European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A amps us Schuettler. M Price Type size most important Factor picking the right Bike for you a Iby Ken Clauson Bremerhaven Bureau it s summer at least according to the Calendar and those new bicycles jammed seat to seat by the pm Entrance finally caught your Eye. Maybe you Haven t Ridden a Bike in years and think it might be fun to have one to scoot around town on again. Don t let the Price tag be the Only Factor determining what Bike you buy. Although bicycles Are much cheaper than cars buyers can take an approach similar to one that would apply when buying a motor vehicle what kind of travel is it intended for How much gear will it carry How fast will it go what accessories does it come with the past 10 years have brought More changes in Bike types and technology than the previous 100, so Here Are a few More things to consider while you squeeze the Brake levers and Eye the paint Job of what looks like a bargain. The three major decisions to make Are Type of Bike amount to spend and size Bike. The invention of Mountain bikes about 10 years ago revolutionized the bicycle Industry and put millions of onetime Bike riders Back in the Saddle. Although designed for off Road and dirt Road Riding Mountain bikes Are Well suited for Short City jaunts As Well. The fat tires and Short wheel base make curb hopping and Cobblestone cruising easier than on full size sport touring bikes. The Flat Hajn Lebars make steering Snappy and the Riding position is erect enough so that less experienced riders feel More comfortable in traffic. When equipped with fenders lights Racks and toe clips Mountain bikes Are excellent for Short to medium distance commuting. Another Mountain Bike feature Many riders appreciate is the Handlebar mounted shifters. Whether mounted above or below the Handlebar they allow gear changes without taking your hands away from the bars and brakes. Mountain bikes Are not the Best Choice for most extended touring and lengthy Road rides. The fat wide Low pressure tires have More , making the rider work harder for the Speed maintained. Most Mountain bikes and touring bikes Are advertised As having 18 or 21 gears but that is actually misleading. The numbers refer to three Chain rings also called Chai wheels in front and six or seven freewheel biking Europe i cogs on the rear. First it is not recommended to use the largest Chain wheel with the largest freewheel cog or the smallest with the smallest. These combinations pull the Chain from an outside gear to an inside one which stretches the Chain and speeds up Wear on the Chain and the gears. Secondly a 21-Speed Bike May actually have two or More duplicate gear ratios within those 21 combinations. So a 21-Speedj Ike May actually yield 17 or fewer usable gears. Bicycle gearing is referred to As Quot gear  this is the distance a bicycle will travel with one full rotation of the pedals in a particular combination of Chain ring and freewheel cog. This distance also varies with tire diameter. A 48x14 gear combination Means a 48-tooth front Chain ring combined with a 14-tooth freewheel cog. On a Bike with 27-Inch-wheels, this yields 92.6 gear inches. On the same Bike a 28x32 combination 28-tooth front Chain ring 32-tooth cog yields 23.6 gear inches. With the first combination you will travel almost four times As far with one pedal rotation As with the last but higher gears Are much harder to push. Hard Core professional Bike racers will often have 54x12 or even higher gear combinations but these Are Tough to turn and Are Well beyond what most recreational cyclists will Ever need. Slowly pushing in High gears is a common mistake of recreational cyclists. It will tire you sooner than maintaining a higher peddling cadence in a lower gear and it is also hard on the Knees. Most off the shelf Mountain bikes have a top gear combination of about 48x14. Riders who really want to