It all started in 1993. That was the year I received my first Trek. I’d been riding the cheapest bikes from the local discount stores up until then and thought I knew everything there was to know about cycling.
And wow – was I wrong. Riding that Trek brought the best out of me. There were times that I’d hop into the saddle and ride for miles without ever touching the handlebars because the balance of that machine was so good. From there, I progressed to road bikes. Then racing bikes.
Until a knee injury limited my cycling activities for good. Except today, with the modern bike, there are very few physical limitations that prevent someone from cycling. Cruisers, commuters, city bikes – you name it and there’s a bike waiting for you today.
So I started riding again. And that’s how this site came about – because real experience matters.
You Should Never Settle for an Average Bike
When I started looking for a new bike, I soon found that the machines I loved so much weren’t going to work with my knee. So I started looking online to see what my options happened to be. The results were, shall we say, a bit disappointing.
You’ve got people online saying that any bike is a unisex bike. You’ve got people saying a $50 bike is better than a $5,000 bike. It’s ridiculous. It was also far from helpful.
So I decided that it was time to set the record straight. I did my own research on the updated frames that might work for me. Then I included that information with some of my favorite bikes from my very active cycling days and combined it with some of the advice that I was offered when I first started to ride.
That’s what On Road and Mountain is all about. Find your road. Summit your mountain. Do it on the bike that works best for your needs. Never settle for an average bike that someone told you to buy because they want your cash in their pocket. Buy the bike that has the features you want and the structure you need.
Nothing else will do.
How Do I Find the Best Bike for Me?
Finding a great bike is like discovering a fine wine. Sometimes you’ll find a great value purchase that is under your budget that no one knows about. Then there are clear favorites, the proven winners, that you’ll need to shell out some heavy cash to enjoy.
In a perfect world, we’d all have about $10,000 to spend on a new bike. We’d get something fantastic and customized for our needs. The only problem is that most of us don’t have that kind of cash lying around. Sometimes even a $500 bike is a stretch. With the right experience and information, you can still find what you need.
So here’s what you do: look at each bicycle. See what features it has. Think about the accessories you might need to go with that bike. Find what works for your budget. Then purchase the equipment that makes the most sense for you.
I have my favorite bikes. I always will and I’ll recommend them. But the final choice must always be yours to make. That way, you can explore your roads and mountains at your leisure.