Types Of Modern Bicycles

Many people who are not familiar with bicycles believe that there are only three types of bicycles: road, also known as a city; sports, also known as highway; and mountain. These are the three most typical and common types of bicycles. The Portuguese bicycle market is saturated with many brands, from cheap to elite. There are many models from different manufacturers, and it is difficult to understand all their diversity. Bikerist.com aims to help you choose a bicycle that fits your needs for traveling around Portugal.

Road Bike (Road Racing Bike)

The very name of the road bike reflects the purpose of this type of bicycle – riding on the highway. Accordingly, we must talk about moving on a prepared surface (smooth asphalt) at high speed. A long history of improving road bikes and surfaces led to this bike’s emergence. The road bike is the Formula 1 of bicycle construction. All world leaders make road bikes – this is excellent advertising for the brand. We say Trek – these are the bikes that win the Tour de France, and this phrase is understandable to everyone – from beginners to professionals – it means a respected brand, it means there are innovative technologies. Due to the almost complete absence of calculated crash loads, the road bike is maximally aerodynamic and lightweight. It is not intended for riding in extreme conditions and on roads with poor-quality surfaces. A distinctive feature of a road or racing, as it was called before, the bike is a curved downward handlebar, popularly called “ram’s horns.”

Landing on a road bike. The complete opposite of landing on a city bike -the body is positioned almost horizontally to reduce wind resistance and minimize the load on the back. A significant load on the arms allows you to unload the back and increase pedaling efficiency. The ability to lean on the elbows is required to reduce the load on the arms. A beginner will find this position uncomfortable, but due to the redistribution of the load on the body, the ability to move non-stop for many hours is achieved, and maximum pedaling efficiency is created. A narrow, hard saddle is maximally adapted to long-distance travel. Due to the low landing, the ability to maneuver is sharply reduced, but it is not needed on the road.

Design features of a road bike. The frame is as light as possible and as high as possible. The frame material directly depends on the price category and class of the bicycle: good chromium-molybdenum steel, aluminum or titanium alloys, and composite materials. Another design feature of the frame is its maximum rigidity – to eliminate energy loss when transmitting the cyclist’s efforts when pedaling. The fork is rigid, streamlined, lightweight, and made of various alloys or composites. The wheels are almost always 28” (622 mm) with very narrow tires (18-28 mm). Nearly all modern road bikes have high-pressure clincher tires, and monotubes have become a rarity.

Equipment. Shimano Road equipment of all classes or Sram Road. Two or three leading stars and 8-10/6-9 driven stars, selected with a small step from gear to gear: 18-27 gears. A characteristic feature of modern road bikes is shifters integrated with brake levers. Old and inexpensive bicycles were equipped with shifters located on the frame. Cantilever brake system (V-brake).

Summary. Road bikes are a very monogamous class of bicycles; they are all very similar since their niche of use is clearly defined – riding on prepared surfaces at maximum speed for maximum distances. On smooth asphalt, with the same effort on a road bike, you can maintain a speed of 7-10 km / h higher than on a city or mountain bike. However, when the quality of the road surface decreases, road bikes immediately lose all their advantages. Most road bikes do not have standard mounting points for mudguards and a luggage rack, which somewhat narrows their application scope. Road bikes are bicycles for athletes who are not looking for a compromise.

Mountain Bike (MTB)

A mountain bike is perhaps the youngest and most dynamically developing type of bicycle, the most versatile, and includes the most significant number of subclasses. MTB was intended for riding on roads of medium and low quality, off-road, and on very rugged terrain. It was this broad initial positioning that gave impetus to the development of a large number of mountain bike modifications. Such a requirement in the design of mountain bikes as adaptability to various extreme loads determined the high crash resistance of all mountain bikes and their popularity among broad sections of cyclists. Huge demand, reliability, and, first of all, the frame and versatility of application determined the saturation and dynamic development of this segment of the bicycle market, as well as the emergence of specialized models of mountain bikes and many types of mountain bikes.

Mountain bike landing. Due to the large number of mountain bike types, the landing is somewhat different, but it can be written like this: intermediate between a road bike and a city bike. There is a load on the arms; it is possible to transfer the load to the arms without getting off the saddle, just like in a road bike. Due to the oblique landing, there is good controllability, good visibility, and fairly high pedaling efficiency.

Mountain bike design features. If we consider the most common type of mountain bike, then its characteristic features include the following. A strong frame of a relatively small size with high ground clearance. The frame material can vary from steel to carbon. Almost any mountain bike in recent years of production, except the cheapest ones, has a shock-absorbing fork. A full-suspension version is also not uncommon. The handlebar extension is long, and the handlebar is straight or slightly raised. Wheels are 26 ” (559 mm), with strong, usually double-walled, rims and robust tires with a developed tread. Off-road tires, however, can be replaced with semi-slicks or even slicks, including relatively narrow ones.

Equipment. Multi-speed systems Shimano MTB, SRAM, and other manufacturers. The shifters are on the handlebar, so you can change gears without removing your hands. Mountain bikes have from 21 to 27 gears, providing a change in gear ratio over an extensive range. They are enough for high-speed movements on the highway and a steep climb on a difficult road. The special design of the front and rear derailleurs, leading and driven sprockets, and chains allow you to reliably shift gears under heavy pollution and high loads. The braking system of a mountain bike can be equipped with mechanical rim brakes of the console type (V-brake) or disc brakes. There are hydraulic brake systems for both V-brake and disc.

Summary. A mountain bike is one of the most versatile types of bicycles and, at the moment, the most “fashionable” bicycle. It is best suited for movement outside of asphalt highways, on rough terrain, and off-road.

Hybrid Bike

The above bicycles are so different that some intermediate options were necessary to combine the advantages of different types of bicycles.

One of these bicycles is a hybrid. Traditionally, a hybrid is a lightweight version of a mountain bike better suited for riding on the road.

Compared to a mountain bike, the design features include a lighter and taller frame, usually made of steel or aluminum pipes. The geometry is better suited for riding on the road. Recently, there has been a clear tendency to install short-travel shock-absorbing forks on such bicycles with a stroke of 40-60 mm. There are even models with a shock-absorbing suspension of the rear wheel designed so that you can safely install almost any accessories on the bike. Instead of a straight handlebar, an “8-shaped” handlebar is often installed. The stem is adjustable in height.

A luggage rack, mudguards, “horns” on the handlebars, and other accessories may either be absent or included in the bike’s factory package. In the second case, many manufacturers call such bikes trekking bikes and position them as an intermediate option between hybrid and city bikes.

The main advantage of a hybrid bike is its versatility: with a slight decrease in the properties inherent in a mountain bike, a hybrid has noticeably better highway driving performance. This is probably the best choice for those who like to ride everywhere except completely off-road. In addition, over the past couple of years, the choice of hybrid bikes in stores has increased significantly.

Touring Bike

If a hybrid is a step towards a more versatile bike from a mountain bike, then touring is a step towards a versatile bike from a road bike. This bike is designed for long bike rides at a fast pace but can be ridden both on the road and, if necessary, on medium-quality roads.

Touring bikes differ from road bikes in that they have more durable wheels with wider rubber. Another difference is a wide range of gear shifting: usually, the cassette and rear derailleur are borrowed from a mountain bike, and the rest of the drive equipment is borrowed from a road bike. The braking system can be borrowed from a mountain bike or a road bike.

Installing mudguards and a luggage rack makes such a bike suitable for bike travel with cargo. Compared to a hybrid, a bicycle is better suited for fast movement on the highway but is less dependent on the quality of the road compared to a road bike. However, it is not easy to find such a bicycle: Of the large manufacturers, only Trek and Cannondale assemble bicycles of this type, although such bicycles are often assembled by themselves.

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