The first things we ask someone who reaches out to us is, “How are you going to be using the bike?” Is it a daily commuter, or something you’re just going to be taking around the neighborhood? 

For those folks who’re looking for a daily commuter, we encourage them to look for a more versatile ride. Bikes with a wider gearing range that can accommodate attachments like a rack and fenders, will serve them best.

Alternatively, if someone’s looking to just ride recreationally around the neighborhood or to the supermarket, we suggest a bike with fewer gears that’s a bit more simplistic in nature.  

The next thing we’ll ask is, “What type of terrain will you be riding on? Is it flat, or hilly? Will you be going on short or long rides?” 

That gives us an opportunity to talk about gearing range. A lot of our customers are focused on how many gears a bike has – and we usually throw that out the window. Instead, we focus on the overall gearing range of the bike. Gearing range dictates how easily you can pedal up a hill, and how fast you can get going once you’re moving down the other side of the hill.  

If you’re going to be traveling shorter distances, we usually suggest a 3-speed internally geared bike. They’re very reliable and favored by bike shares for their reliability. 

If your commute consists of varied terrain and a lot of hills, we’d suggest looking at a model with a higher gearing range, i.e., a 7+ speed bicycle.

There are two main categories of frame you can choose from – a diamond frame, or a step-through frame.

The diamond frame is favored for its stylish clean lines, and the ease in which it can be picked up.

While the step-through is more wardrobe friendly, and more easily mounted. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular style bikes throughout Europe.

As far as sizing goes, we always say you want to ensure you can confidently and comfortable ride your bike. Comfort and confidence are subjective dependent on individual riders – but it generally means at least being able to touch your feet to the ground while stopped.  

In major metropolitan areas like New York, you’re not going to necessarily be in control of when you’re stopping, so you want to make sure you can comfortably and confidently maneuver your bicycle through traffic.  

And with most brands, if you find yourself in between sizing on your bicycle, we always suggest reaching out to us for personalized guidance. If you're interested in learning more about sizing on the models in our portfolio, we suggest taking a look at our bicycle sizing guide.

Once we’ve decided on the proper style, size, and drivetrain for a customer’s bicycle, we’ll talk about accessories.  

It’s always important to make sure you can attach any necessary accessories to your bicycle depending on its use case. 

That means ensuring your bike can accommodate fenders if you plan on riding in the rain, or a rear rack if you intend to carry heavier loads along your commute. The majority of the bicycles in our collection include the necessary braze-ons to attach any accessory a rider could possible need.  

Make sure you have a local resource to reach out to should you ever have an issue. Here at Brooklyn we ship all of our bikes to the customer's local bike shop to be professionally assembled through our Buy and Ride program. Therefore, should you ever need it, you have a local resource to help you maintain your bicycle.  

If you have any doubts or questions throughout your search for your new bicycle, take the time to reach out to the company you’re looking at so you have the opportunity to get your questions answered. 

Don’t ever buy a bike if there’s something you aren’t familiar with, or 100% confident in.  

Here at Brooklyn Bikes we have several different avenues customers can use to get their questions answered. Including our 800 number, concierge service, and social media. So please, if you ever have any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to contact us!