Bicycle Buying Guide
Considerations when Buying a Bicycle
Here he offers his top tips on how to buy the best bike to suit your body, personality and lifestyle.
Did you know that riding a bicycle for an hour can burn around 650 calories? Plus it helps to loosen up joints, improves body strength and muscle tone and saves you costly fuel, time spent in traffic and the environment. Sold? Thought so! But before you proceed with buying a bike, it’s worth having a quick think about what style would work best for you so that you get the most enjoyment from your purchase.
1. What type of cycling are you planning to do? Will you be riding mostly on the road or off the beaten track? Think about how much cycling you plan to do and what sort of terrains you will be cycling on. If you are planning to cycle to work, buy a road bike with hub gears (consider a city bike like the popular City Cruiser at £495 with 8 hub gears) or if you are contemplating cycling around the countryside in hilly areas, consider a country/trekking type bike like the Kettler Sentiero bicycle which boasts 24 gears (£445). Electric bicycles are also becoming very popular in the
2. What style of bike would you prefer? Modern or traditional? There are many bicycles on the market and just as you would choose a car, think what bike will reflect your own style. City bikes are very fashionable at the moment with many celebrities spotted on them - they can offer modern technology with a traditional yet European styling. The Kettler range of city bikes really set the standard. The high quality paint finish, swept back handlebars and high quality features make them stand out above the rest.
3. What features would you like? Examples of this include: types of gears (hub or derailleur), lighting, locks, stands, luggage racks, bags. Hub gears (covered on the back wheel) are great if you don’t want the hassle of regular maintenance. Most bicycles on the market have derailleur (exposed) gear systems. A lot of modern bikes are fitted with suspension forks and seat posts for greater comfort.
All Kettler city and electric bikes have 8 hub gears which are easy to use, even to newer cyclist – they require no maintenance as they are totally enclosed and you can even change gear when stationary so you start off in the right gear. The Sentiero bicycle has 24 derailleur gears which are more suitable for uneven terrains but consider this type of gear system do require maintenance and not for the novice. All Kettler bicycles come with a host of features worth 100s of pounds including – luggage rack, parking stand, suspension gel saddles, suspension forks, emergency pump, powerful halogen lights powered by dynamo (no need for batteries), mud guard, handy bell, V-brakes with power modulator to stop the brakes activity too sharply, easi-grip handlebars some have a parking lock (Sentiero and Spirit).
4. What’s your budget? This will determine the number of features, technology and quality of the bike. As with anything you buy, you get what you pay for. Be realistic about your budget, but be careful not to buy too cheap to then find your beloved bike falls apart within months. Kettler bicycles are German built and very high quality as you would expect. The aluminium bikes are made for comfort – as soon as you ride it you will see what we mean! The hub gears add quite a considerable amount onto the cost of any bike and you should bear this in mind.
5. Size does matter, so get the correct size frame that feels right for you as this will make all the difference. It is important that you feel comfortable and confident when you are out of the road. To buy the correct sized Kettler bicycle you need, measure your inside leg and check for the best match. Ladies bicycles are available in 42 and 47cm frames and mens 51 and 55cm.
6. Make sure the bike you choose has adjustable handlebars and saddle, so that you can set them to the correct heights and angles for the optimum riding position. To get the perfect riding position for you, don’t assume that the factory set saddle and handlebar height is correct – try in a variety of positions to find the perfect position before you set off. Kettler bicycles are made for comfort and therefore have fully adjustable handlebars – change the height, angle and the seat so you are ready to go.
7. What accessories are available? Based on what you intend to use the bicycle for, think about what accessories you may need. There are many bicycle accessories on the market to choose from – bags, bottles, racks, pumps, etc. Kettler offers a travel bag which fits onto the handlebars, a rear basket and a stirrup pump.
8. Always check the after sales service - are spare parts easily available for your chosen bicycle? More or less any local cycle shop will be able to service your bicycle but ensure specific parts are available to purchase. Kettler has a full Aftersales service. Our bicycles have a 12 month warranty (6 month on gears) and 5 years on frames. None of the parts are unique so still available from your local cycle shop.
9. Where will you keep your new bike? Will you have room in your garage or shed? What about at work? Will you need a bicycle lock? You can buy bicycle locks from any good cycle shop or the Kettler Sentiero or Spririt have them included.
10. Finally, insurance – are you covered on your household policy for your bicycle or do you need to take out bicycle insurance? There are many companies offering relatively low cost insurance for this.
All our bicycles go through a pre-delivery inspection prior to dispatch. Delivery is free of charge and there is a 28 day money-back guarantee (simply call us within 28 days of delivery, put the bike back in the original packaging in a resalable condition, we will collect and refund you 100%).
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