Types of Bikes I Ride
Let’s keep it very simple. Later on, we can get into complexities. There are three broad categories: (1) Mountain, (2) Road, and (3) Hybrid.
Mountain Bike
If you like to ride in the dirt leaving your buddies behind in the dust, or you like to ride rough, screeching down a mountain path gripping your handlebars and yelling in terror and glee, you need a mountain bike.
I purchased a Diamondback Response six years ago at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I even wrecked it once on a trail, tearing up the bottom of my left arm. It is still in almost mint condition. I like to ride it through the unpaved park where I live. I rode it over pavement, gravel, limestone, dirt, and mud. It has no problem with any of these. It is comfortable when you hit rocks and bumps – the front shock absorbers take most of the shock, and saves your bones from getting royally rattled. The tires are wide and have well-cleated treads.
What happens on the paved roads when you want to go faster? You will need a different kind of bike, if you want to be efficient and take advantage of pavement.
Road Bike
I purchased a Fuji Roubaix 3.0 LE at Performance Bicycles a few months back. I was riding in a 26 mile marathon with my mountain bike, and realized that others on more efficient bikes passed me as if I were riding a tricycle. I said to myself, “Crap, I need something faster!” So, after talking with friends, I decided to put money down on a road bike.
Why would you want a road bike instead of a mountain bike? You want to go fast. You can probably go almost twice as fast on a road bike as you will on a mountain bike. How does this happen? How can road bikes be so much faster?
The tires are much thinner. And, the tires have no cleats – they are slick. Slick tires make for more surface area contact with the road. Thinner tires are more aerodynamic - they cut through the wind more efficiently with less air resistance.
A road bike is light. There is not as much of a need for material reinforcement since designers assume that this will not endure the shocks of off-road use. There are no shock absorbers either, which sometimes makes for a rough ride when hitting hard spots on the road.
The first time I tried out a road bike at a bicycle shop, I told the clerk that when I pressed on the pedals, the bike felt like a rocket beneath me.
Hybrid Bike
Hybrid bikes, while not doing anything in particular very well, do many things pretty good.
I recently purchased a Fuji Absolute 2.1 for my wife. Why would I want a hybrid bike? Well, you get a little of this and a little of that. The tires are a little wider than those of a road bike, but not as wide as a mountain bike. The tires are not as slick as a road bikes tires – there are some cleats on them. The handlebar is upright. The frame seems like the shape of a road bike, but it is a little heavier. You can go faster than you can on a mountain bike, but not as fast as a road bike. So, with a hybrid, you can go off the trails a little bit, but not too much. You can ride on the road, but not too fast.
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So, without diving into some of the more specialized bikes out there, those are the three broad categories: (1) Mountain, (2) Road, and (3) Hybrid.
Freddy
Martini
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