Among the most numerous and popular of all vehicles around the world is not the automobile, but bicycles, and for good reason. These two-wheeled vehicles are very popular around the world for three arenas: transportation/commuting, leisurely riding, and competitive racing, and different models and spare parts and features exist for bicycles for any and all of these purposes. The seats, or saddles, will often be shaped differently or have different material based on their use, and a leather bike seat can be a real boon for a competitive racer. The pedals or tires may be altered based on the rider’s needs, and carbon rails, anatomical bicycle saddles, seat clamps, toe clips, and much more can be bought at someone’s local bike shop or at online retailers if a local shop is not available. A leather bike seat may not be far away for someone who is ready to upgrade their bike.

Why Bicycles?

There are one billion bicycles to be found all over the world, which in fact is about twice the number of cars, and the bicycle industry in the United States alone was worth a huge total of $6.2 billion in the year 2015, and it could very well grow in the future in the United States and abroad. Why bicycles in particular? They are inexpensive to construct and build (100 of them can be made for the price of one car), and they do not need any fuel aside from the human power used to move the pedals, and they do not pollute or make much noise, which is also convenient. These are also among the very few vehicles that can be picked up and carried by people, since they do not have heavy engines or fuel tanks, and they are slim and compact, allowing them to be stored nearly anywhere, even in a person’s living room. They can also be conveniently transported on bike racks on top of or in the front or rear of a motor vehicle such as a privately owned car or a commercial bus. Many city buses, in fact, will have racks in front where passengers’ buses can be stored during transit.

As mentioned above, bicycles are very popular because they can be used for a variety of purposes. Sometimes, bikes are bought and used simply for leisure and for health, and they can be great fun to ride on either on paved paths or off-road (such as dirt bikes), and these bikes can often be stylish and a point of pride to own, not unlike an automobile. These bicycles also represent an excellent opportunity for cardio and can work out the leg muscles and get the heart rate up, even if a rider is not taking part in a competitive race. In fact, a study done by the British Medical Association has found that coronary heart disease rates are lowered by 50% whenever people cycle 20 or more miles per week, and bicycli8ng is a great part of a workout regimen to get in shape.

Bicycles are also a fine mode of transportation, anything from a person riding a bike to a local shop or a friend’s house all the way to everyday commuting in place of a car, and in some nations around the world, bikes replace cars as the main mode of transportation among workers and farmers. Bikes in those parts of the world are often used to transport goods to the market to sell, for example. And finally, competitive bike racing is popular, most notably the Tour de France, and some racers have made a name for themselves this way.

The right bike calls for the right gear. A competitive racer will need the right saddle for the job such as a leather bike seat. A leather bike seat will have a tough layer of leather that can last a long time so long as it stays dry, and a racer’s saddle will be narrow and hard compared to leisure bike saddles. Racers lean forward and put little sitting pressure on their saddles, and they need room to move their legs, hence the narrow shape. Casual riders have wider seats that are more practical to sit on, and they can also be a leather bike seat if so desired.