If you're thinking about buying a bike, you're probably thinking about things how many gears you might need or what frame material is best. But here are some even more fundamental questions that most people don't consider. ━━━ ABOUT THIS CHANNEL ━━━ Shifter is about urban cycling, bike commuting, and the ways we get around our cities. Hosted by Tom Babin, author of Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling. ▶ Support the channel + get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/Shifter632?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=video ▶ YouTube channel memberships: https://www.youtube.com/@Shifter_Cycling/membership ▶ Frostbike (the book): https://amzn.to/42EBzO6 ━━━ BIKES I RIDE ━━━ I rode Priority bikes for years before they sponsored the channel. Low-maintenance belt drives, honest value. 🚲 Priority Eight - My daily summer ride: https://alnk.to/1XWoxFO 🚲 Priority Continuum Onyx - My Canadian winter commuter bike, with hub dynamo lights and Enviolo internal gearing: https://alnk.to/gKS5Jlw 🚲 Priority Gemini - Super-fun gravel bike with Pinion Smart-Shift gearbox for longer adventures: https://alnk.to/44ZOsvc ━━━ NEW TO BIKE COMMUTING? ━━━ ▶ My course: The Ultimate Guide to Bike Commuting and Urban Cycling. Check out the new Starter Pack: https://shiftercourses.thinkific.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=video ━━━ GEAR I ACTUALLY USE ━━━ Some are affiliate links — they support the channel at no cost to you. ▶ Light-up pedals (Redshift): https://redshiftsports.com/collections/all-arclight-products-accessories?aff=40 ▶ Turn your clip-in pedals into flats for quick errands: https://redshiftsports.com/products/mousetrap-pedal-adapters?variant=47202186264829&aff=40 ▶ Phone mount (Peak Design Universal Bar Mount): https://peak-design.pxf.io/c/5749368/1664050/18669 ▶ Bike lights (Lumos Firefly): https://collabs.shop/3uodbz ▶ Pannier-backpack (Two Wheel Gear Convertible 2.0): https://twowheelgear.com/collections/pannier-backpacks ▶ Saddle (Brooks): https://amzn.to/4ulz1Ba ▶ Bell (Crane Bells): https://amzn.to/4tABohW ━━━ REGISTER YOUR BIKE TO STOP BIKE THEFT ━━━ 529 Garage: https://project529.com/garage Bike Index: https://bikeindex.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombabin Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tombabin.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tombabin #cycling #bike #commuting #bikecommuting #urbancycling 0:00 Are You Riding the Wrong Bike? 0:36 Your Bicycle Blind Spots 6:07 The Forces Working Against You 8:35 What's the Bike Actually For? 10:10 Where Will You Be Riding? 11:44 Bonus: If You Already Bought the Wrong Bike