The New York Times - USA (2020-06-28)

IN 2020, RIDINGa bike isn’t quite,

as they say, like riding a bike. It’s

not the way it was when you were

a kid; it’s barely the way it was

four months ago.

First off, there’s an international

bike shortage. Many large bike

companies rely on overseas man-

ufacturing, mainly in China, and

the coronavirus-related factory

closures led to a supply crunch.

On top of that, demand for bikes

during lockdown — mostly for

recreation, but also for commuting

— has been enormous.

Estimates for when the biggest

companies will replenish their

stock are unclear. In some areas,

and for some brands, available

bikes have been narrowed down

to fairly specialized and expensive

machines. “The manufacturers

are being very vague,” said Annie

Byrne, who owns BFF Bikes in

Chicago. She’s told customers

looking for basic bikes that the

wait could stretch until August.

The shortage, however, is not

uniform, and depending on a

number of factors — not just the

sort of riding you want to do, or

your location, but your height, for

example — you mightstill be able

to find what you need off the rack.

Next year’s models, which under

normal circumstances would have

started to arrive in shops by now,

have also been delayed by a

month or more but will eventually

alleviate the crunch. Here’s what

you should know.

Start by reaching out to

a local bike shop; it may still

have something for you.

Generally speaking, while the

upfront cost may be higher than

buying a bike from an online

retailer, it usually comes with

some limited free maintenance.

Unless you’re extremely handy

and planning to invest in lots of

tools, you’re going to end up at a

shop someday anyway.

Typically, a bike shop will carry

a limited set of brands; most

major bike brands — think Trek or

Giant — have something for al-

most everyone. Shops are a valu-

able resource for cyclists under

any circumstances, and that in-

cludes during a bike shortage. Ms.

Byrne, for example, has been able

to refer customers to used bike

retailers in the area.

If you buy a bike online, some

assembly will be required.

In most cases, this will involve

following Ikea-level instructions,

though it’s not the worst idea to

have a new bike assembled or

inspected by a shop anyway,

especially if you don’t feel confi-

dent spotting potential safety

issues.

Brands like Priority Bicycles try

to make the assembly process as

easy as possible. Some older

brands that now sell online, in-

cluding Raleigh, will ship mostly

assembled bikes either directly

to you or to a participating local

shop. (Some of these companies

are experiencing shortages

as well.)

You can buy a bike from a major

online retailer like Jenson USA or

Chain Reaction Cycles, or from the

discount retailer BikesDirect,

which, despite its extremely old-

fashioned website, is a real high-

volume retailer with many budget

bikes still in stock. You can buy a

bike from Amazon or another

online general store, but what you

get — and in what state of assem-

bly it arrives at your door —

will depend on the brand and

the seller.

Don’t skip REI, which carries a

fairly wide range of bikes online

and has service departments in

its stores.

A large majority of bikes

sold in the United States are

sold by stores like Walmart.

There, the most expensive model

in stock might be cheaper than the

least expensive one at your local

bike shop.

Big-box bikes get a bad rap, and

not without reason. They’re often

poorly assembled and sold with

little support, and an inevitable

tuneup can cost a good portion of

the bike’s original price. They

nominally come in lots of varieties

— mountain, road, cruiser — but

it’s best to think of them all as

casual commuter or leisure bikes.

That said, a big-box bike will get

you through a short work com-

mute. It’ll get you to the beach or

around a lake path. Your kids will

have a blast hopping it off curbs.

You will still feel the wind on your

face. If you really take to cycling,

you’ll want something better

pretty quickly, and like many

cheap, borderline disposable

products, their eventual cost of

ownership, or replacement, can be

high. But the cycling community

can also be dismissive and a little

bit classist on this issue. Not all

people can spend hundreds (or

thousands) of dollars to see if they

like cycling.

If you need to take the big-box

path, there are a few good online

resources to know about:

BigBoxBikes.com, a large and

active forum, and KevCentral, a

YouTube channel that is the clos-

est thing this sector has to a trade

publication.

Buying a used bike is also

a possibility, but solicit a

friend’s input.

Given the shortages, though, it is

absolutely worth browsing Craigs-

list, Facebook Marketplace

and even eBay to see what you

can find.

Aside from the regular caveats

about buying anything online

from a stranger, you’ll have to

narrow things down by type, size,

condition and price. Contact a bike

commuter or recreational cyclist

in your life and ask for a second

set of eyes.

Bike sizing often comes down

to the specific brand and

category of bike.

For simplicity’s sake, many manu-

facturers have switched away

from numerical sizes for a small/

medium/large schema that corre-

sponds to a rider’s overall height.

For casual riding in particular,

getting a close-enough bike size is

usually fine — you will be able to

adjust your seat and perhaps

handlebars for a finer fit.

If you do see numbers, however,

here’s what they mean. A centime-

ter or inch measurement refers to

the length of the central, vertical-

ish part of the bike frame — the

seat tube. On road-style bikes, this

is often described in centimeters.

On mountain-style bikes, it’s often

inches. A 54-centimeter frame

might be about right for someone

5-foot-10; a 16-inch bike might be

suited to someone around 5-foot-6.

Unless you’re dealing with a

vintage bike, you should be able to

find the recommended height

range for a given size from the

bike’s manufacturer. This is the

most vital info you can get from a

used bike seller, too. Some re-

sources: Bicycling magazine has a

quick guide to sizing your bike

frame. As for setting the height of

your seat, the RoadCyclingUK

website has a few good methods to

get you close. Many people use

the “heel to pedal” method.

Don’t worry too much about

buying a gender-specific bike.

That a bike fits is many times

more important than any gender-

specific features or adjustments.

If you’d like to read more, search

for Femmecyclist.com’s article

called “Men’s vs. Women’s Bikes:

5 Things You Need to Know.”

Nearly any bike that fits you

and rolls will do.

In cities around the world where

cycling is most common, the most

popular bikes are often old-fash-

ioned, simple and have very little

relationship to cycling as a cut-

ting-edge gear sport.

If your goal is to get to work, or

get some exercise in a reasonably

strenuous but not regimented

way, a simple “fitness” bike or

“hybrid” bike is a good place to

start. Bikes like this are often

repurposed as rental bikes for

sightseeing. They’re affordable,

they’re easy to step over in regu-

lar clothes, they have cheap but

serviceable parts, and they feel

familiar and welcoming to casual

riders. They steer somewhat

slowly and predictably. They won’t

run out of easier gears as you’re

pedaling over a bridge. They’ll

come with seats designed to be

comfortable for most people over

the short periods of time they’ll

be in use.

You’ll also find bikes marketed

as “city” or “commuter” bikes.

These will usually be great begin-

ner options as well. “Comfort” or

“cruiser” bikes are also common

in lower price ranges, and they’re

wonderful for genuinely leisurely

riding but won’t support more

ambitious exercising or commut-

ing, and in some cases lack gears.

Your most important require-

ments for a commuter- or get-

some-air-type bike don’t have

much to do with performance, but

rather more practical questions.

Do you want to carry stuff on your

bike? Ask if it has mounts for

racks. Do you need to carry it on a

train, or store it in a small apart-

ment? Consider a folding bike.

Unless your needs are highly

specific — racing, serious moun-

tain biking, towing a trailer —

your options are probably much

wider than the cycling industry

would have you think. Eben Weiss

at the online publication Insider

put together a great “best bikes”

list by category, which doubles

as an explainer about what each

type is for.

You don’t necessarily need

to break the bank.

New bikes from major brands that

will be easy to take care of and last

a long time start at around $300,

although many cost more. Getting

started with a purpose-built road

bike or mountain bike will push

you past $500; enthusiasts in

either discipline will tell you not to

bother spending less than twice

that. Ignore them unless you want

to be them. Remember, a bike

is a bike.

There is no rule of thumb for

used bikes, but with the help of a

savvy friend, you should be able

to find something safe, durable

and ready to roll for under $200,

even accounting for crisis-time

price gouging.

There’s a very real shortage, and shops are operating under

challenging retail circumstances. But you can still get rolling.

BY JOHN HERRMAN

Don’t Give Up

On Buying a Bike

At Sidecountry Sports in Rockland, Maine, a bike sales associate and customer discussed repair plans.

Consider swinging by your local bike shop to see what’s in stock before you search online.

8 D THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

IT’S PAST TIMEfor your toes to see a little sunlight.
But they’re likely to need at least a little T.L.C., lest
you risk offending the members of your quarantine

pod. Follow this step-by-step (no pun intended) guide
to give yourself a safe summer pedicure. And, yes,
these instructions can also be followed by the manli-
est of readers.

ASSEMBLE AND CLEAN YOUR TOOLS

You’ll definitely need a pair of nail clippers, a cuticle

pusher and a nail file; depending on how thorough
you want to get, you’ll also need a dry foot file, exfoli-
ating scrub and moisturizer. If you really want to
treat yourself, have a foot basin filled with warm

water ready.
Don’t skimp when it comes to the nail clippers and
cuticle pusher. Krista Archer, a podiatric surgeon

based in Manhattan, recommends using as many
all-metal tools as possible so that you’ll be able to
properly disinfect them before each use. To sanitize
your tools, soak them in a shallow dish in 91 percent

alcohol for at least 10 minutes.
For toenails, Dr. Archer recommends single-use
paper emery boards that you can buy in bulk. They’ll
be “contaminated with nail dust and fungus, and that

lives on the nail file,” she explained, so you shouldn’t
hold on to them. And finally, you’ll need your base,
color and top coat within reach.

LANDSCAPE YOUR NAILS

Spray your feet with rubbing alcohol, focusing on the
nail and cuticle “so if something does happen and you

do nick yourself, you’re not going to get infected,” Dr.
Archer said. Then, pat them dry.
Next, cut your toenails for length. No matter your

preferred nail shape, experts agree you should al-
ways cut straight across to avoid ingrown nails.
Then use a file to gently shape the sides of your
nail, she said, getting rid of any sharp corners, by

following the lunula, the lighter colored half moon
shape at the nail base. Dr. Archer recommends leav-
ing the cuticle cutting to professionals, too. Instead,

gently push back the cuticle with a cuticle pusher.

DITCH YOUR DEAD SKIN

Some nail salons buff out calluses after feet have had

a good soak. But Margaret Dabbs, a foot care special-
ist in London who has a line of products in her name,
said to avoid wetting the skin first. “You’re going to

mask the area that needs to be treated, and you’re
not going to see the dry skin, the cracks in the skin or
the hard skin,” Ms. Dabbs explained.
So, use your foot file before you soak your feet.

Wirecutter, a product recommendation site owned by
The New York Times, recommends the Checi Pro
Nickel Foot File($26) or the Gehwol Wooden Pedicure

file ($25). Rub the heel and balls of the feet, which are
typically the most callused parts, with your dry foot
file in a back-and-forth motion. The soft parts of the
skin, those in between the toes and the arch of your

foot, will be taken care of by an exfoliating scrub.

NOW, SOAK YOUR FEET

You’ve made it to the relaxing part. Both Dr. Archer
and Ms. Dabbs suggest using Epsom salts, which can
relax the muscles in your feet; Dr. Archer recom-
mends adding drops of essential oils, like tea tree, for

an aromatherapy experience. Ms. Dabbs likes rins-
ing fresh mint leaves with cold water and tossing
them into a basin for some cooling relief on a hot day.

Rub your wet feet with an exfoliating scrub to
remove any lingering dead skin. Then, pat dry and
moisturize with a thicker cream, like L’Occitane en
Provence’s Shea Butter Foot Cream($29).

FINALLY, POLISH YOUR NAILS

Get into position: Elevate your feet on a stool or rest

them on a windowsill so you can reach them better.
Remove any oil or moisturizer residue from your
toenails with nail polish remover.
Start by applying a base coat, which smooths the

nails so that your polish sticks better and lasts longer.
Gina Edwards, a celebrity nail stylist, uses a simple
base coat on toes, rather than the strengthening base

coat that she uses for manicures. Wirecutter recom-
mends Sally Beauty Clear Base Coat($7.29) and
Jinsoon’s HyperRepair($22).
Then, apply two coats of your color. Work parallel

to the nail, from the middle of the nail outward, and
don’t put the brush at an angle, Ms. Edwards said. As
for colors, Ms. Edwards recommends a warmer

peach, muted Terracotta or moody blue — but her
personal favorite is bright yellow.
Lastly, use a topcoat, which adds a layer of protec-
tion to prevent the color from chipping. Ms. Ed-

wards’s favorite is Essie’s Good to Go($9).

NADINE REDLICH

Treat Yourself

To a Pedicure

Gather (and sanitize) these

tools, and hone your technique.

BY ADRIANA BALSAMO

ROBERT F. BUKATY/ASSOCIATED PRESS