Hi and welcome to the Cyclowids. COVID-19, we're all living like prisoners, very difficult times. Our fitness regimes have just gone out the window and our gym memberships are on paper. Scary things, right? This is a good time, don't you think, to get into a good hobby. And we recommend the best thing to get into right now is cycling of course. So, you've decided to go out biking, very good, excellent decision. Now you are faced with a big problem. How do you choose an entry level bike? What is the best option that's available for you? How much of money should you be spending on a basic beginner bike? There are a ton of options out there, there are a lot of manufacturers, plenty of varieties and models and it is a very confusing thing today to be able to choose what could be the right bike. But if you're confused, if you're worried about which one to go to, trust me, we have all of those covered for you at this point in time and this episode is about demystifying how to be able to choose a beginner bike for you. Stay tuned. Before we get into the details, let me tell you a thing or two about the different options that are available in the market. Primarily, there are three options. The first and the most common option is the MTB or the mountain terrain bike. And as the name suggests, it's all about adventure, off roads, trails that are far into the forest like these and fun that you need to look at. The second option is the road bike. The road bike is one that you would use on flat and smooth roads. You don't want to be using a road bike in places like these where there are no roads available. The third option is the hybrid version. A bit of both, M2 Part MTB and Part Road Bike. One that allows you to do a reasonable bit of adventure on both places, in both places, terrain such as these and also on smooth roads. So these are things that you need to keep in mind before you actually decide which option to go to. Let's help you choose your bike. And before we do that, we'll need to define what your purpose is. So what exactly is your purpose? Is it about fitness or are you considering casual riding, a bit of adventure, cruising on the road and having some fun? All of these things are very, very different and they require very different options for you to consider. So if fitness is your objective, you'll need to choose an option that's relatively heavier, something that allows your body to go through a transformation. And you'll need to be able to choose something sturdier. Well, but that's not all, you'll need to also obviously control what you eat. You may probably be looking for an option to commute. And if that is the case, you'll need to choose something relatively lighter, something that allows you to go places easier with less effort and certainly no sweat. Bikes are manufactured in three major kinds. The first is the aluminum alloy frame, which is a lot less expensive, a lot lighter and more preferred and more commonly available. And then there's the steel frame, which is a lot heavier than the aluminum frame. It is of course a lot less expensive and preferred. And finally, there is the carbon fiber material, which we will not consider because it's not essentially an entry level model. You'll need to keep in mind the next basic thing, which is your body type. If you're built heavy and tall, you cannot choose a bike that small because that will compromise your riding comforts. So let's understand what comfortable riding is all about. Bicycles come in very different sizes. This one here has a wheel size of about 27 and a half inches and a frame size of about 17 and a half inches, which is good for somebody like me who is medium built. So now let's look at the next thing. In fact, one of the most important things you'll need to consider while buying a bike. Can your bike be serviced locally? Now, do you know how to service your bike? Chances are, as a newbie, you do not know how to service it. Now imagine for a moment that the service center is about 100 kilometers away from where you live. Does that sound good? No. Therefore, you will need to buy options that are serviceable locally because if you do not look at locally serviceable options, then you will not be able to ride regularly. Keep this in mind, always all the time. Okay, now that we've spoken about most other things, let's look at how much damage this is going to do to your pocket. There are a ton of options out there. You could end up spending a lot of money, which is not the best thing to do. As a beginner, we recommend you to choose carefully. Whatever money that you have, make sure that you spend some part of it on the bike and also to be able to spend some part of it on safety equipment like a good helmet, a pair of riders, gloves, shoes and other accessories to make your riding comfort better. So we've told you all that you need to know to buy a bike. Hopefully, your first bike. Go out there, get a bike and get paddling. We hope you found this useful and insightful. We'd love to hear from you. Write to us, send us your thoughts, your questions, anything that you have to talk to us about in the comment section below. And we will be back with you very soon with a new video. Until then, do take care, stay safe and happy riding and don't forget to like, share and subscribe to our channel. Details mentioned in the comment section below. See you soon.