Road bike

A road bike (colloquially known as a highway bike) is a bicycle designed for high—speed riding (cycling, cycling marathons) on roads with a good asphalt surface.

Structural features

It differs from other types of bicycles by a special shape of the handlebar — the so-called "ram horns". Approximately in the middle of the arc at the steering wheel, the brake levers are located on a special fastener. Also typical for a road bike are:

· availability of high gear ratios,

· Lightweight but rigid frame and narrow high-pressure tires (about 8 atmospheres).

The wheel diameter of modern road bikes is 28 inches, or 700C (the ETRTO seat diameter is 622 mm). Shock-absorbing suspensions on road bikes are not used due to their significant weight and the rocking that absorbs part of the work when pedaling vigorously.

The lightest specimens weigh less than 3.5 kg, which is achieved using advanced technologies and modern materials such as carbon, aluminum, titanium or magnesium. At the moment, the UCI has limited the minimum weight of bicycles for official competitions to 15 pounds (about 6.8 kg).

Boarding

Due to the shape of the steering wheel, three types of landing can be conditionally distinguished:

· high — the cyclist holds on to the horizontal part of the handlebar perpendicular to the outrigger;

· medium — the cyclist keeps his hands on the brake lever consoles;

· low — the arms are bent at the elbows and are on the steering wheel arches.

By changing the grip from top to bottom, the cyclist improves aerodynamics. In order to further reduce air resistance when riding, some cyclists sit on the frame (landing "on the frame" or "under the saddle"), pressing their face against the steering wheel, and sometimes literally lie on the steering wheel, carrying their body forward. This arrangement improves aerodynamic performance, but reduces the handling of the bike, which is why it is prohibited to use such landings in competitions (for example, the World Tour) from April 1, 2021.

Types of road bikes

Road bike models differ from other types of bicycles in a number of parameters (steering wheel, frame, wheels, transmission, pedals, brakes).

In addition, road bikes can be divided into amateur and professional models.

Professional-level road bikes can be divided into:

· Universal;

· Cyclocross;

· Triathlons;

· tracking;

Application

The main application of the road bike is road bicycle racing, which is carried out both on a good asphalt surface and on roads with paving stones or gravel. (For example, the UCI E3 Saxo Bank Classic World Tour races, Paris — Roubaix, etc.) To improve athletic performance and ride comfort when overcoming paving stones on road bikes, a tire pressure control system is installed.

Entry-level (amateur) road bikes are designed for both recreational riding and high-speed cycling, including long-distance cycling.