Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Find Me a Bike!
How and where to start looking for a new bike when you don’t know what you’re doing. Also what to look for in your next two-wheeled partner.
It’s February, so that means everyone and their mother is thinking & talking about romantic love. But you know what too often gets overlooked? Loving your bike! Just like dating, finding a new ride can be daunting when you’re just starting out, but I’m here to bring it back to basics and help you find your “type” when it comes to finding your perfect partner to ride on;)
Cruiser
Looking for a bike to cruise around town in style? Look no farther than a cruiser! Keep it simple by taking this bike for a comfortable joy ride on scenic trails. Or deck it out with baskets and racks to carry everything from your latest shopping spree to your weekly grocery store run. For short trips you won’t find much out there that's flirtier or more fun than a cruiser.
Defining Feature: A step through frame to get on and off easily. When taking a cruiser for a spin, you should be sitting in an upright position – comfortable for short & lazy cruises. However, you won’t be able to put as much power into pedaling in this position so look elsewhere if you want to ride fast & furiously.
At the time of writing the Liv Flourish, Tokyobike Bissou, Bianchi Torino Dama & Cortina Dama are all in stock with us and available to take for a test ride to determine which is the right fit for you. Our partner, Public Bikes, also has great options to order directly from their website.
Hybrid
The hybrid is really the Carrie Bradshaw of bikes – the one that has it all! A hybrid is a great choice if you’re not sure what you’re looking for in a partner and want to just dip your toe in to start. Hybrid bikes, as the name suggests, are great at a lot of different things – they can commute to work with you just as easily as they can join you for a workout along the Lake Shore Trail.
If you take a hybrid bike out for a test ride, your body will be in a sportier position than how you’d be sitting on a cruiser while still less aggressive than a road bike. This makes it a great choice if you want your bike to help you stay in shape without committing to super long rides at a super fast pace. Hybrids will also generally have wider tires to keep you more stable on a variety of surfaces; while you might not be able to take this kind of bike down rugged single track, it should be able to handle the occasional patch of grass or unfilled pothole native to the Chicago landscape.
At the time of writing, we currently have several models of the Liv Alight available as well as her slightly sportier sister, the Thrive 1. The Giant Escape is also in stock. Be sure to call or text us at 773-666-5153 if you’d like to come in for a test ride to ensure we have something in your size here for you to try out.
Road Bike
If you’re ready to commit to a bike that is built for going far and fast, then you’re going to want to pair up with a road bike. If you’re looking for a bike that will support you through a century (or beyond!) and something to keep up with you on fast group rides, then look no further than a road bike. With drop handlebars up front, you will find yourself in one of the most aggressive riding positions out there to put the most power into your pedaling and keep you aerodynamic. Road bikes will usually come out of the gate equipped with nice brakes & shifting components that change gears effortlessly and responsively.
Many people who test ride a road bike for the first time will often report that the bike feels “twitchy,” but what they’re really feeling is the responsiveness of the bike. A great road bike will react to subtle body movements allowing you to control the bike carefully and quickly, but this will really require you to get in tune with yourself and how you handle your ride.
Road bike stock is pretty limited right now, but we do have the Liv Langma Advanced Disc 2, the Avail AR 1,and the Giant Contend 3 in limited sizing. The Langma is a great choice to win races with due to having a ultra-lightweight & aerodynamic carbon frame; the Avail AR is more of an all-rounder (hence the AR in the name) with wider tires out of the box & more relaxed geometry that will be more comfortable over longer distances. The Contend 3 is the perfect pick for someone looking to upgrade to their first road bike.
Adventure
Are you an adventurous spirit that can’t be tamed? Are you known to take day-trips, weekend trips, or months-long trips out of town and want a bike to keep up with you wherever you end up? An adventure bike is clearly the choice for you to take on all of your adventures. This type of bike can easily be loaded up with all your camping gear to go bike-packing through country roads as easily as it can handle a joyride off the beaten path. Any adventure bike with it’s dirt will come with wide, knobby tires to find purchase on rough gravel, loose dirt, and everything in between.
Look for a bike with front suspension for a comfortable ride over any kind of bump or pothole as it will absorb any impact that otherwise would have been absorbed by your shoulders. Flat handlebars keep you upright so you can be more alert to obstacles in your path and provide better handling.
However, suspension makes a bike heavier and flat handlebars aren’t as conducive to going fast as drop bars. So if you like the swiftness of a road bike and aren’t too worried about hitting huge bumps, you should also consider a gravel bike to take on your adventures with you. While not quite as aggressive as a road bike, gravel bikes still have drop handlebars to put you in a riding position that leans forward and makes you feel powerful. They also come stocked with knobbier tires and room to slap on some fenders and bags.
At the time of writing, we have the Liv Bliss in stock as well as the beefier Rove. The Giant ATX and Roam are also available. The Reid Original Gravel is in stock and a great entry level bike to see if gravel riding is for you while the Giant Advanced 3 is a great lightweight upgrade if you’ve already fallen in love.
Commuter
A commuter bike might be the most nebulous of all categories. After all, isn’t any bike you ride to work a commuter? The answer is yes! So in order to pick which bike to support your career, you need to understand your priorities and know which features are a must and which can be compromised on.
A comfortable cruiser might be the way to go if you like taking it slow, but a speedy road bike is a great choice if you (like me) find yourself chronically late and always need to race to the office. However, there are a lot of bikes out there that are built with the commuter in mind. These bikes will typically come stocked with a rear rack that can be outfitted with baskets or panniers so that you don’t have to worry about riding with a backpack. You also might want to look for a bike that has fenders to keep you dry if you plan on riding in the rain. If a bike you love doesn’t come with a feature you’re looking for, check to see if they can be added after the fact, many great bikes will allow you to mount the extra accessories that are essential for commuting.
The commuter bikes that we currently have stocked at the time of writing are the Momentum Street and Liv Alight City. The Street has an integrated cup holder for your morning brew and a mount for your u-lock (another must-have for the city commuter). However, the Alight City is lighter than the Street and has more gears, making it a better choice if you have a hilly commute. It also features disc brakes, which are much more responsive than rim brakes – something that is really useful when weaving in and around traffic.
We also have the TokyoBike Classic Sport & Mono available as a lightweight choice for the agile commuter. The Mono is the single speed version of the Classic Sport, and both bikes are great if your commute, like mine, starts with you carrying your bike down multiple flights of stairs. Because TokyoBikes come stocked with smaller-than-standard wheels and their frames are made out of a high-quality lightweight steel, these bikes are incredibly lightweight and quick while still feeling sturdy. You will need to add a rack and other accessories if that’s something you want out of your commuter, but the sleek look of a TokyoBike will certainly turn heads as you zoom by other cyclists in the bike lane.