Complex Diagrams

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Last summer I gave a talk at Ignite Seattle on how to buy a practical bike. This is the slide deck for that talk. There’s no audio, but you can gather most of it from the images. The summary is below the presentation.

In general, when shopping for a bike, the best thing you can do is ride several and find one that sings to you. Details of manufacturer and parts are less relevant if you like how the bike feels when you ride it.

• At a give price point, most new bikes are going to have a similar mix and quality level of parts.
• Look for a bike where you can get the handlebar at or above the height of the seat when the seat is adjusted to your leg length.
• Low gears are critical if you live near hills or plan on carrying or pulling loads.
• You probably want at least 32mm / 1.25″ wide tires. You don’t need a suspension, or knobby offroad tires, or any tread at all, in the city.
• Your frame should have room for fenders (you can wait until September for those, but shops may install them free if you buy with your new bike).

Key points when buying a practical bicycle