I Love Riding a 50cc Moped in Greece

For me, one of the joys of a Greek holiday is riding a 50cc moped in the sun. In this narrative I want to share with you the reasons why I find this such an curious part of my holiday.

1. The sheer sense of speed -- There is something of course thrilling about curious at speed straight through your environment; it's something you just don't get when you're cooped up in a car. Even curious along at about 30mph on a 50cc bike, you get this fabulous sense of movement.
2. The cooling zephyr -- Greece is hot in summer compared to where I live; of course hot. In a car you can whether ice with the air-conditioning on or fry with it off. On a bike, and this applies whether you rent one of the bigger 125cc mopeds or even a tiny 50cc scooter, you get a fabulous blast of cooling, but not cold, zephyr the whole time.
3. The scents of the herbs and the pines -- there is nothing quite like the scents and smells that come to you when riding along a country lane in Greece in the summer. The thing about a 50cc moped is that it moves along gradually enough so that your senses have time to of course appreciate each patch of oregano; each stand of pine trees.
4. The convenience -- often in Greece at the height of the summer, when I visit, it can be a real struggle to find somewhere to park a car, whether you are in a small mountain village, a country lane, or at the beach. This is where my 50cc moped comes into its own, because it of course can slot into the tiniest of parking spaces. Not only that, 50cc mopeds are also quite light and can be hauled up and down kerbs and over rough ground straight through small gaps where cars cannot go.
5. The ability to go where cars cannot go -- someone else characteristic thing about Greek Islands is the lack of roads, especially around some of the most attractive, secluded beaches. At first, there is a country lane. Then, it becomes a lane with no tarmac; just a rough, loose surface. This will cause some of the cars following you to give up, and one or two of the less-experienced riders will also abandon their rented 50cc scooters. I carry on as the rough track gets narrower; suddenly too narrow for a car. While the car occupants sweat it out on foot, I go on, gradually and considered weaving my way in and out of the previous car drivers and passengers, but nevertheless still on wheels. Eventually, I reach the beach, faster than the car driver and relatively fresh and cool.

Road Bikes

For these reasons, I advise renting a moped if you go to the Greek Islands, should you be even slightly inclined to do so.

I Love Riding a 50cc Moped in Greece

I Love Riding a 50cc Moped in Greece

The 20 Most beloved Bike Brands Sold in the Us

Well, this is well a controversial, complicated and constantly evolving topic. There are so many bicycle manufacturers, bicycle types and popular brand names sold in the Us, that it can be difficult to find a whole summary and to sort it all out.

The top 20 most popular bike brand listing that I've compiled here is not based on the number of bikes sold alone or on the ability or perceived ability of the bicycles. Most of the bike manufacturers listed here also sell distinct bike types (road, mountain, hybrid, etc.) and the list below is not broken down by bike type or category.

Road Bikes

This listing is intended to be a guide as to what bike brands are currently the most popular in the Usa, at the time of this writing (since bike brands come and go and the sales of various bike types rise and fall).

The 20 Most beloved Bike Brands Sold in the Us

The Top 20 Most popular Bike Brands and the bike types that they sell

1. Trek - Road, Triathlon , Mountain Hardtail , Mountain Full-Suspension , Urban , Bike Path, Cruiser , Women's , Kids
2. Schwinn - Road, Commuter, Comfort, Cruisers, Electric, Mountain Bikes, Bmx, Kids
3. Giant - Road, Mountain, Giant for Women, Lifestyle, Hybrid (Hct), Bmx, Kids
4. Cannondale - Road, Mountain, Women's Recreation (many sub categories)
5. Mongoose - Bmx Bikes (Team Bikes, Freestyle Bikes, Dirt street Bikes) Mountain / Pavement (Dual Suspension, Jumping, Hardtail Xc, Comfort, Commuter, Road Alternative, 
6. Raleigh - Road, carrying out Hybrid, Hybrid, Comfort, Mountain, Cruiser, Women, Youth
7. Specialized Road, Multi Street, Globe (commute, comfort), Dirt/Street/Vert (Bmx), Kids Atb
8. Diamondback - Mtn Full Suspension , Mountain Hardtail , Devine Designs , comfort ,Cruiser , carrying out Hybrid , Hybrid , Youth , Bmx
9. Fuji - Road, Mountain, Specialty, Women's, Lifestyle, Kids
10. Haro -All Mountain-Freeride, Dirt Jump/ Urban, Xc Trail / Xc Sport, 650B, 29er, Metro, Comfort, Cruiser
11. Shimano - Road, Mountain, Comfort, Bmx
12. Huffy - since 1892 - Mountain, Bmx, Kids, Road
13. Gary Fisher - 29ers, Full Suspension,  Genesisters, Hardtails, Kids, Pavement, Road
14. Ellsworth - High end Mountain Bikes
15. Klein - High end Mountain and Road Bikes
16. Jamis - High end Full Suspension, Hardtail, Road, Street, Sport Comfort, Youth
17. Bianchi - Hors Categorie (Hoc), Born for carrying out (B4P), Coast to Coast (C2C), Dama Bianca, D2, Special, Classica, Road Steel, Mtb Performance, Mtb Leisure, Sport, Cross-Terrain
18. Gt - Mountain, Bmx, Road, Womens
19. Rocky Mountain - Mountain, Road, Urban & Path, Ladies Only
20. Scott - Mountain, Road, Women's Junior's

Some of the popular bike brands listed here can only be purchased at specialty bike shops or independent dealers. Although this marketing technique makes these brands harder to find, in some cases this it improves the perceived ability of the bikes over brands that are distributed to the mass store or that can be well found at sporting goods stores or even online.

I have included the bike types or bike categories that each constructor sells under the brand names listed. The bike type descriptions were, in most cases, taken directly from each bike manufacturers website in order to not only let you know what kind of bikes they make but also how the business perceives the bike types that they make and how they store them to you.

The 20 Most beloved Bike Brands Sold in the Us