February 5, 2024

Feel:

Swinging your leg over a new bike is more than just taking a ride on your new favorite machine; it's an exciting moment where expectations and reality meet and the novelty of the new bike feeling either meshes with your expectations or falls off into remorse. Thankfully the former is more often the case and we transition our desire into a newfound joyful experience with the perfect bike.
The new bike feel. It's a thing. A moment in time where you have a deep expectation of what this new bike is going to be like. It could be different geometry that you've read about but are unsure of how it's going to work. Feel isn't the shifting function or the tires, it's deeper and hard to put into words. The feel of the bike for the rider that is on it is the critical concept that can make or break the flow for the rider. When you buy a stock bike you're at the mercy of the company that built the bike from a blank page. Companies pour money into designs and product selections that result in the best package for the money. Modern bikes are good, really good. You can buy a mid level to high end bike from just about anywhere and it's going to be heaps better than bikes were just 10 years ago. Small tweaks to geometry change ride characteristics that many people won't notice or even care about. As long as it feel good they will like it. Changes to frame materials and suspension have pushed bike designs and ride characteristics to let any discerning rider get the bike of their dreams today. There is no need to wish, great bikes are available now.
So what happens when the new bike feel isn't what you expected? Geometry and fit are the most likely culprits. A proper bike fit is necessary to get a baseline for any type of rider whether new or expert. Without this everything else is an unknown. By this I mean the way the bike was designed to handle isn't going to be known if the bike is too big or too small. Perhaps you had unrealistic expectations for the bike. A cross country bike will never smash downhill like a long travel bike, etc. For this reason I always encourage people to take a test ride. You'll get an idea of the potential of your dream bike as it is stock. Or, you can go for it, like I do, and build a bike from scratch. Carefully select parts and components and build it yourself. When I go this route I research the geometry carefully so I know the end result will feel good. Several times I've had to change stems or seat posts to dial in the fit properly. This method takes time and patience and a lot of reading and researching to get proper fitting parts. Standards for bolt threading and bearing sizes are long gone and will give you a headache when you build a custom bike.
If you have a friend that has a bike fit similar to you ask if you can take their bike out for a good 1 to 2 hour ride. You'll get a good idea of what you like or don't like. I would steer away from bikes that are too big or too small to begin with. Also some shops offer demo bikes for free (or a fee that goes towards a new bike) so you can get a real world test. Set the seat height properly for you and go ride it. You'll feel the bike better when you can pedal it with the right leg extension.
The feel. When you get it you'll know it. Like a well worn pair of jeans or your favorite shoes. You put them on and forget they're there. A bike is an extension of the rider and should feel good. So with that go out and ride your bike or another bike that feels good!

Peace,
Paul