| For most of us, well-intentioned but casual bike riders | | | | helpful, especially if you happen to have anything |
| who secretly believe we might be Lance Armstrong's | | | | unique about your physique, like long legs combined |
| heir if we only had a few more hours a day to spend | | | | with a short torso. If you have long legs, you can |
| on our bicycles, buying a new road bike is tantamount | | | | straddle almost any bike, but will your body be able to |
| to buying a road bike frame. The frame is what we're | | | | relax comfortable in the stretch between your saddle |
| thinking of, something new and shiny and colorful, | | | | and the handlebars? The whole geometry of the road |
| something we suspect even car drivers envy when | | | | bike frame matters a lot to fit. And fit matters |
| they see us flash through the snarl of traffic. Truly, a | | | | excessively to comfort.If you're a racer, comfort will |
| road bike frame is a beautiful thing and part of the | | | | not be your only consideration. Indeed, it may be down |
| reason we love bicycling.When you have the good | | | | among the last elements you consider. Speed is not |
| fortune to be looking at new bicycles, though, you | | | | usually built from comfort, and the road bike frame that |
| definitely want to look at a few elements besides the | | | | promotes speed is built of different materials than one |
| color of a road bike frame. Face it. When you're on | | | | used primarily for recreational riding. Frames can be |
| your way back home from a long Sunday ride and | | | | made of titanium, chrome-moly, aluminum or steel, and |
| you're riding your thirty-fifth mile smack into a stiff | | | | each metal has different advantages of weight and |
| headwind, the fact that your frame is cobalt blue or | | | | strength. Frame geometry varies, too, with touring |
| even Bianchi green is not going to help you. The length | | | | bikes featuring a longer vertical base and top tube than |
| of your seat tube is going to help you and the length of | | | | the skittish racing models.So when you're looking at |
| your top tube and even the angle of the three main | | | | road bike frames, think beyond the paint. Get a frame |
| tubes all put together is going to help (or hinder) you, | | | | that fits both you and your purpose. Whether you do |
| but color is not.If you shop at a discount store or even | | | | your research online or in a good bike store, you'll be |
| a general purpose sports store, if you get any help at | | | | glad you took the time.Alastair Hamilton is a successful |
| all in choosing a bike that fits you, it will probably consist | | | | writer who offers a truly unique depth of experience in |
| of a clerk instructing you to stand over the top bar of | | | | competitive cycling, he also contributes adding technical |
| the frame and see if you can comfortably straddle it | | | | articles on road bikes ( ) to some cycling online |
| with your feet on the floor. This is not really particularly | | | | magazines. |