You are most likely to become a five day a week, year-around cyclist if you buy a bike that is perfectly tailored to your riding needs, that fits you perfectly, and that is tough enough to hold up to daily riding without more than one or two tune-ups or adjustments each year.

Someone who rides on dirt and gravel roads or on dirt trails through a park has different needs than those guys who like to ride fast on Sunday morning on smooth suburban roads. Someone who uses a bike to carry camping equipment, groceries, or to commute to work or school has different needs than the guys whose sole reason to own a bike is to brag about how light it is.

So, step one in buying a bike is to think about how and where you will use it. Some bikes are very flexible. A classic touring bike, such as the Trek 520, can be used with beefy tires and fenders for touring on rough roads, and the worst weather. Yet, a Trek 520 can also be equipped with light weight wheels and light weight tires for a fast hundred mile ride in the summer.

Within each category of bikes (mountain bikes, hybrids, road bikes) there is a price point that gives you the most for your money. In each category, the cheapest bikes skimp on durability, and use some parts that are sub-standard. The most expensive bikes often offer very little over a mid-priced bike, except to brag about its light weight.

So, after you figure out which category of bike suits your riding needs the best, look at the mid-range models. If you are looking at hybrids, and a given company has nine models, the two or three models priced in the middle of those nine will offer as much durability as the most expensive models, and weigh just a pound or two more.

Go to two or three shops to get fitted. Make sure the staff knows how and where you will ride. The "default" fit in cycling today is the "racing fit". That fit will put you on a bike that is waay too small, with your hands positioned waay too low. Even though not 1% of the thirty million American adults who ride bikes entered a race last year, the "race" mentality rules at most bike shops.

A bike fits you when your weight is perfectly balanced between the seat, the pedals, and the bars. For most people, that weight balance requires having your hands at about the same height as the saddle. And, with most styles of bikes, getting your hands at the same height as the saddle requires buying the tallest frame that you can comfortably stand over flat footed.

A good time to buy a new bike is the last week of December. You can buy a 2006 model for 20% or 30% less than that bike sold for in June. But, don't let a good price keep you away from insisting on a perfect fit.