Choosing a bicycle for transportation - Part 1: Consider the different aspects

Choosing a bicycle for transportation is not an easy task. Every person is different. The choices out there are endless, so it is very easy to become confused and overwhelmed by all those different types of bicycles!

Before you even consider paying a visit to your near bike-shop, I advise you to just sit down and think about your future commute. Don't forget that each cyclist you see in the street is unique. We might be cyclists, but we all have our differences. 

We don't live in the same city, and even if we are, we don't live in the same neighborhood. We don't ride on the same terrain. Some of us have hills, some of us don't.

We don't work on the same firm (obviously!) which means our commutes vary on length and the routes we choose to use are different, too.

We aren't made the same. There are tall people and there are short people. Someone's torso is longer in overall comparison with its whole body and others have longer feet. Two persons of the same height and weight are likely to find out that they chose different bicycles in the end. And that is totally normal! What might work for one, might feel totally wrong for another. Even if all of the latter aspects are common (like same town, same neighborhood, same job, same terrain and commute.)

And because we all have our differences, chances are that you have yours, too! So before doing anything else, you must imagine your commute by taking into account not only where you live and work, but also your neighborhood.

Is there a grocery store nearby or not? 

Do you live on a rural area with long distances between each destination or in the heart of a city? 

Last but not least do not forget to take into account the weather, too! Seasons in each place are different. In Volos, where I live, summer and winter are the challenging months! Summer due to the sun and winter because there is humidity! We might not get temperatures below zero that often, but where its humid, even 5°C degrees feel unbearable! 

So do you want to choose a bicycle for transportation? 

The first step is to think!

Plan your routes! Take into account all of the different aspects. 

Do not mimic others and their choices. 

You have to make your own choice! But for being able to do that, you need to consider of all the facts!