How to Choose the Perfect Bike Path Bicycle!

A customer once said to me, " I'm confused! There are so many types of bikes I'm just not sure what to buy!" After a few questions about riding style and use, it was obvious to me what type of a bicycle would best suit him. He needed a hybrid bicycle to ride with his family on the local bike path. After contemplating the conversation, I realized his confusion was justified.

The bike he needed has an identity problem. For many years, drop handlebar, lightweight "road" bikes ruled the road and drove the bicycle business. During those years we heard much complaining about comfort. Everything hurt! Butts, backs, necks and palms... everything! Then along came "mountain" bikes. At their advent, many people viewed mountain bikes through rose colored comfort glasses. They saw big tires. They saw a more upright riding position than their "road" bikes. Many jumped on the mountain band wagon for the wrong reason. These buyers thought the were buying a bike that would be comfortable to ride. These buyers found out quickly that mountain bikes are designed to ride through the woods at ten miles per hour and dodge trees. Quick and responsive, but not built for comfort!

The bicycle industry responded with a new style of bicycle. This new model would feature a more upright riding position than a "mountain" bike. It would keep the larger diameter wheels of a "road" bike for better efficiency for riding on bike paths... That's when the bike industry dropped the ball! This style of bicycle was labeled as a "hybrid" bicycle.

The general public knows their bicycle styles by the name of the bicycle category. When someone envisions a "road" bike, they see a light, fast bike that you ride on the road. A "mountain" bike brings to mind a rugged bike designed to ride off-road, through the woods and up a mountain trail. But a hybrid? Most people do not understand what this bike is about until it is explained.

The hybrid bike is a "bike path" bike. Pure and simple! It has the comfortable upright riding position. It has the bigger wheels that glide easily down the bike path. Many have suspension forks and large comfortable seats. The linear style brakes are very efficient, and the indexed shifting a breeze! If you are searching for a bike to ride on one of the many great bike paths springing up all over, the hybrid or "bike path" bike would be a wise choice.