What is a derailleur? Is all-aluminum OK or should the fork be something else? I see a lot of Shimano shifting mechanisms, even on low-end bikesAre these good, or is there something else? What's a good material for a saddle? I have also seen gel covers.
J That's a very loong question For one, I'm thinking that you're thinking on a road bike, right? I'm more into mountain biking, but I think that there are some things that extrapolateI think that there are aluminium and carbon fiber forksThe carbon fiber will be lighter, and they'll likely absorb part of the vibration from the pavementThey will also be more expensive, thoughThe deraileur is the part or component that shifts (moves) the chain on the different cogs in the rear wheelThere are several brands that makes components for a bikeShimano is one of the big brandsBut it offers several levels of componentsIt's like say, Audi, in which it has the A3, the A4, A6 and A8I don't know on road how the levels are, but I think that Dura Ace is the top of the line, most expensive oneAnd there are some real cheap, so you'll likely see Shimano stuff on bikes costing anywhere between $200 and 10,000 bucksAlso, Campagnolo offers their own series of components, and I think that very good onesFor mountain bikes, SRAM also offers several levels of components pretty good, but I think they're only starting on road bikingAbout saddlesSome saddles comes with gel, some with lots of gel, and some with just a littleI think that those with little padding are usually better Also, saddle width is importantI can tell you wich saddles I feel confortable, but actually it depends on the shape of our bum, so what works for me probably won't work for youYou can go to a bike shop and ask to get your butt measuredUsually don't ask it when the cashier's full of peopleThere is this cushion where you sit, and your sit bones leave some marking, and they measure that and recomend a saddle based on itWhatever saddle you get, you will need some time getting used toThe gel covers are not a good ideaThey might seem, but they're just heavy, and, when you sit on the cover, your, er, bum will push the gel and it will push upwards on, well, er, you know where Good luck!
