Bikes are fun. That’s it, that’s all you need to know. Okay, perhaps there are a few more things but the point is, that you should never lose sight of the fact that getting out on your bike is fun and that’s why we do it.

As I’m sure you know, there are many types of bike and it is not always obvious which type of bike is best suited to each biker. In this section we have listed some top tips for those people who are new to bikes.

Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes are specifically created for off-road cycling. This includes trails, paths, rocks, streams, steep declines, dirt trails, logging roads, fire paths and a whole range of other stuff. Mountain Bikes are built with this in mind and are very different to other types of bike. Most mountain bikes use wheels with 26-inch tyres and nobbly bits for traction.

Since 2000, front and rear suspension has become commonplace, although some us prefer old school mountain bikes, known as hard tail bikes or simply hardtails. Hard tail mountain bikes have front suspension but no rear suspension, weigh less and are more pedal efficient when the terrain is smooth, than full suspension bikes.

A good number of single track racers still use hardtails for these reasons. There are a wide variety of mountain bikes from leading bike manufacturers including GT bikes, Kona bikes, Mongoose bikes, Scott bikes, Trek bikes and many more.

Road Bikes

Road bikes are available for various purposes, such as road racing, touring, leisure and commuting. Road bikes for racing are lighter, faster and more responsive than equivalently priced mountain bikes. Road bikes have come a long way in recent years with new technology and materials available. Carbon fibre, aluminium and titanium are all used now as well as the more traditional steel tube sets. They all have their advantages: aluminium offers good performance at a reasonable price, steel offers comfort over performance and is a long term investment, titanium offers ultimate all round performance at a premium price while carbon fibre offers superb comfort and performance at intermediate cost.

It is not uncommon for the materials to be mixed to give the benefits of all the materials in one frame – a carbon fibre rear end on an aluminium frame, for example. The technology hasn’t stopped at the frame either, wheels have received a lot of attention along with the rest of the components, road bikes are becoming featherweight, responsive machines that are a sheer joy to ride over many miles.

BMX Bikes

BMX bikes are not for kids. Ok, so they are but us Adults love them too. BMX bikes are designed for extreme dirt and bike park cycling where the primary purpose is riding, racing, and jumping bikes in motocross style on specialized tracks with inline start and big obstacles.

BMX encompasses all forms of extreme bike usage like the dirt track, vertical ramp, park, street, and flatland racing, but it is not limited to those. The materials used to make BMX bikes include steel, aluminium, chromoly, hi tensile steel, or a composite metal material. These BMX bikes are used for the race, freestyle biking, dirt jumping, and flatland riding, and children, people, and teenagers, especially teenagers, have taken up the sport at BMX and skate parks to compete and ride in organized competitions.

Motorbikes

Motorbikes, or simply Bikes, offer an alternative to other motor vehicles, and have some noticeable advantages. Motorbikes vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating traffic, commuting, cruising, touring, sport, racing and off-road biking such as motorcross. Motorbikes are one of the most affordable forms of motorised transport, and in many parts of the world are the primary motorised transport. There are around 200 million motorbikes and scooters in use worldwide, which means there are plenty of fellow bikers.

Kids Bikes

Buying Kids Bikes is one of the most important things you’ll ever do .. after all, don’t you remember when you got your first bike as a child? Whilst bike safety is of paramount importance to the parent, design and colour are the things the kids will be looking at! Kids bikes include boys bikes, girls bikes, character bikes and kids BMX bikes. Bike accessories like helmets are essential for children. Kids bikes are sized by the wheel size, not frame height, and are designed to accommodate a large range of sizes. As a rough guide 16″ are for 4-8 years, 20″ are for 7-10 years and 24″ are for 10-15 years but check the inside leg measurement and saddle height range to be sure.