Today, I’m mainly going to point out that most information for bicyclists out there is geared at racers or sport enthusiasts. There isn’t much info for people who are trying to integrate bicycle commuting into their lifestyle. Hopefully, this can be some small step towards changing that.

As far as some background info on bicycles for those that are uninitiated into the language, there are several types of bikes. Each type of bike is specifically designed to meet the specific needs for different types of bicycling. If you are thinking about getting a bicycle you should talk to someone who know bikes…like someone at your local bike shop, or a friend who rides

Mountain bikes have really wide, knobby wheels and are designed to be ridden off road on the dirt. They are usually made out of a relatively heavy aluminum and are designed to take a serious beating. On the road, these bikes are slow and clunky, have high rolling resistance, and are terribly inefficient. (Trust me, you may think you have a wicked mountain bike that handles great on the road, but one ride on a bike designed for the road, and you’ll never go back!) These include the bikes you buy at Wal-Mart for your kids, or that you see in BMX style sports. These bikes are off road bikes, and they are fantastic at it!

Road bikes are designed to go on the road. Don’t take them off road or you’ll have bent rims and flat tires. They just go on the road. But, they go on the road amazingly well! They are super efficient, require very little work for the distance traveled, and have amazingly low rolling resistance, which means they will roll seemingly forever. They are usually constructed out of super light carbon. (I’ve read about entire bikes, including the wheels, that weigh less than 3 pounds!) They usually have high pressure, super smooth, super thin tires…if you didn’t know better, you’d think they were bald, but they’re supposed to be that way, it decreases the rolling resistance. These are the bikes of racers, sports enthusiasts, tourists and long distance travelers.

Hybrid bikes are in the middle. They usually have medium width tires, with knobs on the edges and smooth middles. They are typically constructed out of lightweight aluminum. These bikes are designed to go under 10 miles, frequently. They are great for running to the store, and riding to work. They aren’t as efficient as the road bikes, but they are much better on the road than a mountain bike. I currently own one of these bikes…namely, a Specialized Globe Sport.

These bikes are great, but they I don’t think any of them meet the needs of riders like myself, people who are integrating bicycles into their lives.

Next, I’ll explain why I think that. See ya then!