How To Buy Your First Bike | 5 Steps for Beginner Cyclists

Buying your first bike can be a daunting process. Here are 5 steps to follow before you step foot in a bike shop…

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00:00 Intro
00:35 Which kind of bike?
03:00 Bike fitting
05:55 Step 4
08:15 Priorities

This video is a tutorial for beginner cyclists looking to buy a first road bike, mountain bike, commuter bike or gravel bike, covering aspects such as bicycle fitting, frame sizing, component choices for gearing, and why a gravel bike is useful. It was filmed in and around Girona, Catalunya, Spain; a cycling mecca that has been home to many professional cyclists including Ben O’Connor, Jack Haig, Esteban Chaves, and at one point George Hincappie and Lance Armstrong. Girona is used for training for races such as the Tour de France, Volta Catalunya, Vuelta Espana, Giro d’Italia and more. Teams such as Bora-Hansgrohe, INEOS-Grenadiers, Israel-Premier Tech Pro Cycling, Human Powered Health, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, UAE Team Emirates and others use Girona for team training camps and rider testing. The bikes ridden in this video include the BMC Teammachine SLR01 road bike, BMC Kaius gravel bike, BMC Fourstroke LT mountain bike, and Triban RC120 from Decathlon.

so it’s the start of a new year you’ve got your New Year’s resolutions laid out and you are taking up cycling you’re going to need a bike but what kind of bike do you go for how much do you spend and what else is involved in the process in today’s video five things to consider before you step foot in a bike shop and five things I wish I had known before I spent my hard-earned paper run money on my first bike as well step one decide what kind of riding you’ll be doing in theory you can ride pretty much any bike on any terrain but you wouldn’t take a monster truck to the shops and you wouldn’t take a Porsche out four-wheel driving if you’re watching this video which I’m pretty sure you are there’s a good chance you’ll fall into one of four different categories Road Mountain Commuter or gravel a road bike has narrow tires curved handlebars will most likely have larger gearing and will usually be the lightest option of the four road bikes in general are great for people wanting to improve their Fitness who like to ride for multiple hours at a time who want to climb long climbs and who may want to race at some point down the track they’re designed for riding on tarmac or paved surfaces have low rolling resistance no suspension and there’s little in the way of grip in the tire this doesn’t mean that they’re slippery just that they don’t do well on loose terrain or outside of their intended purpose which is to ride on the road as the name suggests road bikes can then be broken into two different subcategories race bikes and endurance bikes race bikes have more aggressive geometries in the frame to help you go fast whereas endurance bikes will be slightly shorter in the top tube slightly higher in the front end and feel a little more relaxed overall bike brand offers a race bike as well as an endurance bike option but if you’re new to cycling I’d always recommend starting at the endurance end and going from there there are dozens of road bike options starting at a few hundred and ranging all the way up to 81 or even $155,000 the differences between which I will talk about in point number three mountain bikes are your next option they feature flat handlebars easier gearing wider tires and often some form of suspension mountain bikes are suitable for off-road riding featuring rocks Roots dirt and mud the tires are nobbly for improved grip and the wide handlebars help with handling suspension makes the whole package more comfortable but riding a mountain bike on the road will definitely be slower than the other three options due to the increased weight and rolling resistance moving on to commuter bikes these are great for people ducking down to the shops riding to and from work and doing a bit of casual cardio the riding positions are generally focused on Comfort they’ll have a range of gears for shorter Hills and often are the cheapest of the four options we’re discussing and finally we have gravel now the gravel bike option is a relatively new thing in the world of cycling with gravel bike sitting halfway between the road and Mountain categor they look closer to a road bike and they ride similarly to a road road bike but the wider clearance for bigger tires means you can ride on loose surfaces and the smaller gearing means they’ll go up hills and along rougher terrain with ease they go faster than a mount bike on the road and are still capable of riding on surfaces that aren’t strictly paved by putting a set of slick tires on your gravel Wheels you’ve got a great endurance machine for commuting long rides and bike packing and if you want to St off the road to avoid cars nobly gravel tires will allow you to go anywhere you like if you’re looking for one bike to do it all or are looking to explore both Suburban areas and off-road tracks a gravel bike is a great option step two have a bike fit before you buy a bike if you end up with a bike that’s uncomfortable you aren’t likely to ride it and conversely if you get one that is you’ll absolutely love every minute you don’t actually need a bike to get a bike fit most bike Fitters will have a bike fitting jig to help dial in your measurements that can then be applied to any bike you buy once you’ve worked out the physical limitations of your body you can save money down the track by choosing a bike that will suit you best bike Fitters will look at individual leg and arm length torso length sit bone width and your flexibility and by having a fit you’ll be able to choose not just the right frame size but also the optimal stem length handlebar width crank length and saddle width which will all have a subsequent effect on your writing experience if you’re especially tall or especially short this process becomes even more important and for women this process is potentially even more important again given the bike industry’s focus on male cyclist in general one thing that’s important to remember is that every single part of a bike is changeable from the reach to the height to the Comfort in the contact points like the handlebars and the saddle for female Riders women specific Saddles are available and will be far more comfortable than a saddle designed for men a bike fitter will be able to recommend the best option specifically for you and you’ll find that your enjoyment of cycling massively benefits as a result this leads me on to step number three decide how much you want to spend then add a little extra one of my favorite phrases is that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten has a budget and it’s important to live within your means but if you spend a little more up front you’re often likely to get a bike that your ability will grow into and then grow out of rather than one that needs replacing sooner as your talent progresses past it I can’t tell you how much to spend but I can tell you that saving a little extra and getting something nicer will ride better last longer and simply be more enjoyable to own especially once you start increasing the number of hours you’re spending on the bike entry-level bikes can be found for around $500 and you can find great secondhand bikes for even less for those looking to spend a little more for example above $2 or $3,000 you’ll find bikes decreasing weight there may be more gearing options and there’s likely to be more carbon bits on it but don’t be fooled into necessarily thinking that that means the bike will go faster an hour of additional riding a week will always improve your speed far more than any extra upgrade or additional component can once you start stepping off above3 4 or $55,000 you’re likely to find a much lighter bike again along with things like electronic gear shifting and carbon wheels all of these are great to have but are definitely not necessary when starting out after all even the best bikes in the world can only go as fast as the person riding them when setting a budget make sure to factor in additional expenses like a hel lights some padded shorts spares like inner tubes and a pump and maybe a pair of clipless pedals these will allow you to both pull up and push down when pedaling improving your efficiency and therefore speed choosing how much to spend is always a difficult and personal decision but as I said at the start of this point if you spend a little more up front I guarantee you’ll enjoy the quality of your new bike for far longer than you’ll remember how much you spent on it this leads me to step number four choose the right gearing and components once you’ve chosen the size of bike you’ll need and the brand that matches components will be the next big Choice the key set of components you’ll be wanting to look at here is What’s called the group set the brakes and the gears there are multiple brands of group set Shimano sham and campolo for example but they all do effectively the same thing in a very similar way more expensive group sets will be lighter include carbon parts and additional gears but more important than these factors though is the gear ratios your bike has on it smaller chain rings on the front paired with larger cogs on the back will mean you can spin your legs more easily and maintain higher and more consistent Cadence on climbs this makes a huge difference if you’re newer to cycling and still getting used to pedling efficiently and building your Fitness for road bikes the gears I usually recommend people look for are a 30 or 32 to Cog as the largest Cog on the cassette paired with what’s called a compact crank set a 50 to large chain ring and a 34 to small chain ring up the front if you’re going for a commuter mountain or gravel bike they’ll all typically come with easier gearing than that but make sure to ask the salesperson at your local shop to double check thankfully bikes designed for beginner cyclists do come with easier gearing but if you’re leaping in both feet first and are going to buy a pure race bike be prepared to get a bike with larger gearing that will either be harder to push or will need changing for something a little more manageable on top of gear ratios brakes are another important consideration most brand new road bikes these days will come with disc brakes as standard but brakes Rim brakes are still used by some Brands and riders today as well in general disc brakes offer more stopping power and control especially in the wet and on steep descents outside of gears and brakes there are a handful of other components to consider namely the wheels which will have an impact on rolling speed in aerodynamics most entry-level bikes will come with a wheel set that prioritizes strength above all else but this will mean that it’s often slightly heavier and often less aerodynamic than more expensive Wheel sets you will notice a heavy wheel set on climbs and when really trying to get up some speed on flat ground but this extra resistance will help improve your Fitness more quickly and once you’ve gotten used to riding these you may find upgrading your tires and then your wheel set will help give your bike a livelier quicker feel as a general rule when buying a bike I usually recommend people choose frame size and style first component second and wheel set third additional Parts like stems and handlebars Saddles and tires can all be swapped out far more inexpensively so getting those first three choices right is important and finally once you’ve got your new bike and you’re about to head out on the road for your first ride there’s a few more tips that are worth remembering firstly just like a car your bike will need some maintenance every now and then chain lube is a few dollar a bottle and will help keep the chain shifting smoothly and quietly keeping the tires pumped up will make sure they operate as they’re intended to and avoid unnecessary resistance and wear tuning your gears yourself using any of the many YouTube videos out there explaining how to do so will make sure you don’t get additional wear on your cassette and chain rings and I also highly recommend you click like on this video if you’re getting something out of this video please make sure to subscribe as well on top of this I also think it’s a great idea to learn how to change in inner tube before you get out out on the road so that if you do get a puncture while you’re out riding you’re not standing there wondering what to do or needing to call a cab to get you home if you’ve bought your bike from a shop it will generally come with an initial tuneup free of charge but knowing the basics of how bikes work and how to fix them yourself is always a good skill to have on top of basic bike maintenance learning how to ride safely and comfortably while out on the road is another important part of starting cycling if you have watched this video up to here and you would like to hear my recommendations on what I think beginner cyclist should know when they first get out on the road make sure to watch this video over here and if you did enjoy this video make sure to whack a like on it so the YouTube algorithm knows I’ll see you all in another video soon happy writing and happy New Year and [Music]