Buying your first Bicycle!

Walking into a cycle shop can be bewildering - if you can get into the place at all! There may be loads of bikes outside, then more inside, leaving just a narrow 'corridor' for you to reach the counter and you are bound to catch a few protruding handlebars on the way. Try not to knock any bikes over!

Bikes come in different frame sizes - what size is right for you? Do you want a Mountain bike, or a Road bike, or a Touring bike, or a Hybrid bike? How many gears will you need? HELP!!

Don't worry! The basics are fairly simple:

• Frame size. Everyone has a different stature and, to be frank, 'inside leg' measurement, which determines which frame size will best fit you. Any experienced cycle dealer will have a good idea as soon as you have walked into the shop, so the question will probably not need to be asked! He will invite you to sit on a few bikes anyway to see which size is best for you and he might adjust the saddle height too.

• 'Mountain' bike. These are the ones with wide, thick, chunky tyres and, generally, straight handlebars. The tyres give good grip on poor surfaces and are very puncture-resistant so suitable for off-road (eg. canal towpath or forest track) cycling, but these bikes are heavier to ride on tarmac and the deep tyre tread can be noisy and create vibrations on the road.

• Road bike. Lighter frame than the 'Mountain', slimmer tyres and finer tread. An easier bike to pedal on tarmac but perhaps more easily punctured when venturing along a canal.

• Racing bike. Similar to the Road bike but lighter still, even slimmer tyres and 'dropped' handlebars to allow the rider to lower the arms and upper body. But body position and handlebar hold can be the rider's preference.

• Hybrid: A 'compromise' between Mountain and Road designs.

Maybe a Mountain or Hybrid is a common first choice. At its simplest level, a bike is a bike, and any of the above will give you your first and, maybe, every ride, provided care is taken to get the size right. But as most of my cycling - and eventually yours too I hope - is going places in Birmingham, I prefer dropped handlebars and a Road model. As for gears - go for as many as your budget allows!

So. You have bought your bike, ridden it a bit, the size fits comfortably and you have done some of Birmingham's canal towpaths. Now you want to actually make a journey - to shops, to work, to the library, the Leisure Centre - whatever. My final blog tomorrow will give some advice for traffic cycling, a bit about 'Push Bikes' and will introduce my 'Consider Cycling' presentation.