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