How to buy a bike

Recreational bikes
If you're tired of going nowhere (literally) in your spin class but aren't interested in city riding, take your workout to the great outdoors with a recreational bike, where the experience becomes more about having fun and less about transportation. A more rugged terrain demands a more rugged bike and most recreational bikes fall into the category of hybrids, which are a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. So, whether you plan on taking your bike out to the cottage, going on a picnic in the ravine or riding the paths in the River Valley system in Toronto or the Gatineaus in Montreal, recreational riders should look for…

Multi-tasking: Recreational bikes need to be able to tackle all different terrain from paved roads to dirt paths to steep hills and valleys, so a bike with lots of gears (21 to 27 speeds), intuitive shifting and powerful brakes is golden.

Easy to transport: Full steel bikes are great for city riding, but their weight can range from 19 to 40-plus pounds. Lightweight carbon or aluminum frames make for easy transport and better efficiency without being too sluggish on the trails. A good recreational bike will also have easy-to-remove wheels so you can get it into your car quickly.

Performance bikes
When your desire for a basic workout turns into high-performance athleticism, it's time to upgrade to a performance bike, which is designed for competitive use and optimal performance. Whether it's a high-octane mountain bike or a Tour de France racer, each has its own set of haves and have-nots…

Mountain bike: These are off-road bikes meant to circumvent obstacles (also known as trees) as you go up and down rocky hills, covered in thick mud – it's less about comfort, more about surviving the ride. The ultimate mountain bike is super-lightweight, highly maneuverable, with lots of gears to get you up and down hills and a suspension fork to take out some of the bumps.

Road bikes: Made for distance, road bikes are what Kamphof describes as "point and shoot bikes." Designed for longer rides of 50 to 100km in a pretty well straight line, maneuverability (and an ability to take a beating) is less relevant here. Both mountain bikes and road bikes put you in an aggressive, performance-optimum position that optimizes your body's ability to produce power and longevity, so you can go further, faster.

Read more:
Secrets of a streetwise cyclist
Great cycling getaways
Active family games

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