Selecting a Bicycle for Your Style of Riding
Bike Italy - Bike Skills
Traveling in Italy by bicycle lets you have fun and get exercise while being kind to the environment at the same time. It is a great way to explore a city, ride a classic Gran Tour route, experience a back country trail in the Dolomite's, not to mention more serious pursuits such as endurance touring or racing a Gran Fondo. Whatever your goals, you have a number of bicycle options to take you there.
The aim of this information sheet is to help beginners, casual riders or those who haven't ridden in a while, to help us help you in selecting the right type of bike for your tour. We suggest, if you have a “high end” bicycle you love at home, bring it along. It is difficult to adjust to a new bicycle during a week long bicycle tour and the hassle of traveling with a nice lightweight bicycle is not as difficult as it was 5 years ago. You can still try one of our bikes anytime during the week and we will have on hand all the tools and materials in case of emergency repair.
What's Your Primary Riding Style?
Your first consideration is to know where you'll be riding: on pavement, dirt trails or both. Some bicycles are made specifically for a particular kind of riding surface, while others are versatile enough that, perhaps with a quick tire change, they can be ridden in more than one category.
Your second consideration should be to know your current physical strengths and weakness due to age and lifestyle. Even if you wish to ride the Tour the France, if you are past the age of 30, do not have a grouppetto of 7 or 8 persons to share the workload, a pace car handing you food and water, and someone rubbing you down each night you will never ride as fast as they do on TV. Therefore you probably do not need this year’s race version of a Del Rosa, Trek, or Penarillo carbon chrono or race bike. Carpel tunnel syndrome, knee pain, back pain, a few extra pounds, and lots of other age issues perhaps now prevent us from riding as fast as we once did. Our goal is not to win a race, but just to burn off a few calories of the wine and food we enjoy so that we can continue to indulge.
Road Bikes
Best for: Pavement.
Description: Our road bikes are light weight and set up for multiple uses including fitness riding, long-distance/event rides, touring and racing. They are suitable for riders ranging from novices to seasoned enthusiasts. Proper fit for most road bikes is particularly important, as a poor fit can be uncomfortable or even painful. In addition, a poorly fitting road bike can also reduce the efficiency of your pedaling. Road bikes are distinguished by a basic handlebar style:
- Drop-bar handlebars are lightweight and aerodynamic and are a better choice if you want to go faster or are more concerned with efficiently transferring your energy into making the bike move forward. They also allow for a greater number of riding and hand positions than flat-bars. Their more aerodynamic riding position (bent over at the waist) may put more strain on your back if you are less flexible.
Mountain Bikes
Best for: Dirt or rocky trails and gravel roads; OK for pavement too (with tire change).
Description: Designed to be strong, with shock-absorbing features and better braking systems, mountain bikes can handle dirt trails and the rocks, roots, bumps and ruts that come with them. In addition, they feature lower gears than most road bikes in order to better handle steeper terrain. However, be aware that the smaller diameter wheel (26 inch) of the typical mountain bike will be less efficient on pavement than the larger diameter wheel (700 centimeter/27 inch) of a road bike. Our Mountain bikes come in a basic variety:
- Hard-tail bikes feature a front suspension fork and a rigid back with no rear suspension shocks. This type of mountain bike is lighter in weight than a typical full-suspension mountain bike. A hard tail is the more versatile choice if you plan to use it for both paved and unpaved surfaces.
Recreational Bikes
Best for: Pavement or gravel/dirt roads.
Description: These bikes emphasize comfort and ease of handling. They are ideal for riding routes on flat and rolling hills terrain. We have placed bigger wheels on our bikes for an extra-smooth and efficient ride. These bikes are good for general riding or those who haven't ridden in a while. You will lose some speed but you will be much more comfortable during the week. Most have large tires so you can ride them on gravel or dirt as well as pavement. All models include rear racks and/or fenders.
We have 1 type of recreational bicycle to offer:
- Comfort bikes are aptly named. They feature slightly wider 26-inch tires than other pavement bikes, a comfortable seat and a very relaxed sitting position. Bikes also offer a suspension seat that compresses when you sit on it, providing extra comfort and shock absorption.
Simple things to look for in finding the Right Bike Fit for You
No matter what type of bike you choose, make sure it fits you. Bikes are built in a variety of frame sizes, so this is a good starting point. To find the frame that best fits your leg length, try this simple stand-over exercise: throw your leg over the bike's top tube and straddle it. Generally you want about 1" of clearance for a road bike and about 2" or more for a mountain bike. Recreation and comfort bikes generally offer plenty of stand-over room already. Wear shoes to get an accurate reading.
Stand-over height
Now consider the seat height. You want to make sure your leg has a slight bend when your pedal is at its lowest point in its rotation. To achieve this may involve making simple up or down adjustments to the seat height.
You should also have the proper reach to the handlebars. Your arms should not be fully extended; rather, your elbows should be slightly bent so that you feel comfortable and not too far away or too close to the handlebars.
Take a Test Ride
A test ride is a great way to discover what the best bike is for you. On each trip our first rides are designed to give you a chance to get comfortable with your bicycle and make any small adjustments.
Protect Yourself
Bicycling comes with many useful accessories and safety gear. The most important is a helmet. As with your bike, it's important that a helmet fits you properly, make sure you pack your helmet for each trip.
Northern Italy is an exceptional choice as an active vacation for those who love to get around by foot.·There are great walks and hikes throughout the regions that lets you explore·the multi layers of history and culture, the varied geographical profile, and these small ecosystems that offer varied food and wine products, a walker·has multiple choices to keep them engaged during their visit.
