Biking

Road bikes, hybrids, cruisers and e-bikes:

differ first in how you sit on them. A road bike puts you low over drop bars on narrow tyres, built for distance on tarmac. A gravel bike looks much the same but runs wider tyres and keeps going when the asphalt gives out. A hybrid, or urban bike, has flat bars, an upright position and room for mudguards and a rack, the sensible choice for crossing San José to work or riding the ciclovía between San Pedro and La Sabana. A cruiser is simpler still: one gear or three, a wide saddle and often a coaster brake you work by pedalling backwards. Electric bikes come in all of these shapes. Cheaper ones carry the motor in the rear hub; dearer ones put it at the cranks, from makers such as Bosch or Shimano, and climb better. Trail bikes with suspension have their own home in mountain biking.

Frame size, groupset and brakes on a road bike:

say more than the badge on the down tube. Size follows the rider’s height and leg length, and makers label frames differently, so sit on it before you pay. The groupset tells you where a bike sits: Shimano Claris and Sora at the entry end, Tiagra above them, and 105 where serious road bikes begin. Disc brakes keep stopping on a wet descent and spare the rims; rim brakes are lighter and simpler to service. Kids’ bikes go by wheel size rather than age. Riders who train indoors clip the bike into a roller or smart trainer, which sits with exercise equipment. A carbon road bike from a big name such as Giant can pass ₡3,000,000 new, while carbon bikes from newer, little-known labels sell new for under ₡1,000,000. A used big-brand bike with a few seasons on it is really competing with those new unknowns, not with its own shelf price, so its seller has to show the frame is sound. Kids’ bikes from the same brands run about ₡150,000 to ₡200,000 new and are nearly always outgrown before they wear out, which makes them one of the safest things to buy second-hand.

Carbon frames, e-bike batteries and salt-air rust:

are where used bikes hide their problems. Carbon does not dent, it cracks, so run a finger and a torch around the seatpost clamp, the underside of the down tube and the chainstays, and ask straight out whether the bike has been crashed or dropped off a car rack. A fine line in the paint that follows the tube needs a mechanic’s look before any money changes hands. With an e-bike, the battery is most of the value: ask how old it is, ride long enough to watch the charge drop, and make sure the key that locks the battery to the frame comes with it. An e-bike without its key is one to walk away from. Cruisers from the coast suffer in the salt air: an orange chain, rust bubbling under the paint at the welds and a coaster brake that grinds are the usual signs. A helmet that has taken a knock is finished even when it looks whole, so buy one used only from someone who can tell you its history.

Photos of the drive side and the battery:

sell a bike faster than any description. Photograph the whole bike from the chain side, then the groupset, the brakes and anything worn. Give the frame size as printed on the frame and the height of the rider it fitted, the groupset, rim or disc brakes, and whether it has been crashed or repainted. Better road bikes often go without pedals, so say what it comes with. For an e-bike, add the motor and battery maker, how far a charge really lasts on your usual roads, and whether the charger and both keys are included. Someone coming from Heredia to try an e-bike will want to feel the motor pull up a hill and watch the battery come off with its key, so charge it the night before and have the charger and keys on the table.