Bike Buyer's Guide

Introduction Ever more people are discovering cycling – perhaps as an efficient way to get to work, or perhaps just as a leisure activity for summer weekends. With a good bike and good advice the experience should be a positive one.

And once you’re cycling, the elegant minimalism of pedalling as a form of transport becomes apparent. It’s fun, it’s quiet, it’s reliable, it’s cheap, it’s invigorating. It’s environmental and it’s community-friendly. It’s simply a more pleasant experience – physically and psychologically – than any other form of travel.

So why not do more by bike? Few realise the sheer diversity of cycling techniques and technology which exist to enable you to fulfil a wide range of transport tasks by pedal power, safely and enjoyably.

From moving a washing machine to transporting a gaggle of children to school, there are bikes that can do it. If you need to take a bike on the train, bus or taxi to reach a distant destination door-to-door, then a folding bike exists for every budget. Bikes and adaptations for injured or disabled riders provide real independent mobility. And touring bikes and recumbents offer comfortable, mile-eating cycling for anything from a day-ride to a transcontinental adventure.

If there’s a single theme which links all of the bikes described in this book, it’s the use of cycling as a practical form of transport. So you won’t