Tag: Best

Wireless earbuds, or earphones, are becoming increasingly popular for athletes and casual listeners on-the-go, and cyclists are turning toward them to enhance their rides.  The best earbuds for cycling are resistant to sweat and wet weather, stay comfortably in your ear as you move, and allow you to hear what is going on around you.  When searching for the best earbuds for you, consider what kind of riding you’ll be doing. If you commute through busy city streets, buds that bring in ambient noise or conduct sound through your bone and leave your ears open would be great options. If you cycle indoors on a stationary bike, good sound quality and noise cancelling might be the way to go. And…

Commuting by bicycle has many variants. City dwellers hop on a ride, avoiding underground systems or busy walkways. In the suburbs, new cycling infrastructure might open safer routes which include dropping kids off or stopping for a coffee. There is also a place for longer-distance commutes. Long-Distance Bike Commuting As many developed countries’ authorities begin to incorporate longer, safer and more connected routes that encourage cycling via segregated lanes or away from vehicles via shared ways, we can see an increased number of options to bring more riders out onto the roads from longer distances than ever before. Choosing a route for a longer distance commute needs to take in considerations such as the distance of a commute (covered here),…

If you’ve decided to commute to work by bicycle, you might well be considering using a folding bike. As the name suggests, these are collapsible bikes that are compact and easy to transport, perfect for tucking away when you get to the office or if you don’t have much space to store a bike in your home. However, as folding bikes tend to have smaller frames and wheels than regular bikes, they are often stiffer and less shock-absorbent. They’re often considered less comfortable on bumpy surfaces and potentially more difficult to ride. This is why you should consider a folding bike with suspension, for better ease of cycling and improved comfort. At Discerning Cyclist, we’re here to help with our…

Belt chains have a myriad of advantages over their more traditional, chain counterparts. They’re quieter, offer a smoother ride and tend to last longer – not to mention requiring nearly zero maintenance! All of this comes at a cost, though, so belt drives are usually more expensive. Belt drives and foldable bikes are a powerful combination offering an even more convenient ride and letting you take your bike anywhere. Since these bikes are getting more popular, there’s a lot of choice. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are our top picks… Can You Get a Belt Drive on a Folding Bike? Yes! Belt drives are a popular choice on folding bikes. Unlike chains, belts can be virtually ignored…

Demand for folding bikes has boomed over the last couple of decades. Although they still make up a relatively small part of the UK market (around 4% of bikes sold), global sales are predicted to exceed 1.6 billion US dollars by 2028. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when a folding bike was a curiosity. Now, they are commonplace, particularly in cities where they’re a clear winner among many urban commuters. But although they seem like a recent phenomenon, folding bikes have actually been around for over a century – the first models being used by the military. But the first significant modern folding bike was the Stowaway, introduced by Raleigh in 1971. Fast forward to the 80s,…

Commuting into a place of work or study is becoming more appealing, and also necessary. City officials recognise the needs of those of us who travel by bicycle more closely than ever, and promotion of the health benefits associated with riding are now seen and shared everywhere. Traffic infrastructure is being specifically designed with urban riding and commuting in mind. The global pandemic forced a boom in cycling as a form of public transportation. There have been signs of this slowing, but the uptick in people getting on their bike for the first time is gaining momentum. Safe passage and a secure feeling created by improved (and linked) riding networks for people commuting by bicycle has never been better, and…

Whatever your beverage of choice, be it a delicious steaming hot coffee, a refreshing juice or something fizzy, a drink can be a lovely addition to your journey to work, or any other cycling trip. We seem to do a lot of activities as we cycle to work nowadays that we never used to, many of which involve using a smartphone. And as it’s become perfectly acceptable to multi-task as you cycle, why not have a drink on the go, too? That said, the last thing you want is your cappuccino spilling all over your legs, or having to navigate traffic and junctions with one hand. This is why, if you are taking a drink on your bike, you’ll need…

Cycling in the Netherlands is, quite simply, part of the culture. But it hasn’t always been so. There was a time when cars dominated Dutch streets, and by the early 1970s there were thousands of deaths each year from traffic accidents. But the Dutch fought for change, and they won. For decades now, the Netherlands has been a forerunner in the cycling revolution. Amsterdam has long been known around the world as the “Cycling Capital”. This shows in the statistics. Although Copenhagen is the city with the most actual cyclists (closely followed by Amsterdam), the Netherlands as a whole still has the highest numbers of cyclists per capita in the world. What Bikes Do Dutch People Use? The distinctive bikes…