Tim Oswald

Once something you would stop and stare at, recumbent bikes are quickly becoming more popular amongst the biking community. A recumbent bike is a cycle where the rider sits in a laid back reclining position, with the pedals in front of them. Many riders ride recumbent bikes because they are much more comfortable that regular bikes. The body's weight is more evenly distributed over a larger area.

While we often think of racing as being a purely physical endeavor, there is a huge amount of the sport that is mental. We have all seen the insane amount of calories professional racers have to consume to have enough energy to maintain their endurance and power throughout a long race, whether they are racing on road bikes or mountain bikes. The training and physical feats of champion level racers like Lance Armstrong are often promoted, studied and turned into the stuff of legends.

We all know that helmets are a necessary piece of riding gear, but keeping yourself safe and your ride enjoyable doesn't stop there. Cycling glasses are also a must have during your rides, whether you are riding road bikes, mountain bikes or a cruiser bike.

Mountain bike is a very wide umbrella term that applies to a wide variety of bikes. By far one of the most popular styles of bikes, mountain bikes are built to be durable and take the abuse of off road riding without leaving the rider battered and bruised. These bikes have to be able to handle large obstacles like logs, rocks and debris, while also being fast and easy to control while going down fast mountain trails.

With so many different riding disciplines, race types and different competitions in the bike world, the industry has developed many highly specialized bikes to meet the needs of a wide variety of riders. If you're all about speed and performance on the pavement, you buy a road bike. But if you're all about tearing it up off road, then you need a mountain bike's heavy-duty suspension, strong frame and bigger tyres.

Frames, handlebars and other components get a lot of attention from riders, reviewers and manufacturers, but we can't forget about what makes it all possible – tyres. Having the right tyre for the right situation is vital if you're serious about having a successful, enjoyable and safe ride.

While a lot of energy is put into what kind, brand and size of bike we ride a lot of people overlook one of the most fundamental parts of the machine; the pedals. Having the right pedal on your bike can make a world of difference when it comes to your comfort, proficiency and even safety.

Picking the right bike involves taking a lot of different factors into consideration if you want to be happy with your purchase. There is nothing worse than clunking down some hard earned coin, only to find you can't stand the bike you bought. If you buy a bike that isn't right for you, it's going to discourage you from riding it and sour you on the sport in general.

Along with the hybrid bike, the flat bar road bikes are one of the latest evolutions in the biking industry. There are more than six billion people on this planet and apparently they enjoy a wide variety of biking activities. Not content with dealing with current bike models that don't completely meet their needs, many biking enthusiasts, designers, engineers and companies have pushed for the development of sub categories of bikes like the flat bar road bike.

Unfortunately, a majority of bike accidents occur during dusk or dawn hours when the suns light doesn't fully illuminate the road. Drivers don't have to be in a hurry or be distracted to miss a rider on their road bike during poorly lit situations. Sometimes you just can't see someone until it's too late. You need to be able to be seen by drivers, pedestrians and other cyclists when you're riding or you're creating a dangerous situation not only for yourself but for others as well.