A. Yes . We have a retail outlet in Bolton town
centre. It opens every day except Sunday. The shop has display of some of
the models that we sell on eBay and the internet. However not all models
are on display. Contact the shop on 01204 531323 for details. However
please do not contact the shop in relation to a purchase made through eBay
or our internet storefront, as internet/eBay orders cannot be collected
from them.
Parkers Cycle Sizing Guide
Buying a bike which is the
right size is probably the most important part of choosing your new cycle.
But how do you work out what size to get? With this guide we hope to shed
a little light on the subject..
Children's Bikes...
If the bike is for a child, they
generally fall into age categories based on the average size of a child of
a specific age. There is no hard and fast rule that says that you must buy
a bike of a particular size for a child of a specific age. If the child is
comfortable and not too stretched on the bike, and they can manage all the
controls ie turn the handlebars safely, reach the brake levers and operate
them AND touch the floor with the ball of their foot, then there is
nothing to prevent you from selecting a bike in a bigger age category.
-
12" Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
2to 4
-
14" Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
3 to 5
-
16" Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
5 to 7
-
20" Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
7 to 9
-
24" Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
9 to 11
-
26"+ Wheel Cycles - Suitable for ages
11+ (These are classed as adult cycles.)
First Bikes; 12" & 14" wheels, suitable
for average ages 2up to 5. Larger and slightly older children should
benefit from the 14" wheel bicycles.
Once a child has learnt to ride without
stabilisers (generally about age 5) they will move up to a 16" wheel
cycle. These do not normally come fitted with stabilisers but they can be
added to virtually all 16" wheel bikes if required.
Once you get into the realms of 20"
wheel bikes and above, you may be offered multiple frame sizes. This has
the benefit of being able to fit a younger child onto a bigger wheeled
bike if they are confident riders. Although you will find that size
options are generally not offered on a particular model, rather that
different models have different frame sizes.
It is a very tempting thing to do, but
don buy a bike which is too big for your child in the hope that they
will grow into it. They will, but in the meantime they will be riding a
bike which is not easy for them to control, which can be very dangerous.
It does not really save money anyway, because if you change bikes more
often, the outgrown ones will have a higher resale value.
Adult Bikes...
Once you are reach mountain bikes with
a 26" wheel or 700c wheels in the case of road bikes, then size is only
determined by frame Size. The size of the frame is measured from the top
of the frame at the point where the seat post is inserted, down to the
centre of the axle carrying the pedal arms (bottom bracket) .
The majority of adult dual suspension
bikes we stock are 26" wheel with a 18" or 19" frame, this can also be
referred to as Adult or Uni-size. Modern dual suspension "Y" frames
provide more clearance and can fit a wider range of riders, starting at
around 5' 2" up to 6'. This is achieved by adjusting the saddle height.
The following rules of thumb should be
applied when you try a bike for size:
Racing & Hybrid Bikes: Standing
flat footed on the ground, you should have a minimum of 1" of clearance
between yourself and the top tube of the frame
Mountain Bikes: Standing flat
footed on the ground, you should have a minimum of 3" of clearance between
yourself and the top tube of the frame.
A simple calculation can be used to
estimate your required frame size if you are not able to sit astride a
bike to measure:
Measure your inside leg measurement to
the floor, subtract 3" (for mountain bikes, or 1" for road bikes) then
subtract 10" (the average distance from the bottom bracket to the ground).
This will give you the maximum frame size that you will need.
But buying a bike of the correct size
is not just about the height from the ground. As bikes get bigger
height-wise, they also get longer. The distance from the saddle to the
handle bars increases by on average 1" for every 2" increment in frame
size. So you must also make sure that though you may be able to stand
astride a bigger framed bike, that you can still comfortably reach the
handlebars and manage all the controls. Remember that the saddles on all
bikes are adjustable by between 4" and 10" so any bike can be tailored to
fit you perfectly.
Please note:
Cycles with suspension seat posts will effectively add up to to 2
inches to the frame size. For this reason you should choose a smaller
frame size to avoid an oversize bike (ie. select a 19 or 20 inch frame
rather than 21 inch if it comes with a suspension seat post)
)
