Road and Fitness
Road Cycling
The most commonly sighted riders are of course those out on the road. Road cyclists develop an incredibly strong base fitness and endurance level. A well-trained road cyclist can hold a steady speed and cadence (pedal revolutions) for an extremely long distance.
Road bicycles are svelte, smooth, quick, efficient, and streamlined. They use large diameter wheels and narrow, low-profile tyres with no prominent tread blocks - all with the goal of less friction. Narrow handle bars and compact frame dimensions are also used to ensure road riders are neatly placed on their bicycles and cut through the air with minimal resistance.
Lightweight materials are paramount, as are extremely close gear ratios to maximise acceleration, drive and efficiency.
If you fancy leaving the car at home, starting that fitness schedule, or enjoying the great social life that road riding offers, come in to Ride and discuss the many options available to you.
Fitness Cycling
The area between road bikes and mountain bikes was a once a blank space in the cycling industry. Only a few years ago, riders were left with little freedom in this area: they may have felt the firm and swift ride of a road-only bicycle too bone-jarring and race-like, and at the same time, a mountain bike was just too much to commute to work on everyday.
This once blank space has now been filled with bicycles known as flat-bar road bikes, commuters, or hybrids. A booming market sector, the essence of all these bikes is to use the relaxed and spacious frame dimensions of a mountain bike (including the straight handlebars to provide a higher posture), combined with the svelte, low-friction wheels and tyres of a road bike.
The more upright riding position removes a significant amount of strain from the lower back (a common problem with low-slung road bikes), yet the narrow road tyres retain the low-friction, minimal effort, and ease of acceleration found on specific road bicycles.
This range of adult bikes covers all shapes and sizes. As a beginner, you can start your riding adventure in this market range, but an experienced rider can also benefit from a multi-use, commuting bicycle.
