versatile

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 213, “Buying a Bicycle.”

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 213. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in the beautiful City of Los Angeles, in the State of California.

Today's podcast is going to be about buying a bicycle. Let's get started.

I went to the bike shop on Saturday morning to buy a bicycle.

Clerk: What kind of bike are you looking for?

Lance: I’m really not sure.

Clerk: Well, let me show you what we have. We carry road bikes, mountain bikes, beach cruisers, and racing bikes.

Lance: I’m going to start biking to work. I’ll be riding mainly on the road, but I want something versatile enough for anything.

Clerk: Well, the road bikes are for everyday use. They have heavy frames and tires. The seats are comfortable and so are the handlebars. The mountain bikes are very sturdy for off-road cycling and have wider tires. Beach cruisers have just one speed, so you won’t be shifting any gears.

Lance: Okay. Are the brakes hard to handle?

Clerk: No. You either have foot brakes, like on the beach cruisers, or you have hand brakes. They’re very easy to get used to. If you