Road Bikes

Road Bikes, Mountain, and Parts

Biking is a harmonious blend of man and machine, one that has been envisioned and refined since the discovery of the wheel and has become one of the most efficient and effective forms of transportation around the world. It is much more cost effective than owning a car, and much better for the environment which is making biking as important today as it has been for over a hundred years.

While most people group bikes into two groups, either road bikes or mountain bikes, there are a number of variations of each, and many that fit into both categories. Some of the most popular bicycles recently have been electrically powered commuter bikes and single speed minimalist bikes and 29ers that have become very popular among younger and middle aged generations. Cruisers and commuting bikes with racks on the front or back and full fenders are becoming more and more popular every day as well. Overall, more people are biking everyday as they realize the ease, lower cost, and health benefits associated with biking instead of driving which becomes more expensive and dangerous every day.

For hardcore mountain bike riders there is a large number of different manufacturing companies that make everything from the lightest hard tail that can conquer the windiest single track and the steepest climbs with ease to the cushiest dual suspension bomber built to tackle the biggest drops and the gnarliest rocks. Many of these companies also produce top of the line road bikes, comfortable cruisers, and clean and fast commuters, but the real mechanical beauty of the bicycle occurs in the components and individual bike parts that look and function remarkably similar whether they are on a road bike or a mountain bike.

The main difference between mountain bike parts and road bike parts is durability and shininess. Okay, just kidding about the finish, but mountain bike components are often covered in a layer of mud, dust and grime. Typically a bike will have a chain ring, connected to a gear with a chain. The gear is connected to the wheel which is connected to the frame, when the rider pedals the whole contraption moves forward. The front wheel is for steering, on mountain bikes it often has suspension to cushion the ride and large handles where the brakes are mounted, though many cruisers and single speed bicycles have coaster brakes that operate with the pedals or no brakes at all. The only other thing needed is a seat, unless you are a hardcore BMX rider.

One new development in the increasingly urbanized world is to utilize folding bikes. These bikes break down into more compact layouts that allow for storage in a closet or behind a desk. The emphasis is on compactness, so some times the rides are not as smooth as riding-prioritized bikes. At times this can be a dilemma based on the folding points of the bike. For example, if the bike is meant to fold somewhere in the diamond frame, that renders useless the design because the symmetry of structure is violated, providing a nearly void strength. To compensate for this, heavier materials are commonly used for compact bikes, but a step through design is commonly added for the ease of the ride. Overall, this form of biking has become more popular with the acceptance of these bikes on mass transit. For buses and subways, a compact bike represents a functional way to bring your transportation with you and certain cities have expressed leniency towards the bikes as carry-on luggage. The section to the left offers more insight on their folding and attachment points as well as an overview of their prioritized use. Folding bikes represent an emerging market in terms of transportation, especially in population dense urban centers around the world.

No biker is complete without a plethora of fancy looking bike accessories from tools like look like they might bite, to cartridges for filling tires and containers full of sticky goo for energy or fixing flats. Being able to repair almost anything that can happen on the road or trail is important to even the most pampered professional road bikers in the tour de France and changing a flat is just the beginning. Most bikers can fix their chain, brakes, tune derailleur’s, and jimmy rig almost any other part to finish the ride home.

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Road Bikes, Mountain, and Parts

Biking is a harmonious blend of man and machine, one that has been envisioned and refined since the discovery of the wheel and has become one of the most efficient and effective forms of transportation around the world. It is much more cost effective than owning a car, and much better for the environment which is making biking as important today as it has been for over a hundred years.

While most people group bikes into two groups, either road bikes or mountain bikes, there are a number of variations of each, and many that fit into both categories. Some of the most popular bicycles recently have been electrically powered commuter bikes and single speed minimalist bikes and 29ers that have become very popular among younger and middle aged generations. Cruisers and commuting bikes with racks on the front or back and full fenders are becoming more and more popular every day as well. Overall, more people are biking everyday as they realize the ease, lower cost, and health benefits associated with biking instead of driving which becomes more expensive and dangerous every day.

For hardcore mountain bike riders there is a large number of different manufacturing companies that make everything from the lightest hard tail that can conquer the windiest single track and the steepest climbs with ease to the cushiest dual suspension bomber built to tackle the biggest drops and the gnarliest rocks. Many of these companies also produce top of the line road bikes, comfortable cruisers, and clean and fast commuters, but the real mechanical beauty of the bicycle occurs in the components and individual bike parts that look and function remarkably similar whether they are on a road bike or a mountain bike.

The main difference between mountain bike parts and road bike parts is durability and shininess. Okay, just kidding about the finish, but mountain bike components are often covered in a layer of mud, dust and grime. Typically a bike will have a chain ring, connected to a gear with a chain. The gear is connected to the wheel which is connected to the frame, when the rider pedals the whole contraption moves forward. The front wheel is for steering, on mountain bikes it often has suspension to cushion the ride and large handles where the brakes are mounted, though many cruisers and single speed bicycles have coaster brakes that operate with the pedals or no brakes at all. The only other thing needed is a seat, unless you are a hardcore BMX rider.

One new development in the increasingly urbanized world is to utilize folding bikes. These bikes break down into more compact layouts that allow for storage in a closet or behind a desk. The emphasis is on compactness, so some times the rides are not as smooth as riding-prioritized bikes. At times this can be a dilemma based on the folding points of the bike. For example, if the bike is meant to fold somewhere in the diamond frame, that renders useless the design because the symmetry of structure is violated, providing a nearly void strength. To compensate for this, heavier materials are commonly used for compact bikes, but a step through design is commonly added for the ease of the ride. Overall, this form of biking has become more popular with the acceptance of these bikes on mass transit. For buses and subways, a compact bike represents a functional way to bring your transportation with you and certain cities have expressed leniency towards the bikes as carry-on luggage. The section to the left offers more insight on their folding and attachment points as well as an overview of their prioritized use. Folding bikes represent an emerging market in terms of transportation, especially in population dense urban centers around the world.

No biker is complete without a plethora of fancy looking bike accessories from tools like look like they might bite, to cartridges for filling tires and containers full of sticky goo for energy or fixing flats. Being able to repair almost anything that can happen on the road or trail is important to even the most pampered professional road bikers in the tour de France and changing a flat is just the beginning. Most bikers can fix their chain, brakes, tune derailleur’s, and jimmy rig almost any other part to finish the ride home.