Road Biking

Road biking is a very popular cycling activity where riders ride specially designed bikes on a road or flat track. Many very popular, professional bike races fall under the category of road biking. Road bikes are usually light weight, have very skinny tires, and have multiple speeds.

They are capable of very high speeds. In fact, road bikes are some of the fastest flat-land bikes in existence. Recumbent bikes are sometimes faster, but these are most often not allowed to be used in professional road biking races.

Road bikes are usually designed with speed in mind ahead of comfort. In other words, they are made to be fast, not particularly comfortable.

For example, the handlebars on a road bike are usually lower to the ground. This cuts down on wind resistance by keeping the body lower and more streamlined. Also, the wheels are usually fairly large, and are pretty close together to make it easier to handle the bike at higher speeds.

A lot of people enjoy road biking, both as a sport and as a casual pastime. Some people get into bicycle touring, which is sort of like road biking, except that the bikes are designed a bit differently. Road biking is especially popular in cities, as there is a lot of flat, paved road to ride on. However, road biking can be done anywhere....as long as there is a track or a road to ride on, you can enjoy road biking.

Buying a road bike is pretty simple. You usually just head into your local bike store and look for the bikes made specifically for road biking, and get sized appropriately by the bike shop experts. Don't forget to get a pair of padded biking shorts!

For casual road biking, you might want to look into recumbent bicycles. While these bicycles are not allowed in professional racing, they are sometimes considered more comfortable than traditional bicycles, and can also achieve higher speeds.