies have shown that physical exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, which can help you learn and concentrate better.
Dr. Peter Attia, a well-known longevity practitioner and the author of Outlive, says all the research he’s seen (which is a lot) shows that regular, daily, and varied exercise is one of the most powerful ways to slow cognitive decline and boost overall vitality, too.
That’s huge. Imagine boosting your performance at work or school by riding there instead of driving, with the additional perk that it’s probably helping you live longer with a better overall quality of life.
And there’s more.
All riding requires coordination between what you’re seeing and what you’re doing — braking, shifting, turning, pedaling — which helps improve coordination.
Mountain biking cranks this neuromuscular coordination to 11, introducing varied terrain and obstacles like trees, rocks, roots, drops, and jumps as well as more frequent shifting and braking. Talk about a full body and mind workout.
If you had to pick one full-body workout, there’s not much that beats mountain biking.
Saving money
Sure, you have to buy the bike, but any form of transportation (car, metro pass, ride sharing) is going to cost something. The beauty of a bicycle is that you get exercise while also saving money on gas or fares.
The savings go deeper if you consider how the long-term health benefits will likely offset doctors’ bills for lifestyle-related conditions. Many of the most expensive and most common modern medical issues are caused by sedentary lifestyles (and a poor diet, but that’s another book), and riding a bike frequently and with an intentional effort on improving fitness can reduce the likelihood of dealing with expensive health issues.
Some health insurance companies and employers even provide discounts for physical activity, so why not get all the other benefits of cycling while also saving money?
Chapter 2
Sizing Up the Right Bike and Fit
IN THIS CHAPTER
Sizing up the angles and measurements of a bicycle
Learning how geometry affects the handling of a bicycle
Choosing the right bike size
Fitting the bike to your body
Originally, I was first going to describe all the different types of bicycles that you can buy and then add this chapter. But, as the chapters came together, I realized that you should first understand how a bicycle’s geometry — the lengths of the tubes and the angles between them — affect its handling and why it differs from bike to bike and from category to category.
You should also understand the various types of components, drivetrains, cockpits, wheels, and tires — and how they affect your bike's comfort, handling, and performance. I cover these topics in Chapters 3 through 6.
Of course, if you just want to see the bikes, skip to Chapter 7, and then come back here to learn how to determine the proper bike size and dial in a proper fit.
Measuring Up to a Bicycle’s Angles
The geometry chart shown in Figure 2-1 shows a typical road bike, but the measured angles and distances are the same for every type of bike, and most brands post their geometry charts on their websites. Familiarizing yourself with what each angle and measurement means and where it is on the bike will help you understand the difference between a bike with slack angles versus one with steep angles, for example. If you need a refresher on the basic parts of a bicycle, check out the section in Chapter 1 about recognizing the parts of a bicycle.
Courtesy of Pursuit Cycles LLC, PursuitCycles.com
FIGURE 2-1: A geometry chart for a typical bicycle.
This list describes what all the numbers on a geometry chart mean:
Effective Top Tube (A): The horizontal distance from the center of the steering axis at the top of the head tube backward to the center of the seatpost is called the effective top tube (or ETT) length because it’s a straight-line measurement of the distance, which is a more useful measurement than the actual top tube's length — those can be angled.
Whereas bicycles used to have fairly standard proportions and their size was often conveyed by the seat tube length (for example, a bike with a 58-centimer seat tube would be designated as a size 58 bike), nowadays most cyclists look at ETT along with reach (D) to get a good sense of whether the bike is the right size.
Head Tube Length (B): The head tube length is simply the height of the head tube. Racier road and gravel bikes will have a shorter head tube to help the rider maintain a low aero position (because the lower you are, the more aerodynamic you are, of course), and endurance bikes have taller head tubes to provide a more comfortable, upright riding position. For performance bikes, the goal is to find the head tube height so that most riders don’t need to add a lot of spacers or oddly angled stems to achieve a good fit.
Mountain bikes follow a similar design philosophy but must take fork length and fork travel into account. As fork travel increases, so does the fork’s height, and so longer-travel bikes tend to have very short head tubes in order to avoid a tall stack (C) and keep the rider in a low, racy riding position.
Stack (C): Stack is the vertical height from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube’s center. Many bicycle fitters use stack and reach (D) as their starting points for fitting a rider to a new bike. Even though you then add a stem above the head tube, the stack gives you a general idea of how tall the front of a bike will be in relation to the bottom bracket.
Reach (D): Reach is the horizontal measurement from the center of the bottom bracket to that same point on the top of the head tube. It gives you (or your fitter) a good idea of how far you’ll reach forward to meet the handlebars, and it’s a more apples-to-apples comparison between bikes, because different seat angles between models make ETT a less-than-reliable comparison.
The stem length & angle, handlebar width, handlebar sweep, seatpost setback, and saddle position allow you to fine-tune your position forward or backward on the bike and stretch you out or help you sit upright. So, knowing your ideal form (from a good bike fit or just test-riding a few bikes) lets you get a close-enough fit and then use the components to dial in the perfect fit.
The head angle (E), fork offset (F), and trail (G) all work together to comprise the main factor in designing a bike’s overall handling. Changing one affects the others, so I’ve lumped them here with another graphic (see Figure 2-2) to illustrate how they combine forces to give your bike its steering personality.
Head Angle (E): The head (and seat) angles are measured as degrees from 0, where 0 is parallel with the ground and 90 degrees is perpendicular (straight up) from the ground.
Most road bikes have head angles between 71 and 73 degrees. In the grand scheme of things, this would be considered a steep head angle. As that number gets smaller, people in the industry like to say that it gets slacker.
Gravel bikes get a slightly slacker head angle, usually between 69 and 72.5 degrees, depending on the intended use. Mountain bikes range from 68 to 69 degrees for short-travel XC (cross-country) bikes all the way down to between 62 and 63 degrees for long-travel downhill bikes — and everything in between.
FIGURE 2-2: Closeup of head angle and fork offset measurements.
Generally speaking, the steeper the head angle, the sharper a bike turns but the twitchier it feels at higher speeds. Slacker head angles create a more stable ride but feel slower to turn. However, this can be fine-tuned by the fork offset, described next.
Fork Offset (F): Imagine a straight line running down the head tube and through the center of the fork’s steerer tube, or the part of the fork that goes through the head tube, to a point on the ground (x). Now imagine a parallel line sitting slightly in front of the fork offset that intersects the fork’s axle, and note where it hits the ground (y). The distance between those two lines at the ground is the fork’s offset.
Most forks have 40–52mm of offset. Offset is how a bike designer tweaks the handling because it will change the trail, described next.
Trail (G): Now imagine a line intersecting the fork’s axle and drawn straight down to the ground. The distance between that point (z) and (x) is the trail, and it’s extremely important to overall steering stability.
Trail and fork offset have an inverse relationship. Increase offset and trail will decrease, and vice versa. Imagine how a slacker head angle will also increase the trail by pushing (x) further forward from (z), and then you can see how a designer can use fork offset to fine-tune the trail.
So, what does trail do? If you can imagine a shopping cart you might find at the local grocery store, you may able to visualize how the front wheels trail behind the little metal housing on the outside. The point where that housing connects to the cart is the steering axis. When you push a cart forward, the wheels drag behind the axis, which is how they maintain a generally straight path. (Except for that one particular grocery cart — I always get that danged wobbly cart!)
If you were to lengthen the arms that hold the wheel (essentially the cart’s forks), you would create a longer trail figure, which would make the cart even more stable — perfect for standing on the back and coasting through the parking lot. Its turning radius, however, would increase and make it harder to maneuver through the aisles.
It's the same with bikes: A longer trail makes the bike more stable but increases the turning radius. This works well for longer-travel mountain bikes where you’re riding down steep terrain at high speed, and their extremely slack head angles have the added bonus of pushing the front wheel farther out in front of you so that you’re less likely to go OTB (“over the bars”) if you hit an obstacle.
Conversely, a shorter trail gives the bike quick handling, where small inputs have more dramatic effects on steering — but it won’t feel as stable and requires more vigilance from the rider. You’ll often find steeper head angles and a short trail on road racing bikes where snappy handling is important, but you wouldn’t want to get lazy while riding in a pack.
The rest of a bicycle’s measurements combine to create safe handling, proper fit, and good biomechanics as you ride.
Seat Angle (H): Measured the same as the head angle, the seat angle determines how a bike situates your body in relation to the wheels and cockpit, or the combination of handlebar, stem, seatpost, and saddle, but most importantly, it puts your hips and knees in the proper position over the pedals for optimum biomechanics.
The goal is to position you in the sweet spot that also has your body weighting the bike just right for both climbing and descending. Some bikes prioritize comfort by placing you a little farther back (beach cruisers, for example), and others move you forward to prioritize your power output (time trial bikes, for example).
Mountain bikes sometimes show an effective seat angle that is the equivalent of the angle of a straight line drawn from the center of the bottom bracket upward to an average seat height. That’s because a lot of full-suspension mountain bikes (Figure 2-3 shows a good example) don’t place the seat tube in the same place as on a traditional bike. The reason is that aspects such as suspension linkages and shocks need to be in specific places to achieve the desired kinematics, or suspension performance and rear wheel travel, so the seat tube has to work around those parameters.
FIGURE 2-3: A mountain bike with a weird seat tube angle.
This makes it trickier to achieve the correct fit on certain models because some bikes have an actual seat tube angle that’s extremely slack, so taller riders may have a saddle that ends a lot higher than average — and thus farther back. The opposite happens for very short riders. You can remedy this primarily by adjusting the saddle’s position, but if you’re on the extreme upper or lower end of fitting a particular frame size, just note that it may be an issue unless you size up or down on the bike itself.
Chainstay Length (I): The chainstay length is a horizontal line from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the rear axle. You might see it labeled as the effective CS length because, much like the top tube, a straight horizontal measurement is what you need to know. Some bikes will show an actual measurement, which is the actual length of that tube and usually longer than the effective measurement because the axle almost always sits higher than the bottom bracket (see the later section “Special Considerations”), so there’s a slope to it.
A shorter chainstay length tucks the rear wheel under you for a snappier feel when you pedal. It helps you maintain traction on steep climbs; however, on mountain bikes, where terrain can be quite steep and sometimes loose, you have to balance between maintaining traction and keeping enough weight on the front wheel to maintain steering control.
A longer chainstay feels more stable and usually more comfortable, too, but just like a long trail, it slows down handling because it increases the overall wheelbase (K). Just like big vans or trucks, a long wheelbase (see its entry later in this list) creates a larger turning radius on bikes, too. The extra stability is helpful for loaded touring, or riding for multiple days while carrying your clothes and other possessions with you, and bikepacking, where the extra weight on the bike can make it a bit unwieldy — though performance racing bikes want as short a chainstay as possible.
Bottom Bracket Drop (J): This is the vertical distance measured from the center of the rear axle to the center of the bottom bracket (BB). A higher number means the bottom bracket is sitting further below the axle. This creates a feeling of being “in” the bike, as opposed to a higher bottom bracket, making you feel like you’re “on” the bike.
Road bikes typically have more bottom bracket drop because they’re less concerned with having to clear obstacles. Gravel bikes are riding on rougher terrain, but may have similar bottom bracket drop figures as road bikes because their tires are bigger (and thus taller), which effectively puts the BB height higher than on an equivalent road bike.
That distinction, BB drop versus BB height, is important. The BB height is the distance from the ground to the center of the bottom bracket. In other words, it's how much ground clearance you have. Though this concept is important for comparing bikes, it has little to do with how a bike fits, which is why most geometry charts show bottom bracket drop.
The ground clearance isn’t just for your bicycle’s frame — it’s also for your pedals because those are reaching closer to the ground on every pedal stroke. You may begin to notice a theme of interaction between all the parts of the bike here, depending on how long the crank arms are. (I’ll explain why those vary, later in this chapter.) Ideally, you might be able to get away with more bottom bracket drop on smaller frames when using shorter crank arms, which helps shorter riders fit their bikes better. But, honestly, I’m starting to delve into the nuances of bike fit, which you don’t need to worry about if you’re just getting started. (Forgive me for geeking out for a sec!)
Wheelbase (K): The wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the front and rear axles. This is mainly shown so that you can compare one bike to another, and the main thing you need to know is that a shorter wheelbase helps the bike steer more quickly but also feel a bit less stable; a longer wheelbase steers more slowly but feels more stable.
Front Center (L): This is the horizontal measurement from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the front axle. Modern gravel and mountain bikes typically have a longer front center (and thus reach), but pair that with shorter stems in order to keep the rider in the same position.
The benefit of a longer front center is that it pushes the front wheel farther out in front of the rider, which helps keep that person from flying over the bars if they hit an obstacle (like a log, rock, curb, or pothole), and improves steering control on steep descents.
Designers have to balance these benefits with a rider’s ability to hold their weight over the front wheel for aggressive cornering and being able to keep the front end of the bike down when seated and climbing steep terrain. If there’s not enough weight on the front of the bike, you'll just end up popping a wheelie on every pedal stroke, which is less fun than it sounds like when you’re grunting your way up a 15% incline!
Standover (M): This is the vertical measurement from the ground to the top of the top tube, as measured a few inches in front of the BB. Why here? Because when you throw a leg over the bike and are straddling the top tube, that’s about where you’ll be standing.
This measurement helps determine whether the bike fits. If the standover height is longer than your inseam, you won’t be able to straddle the bike — and that’s not safe. You should have at least two to three inches of gap between the top tube and your groin. Some bikes use a sloping top tube (it slopes downward toward the back of the bike) to increase standover, and many mountain bikes use either a dramatically sloping or bent top tube to give you as much room as possible to move the bike around underneath you as you wiggle through tight, tree-lined trails.
Special Considerations
Generally, most of a bike’s measurements increase as the frame size grows, with the exception of chainstay length. Some bikes increase this length slightly on larger sizes, but usually only by a few millimeters. Most of the correction for balancing the rider’s weight is done by adjusting the seat angle across the size range.
As for the angles, larger bikes sometimes have slightly steeper seat angles (H), and the goal is to keep the rider’s weight properly situated on the bike.
Head angles also change along with frame sizes, but not for the obvious reason. Because bikes are designed in conjunction with a fork’s length, rake, and offset to provide certain handling characteristics, that group of measurements isn’t used to position the rider on the bike. That’s where the reach, stack, and ETT enter the scene.
However, extremely small frame sizes often have slacker head angles and/or adjusted fork offset figures in order to keep the front wheel far enough in front of the rider’s feet so that their toes don’t overlap with the front wheel. This is called, fittingly, toe overlap, and you’ll want to avoid it because you don’t want to make a sharp turn and have the back of the front wheel rub the front of your shoe. That is highly unsafe and can cause you to wreck!
Choosing the Proper Bike Size
Geometry numbers are helpful for anticipating how a bike might fit and handle, but there’s no substitute for just hopping on a bike to see how it fits you.
The first thing you should do is straddle the bike and make sure you can comfortably stand over it (see the Standover bullet in the earlier section “Measuring Up to a Bicycle’s Angles”). If you can’t, try a smaller size.
After that, you need to get two main aspects right when it comes to bike size: saddle height and effective top tube (ETT) length. Figure 2-4 shows the proper leg extension for a rider, and Figure 2-5 demonstrates proper body positioning.
FIGURE 2-4: Proper leg extension.
FIGURE 2-5: Proper body position.
Saddle Height: This term basically just means, “Can you move the saddle to the appropriate height?” If a frame is too small, you may not be able to find a seatpost long enough to reach proper leg extension.
When you’re sitting on the bike with your feet placed on the pedals, you should have a 35 degree bend in your knee at the bottom of your pedal stroke. This maximizes power output and helps split the work between your quads and glutes. (I mention quadriceps again later in this chapter).
Effective Top Tube: You might remember this term from my description of the geometry chart at the beginning of this chapter. It refers to the horizontal distance from the seatpost to the head tube. Basically, this term just means “How much room will I have for my body on the bike?”
If the ETT is too short, you’ll feel cramped and your knees will probably hit the stem and handlebar. Ouch! If it’s too long, you’ll feel stretched out, and handling may feel sluggish. But find the sweet spot and then you can fine-tune your fit with stem, saddle, and handlebar adjustments.
If you’ve owned, borrowed, or test-ridden a few bikes, look up the ETT for the ones you liked and use it as a starting point.
At the simplest level, when you’re seated on the bike and resting your hands on top of the handlebars, your torso and arms should form an angle between 80 and 90 degrees.
This is a good rule-of-thumb starting point for most riders to determine whether a bike fits. From here, you can make adjustments to sit more upright (for comfort) or sit lower (it’s more aerodynamic, for performance riding).
If you can’t test-ride bikes or you have nothing to compare to, let Table 2-1 serve as a general guide:
TABLE 2-1: Measurements for Bike Frame Sizes
Frame Measurement
Frame Size
RiderHeight
48
Extra Small
4’11”–5’2”
50
Small
5’1”–5’5”
52
Small/Medium
5’4”–5’7”
54
Medium
5’6”–5’10
56
Large
5’9”–6’1”
58
Large/Extra Large
6’0”–6’3”
60
Extra Large
6’2”–6’5”
In this chart, the frame measurement usually refers to a bike’s seat tube height, which scales along with their top tube lengths, so it’s mildly useful for bikes with a traditional double diamond frame. Full-suspension mountain bikes may list this number, but it’s mostly useless for gauging frame size since those bikes’ designs are often swoopy and curvy and have nontraditional seat tube shapes, positions, and angles because they’re working around linkages and shock placement.
Before we dive into how you can fit yourself to your new bike, here’s a recap of the three main questions you need to ask to find the correct bike size:
Standover:
Can you easily straddle the bike?
Seat Height:
Can you position the saddle high enough or low enough for proper leg extension?
Top Tube Length:
Do you feel like you have enough room on the bike without being too cramped or too stretched out?
Fitting Yourself to Your Bike
Once you’ve found the right bike size, it’s time to make some small adjustments so that it fits perfectly and puts you in the safest, most comfortable, and most efficient riding position.
A good starting position for most bikes (see the nearby sidebar “The exception to the bike fit rule”) is to feel like your weight is evenly spread between your rear end and your hands. That is, you want to feel like you’re supporting your weight equally on the saddle and the grips. Too much pressure on either end can lead to discomfort. And trust me: On longer rides or along rough terrain, that means extremely sore body parts!
Figure 2-6 shows all the little details that a professional bike fitter will analyze, but you don’t need to worry about all of them when you’re just getting started.
Courtesy of Pursuit Cycles LLC.
FIGURE 2-6: A professional bike fit diagram.
Here are the four easy things you can do (and parts you can swap) to create the perfect fit:
Saddle height (G)
Handlebar height (F)
Saddle position (J)
Stem length (B)
Saddle Height (E) is the first place to start. Set this so that you get proper leg extension, as explained a little earlier in this chapter. Too low and you’ll tax your quadriceps and be unable to create nearly as much power as possible. Too high and you’ll feel like you’re rocking back and forth on your saddle and tiptoeing on your pedals. Either one is likely to cause knee pain, too, and just generally feel wrong.
Handlebar Height (F) comes next. Most bikes come with a few spacers under and/or above the stem, and you can use these items to move the stem (and thus the handlebar) up or down on the steerer tube. It’s all about personal preference. If you like a more upright position, which is typically more comfortable (particularly if you have poor flexibility) and gives you a more commanding view of the road ahead, move the stem higher. If you want a more aerodynamic, racy position, move it lower.
Many stems have a slight rise to them, which is usually indicated by a +/– measurement, like +/–6º. You can then (usually) flip the stem to make the angle go up or down and further adjust the handlebar height.
Saddle Position (J) is the next adjustment to make. Sliding the saddle forward or backward helps balance your weight on the bike, but its primary role is to optimize pedaling biomechanics.
THE EXCEPTION TO THE BIKE FIT RULE
Every rule has exceptions, and comfort bikes — like beach cruisers, certain hybrids, and adult trikes — are the exceptions.
On bikes where you’re usually riding more slowly and in an upright position, most of your weight is on the saddle. Fortunately, most of these bikes have wider, cushier saddles to support your weight.
You still want to be able to comfortably reach your handlebars and maintain proper leg extension. Those rules always apply.
Obviously, nontraditional bikes — like recumbents, hand cycles, and adaptive bikes —don’t obey these rules, either, but those are special designs that usually require special fit services, which I discuss in Chapter 7.
Most saddles have about 1 to 2 inches of fore/aft adjustment, which helps you achieve proper knee position over the pedals, as shown in Figure 2-7.
FIGURE 2-7: Proper knee position over the pedals.
For casual riding, particularly on comfort bikes, saddle position isn’t a big deal (unless you have knee pain or other physical issues that require special attention). But for road, gravel, mountain, and other performance bikes, the ideal situation is to have the bottom of your kneecap directly above the pedal spindle, or axle, when the crank arm is level and pointing straight forward.
