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Adult bicycles can be broadly categorized into four types, according to
the intended use for which the bike was designed: Road Bikes, Mountain
Bikes, Cross Bikes and City or Cruiser 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. Which
type is
your
new bike?
The Road Bike, sometimes called a
racing bike
because it is derived
from the bikes used by bicycle road racers and triathletes, is for fast
travel, hard training and competition on paved surfaces. It is the lightest,
most aerodynamic and “fastest” type of bike. 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 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 ride tends to be too 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
fig. 2 Road Bike
3
WHAT KIND
OF A BIKE
IS IT
?
2000 owner's manual 10/27/99 10/27/99 11:16 AM Page 8