Discover Cycling - Get Ireland Active

Choosing and Buying a Bike
Your choice of bike can have a big impact on your enjoyment of cycling – choose the
wrong type of bike and you may feel cycling is a chore – choose the correct type of bike
and it can be fun every time. There are a few questions you should ask yourself before
buying a bike –
1. What do I hope to use my bike for?
If you’re new to cycling it may be hard to answer this question. If you have friends, work
colleagues or relatives who do some cycling, you might like to chat with them about their
experiences to get some ideas about what might interest you. Some possibilities might
include:
Getting about locally - This can be very beneficial and time saving. For example if you
live in an urban area, a trip to the local newsagent to get the paper may take you 10
minutes by car but only 5 minutes by bike as you don’t get held up in the traffic and have
no need to worry about a parking space when you get there.
Commuting to work -This can save you time and will almost certainly save you money
on fuel, parking charges or public transport fares. (See section on Commuting by Bike).
Easy recreational cycling - This can be cycling at a gentle pace to get out for some
fresh air at the weekend or on a summer’s evening.
Fitness cycling - Using a bike to get fit or keep fit is ideal. Fitness cycling can be at
different levels from a relatively short gentle 20km spin in the evening to a full day all out
long distance cycle. If you plan to do longer cycles bear this in mind when choosing a
bike.
Off-Road Cycling - This can be cycling on everything from flat unsurfaced paths to
purpose built mountain bike trails with a very variable surface. Some bikes are suitable
for off-road cycling and some are not.
Long Distance Cycling/Cycle Touring - This might be doing a long cycle at the
weekend, organised events known as sportives or audax events of over 100km or cycle
touring with a full load of luggage including panniers and maybe a tent if you are
camping. (See more on these options in the section on Moving up a Gear).
There are of course lots of other possibilities for cycling but these suggestions will give
you some idea of the options.
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