Which is better. A fixed gear (fixie) or a mountain bike?
John, a bike with gears will help you go uphill allot easier, and downhill/level ground allot faster. If that's not important to you, and you are planning to ride on level ground only, a fixie could be a good choice. Now, if you are buying a bike just do commute or basically ride on roads, get a hybrid. It will give you a much more comfortable ride, mountain bikes are design for better performance on off-road in expense of comfort. But in the end, I recommend you get a bike with gears. In the long run, it will be much more enjoyable and usable.
How do I convince my parents to let me ride my bike to school?
I am 16 years old and live 3 miles away from school, and since I won't be getting a car anytime soon and I want to exercise and enjoy the outdoors everyday instead of always sitting on a bus, I'd love to ride my bike to school. But my parents think its really unsafe.. even if I wear a helmet. But the route to school is pretty straight forward.. there's only one turn outside of the neighborhood. And its on a double lane road. The only problem is that there are no sidewalks and the they made the land on the side of the road slant down for storm water (and after that a line of trees), so I can only ride on the road. But I've seen many people ride bikes on the road and its fine. And is 3 miles really a lot? It takes about 6 minutes to drive to school. How can I convince my parents to let me ride? I live in a nice town and its really rural.. on my way to school I only pass by 1 other development, the rest is just trees bordering wide open spaces. I wouldn't ride the bike if the weather was going to be bad or anything, too. What can I do? I don't want to only be able to ride my bike in the neighborhood. But I live in Texas and most kids my age have cars and everything.. my parents said I should ask my friends if they'd ever consider riding bikes but I'm not run by what friends do. But it would be cool if I started riding and other people wanted to join as well. Where can I buy cool, affordable fix-gear bicycles too? my current bicycle is from elementary school and its too small, and has several other issues as well. I wouldn't mind buying a used bike if it fit me, looked nice, and was efficient. Preferably bikes under $100, but under $200 is good as well Thanks so much if you can help with any of this!
What is the best bicycle to buy in India?
Hi,This is a very generic question, however, I will try my best to help you reach a decision. However, first let me know clarity that there is no one single bicycle in India that can be called as the best one. Best bicycle is the one that suits and fulfills your requirements.However, you can follow a simple process to shortlist some good bicycle for your self - You can refer to a detailed bicycle buying guide.These are the steps you should ideally follow:Figure out your need and requirementsTake a paper and pen and jot down where you would be riding your bicycle to.How frequently will you be using the same?Finalize your budget - One important point to keep in mind is that you will need some money to buy some essential accessories too - Helmet, Air pump, Reflectors etc - A budget around the 20K to 25K mark would be good. However, you can still buy good bicycles if you have lower budgets (Below 10000 as well)Third thing that you need to decide upon is the type of bicycle you want to buy. There three main classification amongst bicycles.Mountain Bicycles or MTBHybrid Bicycles - Useful for commuting. Most people would find this bicycle good enough for their needsRoad Bikes - Built for speed.Important Tips:Try to limit the features that you expect from a bicycle.If you plan on buying a budget bicycle (And ride it regularly in traffic) - Get atleast one disc brake. Most budget bike brakes will not work well in rains.Buy gears only if you ride in hilly areas or have a lot of bridges on your way. Please remember - More number of gears does not get you a faster bikeTry to avoid bicycles with dual suspensions. You will not only get a better bicycle in the same budget but will also save a lot money on maintenance.Some Bicycle Recommendations:Budget bicycle below Rs. 1000I would suggest you go for the Mach city iBike. This bicycle has a good built quality and comes with some gear options as well.Other good options include:Montra Helicon Disc - This is a really good bicycle below Rs. 20000 in India.If you have a good budget. Go for the Giant Escape 2 bicycle. It is a really good bike from one of the leading bicycle brands in the worldI hope this brief answer help you select the right bicycle for yourself.Do UpVote if you found this answer helpful.
Can i ride a mountain bike on the road?
In short, yes, you can. Nothing bad will happen to it other than tire wear. You may go a bit slower than people on road bikes, but unless you go downhill on a smooth and straight road, physical condition is much more important than bike. I mean, if you train a lot, you may go faster than many people riding road bikes. You can put slicks to close the gap against road bikes. There are two ways of doing that. The first way is to change tires (and tubes) every time you need. You remove the knobby tires (and their tubes) and put slicks (and road tubes) when you will start using it on the road, e. g. for commuting, and do the opposite for offroading. This is the cheapest and least space-consuming option, but it is very time consuming. And you will not be able to have tubeless tires. The second way is to buy a second wheelset and use it only for slicks. It may be another mountainbike wheelset - it doesn't have to be very fancy, a special road wheelset for mountainbikes (such as Mavic Speedcity), or a custom-built wheelset, with 700C road rims and disc hubs. Either way, you may put a road cassette for increased preformance. Just make sure the number of speeds match. This is the fastest, easiest and best performing option, but it will be more expensive. BTW, 700C road tires do fit into 26" mountain bikes. they have roughly the same outer diameter. Good luck.
How to make my single speed easier to pedal uphill?
First off, don't suggest that I add gears. I want to keep my bike a simple single speed. I find it difficult, though, to pedal uphills- I'm in good shape, I lift weights and run, etc, but pedaling uphill is hard...I don't know how many teeth are on the rear sprocket, but am I correct in assuming that if I get a sprocket with more teeth, it will make it easier to pedal uphill, almost like switching to a lower gear? I realize this could also make me slower, but I don't mind that. I don't need to get anywhere fast...just to get up hills more easily. Thanks!