How to Buy Your First Bicycle

With the plethora of bicycles flooding the market every year, we consumers are spoilt for choice. New technologies are always emerging, forever changing the norms of cycling and the way we ride our bikes. As a result of the growing competition among the various bike and cycling component manufacturers, large amounts of money have not only gone into the research and design of said bikes and components, but into their marketing as well. Merely jumping into the fray or winging it may have you paying for 'the brand' or 'marketing' with very little of your money going into the parts that really matter, like the bike itself!

Make sure your money....goes into your bike *snickers*

This reminds me of a cycling buddy I know, we'll call him Bob. He's not the kind who does research when it comes to buying things and I personally do not count asking a friend or two and then going to a bike store and talking to the manager about bikes as research. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Bob did just before dropping over RM30k (that's RM 30,000 or about $7500) on a 2015 Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS. Soon after this, once the 'honeymoon' period was over, he immediate realised, regardless of how much he tried to tinker with them, the brakes, which are proprietary 'aero' brakes by Specialzed were no where near as effective as standard brakes. Now, had Bob done some research, he would have found numerous articles online regarding this flaw of said bike. Even Mark Cavendish himself, during his time with Ettix-Quick Step reverted back to his previous iteration of the Venge during the 2015 Tour de France, stating brake issue as his reason. Not only that, he might have learned about the soon to be released disc brake version of the Venge coming out in 2017 which would not have the 'aero' brake issue.

A wise consumer should do a decent amount of research so as to be able to make an educated and informed decision when it comes to forking out all that hard earned cash and avoid meeting Bob's fate. By taking a little time to do some soul searching and research, you'll benefit yourself in the long run. Which is why I have armed you with this handy guide on buying your first bicycle, to aid you in your quest to obtain your first beautiful real 2-wheeled road stallion and not be blinded by mountains of advertising and BS gimmicks.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored or associated with any bike brand or shop, these are my own unbiased and honest thoughts and opinions regarding bike buying.

Step 1: What kind of riding do you see yourself doing?
Generally, road bikes can be divided into 3 genres or categories depending on your riding needs; endurance, aero and gravel/cyclo-cross. Despite their numerous differences, don't be too afraid of picking the wrong style of bike as your first bike. As you're relatively new to the sport, you may not even notice the differences which I'll be getting in to down below and in the event you do end up accepting cycling as your second religion after getting your first bike, you'll learn more about yourself and the type of riding you enjoy doing. From there, you'll be able to make slight adjustments to your bike to meet your cycling-needs. As time goes by, your skill level will increase and so will your cycling knowledge. Only at this point in time will you be able to appreciate the finer differences between the various kinds of bicycles out there and thus be able to truly understand the different characteristics of each of the following bicycle groups:

Endurance bicycles generally have a frame with a more upright geometry, putting less strain on your lower back, thus making your rides more comfortable, allowing you to spend longer hours on your bike. Such bikes are great for beginners and are considered the 'standard' style of road bike. They're great for long group rides, weekend century rides, sportives, charity rides and riding in general. These bikes tend to have simpler tube profiles in comparison to their aero counterparts, thus making them a tad bit lighter as well, ideal for people who enjoy long climbs.

Are few bikes that come to mind are the Specialized Tarmac, Trek Emonda, Fuji Gran Fondo, Merida RIDE series and Scultura and Giant Defy. And then there are road bikes with extra levels of comfort in mind, made to tackle cobble stone and paved roads such as in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. As our roads are typically not as unforgiving, I've grouped such bikes in the endurance category as these bikes have similar features which further add to the comfort level of the ride and then some. Features such as disc brakes and frames which accommodate wider and therefore more comfortable tyres separate the following bikes from the ones previously mentioned although the line blurs more with every passing year.

The latest iteration of the Specialized Roubaix has an integrated shock absorber in the the stem while older models have the long standing shock-absorbing Zertz inserts. Trek on the other hand have the Trek Domane with it's Isospeed Decoupler Technology in the head tube and seat tube which increases the give of the aforementioned areas, theoretically producing a more comfortable ride.

Trek Domane

Endurance - 2017 Roubaix

Endurance - Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Arguably the coolest looking bikes of the 3 (a very subjective statement, I know), aero bikes have a more race-oriented frame which puts you in a more tucked in position, thereby putting a little more stress on your lower back and shoulders but making you more aerodynamic at the same time. These bikes are obviously bred for racing and target the more competitive among us.

Beginners may need some time to adapt to the slightly more extreme geometry of the bicycle and would benefit the most by having a good bike fit to begin with. From there, regular amounts of cycling will increase one's flexibility and thus comfort on the bike, allowing for efficient power output in the long run. Bikes that fall into this category are the Specialized Venge, Giant Propel, Trek Madone, Fuji Transonic, Merida Reacto and Canyon Aeroad.

2 beautiful Trek Madones

My own little Fuji SST

Aero - S-Workds Venge ViAS

Gravel/Adventure bikes and cyclo-cross bikes have only recently started to gain steam in the local Malaysian market which has long been dominated by the previous 2 groups of road bikes. Despite being marketed as 2 separate categories of bikes, they are not all that different from each other. Both have relatively wide mountain bike-esque tyres with frames that can incorporate them to allow for more stability and traction off-road, disc brakes and are more than capable of tackling relatively tame dirt and gravel trails.

The main difference between the two is that gravel bikes are more upright for leisure riding while cyclo-cross bikes are more race-oriented, needing a more tucked posture. Even though bikes in these categories are marketed to go off-road, this does not mean they're useless on road. The tyres they typically come with aren't any knobby as generic mountain bike tyres and even if their rolling resistance is still a little too high for you, you could always sawp them out for slick road tyres as these bikes, as mentioned before, have frames which can accommodate a wide range of tyre sizes. The gravel category includes the likes of the GT Grade, Specialized Diverge and Giant Revolt while the cross-country scene sees bikes such as the Trek Boone.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the bikes and marketing out there nowadays, but I sure with some effort and perseverance, you'll find the bike that's just right for you. Again, I must stress that you shouldn't be frightened by the large array of different bikes out there because at the end of the day, to most beginners, a bike will still be a frame with 2 wheels, a handle bar, pedals and some gears. You should instead focus on enjoying cycling as a whole, keeping in mind the first bicycle was invented 200 years ago and it still has a frame with 2 wheels, a handle bar, pedals and some gears.

Step 2: Establishing a realistic budget.

Setting aside a realistic budget from the get-go will help you decide on Steps 3 and 4. Now, if the bicycles you've been familiar with up until this point were the ones you've seen in supermarkets like Giant or Tesco, you may be in a bit of a shock once you learn the cost of a proper decent road bike. Typically, the 2 main factors that determine the cost of a bicycle are it's frame and groupset, which I will be getting into later.

A bicycle is, in many ways, similar to a car; they both have wheels, can be upgraded, are a means of transportation, require regular maintenance to run well, get damaged in crashes and cost money. However, from a financial stand point, bikes depreciate much faster than cars. In fact, they may begin to depreciate even before you buy them! A tip that more seasoned bike owners tend to give first time buyers is to never buy the latest bikes on the market. Instead, go to a store and look for a bike that's a year or two old. Those bikes, as a result of their latest iteration being out in the market, will not be as expensive as they were when they first came out, with some bikes even seeing a drop by as much as 70% in prices. For example, my Fuji SST 3.0 (carbon frame, seatpost and fork) with a 105 groupset cost around RM 10000 (MSRP $2560) 3 years ago when it first came out. It has since been replaced by their newer Transonic model. As a result of this, I purchased it early this year for a tiny bit over RM 6000. That's about a 35% to 40% price reduction. Not only that, older bikes tend to have tons of long-term reviews about them online, so you'll have archives worth of data on them, versus newer bikes which may be plagued with problems yet to be discovered. Of course, there's nothing wrong in going for the newest and the latest, but its worth keeping in mind how much you can save if you go for the alternative.

Typically, a basic 'beginner's' road bike from an honest shop with a steel frame and an entry level groupset will run you somewhere between RM1500 to RM2500. Significantly more than your average made-in-China supermarket bicycle. That cost, however high it may be, still does not cover the pedals, a water bottle and bottle cage, helmet (which I strongly recommend getting), shoes, a basic pair of cycling shorts and a bike fit which is paramount. 

Most stores today still include a pair of pedals, a water bottle and bottle cage as standard 'free' equipment when you purchase a bicycle from them along with a proper bike fit if you go to a brick and mortar store to physically purchase your bike. A bike fit is essentially having you sit on a device which measures certain parameters that determine how high your seat and stem should be, how forward or back to adjust your saddle as well as your ideal crank and stem lengths. From there, your bike will then be adjusted accordingly so as to ensure you are able to pedal efficiently whilst being in the most comfortable position possible.

Despite the wide price range for the various kinds of helmets out there, a take home message I have for you is that the prices have little to do with their level of safety. Most if not all cycling helmets sold by bike stores have to comply with a minimum set of international safety standards, regardless if its an RM100 helmet or an RM1000 helmet, which makes one helmet just about as safe as any other helmet. The extra that you pay when you buy the pricier helmets go into added bits of comfort, a lighter weight, aerodynamic designs, slightly better cooling vents and other potential gimmicks I won't get into. For a beginner, a basic RM100 - RM200 helmet is all you'll need.

A light weight aero helmet, circa RM900

A slightly heavier helmet, less aero, equally safe. Circa RM300

Cycling shorts are a bit of a grey area as far as beginners go. They're not essential as far as safety goes but they do make the ride that much more comfortable as they come with built-in padding to protect your perineal area (that place between your backside and sex organ) and don't require you to wear underwear underneath which significantly reduces the risk of chaffing. A decent basic pair of shorts will set you back about RM100 - RM200. 

Clipless pedals are specially designed pedals which, despite the name, allow you to clip your cycling-specific shoes into them to essentially fix or stick your feet onto your pedals. As these pedals and shoes have large amounts of contact area between them with no padding whatsoever, they facilitate effective power tranfer from your legs to the crank, better than your standard running shoes or sneakers on a basic flat pedal. I personally discourage beginners, especially the ones who rarely cycle any kind of bike, from purchasing clipless pedals and cycling specific shoes right out the gate as there is much to learn when it comes to handling a road bike as road bikes tyres are very narrow and the fork and frame very stiff, making inexperienced riders prone to crashes. With traditional shoes on flat pedals, stabilising yourself or bailing out just before a crash is significantly easier compared to clipless pedals and road shoes. Not only that, a clipless pedal and shoe combo can easily set you back a few hundred Ringgit.

Various cycling pedals

Shimano 105 carbon fiber pedal. Circa RM350

Lintaman road shoe

Specialized Audax, carbon fiber sole, circa RM900

Shimano RC7

So, after taking into account a helmet and a decent pair of shorts, you're going to have to set aside at least RM2000 to RM3000 when you buy your bike. Most established bike shops nowadays allow you to pay in installments or via bank loans, almost like a car, which is worth keeping in mind in the event you're not comfortable with dropping too much cash in one lump sum. Still with me here? Good. Lets move on.

Step 3. What frame to buy?

A bicycle frame is pretty much the heart of the bicycle and is argued by many to be the most important part of a bicycle. Chains, gears, breaks, tyres and even wheels can wear out as time goes by, but a frame will stay with you forever so as long as it's properly looked after. You may choose to buy higher end wheels or group sets later on in life, but all of that will only be going onto your preexisting frame.

Generally, there are 2 kinds of bike frames out there; steel and carbon fiber. Over a decade ago, carbon fiber bikes, being lighter than conventional steel bikes, were only owned by a handful of people due to their exuberant processing and manufacturing costs. Nowadays, thanks to advancements in technology, carbon bikes have become much cheaper and are therefore available to a larger market, but that doesn't mean that steel bikes have been sleeping all these years either. Newer, much lighter alloys are now used to make steel bikes versus that of 10 years ago, making some steel bikes almost as light as carbon ones. Steel also has the added benefit of being much more durable than carbon; a tumble on a steel bike will leave a couple of scratches but such a misfortune on a carbon bike my leave an irreparable crack or worse, rendering the bike unsafe to ride. Plus, despite how much cheaper carbon bikes have become, spec for spec, steel bikes are till cheaper than carbon ones.

Beautiful Colnago C60 carbon fiber frame

Pros of carbon:

Lighter

Dampens road vibrations a little better

Supposedly a little more comfortable

Cons of carbon:

Pricier than steel

Less durable

Cannondale CAAD 12 - Alloy (image taken from www.cannondale.com)

Pros of steel:

Cheaper

More durable / 'Steel is real'

Cons:

Heavier

As mentioned in step 2, depending on your budget, a carbon bike may or may not be financially viable. However, for most beginners, I doubt a few hundred grams of extra weight is going to be a significant hindrance. Plus, for the same amount of money, manufacturers can splurge a little more on better components for steel bikes, making them just as attractive as their carbon counterparts. 

Personally, if I were hard pressed for cash, I would go with a steel bike. Apart from the reason mentioned above, in the event I become more financially competent in the future, I can get a carbon one and, by that time, truly appreciate the differences in materials and components while having a steel bike as a training bike as well as one which will reliably stand up to all the abuse and falls that come it's way from now until then.

Step 4. Which groupset?

A groupset is essentially the parts of your bike that comprise of the brake levers/shifters, cranks, front and rear gears, front and rear derailleurs (the things that shift your gear), and the front and rear brakes. These parts essentially function to move the bike by transferring power from the rider to the wheels. 

Conventional groupset are what are known as mechanical groupsets, which change gears and engage the brakes via cables that connect the brakes and derailleurs to the brake levers/shifters on your handle bars.

A mechanical Dura-Ace groutset

Brake levers/Shifters

Brakes

Crank +  Front derailleur + Gears

Rear derailleur + Cassette

Newer electronic groupsets allow the user to shift gears with the aid of electronic signals sent from the levers to the front and rear derailleurs without the need for cables, thereby eliminating any 'cable stretch' over time as well as producing more consistent shifts, resulting in fewer dropped chains and missed shifts. As with anything that's technologically new, it goes without saying that these electronic groupsets are pricier than standard mechanical ones. A set of SRAM RED eTAPs will set you back close to RM6000, not exactly a 'beginner level' price.

SRAM RED eTAP groupset

When talking about groupsets, you often hear people mention about a groupset's or bike's 'speed' or gears. What they're referring to is the number of cassettes that are present in the rear. Essentially, a groupset with more rear cassettes will grant you access to a broader ratio of gears, thereby further ensuring you have the most appropriate gear for the job at hand, whether you're climbing a hill or going on the attack. Imagine a car with only 3 gears (first generation automatic Proton Saga owners may get this) vs a car with 6 gears or higher. The car with more gears will be able to shift to a higher gear a a lower RPM versus the car with fewer gears, essentially allowing either quicker acceleration or a reduced effort to achieve a certain speed.

The groupset market has been dominated by 3 major brands over the past few decades or so; Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo, each with their own range of groupsets.

Japanese giant Shimano would arguably be the most famous of the 3. Their base line group set, Shimano Claris (8 speed), is as basic as they get, followed by Sora (9 speed), Tiagra (10 speed), 105 (11 speed), Ultegra (11 speed), Dura-Ace (11 speed) and their range topping electronic Dura-Ace.  As you go up the range, the components get lighter and are machined more precisely so as to provide the smoothest shifting possible as well as an arguably longer life span due to the added precision of the components. Most entry level bikes within the price range mentioned above will come with Shimano Claris, Sora or a mixture of the two.

Some companies, in an effort to keep prices low while still keeping higher end parts on bikes may substitute certain components of the groupset with their own components. For example, my Fuji SST 3.0 came with a 105 groupset except for the breaks and cranks which are from Oval, a sister company of Fuji. Although this can often be a welcomed move, occasionally, the replacements are not always better than or even on par with their original counterparts. An extra point of note, one of Shimano's primary manufacturing plants is located in Johor, making it slightly easier for local bikes stores to obtain replacement parts versus the following brands. A link to their website.

And then we have SRAM. The Chicago-based company which is an acronym comprising the names of its founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam has it's own range of groupsets too, begining with their entry level Apex, followed by SRAM Rival, SRAM Force, SRAM RED and SRAM RED eTap (their electronic groupset). All groupsets, other than their range topping eTap come with a choice of either a 10 speed or 11 speed cassette at the back, with eTap only getting an 11 speed option. As with Shimano, the specs of each groupset get better the further you go along the list, with prices to match. The SRAM website.

An Emonda with SRAM Red shifters, brakes.....

.....front derailleur, cranks, chain rings....

....rear cassette and rear derailleur.

Last but by no means least, the Italian brand Campagnolo (pronounced cam-pang-yo-lo). Their baseline set starts with the Veloce, followed by the Athena, Chorus, Record and Super Record. The top 3 sets, the Chorus, Record and Super Record, each come with an electronic option, dubbed EPS (Electronic Power Shift). Only the baseline Veloce comes with 10 speed while the rest get 11. The Campag website.

As with the frame, a few grams in weight difference is not going to mean much to a beginner and as far as lifespan goes, regularly washing and servicing your bike will do more good for your components than the degrees of precision by which they were manufactured. So don't fret too much about having baseline components on your bike, too often have I seen cyclists with Sora and Claris components drop guys on their tricked out S-Works + Dura-Ace bikes. A bike and it's components will only get you 5% of the way, the other 95% is entirely up to you.

Step 5. Have a look around.

By this point, you will already have a rough idea about the basics of a bicycle, the type of bike you're interested in and what to look out for. Now it's time to do a little bit of hunting. The internet is your best friend from here onwards. Do a little bit of research on the bike you have in mind, determine the points in Steps 1 to 4 regarding the bike and most importantly, ensure that you, in general, enjoy the bike and are happy with it.

Despite most bike shops nowadays offering delivery services, I would still strongly encourage you to go and try a couple of bikes instead of making decisions based on what you see on your computer screen. Bikes may not be as expensive as a car, but they're, at least to most of us, far from cheap either.

Most shops allow potential customers to test out the bikes. They will usually be inclined to screw on a pair of flat pedals for you if asked. So make full use of this opportunity and try out your potential first bike. People test drive cars before buying them, so is test riding a bike too weird or unorthodox?

If you've only ever ridden a small handful of bikes in your life, this would be a good time to ask if you can test a few bikes, not to purposely waste the sales person's time, but to have hands on experience. This will allow you too feel how comfortable and relaxed certain bikes make you feel or don't feel. Don't be intimidated by the bike salesman and don't be afraid to ask questions. At the end of the day, you lose nothing by asking. Also, go to a few stores if necessary.


Step 6. Make sure it's a bike YOU want.
At the end of the day, your bike its probably going to be with you for a good couple of years if you maintain it well and avoid major crashes. Because of this, it should be a bike that you WANT to ride. There's no point in having a bike that looks good on paper if you constantly feel demotivated when riding it. Everytime I look at my bike, sometimes even it's been less than a day after a 100km plus ride, I still think to my self "Why am I not riding my bike?".

People tend to say its not what's on the outside that counts, but it's what's on the inside that matters. Well, unfortunately that doesn't always apply to bikes. Like that aero-looking Madone over the plain looking Domane? Prefer the classic looks of a Colnago C60 over the blade-like silhouettes of the latest aero bikes? Only you know the answer to these questions. Taste is a very subjective thing, especially when it comes to bike aesthetics.

So don't let anyone tell you what bike would suit you best. Even if you fork out top dollar for the best bike in the shop, decked out with electronic Dura-Ace and 80mm deep-dish aero wheels, it's going to feel like a big fat waste of cash if you never liked the bike to begin with. Most of us are just regular Joes and are not professional riders, hence a couple of grams saved here and there or a more aero-looking frame isn't going to affect our riding performance so much as our perceptions of our bikes.



Points to remember/ TL;DR:

• Casual riding or competitive cycling?
• What's your budget?
• Carbon or alloy frame?
• Which groupset?
• Look around and try a couple of bikes.
• GET THE BIKE YOU WANT.

And that's about it. I hope this post has, in some ways, helped you in some way on your journey towards buying your first bike. It's probably the longest post I've written so far and has taken me a couple of days to finish it on account I wanted to make sure I got most of the important points in without making it too ridiculously unreadable. As always, please feel free to leave any and all comments or questions you may have in the comment section down below and I'll try my best to answer them. Thank you for reading!