Cycling Sites
By Rob Pegoraro
Washington Post Staff Writer
March 26, 1999
The trick with cycling sites is separating the hard-core sites – where it's assumed that you bike 200 or 300 miles in a week – from those aimed at more recreational users. These sites are more geared toward entry-level cyclists but still offer something for riders who log more miles on two wheels than on four.
BICYCLING MAGAZINE'S BIKEFINDER
http://www.bike-finder.com/
So you want a bike? Start at this immensely helpful site, which collects data on nearly every bicycle made (but not "house" brands such as REI's), then quizzes you on your interests – starting with stuff as basic as "where do you ride?" – and finally generates a short list of suitable bikes.
WASHINGTON D.C.'s URBAN ATB PAGE
http://www.his.com/~jmenzies/urbanatb/
So you want to go somewhere on that bike? Gaithersburg cyclist James Menzies maintains this collection of suggested local rides, complete with maps, cue sheets and – most useful to beginners – notes on the amount of hills you'll encounter. There's also a good set of century-length (100-mile) rides here.
HARRIS CYCLERY ARTICLES
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris_articles.html
Indulge gearhead inclinations at this set of how-to articles by the staff of Harris Cyclery, a bike shop in Massachusetts. The most useful thing here is the glossary of cycling terms; more technically inclined readers can use author Sheldon Brown's discussions on tire sizes or adjusting cantilever brakes.
REC.BICYCLES' FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/
This Frequently Asked Questions file, compiled by members of the rec.bicycles newsgroups, contains a long, somewhat confusing list of answers and explanations. Try starting toward the top, where, for instance, a "Do I really need to look that goofy?" heading leads to a brief discourse on biking shorts.
WABA LOCAL LINKS
http://www.waba.org/wabadocs/dcinfo.htm
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (pronounced "waba") keeps this short list of D.C.-area bike links, which includes traffic regulations, news coverage, local bike shops, trail-safety hints, suggestions for extended rides and more.
© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
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