| There are so many different models of bikes | | | | you take as gospel. These days anybody can |
| on the market today that it is almost | | | | set themselves up as an expert - but very |
| impossible for the average rider to know them | | | | rarely do they give you a byline and a brief |
| all. It's a good thing, therefore, that bike | | | | bio so that you know their credentials. And |
| magazines and websites provide reviews of all | | | | when it comes to buying big ticket items - |
| the bikes and gears available. The sport of | | | | you should know the credentials of the people |
| bicycling has exploded in the last several | | | | advising you what to buy. How Much Do You |
| decades. No longer are people content with | | | | Want To Spend Before going out and buying a |
| casual over-the-road cycling - not that that | | | | brand new thousand dollar bike, and a couple |
| has lost its allure, merely that it has | | | | of hundred dollars worth of bike gear - the |
| competition now. The sport has expanded to | | | | shorts, the jerseys, and the cool sunglasses |
| embrace adventure-loving individuals who like | | | | - you have to ask yourself... is your |
| to head cross country on their fat-tired | | | | enthusiasm going to be the same a year from |
| bikes, or head down mountains at full-tilt, | | | | now? Just as many people buy memberships to |
| or even go round and round in velodromes. And | | | | health clubs and never go, so many people buy |
| with the expanding biking disciplines comes | | | | expensive bikes, use them once, and then |
| an expanding array of bicycles - each one | | | | never use them again. You know who I'm |
| specially designed with certain needs in | | | | talking about! For newbies to the biking |
| mind. Now that there are so many models | | | | scene, you still want to get a good bike - |
| available, made from so many different kinds | | | | because riding an ill-fitting cheap bike that |
| of material, with all kinds of sophisticated | | | | isn't comfortable and is a pain to pedal will |
| gadgets on them, and with corresponding | | | | turn you off biking quicker than anything. So |
| prices to match that sophisticatoin - it's | | | | in a sense you're walking a tight rope. The |
| imperative that the buyer make an informed | | | | solution is to try a few disciplines first, |
| decision. And how can buyers better inform | | | | borrowing bikes from friends who are "in" to |
| themselves than by reading reviews of the | | | | it, checking it out over the course of a |
| latest models that come out each year? Every | | | | couple of weekends, and then making your |
| bike magazine has a section that reviews the | | | | decision at that time if the sport of biking |
| latest technology - from the bicycles | | | | is for you. Reading reviews is all very well |
| themselves to the various pieces of gear and | | | | and gives you invaluable information when you |
| accessories that you can add on to them. It | | | | go out to acquire the bike or the gear in |
| only makes sense to do as much research as | | | | question, but there's no substitute for |
| possible before going out to a bike shop to | | | | actually getting on the bike and riding it to |
| consult with the people there on what to buy. | | | | see if the reviews are right! |
| There are also a vast array of biking | | | | |
| websites out there that also offer reviews of | | | | Alastair Hamilton is the copywriter of . |
| products. When you're searching the web, | | | | Find more publications about mountain bike |
| however, be very careful as to whose words | | | | reviews at his website. |