Bike Buying Guide (Learn More)

The first thing to say regarding Road Bikes is to Do Your Research. Decide what you will be using the bike for, and more importantly, how you ride. This question dictates which size of bike is required. Road Racing, Club riding, Endurance, Cyclocross, Trail Riding or the sometimes equally competetive sub genre, Commuting! All areas are now bursting with a comprehensive choice for all price ranges.

Road Race

With aggressive, pure breed, contortionist friendly frame geometry, the whole Road Race package is focused on one principle...Speed. With lower bar stems and higher seat positioning, these machines will get you to the finish line rapidly.

Sportive/Endurance

A growing market across the Sportive community which allows riders to ride all day. With a more upright body position, shorter and wider top tubes with higher positioned bottom brackets allow for added clearance and stability. Compact gear geometry and wider, more aggresive tyres top this very appealling spec off. Commuters often pick these bikes over 'standard' road bikes for obvious reasons.

Once you have zoned in on the right type of bike for you, always buy the best bike you can afford. At E-Bikes Direct we stock many, many Road bikes for all requirements and are always just a phonecall away to talk about your individual requirements.

To have a closer look at whats on offer click below

Road Bikes

The first thing to say is that there is no perfect MTB! Your perfect MTB depends on two main factors. What you intend riding on and how much you are willing to spend.

The three main MTB catagories are...

Hard Tail

Hard Tails are a lightweight, fully rigid rear end bike used throughtout all aplications of off road riding. If you're just starting out on your MTB adventure with function over finance being a factor, Hard Tails are where you should be. Hard tail bikes will generally have increased componant spec than equally priced Full Suspension bikes and, crucially, weigh less. A big factor to consider as weight saving on Full Suspension bikes comes at a cost.

Full Suspension

Does exactly what is says on the tin. Front suspended forks with a single rear suspension dampening system. Full Suss bikes offer a smoother, more controlled ride and will be needed for advanced trail terrain. Advantages to a nicely spec'd Full Suss over a hard tail bike would be higher downhill speed with improved control, less fatique on long, hard rides, oh, and they're great fun! As you look along the price range you will find the quality improve with weight saving top of the list along with fork lock outs, Hydraulic Brakes, adjustable dampening and suspension travel along with pre load adjustment. Sub Catagories which harbour mainly at the Full Suspension dock are Enduro, Trail Riding, Dirt Jumping, All Mountain and Downhill.

Rigid

Rigid bikes are found aimed largly at the leisure and urban sector, marketed at the entry level of MTB's and also the higher boutique end. Often spec'd with thinner road tyres more suited for less aggressive surroundings. The Hybrid bike and Rigid MTB share alot of features within their own definitions.

26 / 27+ / 29er

Back in the late seventies, when Tom Ritchey and Gary Fisher literally built the first MBT's 26" wheels were what took the bikes down the californian hillsides. Taken from the beach cruisers of LA, the 26" wheel stuck, for years. Today the industry standards are the original 26", the 27+ (27.5") and the 29er (29"). The 26" lends itself nicely to a lighter, more rigid feel with better acceleration on the hard stuff. The 29er is the direct opposite in that they feel heavier and harder to get going. The plus point to these larger rims is traction with slicker tyres and speed when your negociating trails. Harness that with a smoother, more stable ride.

Mountain Bikes

Wiki definition...."Hybrid bicycles blend characteristics from more specialized road bikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes. The resulting "hybrid" is a general-purpose bike that can tolerate a wide range of riding conditions and applications..."

See also Trekking, Cross, Commuter, City and Comfort!

As the names suggest, if you have a set of conditions in which you will be riding, you can simply chose the spec required to do the job in the most efficient way possible. This is the secret to the Hybrid success.

For example, if you are going to be riding on asphalt, to work lets say, you would look to blend a lightweight frame with straight bars for an upright, comfortable position alongside Compact gearing and 700c wheels.

A good indication to the ideal application of a Hybrid is the wheel size. If your looking for something that can handle light trails and paths you would find a 26" wheel favorable. Alternatively, road work would be more suited to a 27+ or 700c wheel giving you a faster, smoother ride.

For a closer look at our range click below.

Hybrid Bikes

A 'fixed gear' bike traditionally has one fixed gear with no freewheel. This means that when the back wheel turns, the pedals are always turning. However, most fixies have a 'flip-flop' hub, which lets you have a fixed gear on one side and a freewheel on the other. If you want to be able to stop pedalling while you roll along, you can 'flip' between the two and still enjoy the benefits of single speed riding.

Due to the fact Fixies are gearless, they are lighter, easier to look after with less to go wrong. Being lighter and suited for urban living they're fast too! Oh, and they look great, which is nice...Have a look at our range to see whats on offer.

Fixie Bikes

There are plenty of reasons why you may be looking for new components, not least when comparisons need to made with purchasing your new steed. Sometimes you will be replacing a worn out or broken item, in which case you'll be interested in items with improved durability. Other times you will be looking to upgrade and improve the performance or shave some weight off your bike with a new modern shiny component. Sometimes you might just feel like a change, just because. We have an extremely wide selection of road components to choose from with deals a plenty. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for up to date reductions