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There are a number of reasons why people choose to ride bikes; to improve their health, to increase their fitness, to lose a few pounds and even to reduce stress. A bike is a very versatile mode of transport, after a few minutes turning those pedals you'll be hooked.
According to the British Medical Association's report, 'Cycling: Towards Health and Safety', cycling regularly will improve your fitness and can help you live a long and healthy life. Riding a bike can help you maintain a healthy weight. Using a cycle instead of a car for short journeys will not only benefit your health, it is also good for the community by reducing noise, pollution and congestion.

Cycling is a low impact activity and therefore is less likely to strain muscles and joints through over-exertion. Furthermore, regular exercise also helps other healthy behavior such as weight reduction and if you are a smoker may assist you to give up. Heart muscles will be strengthened, at rest pulse level will be lower and blood fat levels will also be lower. It is a known fact that people taking regular exercise suffer less heart complaints than those that don't.
Cycling can also save you money. If you can use your cycle to replace some of your shorter car journeys, your petrol bill and depreciation costs will be reduced.

OK. So you've now decided to get yourself a bicycle, and avail yourself of the benefits, but where do you start? What sort of bike should you by? What about accessories? What safety gear should you buy? Well, I'm glad you asked!
There is a wide variety of bicycles, each suited to a particular task. But the main types we are interested in here are Comfort bikes, Touring bikes and Mountain Bikes.
Comfort bikes are designed for general day to day use. They employ middle or heavy weight frames and tyres. They can have hub gearing or sometimes a chain gear with 6-10 gears, and a variety of helpful accessories. The riding position is usually upright.
Touring bikes are designed for touring long distances over good roads. They are durable and comfortable, usually have some method of transporting baggage, and can have any type of gearing system with upwards of 12 gears.
Mountain bikes are designed for off-road cycling. All mountain bikes feature sturdy, highly durable frames and wheels, wide-gauge treaded tyres, and cross-wise handlebars to help the rider resist sudden jolts. Some mountain bikes feature various types of suspension systems (e.g. coiled spring, air or gas shock), and hydraulic or

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