For most of us, who ride bikes occasionally but secretly think we could be the next Lance Armstrong if we had a few more hours a day to ride, buying a new road bike is the same as buying a road bike frame. What we're thinking about is the frame, which will be something new, shiny, and colourful. We think that even car drivers will be jealous of it when they see us speeding through a traffic jam. A road bike frame is really beautiful, and it's one of the reasons we love to ride bikes.
But if you're lucky enough to be looking at new bikes, you should pay attention to more than just the colour of the frame of a road bike. Accept it. When you're 35 miles from home after a long Sunday ride and you're going straight into a strong headwind, it doesn't matter if your frame is cobalt blue or even Bianchi green. The length of your seat tube, the length of your top tube, and even the angle of the three main tubes will help (or hurt) you, but colour is not one of them.
If you go to a discount store or even a general sports store, a clerk will probably tell you to stand over the top bar of the frame and see if you can comfortably straddle it with your feet on the floor if you need any help finding a bike that fits you. This isn't very helpful, especially if you have a unique body, like long legs and a short torso. You can straddle almost any bike if you have long legs, but will your body be able to relax comfortably between the saddle and the handlebars? Fit has a lot to do with the shape of the road bike frame as a whole. And fit is much more important than comfort.
If you race, comfort won't be the only thing you think about. In fact, it may be one of the last things you think about. Most of the time, speed doesn't come from comfort, and a road bike frame made for speed is made of different materials than one used mostly for leisure riding. Titanium, chrome-moly, aluminium, or steel can be used to make frames. Each metal has its own advantages in terms of weight and strength. The shape of the frame also varies. Touring bikes have a longer vertical base and top tube than racing bikes.
So, when you look at road bike frames, don't just look at the colour. Get a frame that fits you and what you want to do. You'll be glad you took the time to do your research, whether you do it online or in a good bike shop.
