I like to ride my..... (Bikes in general)

Member Name: MrChilliWillie

Product:	Bikes in general
Date:	21/08/04 (383 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: bikes are good

Disadvantages: not having a bike is bad

?I like to ride my?bike!?

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I like bikes,
Biking?s what I do!
I like biking,
What about you?
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~ A review on biking ~

Can you believe I made that little song up in just a few minutes? Isn?t it good, it tells you that I like to bike. I must be talented!

I could go on and on but I think you have the idea; I am just so clever when it comes to writing pointless, little verses which have no point to them what so ever! Anyway, I can see that you?re bored already so onwards with the review!

So then? What is this exciting review about??
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Well, it?s about bikes. Most of it will be about road bikes and what bike is best for you!

The brief History of a Bicycle
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I?ve added this bit just to make this review even more boring.

In 1817 a weird bloke from god knows which country named Daron von Drais invented a wooden frame with two wheels which he could just sit on, and push against the ground with his feet to form a gliding walk (are you following?). This was not good for actual long distance transportation but it was very popular as a craze for riding around parks and gardens.

Along came the next version of a two wheeled bike in 1865 but this time they applied two pedals to the front wheel. One of the most un-comfy experiences of the day as the wheels were made of wood, going over cobblestone paths. Bumpy.

In 1870 a high wheeled bicycle made out of metal was invented. There was one huge wheel and then another wheel a third of its size on the back. Unfortunately, if the wheel met a rock or a just in the ground it would cause the rider to fall to the ground with his legs caught under the handlebars. This meant lots of head injuries occurred.

Then along came the tricycle. This was preferred by the ladies because they were confined to their long skirts and corsets. There
was also a lower risk of smashing your skull on a cobblestone road.

Some years later came the bike as you and I know it. Two wheels of the same size. A frame. Gears. A chain. And two pedals.

Well, where?s it best to buy a bike?
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This depends. If you want a lot of choice, I advise surfing around the internet for your perfect bike. The downside to this is that you do not actually get to see your bike in reality and this means you cannot try it out before handing out wads of cash!

Large retail shops. You normally have a lot of choice. They are generally cheaper but maybe of lesser quality.

Bike shops around town. This is for me the best idea. There are reasonable choices and good prices and it is more specialised. Normally the person running the store has more knowledge of bikes then a 19 year old who doesn?t know hell about what he?s talking about!

And if you?re a professional biker then you probably know more about bikes then I do! I advise shopping in the upmarket brands like Giant. Or you could look on the internet for the bike you want and then find an authorised dealer that could sell it to you.

I?ve always said that choosing a bike is like choosing an iPod! (Isn?t that a coincidence, I just wrote a review on the ipod, if you don?t know what the iPod is, why don?t you read my review and earn me some dooyoo miles?)

Well what bike is best for me?
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It depends. Choose one of these categories.
? I ride off-road quite easily, frequently and I consider myself a mountain biker.
MOUNTAIN BIKE
? I enjoy riding off the roads, on tracks and sometimes on more challenging terrain.
CROSS COUNTRY MOUNTAIN BIKE
? I enjoy riding for leisure and I like to ride on and off road but do not go mountain biking off road. To me riding is along purpose made tracks.
HYBRID BIKES.
? I ride as a method of transport. I see a
bike as a functional item/ I commute to and from a place of work.
HYBRID BIKES
? I ride exclusively on the road for fitness and for pleasure.
ROAD BIKES.
? I would like to make riding greater distances easier.
ELECTRIC POWERED BIKES
? I want my bike to do tricks and stunts. I am not bothered with greater distances.
BMX
? I want a bike that can fit easily in the boot of my car and I can take wherever I want.
FOLDING BIKE
Hopefully, now you know which bike you want and why.

~ Road Bikes ~

Lets talk about road bikes, after all that?s what this review is about.
Road bikes come in all shapes and sizes?.. and prices. A relatively good one would cost a bit over £100 but a really good quality one would be £250 upwards.
What is a road bike like?
Road bikes generally have high gear ratios so that you can gain speed on any surface whether its tarmac or asphalt, uphill or downhill. There are gears to match your conditions. Serious road bikes have dropped handlebars to get you in an aerodynamic position so that you can go faster. The tyres are much narrower to cut down on the friction between the ground and the rubber. It prevents drag on the road and maximises efficiency. Aluminium is generally used on the forks and frames. On the up market bikes carbon fibre is also common. All of this is to just to make the bike go that little bit faster but it is necessary.
You?ve probably seen road bikes in the Tour de France. They are slim, fast and as aerodynamic as possible.

~ The types of road bikes ~

There are three main types of road bikes (also known as racing bikes):
Standard: this is the most common. Normally you just go r
ound a track or a cycle path and this is very uncompetitive.
Track: you?ve probably seen this on the Olympics. Bikes are raced indoors on a banked circuit. The bikes are extremely aerodynamic and riders can reach amazing speeds. Every bit of the bike is taken into account and made that little bit slimmer to shave of grams of the weight. The riders put so much force on the pedals and the bikes are amazingly strong. There is only one gear and no brakes. To slow down you just stop pedalling.
Time trial:
Here you have to ride as fast as possible to a fixed destination usually 10, 20 or 50 miles. This takes a lot of energy and strength. The bikes are as aerodynamic as you can possibly get. The front wheels are generally smaller to get the rider hunched down as low as possible. This makes them go just that bit faster.

Pros

The bike can go exceptionally fast and are very slick and lightweight.

Cons

The bikes are very skinny and don?t absorb much of the vibration of the roads. The saddles are very hard and soar and your muscles get very tired and cramped. Your back, wrists and neck really ache.

Well, what saddle should I get to make it comfier?

You know, choosing a saddle is like choosing an ipod?.no, no. All jokes aside, saddles are important. You want a saddle that is comfy for you and nicely padded and one that will prevent cycling induced pain, numbness and sexual dysfunction.
Most saddles hurt because they put pressure on nerves and arteries where the saddle and the rider come into contact. Increasing the amount of padding or gel just makes it worse as the bones in your bum that make contact with the gel, pushes it away into more sensitive areas. So never choose the saddle which is just filled with gel and padding ? do some research.
Well that?s the end of this review and although its not been the most inspiring subject to talk about, I hope you enjoyed it. I?ll say goodbye with a
little song:

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I like bikes,
So do you,
That is the end of my review!
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MrChilliWillie

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