Shop Around the Web: Wheels

Back in the day (and we mean way back in the day), the only features the perfect bike required were shiny paint and snazzy handlebars. But if you’re not seven years old anymore, determining the bike you want is tougher than declaring, “the one with the flowered basket!” With REI’s How to Choose a Bike Guide, you’ll deal with more factors and get a clear understanding of how to assess and evaluate each one of them. The step-by-step advice should have you careening down the block to meet up with the neighborhood “kids” in no time (or up the mountain, if that’s more up your alley these days.)

If you don’t have a bike yet, it’s not too early to start fantasizing. Begin with the gallery at Roadbikereview.com, where you can view thousands of bikes, races, teams and tours.

So you’ve got your bike: now you need gear—lots of gear. But not at a price that will leave with you lots of bills. Head to Bike Nashbar, which promises, “always a great deal.” You can also buy a bike from Nashbar, and more important, you can buy bike parts. That means if something breaks, if you want to start tinkering with your current bike, or build yourself a new one, Nashbar is your source.

Biking can be a great method of transportation that works as an alternative to a car. If you’re looking for something that’s doesn’t quite compare with a car but does give you a big edge over walkers, a scooter may be the answer. Razor scooters are all the rage for kids, but the Pro Model is a pretty snazzy way for adults to take to the streets.

Need a little bit more va-voom? Urban Scooters electric motorized scooter is not quite a Vespa, but not quite a toy.

If you’re totally uninterested in any motorized assistance, or even handlebars, what you need is a skateboard. But in that case, choose wisely. There are more skateboards than there are stars in the sky. (Well, it’s close … ) The Concrete Wave buyers’ guide is available for download on the Web site of the Silverfish Long Boarding community site. You can also read reviews of products directly on the site.

If your reaction to skateboarding is that having one foot on the ground is no fun at all, head (virtually) to K2 Skates and get yourself some in-line skates. Did you know there are different skates for fitness and training? Or a line called “Rock’s?” Explore all these lightweight, well-fitting options, because if you’re going to backtrack to the ’90s, you should do it with as much conviction and class as possible.