Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
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:choosing the right set of wheels choosing the right set of wheels © R&D Photo /Getty Images Bikes come in all kinds of wonderful styles, sizes and shades. There really is something for everybody. Your bike needs to be functional enough to get you from A to B, but also think about what you want the bike to say about you. A bike is as much an accessory as a car, a handbag or a pair of shoes. You need to love your bike. If you love it, you'll use it more often, take better care of it and invest more in it. Your bike should make you smile, make you proud and make you want to leap aboard. Ultimately, if you have your heart set on a certain type of bike – a vintage shopper, a speedy road bike, a hip fixie – you can probably adapt it to suit your lifestyle. Choosing the right bike for you Your bike has to fit in with your lifestyle and environment as well as your budget and personal tastes. A sleek, twitchy road bike won't do well on muddy country tracks, and a big mountain bike might be a squeeze in a tiny city apartment. Here are some points to consider before you choose your bike: Where do you live? Countryside Hills, off-road tracks and paths just beg to be explored by bike. A mountain bike or a more robust hybrid will make the most of uneven terrain, slopes and woodland tracks. A shopper 96 | www.h e rma gaz i n e . c o. n z or a touring bike will withstand the odd bump and glide easily down country lanes. Suburbs/town Any type of bike will adapt to a suburban environment well. Go for a mountain bike if you want to take it out into the sticks, or a road, touring or fixed-wheel bike for more urban expeditions. A shopper is perfect for pottering through town, and a folding bike is ideal for commuting from the suburbs into the big city. A hybrid is also ideally suited to the suburban commuter. If you have quite a distance to travel to work, an electric bike will fit the bill. City The fixed-wheel bike comes into its own in cities, as does the shopper. Hybrids once again are perfect for urban biking, and road and touring bikes will get you round speedily and in style. There's nothing stopping you using a mountain bike in the city – I did for years – but you won't be the fastest cyclist on the road. Folding bikes are perfect for city life, as you can take them with you on public transport and tuck them away in the office, a bar or at home. How much space do you have? Loads The bike world is your oyster! If you have a garage, shed or basement big enough for a bike, then any type will suit. A bit Smaller-framed road or fixed-wheel bikes take up less space than chunkier mountain bikes or shoppers. But as long as you have a spare room, a small garden or yard or even a hallway, you should be able to store most types of bike easily enough. If you live in an apartment block or a flat on the first or second floor, make sure your bike is light enough to be easily carried up stairs, or will fit into a lift/elevator. Or look at the reception area to see if there is anywhere you can leave your bike – safely locked up, of course. Not much/none at all A folding bike will pack up nice and small and squeeze into the tiniest of cupboards. Alternatively, innovative storage solutions such as wallmounted hangings or racks will turn your bike into the ultimate in interior décor. Smaller, lighter-framed bikes such as road, touring or fixed-wheel models will hang better than a clumpy mountain bike or heavy shopper.