European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Burn up the Road and log lots of Miles should probably consider a sport touring Bike. Sport touring bikes resemble the classic "10-Speed, but As previously mentioned Are Likely to have More than 10 gear combinations. They Are similar to racing bikes but not As fragile or expensive. They May or May not have fenders lights and Racks. These bikes Are the Best Choice for cyclists who ride Only on paved or hard packed roads and for those who want to make Long weekend rides or extended Tours of several Days or even weeks. Features to look for include eyelets brazed to the Frame for attaching Racks and fenders if they Are not already included and attachments for water bottles. Sport touring bikes have much narrower tires that Are inflated to higher pressures than Mountain bikes. This decreases rolling resistance and makes Long rides on Good roads easier. The ride Isbit stiffer than on Mountain bikes but since they Are intended for use on relatively smooth pavement that is not really a problem. Recent additions to the recreational Bike choices Are the hybrid bikes so named because they Combine the features and design of both Road and Mountain bikes. The frames and tires Are closer to Road Bike size but the Flat handlebars and bar mounted shifters give them a Mountain Bike feel. They Are not intended for High Speed descents on Rocky fire trails or for regular -100-mile Road rides. The tire Width on hybrids Falls Between Road and Mountain Bike tires. They Are narrow enough and take a High  to make Road Riding comfortable yet Are wide enough to allow riders to play off Road. Hybrids Are excellent Urban commuter bikes. They Are fast enough to make Cross town travel a Breeze and the medium weight tires take some of the bite out of the cobblestones. Another Fine innovation in bicycle technology is indexed shifting. On the classic "10-Speed&Quot the rider pushed and pulled the shift lever until the gear change was made an it then often had to fiddle with it to get the Chain Fine tuned on the cogs. These so called Quot friction shifters Quot Are now found almost exclusively on cheaper Low end bicycles. One of the most important aspects of buying a bicycle is making sure it s the right size. If your Bike does t fit it won t be comfortable to ride and will soon be collecting dust and rust. For recreational riders the two critical areas of Bike fitting Are Frame size and Saddle adjustment. A cheap Bike that is the right size with the proper Saddle height will feel far More comfortable than a $4,000 hand built racer that is too Small or too big. A Frame that is too Small will Force the rider to extend the seat and Handlebar Stem to Heights that affect Bike handling. Also on a smaller Frame the seat to Handlebar distance May be too Short for the rider s body causing a cramped Riding position. Conversely a too Large Frame May not allow the seat to be Low enough and May also Force the rider to stretch too far to reach the handlebars. In the most general terms riders standing with both feet Flat on the ground should have two or three inches of clearance Over the top Frame tube on a Mountain Bike and at least an Inch on a Road or hybrid Bike. Riders wanting a More exact fit should measure their inseam in cent meters while standing shoeless on a hard floor then multiplying that figure by .65. This figure is the recommended Frame size in centimetres for Road bikes. All but the cheapest Low end bikes Are built in a Range of Frame sizes often in increments of 2 centimetres. A common mistake made by beginning recreational riders is improperly adjusting the seat height. A starting Point is to multiply the inseam measurement by .883, which gives a recommended Saddle height in centimetres As measured from the top of the seat to the Center of the pedal Axle. A More general method of Saddle adjustment is to put your Heel on the pedal with the Crank Arm in line with the seat tube then raise the seat until your leg is there s a lot More than the Price tag to consider when buying a Bike. A amps Dave Didio fully extended but your knee is not locked. With your heels on the pedals your hips of would not Rock Back and Forth when you pedal easily backward. When viewed from behind if your hips Are rocking while you pedal it Means you Are having to extend your leg too far on each pedal stroke and your seat is too High. A seat that is too Low does not allow the rider to fully extend the legs while peddling. This is not Only tiring but inefficient because it does not allow use of All the leg Muscles during the pedal cycler How much should you spend for a new Bike As always that is a personal Choice. Prices Range from about $100 for Blue Light specials to $4,000 for custom racers. The cheapest bikes Are naturally made from the cheapest materials and often have parts that look like they were stamped out of recycled tin cans. The frames Are generally made from Low Grade steel and Are heavier than More expensive bikes. The brakes on some of these bikes Are questionable if not downright scary. Another drawback to trash to bikes is that they Are difficult to upgrade and Are usually not Worth the Effort. It May be impossible to upgrade parts because the threading May be non Standard and yet those tinfoil Cut All costs possible components will not stand up to a lot of hard Riding and abuse. The Only advantage to these bikes is that they Are so cheap that when you get tired of wiring and taping them Back together you can pitch them into a dumpster without feeling a big bite on your Wallet. If you Haven t Ridden a bicycle in years and you buy one of these bikes you May quickly realize its limitations and want to buy a better one. But if that initial $100 investment is what gets you out of a c a and onto a Bike then it is Worth every Penny. A decent entry level Mountain hybrid or Road Bike will Cost you Between $350 and $500. In that Price Range you will get a Frame made of a Light Strong Alloy indexed shifters Quality brakes and dec ent derailleurs. These bikes can be easily modified to meet the rider s particular taste in component groups gear combinations and accessories. They will last longer than trash to bikes and maintenance is actually easier because the parts Are less Likely to Bend out of shape break or Wear out. For $500 to $750 you la get an even better Bike one with parts machined to finer tolerances and constructed of better materials. Pay More than around $750 and you re getting into the realm of stuff you buy because you simply must have the Best. The very Best bikes Cost thousands of dollars but for $1,500 you can buy a Fine machine indeed although to most cyclists it won t ride appreciably different than one costing half As much. So whether you buy a ratty Bike or a racer buy a Bike. The health and attitude benefits reaped from regular Riding far outweigh the dollars you spend. And in the end that is what really counts. Terrific Tours continued from Page 7 Down during a Small portion of the pedal Cycle but with clips and straps you can pull Back at the Bottom of the stroke pull up at the Back part and push Forward at the top. Clothing a one of the Nany benefits of bicycle touring is that you can Wear Bike shorts honestly not because you think they will make floppy thighs look firm they Don t. Besides if you ride enough you la have great legs anyway and you will Only Wear Bike shorts when biking. Bike shorts also support the thigh Muscles making Long rides More comfortable and the padding in the seat helps prevent Saddle sores. Another important bit of clothing for touring in Europe is a Good rain jacket preferable one made of a High tech fabric that  this Means the rain is kept out but sweat vapor is allowed to pass through. When Riding in a jacket that does no breathe your sweat will condense and run Down the inside so you get wet anyway. A cycling tights Are a Good idea for Riding on cold Days. They Roll up into a Small package that Dot is not take up much room in your panniers and they won t rub your legs raw jeans will on Long rides. Food a on Daylong rides your body will tend to Burn food faster than Normal so it s Wise to snack periodically to keep your Energy level up and eat at least one High carbohydrate meal a Day. Road food is really a matter of individual taste. Reiche prefers fresh and dried fruits for snacking and fills his water bottles with fruit juice mixed with an equal amount of water. Ide has been seen shovelling Down Fried food for lunch and then gleefully wolfing Down a couple of chocolate eclairs for dessert. I is preferred Road snacks Are liqueur filled chocolate covered Cherry Quot Brandy  Quot whatever works Quot he says. Attitude a be flexible. You May get wet get lost and have to Battle the wind but those Are merely inconveniences that make the Good Days even better. Quot travelling by Bike is the Best Way to go Quot Ide says. Quot you can hear smell and feel your environment but if you re going to enjoy your ride you have to accept the rain and the wind. But if you re dressed correctly you re going to be  rolling Down quiet country roads to the sound of Birds and animals smelling Flowers and grass and bakeries cruising around Corners to find yet another stunning View these Are the dividends of two the elect trekking. July 4, 1991 stripes Magazine