News : 9 mistakes you should avoid when buying a bicycle

Are you thinking about buying your new bike? Will it be your first road bike? Do you want to renew your old MBT? No matter. Whatever is going on in your head it is important that you pay attention to this post.

People, and therefore cyclists, are used to making mistakes in the same things. The mistakes are repeated again and again and will continue to repeat themselves over the years, so we have devoted ourselves to making a list of the most common mistakes in the purchase of any bicycle so that in a few months you will not start pulling your hair. The dog died, the rage died.

Confuse your interest with that of the seller

Very much eye on this first point. Unlike the bicycle shops I have no commercial and economic interest with any brand so I will advise you with a totally objective opinion of the sector. Conversely stores always tend to sweep for home since they all have a commercial and economic interest behind each sale. This fact can distort the purchase process in many cases. Obviously each store offers its brands and their products so they will not recommend a bicycle from the competition, however good it may be.

You must not enter the seller's game. No matter how much confidence you have, he will try to defend his position and you have to do exactly the same with yours. It is likely that you have bicycles in stock, that you are interested in selling as soon as possible and, as is logical, you will prioritize this type of product before pulling the catalog and custom order. Given the case you can also take advantage of the situation to start negotiating. If you offer a product in Stock, try to tighten it with something more discount or with an extra accessory on the bike. You can do exactly the same on end-of-season bicycles or that are in liquidation. The buying and selling process is a whole strategy and, after all, reaching an agreement should be interesting for both parties.

Limit your purchase to certain brands

Open your mind and the range of possibilities. You may be a true defender of the "X" brand but this does not mean that you have to limit yourself to their products. The world of cycling has changed a lot in recent years and luckily more and more brands offer interesting products. All this can be clearly seen in our ranking of best bicycle brands and in more detail in the compilation of best road bikes and in the best MTB bicycles

The price-quality ratio is fundamental to apply the first filter. Some brands offer a lot of quality but at very high prices (Specialized, Cannondale or Trek) while some others offer competitive prices but with a more than dubious quality (MMR, BH, Berria, Cube, Focus ..).

Finding a middle ground is not easy. Quality at a good price is what everyone asks for, which, incidentally, is not bad either, since it forces brands to present more competitive prices. The offer is very large and you do not have to explore each and every one of the options. What I mean is that you do not limit yourself to the options offered by your "trust" store.

Choose the size "eye"

Beyond the color, the model and if you will mount some high or low profile wheels, The most important decision you will have to make is to choose the size of your bike. To know the size of the bicycle I recommend you enter this article in which we tell you all the secrets.

In any case the most advisable thing is that you let advise by a biomecánico that based on the technical sheet of the brand (geometry of the bicycle) I advise you that carving is better suited to your biomechanical profile.

The salesman will once again have his own interest and it would not be the first time that by placing a product he already has in store, he advises a cyclist about the wrong bicycle size.

Choosing the right size is much more important than it may seem. In the end our health will depend largely on this choice. Injuries in cycling take a while to appear but when they appear in many cases it is because we have been badly positioned for a long time.

Buy by fardar

It is clear that almost everyone likes to have the best material but this does not mean you have to go crazy to always go to the last. Buy what you need and what you like. Do not buy the bicycle your brother-in-law likes and settle accounts for the next family meal.

More than one buys the bike or the accessories just for bragging. Cycling is not a circus and as much as you go with the best bike and with the latest technology on the market what should work are your legs.

It is extremely dangerous to enter the rag of marks. It is absolutely impossible to always be updated, so do not try to follow all the trends of the market but you want to go crazy and have to ask for a loan to enjoy what has to be a simple "hobby".

Buy the wrong model

There are many bicycle models, and when I say many I mean beyond the road, the MTB and the triathlon. Within the same modality, for example, different variants may exist. In the case of the road there are aero bicycles that present a more aggressive picture, focused on competition and short and fast routes. On the other hand we find climber profile bicycles more oriented towards the mountain passes and the harder routes.

As if this were not enough you can also find large bicycles or even gravel bicycles for mixed tours.

Given the great variety of product that we find in the market is very important that you choose a bicycle model that suits your characteristics, both physical (as far as geometry is concerned) and sports (competition, long distance cyclists, etc ...).

Mortgage the future

It is extremely important to be clear about the budget. Know how much you can and want to spend on your new bike. You would not be the first to buy an initiation bike and end up leaving the store with a mid-high-end bicycle. I recommend that you mark a limit, a price that you do not want to exceed and that is the maximum that you are going to pay. You can transmit this limit to the seller so that he can advise you better in your purchase process.

Interest-free financing is another buying alternative that has been growing in recent times. Obviously head is a great option for those who do not have the necessary liquidity or do not want to pay a large amount of blow. At the same time the financing of a bicycle can become a double-edged sword and cause some cyclists to buy bicycles over their real economic possibilities. The bicycle is a hobby, not a work tool, so do not complicate your life and do not make a "simple" bicycle mortgaging your future. Buy with a head and find a product that also adapts to your economy.

Buy to buy

Compulsive shopping is not good in any area of ​​life. Buy correctly is a process that requires your time, this way forget to buy for yourself and do it without any criteria. A bicycle is not socks. What you are going to buy is likely to have to last a long time. Some cyclists are hot nose and are quickly seduced by the charms of the seller. It is very likely that you have saved time so nothing to throw the work of several months in the bud by a fever. In this sense I recommend that you inform yourself, ask for a budget and leave yourself a couple of days to meditate on the decision. Nothing to enter and buy to buy. Evaluate different options, start to discard and make the final decision. In this way you will save yourself annoyances resulting from overly impulsive purchases.

To be "intoxicated" by the environment

Do not forget that you are buying YOUR bicycle. If you ask for an opinion, it is likely that you will end up deranged. Each person has their opinion and vision so finding a perfect product will be impossible. Also everyone is very smart while they do not touch your pocket. Listen, let yourself be advised but do not go crazy. If your neighbor likes a Pinarello Dogma in black do not buy the model just for envy. The tastes are very varied and what you can look like a rocket to another may seem a very "normal" bicycle. The concept of aesthetic beauty is very relative, so that beyond the analysis of the group and the components, the overall assessment seems somewhat more complicated.

More expensive is always better

Do not make the mistake of thinking that more expensive is always synonymous with more quality. It is true that with more budget you can greatly improve the benefits of the bicycle but for your needs, the best services may not always be the best option.

I will explain. Obviously for about 10,000 euros more you can buy a bicycle with electronic change. An option that a priori (for the amount) may seem better than that of a mechanical change (group). Well this does not have to be true in the sense that what choose between mechanical and electronic change In many cases, it becomes a more personal matter than a budget. Without going any further, Alberto Contador himself ran the most important stages of his sports career with mechanical change. As you can imagine the Pinteño did not have any budget limitation and still chose to compete with a mechanical group and cheaper.

Something similar can happen with the wheels, with the potentiometers or even with the saddle. In this last case the cyclist must prioritize comfort, an aspect that is also very relative and that everyone finds in a different way. The most expensive saddle can be a nightmare for your ass, while one of medium price can fit you much better.

Ráscate the pocket, but with head and with the conviction that you are buying what best suits your needs.