Features: lightweight frame, narrow tires, dropped handlebars, and high gear ratios (i.e. the ratios are set to favor those that help you go really fast, if of course your legs and lungs are up to it).

Buy a road bike, if: you want to ride fast and efficiently on paved roads while commuting, competing, or playing.

Do not buy a road bike, if: you want to get off paved roads. Narrow tires mean you will not really be able to ride a road bike on anything other than asphalt. Also, icy roads can be a major obstacle for road bikes.

Trek is a manufacturer and distributor of bikes and dedicated bicycle products under brands such as Trek, Electra, Bontrager and Diamant Bikes. Previously, Trek also manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond, Klein and Villiger Bikes brands. Trek is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Their bikes are sold through 1,700 independent bike stores in North America, subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, and South Africa, and distributors in 90 countries around the world. The majority of Trek bicycles are now manufactured outside the United States, in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan and China.