Road bikes are one of the oldest and most popular types of bike. They are sturdy, lightweight and built ultimately for speed. These bikes have been around for decades. If you browse online, you can find a lot of vintage bikes and even discount road bikes which are also starting to gain its own popularity.
Road bicycles are also known as a racing bicycles. Weight and stiffness are their distinguished characteristics. These two greatly determine the efficiency at which the power of the rider’s pedal can be transferred to its wheels. Taking this in mind, most road bicycles sacrifice comfort for speed. They have drop handlebars which are positioned lower than the saddle (or bike seat) to create an aerodynamic posture. The gear ratios are also closely spaced enabling its rider to pedal according to their own rhythm.
Features
Tires. Road bicycles are fast because they run on thin tires. These tires are kept as thin as possible to keep the drag to a minimum with very minimal effort. This is also the reason why road bikes are not advised for beginners because friction is lessened (with thin tires) thus, the stability of the bike should be very well scanned. They are less steady and compared to mountain bikes, cannot be run on rough terrain.
Handlebars. Modern innovations in design and technology for the last decades have involved transformation of road bicycles to very swift bikes. Handlebars used are have special curved handles and are usually lower than the saddle so that the rider’s posture will be more aerodynamic, a low and smooth riding stance, thus, producing more speed.
Gearing system. Modern ones have triple chain rings at the front and 10 rings on the rear wheel. This gearing system permits its rider to bike steep hills and twisting roads with more ease and convenience without sacrificing speed. There have been recent advancements like integrated brake levers and gear shifters allowing bikers to change shift and pull the brakes at the same time with very minimal movement.
The advancements in modern road bicycles have caused its price to rise. But thanks to the effort of online retailers, you can find a lot of discount road bikes online. These discount road bikes are full-pledged road bicycles at a very affordable price. The distinguishing features mentioned in this article can be found on discount road bikes and they are just as fast, sturdy and lightweight as other expensive ones.
