or how to choose the perfect ride that solves all your problems and makes you a bike commuting machine.

By John Ray

So, you’re thinking of leaving the car in the garage and taking the fat tire to the office, huh? Does all that bike rack space on Dickson entice you to pedal over to your regular coffee date instead of driving and fighting for a parking space? Do you reckon that running errands on your road bike is a less expensive way to shed a few pounds than joining a gym?

Whatever your reason, if you’re choosing to leave the SUV in park and strap on your helmet, this is the place for you. An almost $40,000,000 bike-loving transit system has been dropped on our collective doorstep — at least we oughta give it chance, right?

Here’s the formula that’s going to guide us forward: BS+C+F+CF.

Crystal clear, right?

Well, maybe a wee bit of explanation is necessary. Let’s start with the BS.

BS: This “BS” = bike shop. (What did you think it stood for?) Ain’t no doubt about it, I’m a sucker for them. Like a lab slobbering over a tennis ball, I get all silly strolling the aisles, oohing and ahhing over styles, colors, and gear … That’s the easy admission. The not-so-attractive darker truth is that I’m hopelessly inadequate to maintain a bike¹ once I’ve bought it. I love to ride, and I ride a lot, but for all the miles I’ve put in and the pure joy I get from humming along on two wheels, you’d think I would’ve picked up more ability to maintain the silly things.

If you want to buy a bike for commuting, here’s your first important step: Shop the shops. I’ll  shamelessly plug my home bike shop, but there are many in NWA where I’ve had work done on my bike over the years. Almost every shop in town has pulled my fat out of the fire at one time or another, in fact. And there’s not a bad one in the bunch. That said, the guys at The Bike Route in Fayetteville do a fantastic job of keeping me on the road. They know me, my bike, my riding style and local road conditions. They are right on the Greenway. They ask questions and make suggestions, but never oversell or do sloppy work.

No matter which bike you choose, it’s useless if you can’t ride it because it doesn’t work and you don’t have a go-to someone you trust to fix it. Competency and trust are paramount, but unless there’s that special “zing,” that je ne sais quoi, going in for a purchase or repair is just another transaction. A good bike shop should be much more like the bar on Cheers than Walmart; it should be a place where you feel welcome, like you belong. So as you start your search for the perfect wheels, shop the shop before you shop for the bike.

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¹ I realize there are a few people out there, like my friend Brian, who view going to a shop for a repair as a serious failure of competency, morality and being a red-blooded American male. If you can relate, help a brother out — send me some tips, and don’t judge. Just skip to “C+F”.

C + F: So once you tie the knot with your shop, two things are crazy important in choosing a bike: comfort and function. Riding a bike isn’t the same as taking a motorized vehicle or magic carpet. You’re going to have to work. You’re going to be exposed to the elements. It’s going to change your body, but it shouldn’t be torture; a great ride might leave you sore, but it should never leave you injured. This is another reason you have to find a shop you connect with: Choosing a bike with the proper fit isn’t as easy as it might seem.

I started out on a hybrid Cannondale Quick; for about two years, it was the perfect bike for me. But as I rode farther and more often, as my skills and body adjusted, as I became more experienced, my “comfort” requirements changed. Your needs after you get used to your route have to be balanced with what’s comfortable to start with. If your first experience is brutal, it doesn’t matter how great the bike will be later on. You won’t be on it.

As for function, consider the following criteria: How far will you normally commute? What are you going to carry with you? What kind of terrain will you cover? What other uses will your bike serve? All these things help decide the bike that will function best for you. In general, commuters can choose a bike from one of three categories: mountain bikes, road bikes or a “hybrid” combination of the two. You might think of mountain bikes as the SUV’s, road bikes as sports cars, and hybrids as platypuses. Each has its pros and cons, so do your deep research through a variety of sources.

CF: Last and by no means least, there is the “cool factor.” You have to want to ride the bike you choose. If you have to hang your head in shame every time you wheel out of the garage, you just won’t ride. Customize it, pay a little more for a great paint job, buy uber-tight accessories from East Germany. Make it your own, and ride it proudly.

Obviously, this little overview is just a start, but should keep you headed in the right direction as you gear up to go out. Grace and peace, y’all.