Comparison LikeBike Flash vs Airwheel R5

The maximum load allowed for a bicycle is, in other words, the maximum weight that it can normally carry in normal use. Of course, when calculating the load, the weight of both the cyclist himself and the additional load that he carries with him is taken into account.

The permissible load must definitely not be exceeded: even if the bike does not break down immediately, off-design loads can weaken the structure, and an accident can occur at any time. Also note that it is desirable to have a certain weight margin — at least 15 – 20 kg: this can be useful in case of transporting heavy loads and will give an additional guarantee in emergency situations (for example, when a wheel gets into a pit). Considering that the average weight of an adult is about 70 – 80 kg, bicycles with a permissible load of up to 100 kg can be classified as "lightweights", from 100 to 120 kg — to the middle category, more than 120 kg — to "heavy trucks".

The presence or absence of a depreciation system on a bicycle, as well as the type of this system.

— Without depreciation (rigid). In such models, the wheels are fixed directly to the rigid elements of the frame; there are no depreciation devices. Due to this, the design of the bicycle is simple, the weight is small, the cyclist feels all the features of the road topography as much as possible, and the maximum efficiency of pedaling is also achieved, which is important, for example, for road models (see "Destination"). At the same time, structural rigidity is a "double-edged sword". On the one hand, "feeling for the road" is important for BMX and some mountain models (see "Purpose"); on the other hand, the lack of shock absorption significantly increases the load on both the structure and the rider himself, leads to increased wear, fatigue and some risk of injury on rough roads.

— Depreciation of the front fork (hard tail). The most popular type of cushioning in adult bikes (see "Age Group"), especially urban and mountain types (see "Purpose"). In accordance with the name, in such bicycles, the shock-absorbing device is installed only on the front fork, while the rear wheel is rigidly fixed. The presence of a shock absorber somewhat increases the weight of the structure and complicates its maintenance, however, the advantages of such a scheme significantl...y outweigh the disadvantages: hard-tails combine good handling, “road feel” and ride comfort, including and on rough terrain.

— Rear fork. Bicycles in which only the rear wheel is damped, while the front wheel is rigidly fixed. The rear shock absorber is designed to provide additional comfort when hitting various bumps, and the absence of a front shock absorber reduces the overall cost of the machine. This option is found mainly in urban models, including electric bicycles (see "Application"); in other varieties, the use of rear shock absorption is not practical.

— Two-suspension (full suspension). Bicycles equipped with shock absorbers on both wheels — a fork in front and a special suspension in the back. Such models are as comfortable as possible for driving on rough terrain, because. They dampen the vibrations felt by the cyclist best and provide the best grip on uneven tracks. At the same time, the presence of a rear shock absorber "eats" part of the energy coming from the pedals, and you have to spend more effort to ride. To avoid this, many two-suspension bikes can be provided with front and rear suspension lockouts (see below), but full suspension complicates the design anyway, increases its weight and price. Therefore, this type of cushioning is relatively rare, mainly in certain varieties of mountain bikes (in particular, for cross-country and freeride; see "Purpose").

Front fork suspension type (if available, see "Suspension"). All shock absorption systems in bicycles work in two directions: vibration damping (damping) and impact energy absorption (cushioning). Accordingly, they have two main components: a damper and a shock absorber. Depending on the design features of these elements, the following types of depreciation are distinguished:

— Spring-elastomer. In this case, the role of a shock absorber is played by an elastic spring, and the role of a damper is played by a rod made of an elastic, well-compressible material, the so-called elastomer. This type appeared as a development of conventional spring damping systems, it is more durable, but poorly suited for low temperatures — the elasticity of the elastomer in such conditions decreases, which negatively affects the characteristics of the system.

— Spring-oil. Systems using a spring as a shock absorber and an oil cartridge as a damper. This design is somewhat more resistant to low temperatures than spring-elastomer, and in general has quite good characteristics, due to which it is quite widely used in various types of bicycles. The main disadvantage is the higher (on average) cost.

— Air-oil. Combined systems consisting of an air cylinder that acts as a shock absorber and an oil cartridge that acts as a damper. They appeared as a development of “pur...e” air systems, which had a serious drawback: even with high-quality maintenance, the seals wore out rather quickly, which could disable the shock absorber. Air-oil systems are more durable and easier to maintain, while being quite efficient and weighing little. The latter is especially valuable for cross-country (see "Purpose"), where it is required to combine depreciation with a low weight of the machine.

The presence in the design of the bicycle of a separate shock absorber under the saddle. The seatpost cushioning significantly reduces the vibration and shock felt by the rider, which is especially important when riding on uneven terrain.

The nominal diameter of the bicycle wheels. Usually, this paragraph actually indicates the size of the bicycle tyres supplied in the kit, more precisely, the outer diameter of the tyres.

Wheel diameter is traditionally indicated in inches. For bicycles of different purposes and age groups (see paragraphs above), there are certain size standards. So, adult mountain models are equipped mainly with 26 " wheels, "road" and urban ones — with a slightly larger diameter (mostly 28 "), and BMX for the most part — much smaller; children's and teens' bikes have smaller wheels than similar adults' bikes.

Other things being equal, larger tyres hold speed better and work out small bumps on the road; and relatively small wheels are more “sticky”, they provide more torque and better traction. This is the reason for the above-described difference in wheel sizes between bicycles for different purposes. Such nuances will be useful if you choose a car from several models with similar characteristics, but different wheel diameters. Here it is worth considering the features of the planned application. For example, for urban and "road" driving — on a hard surface without any special irregularities and elevation changes — it is better to choose larger wheels, and for dirt roads with ups and downs — smaller ones.

Also note that tyres are replaceable, and many bikes allow the installation of tyres of...a “non-native” size — for example, 29 "on a model with 28-inch wheels. It is also worth considering that wheels (tyres) of the same size may differ in inner (landing) diameter These nuances are described in detail in special sources.

Light-alloy wheels of a monolithic design, cast in special moulds from aluminium, less often from titanium. Bicycles with alloy wheels are characterized by increased resistance to oncoming air flows, strength and durability, and aesthetic appeal. At the same time, alloy wheels are less resistant to side gusts of wind, have poor maintainability and are very expensive. Alloy wheels are found mainly on board city and road electric bicycles, also specialized racing bike models are equipped with alloy wheels.

The number of speeds (gears) provided for in the design of the bicycle. Each transfer has its own so-called gear ratio — in this case it can be described as the number of revolutions that the driven gear (rear, on the wheel) makes in one revolution of the leading gear (associated with the pedals).

Different gear ratios will be optimal for different conditions: for example, high gears provide good speed, but are poorly suited for overcoming obstacles, because. the effort on the pedals increases significantly and the frequency of their rotation decreases. It has been scientifically proven that a cyclist develops maximum power at a cadence of about 80-100 rpm. Thus, the presence in the bike of several speeds allows you to optimally adjust it to different driving modes and features of the tracks in order to provide optimal pedaling force and frequency of their rotation. For example, on smooth asphalt it is best to drive in a high gear, and when overcoming a rise or entering a dirt road, you can lower it in order to effectively overcome resistance.

The number of gears in classic systems is directly related to the number of stars of the system (on the bottom bracket with pedals) and the cassette (on the rear wheel); it can be obtained by multiplying two numbers — for example, 3 stars of the system and 6 on the cassette give 18 gears. However, there is also the so-called planetary hubs — there are stars one at a time, and gear shifting is carried out by a mec...hanism built into the rear hub.

Note that the optimal number of gears depends on the purpose of the bike (see above), and it is not always necessary to have several of them. So, in mountain models, depending on specialization, there can be from 8 to 30 gears, in road ones — within 20-30, and some inexpensive city bikes and most BMXs do not have a gear shift system at all.

The number of stars (gears) of different sizes in a bicycle cassette. A cassette is a part of the rear hub that interacts directly with the chain, in other words, a gear or a set of gears mounted on the hub. In classical gear shifting systems, the number of gears directly depends on the number of stars in the cassette (for more details, see "Speeds"); a single chainring is used either in single speed bikes or in planetary hubs (see System Stars for more on these).

Model of the derailleur (derailer) installed on the rear wheel cassette as standard on the bike. For more information on why you need to know the model of a particular bicycle component, see paragraph "Cassette Model".