Which road bike is for me

While a hybrid bike is best suited to the city, a touring bike is designed to take on everything from a commute to a continent-crossing adventure. They tend to have the same fast-rolling c wheels as road and hybrid bikes, but with fatter tyres that allow you to take on a mixture of terrain in comfort.

The more relaxed riding position and more stable geometry of a touring bike mean that you can take on almost anything, whether it be a mountain pass when fully loaded with supplies or a quick spin to work. Gravel bikes combine road bike looks and speed with loads of frame clearance for fitting fat, knobbly tyres that can sometimes be 35mm-wide or more to get you across almost any terrain, including terrible tarmac, gloopy mud, bridleways, gravel paths and more.

You can find adventure bikes made from steel, aluminium, carbon and titanium, and at a range of prices from the affordable to the aspirational. Adventure bikes that take luggage typically frame bags, saddle bags and bar bags are used for bikepacking, which is essentially touring, but with perceived better fashion sense and hashtags. Interested in a gravel bike? Our list of the best gravel bikes will help you find the perfect one for your needs.

Cyclocross bikes are similar in concept to the bikes listed above, but are designed for the racing discipline of cyclocross. Their geometry is typically more aggressive than that of gravel and adventure bikes, making them a less attractive proposition for longer days in the saddle. Our list of the best cyclocross bikes compiles all top-scoring cyclocross bikes from recent tests.

This is what makes them popular with cycle couriers, who also like their reliability — a legal-minimum fixie with just a front brake has almost nothing on it to go wrong. Want to know more? Typical town bikes have chainguards and flat pedals, so you can hop aboard in your regular clothes.

They shrug off potholed streets, while an upright riding position gives you a commanding view of traffic. Pros: Great looks, relaxed riding position, practical, ideal for wearing normal clothes, normally very durable. Laws vary from country to country and, in the US, can vary from state to state.

However, in the UK apart from Northern Ireland electric bikes limited to More powerful ebikes some with motorcycle-style throttles are also available, but in some countries, including the UK, these are classed as mopeds or motorbikes and therefore need to conform to the same rules insurance, helmets and so forth. Most ebikes are designed to be comfortable and easy to live with thanks to flat bars, mudguards and luggage capacity.

However, as the technology develops, both prices and weights are coming down — some models even look remarkably like unassisted bikes.

The internet age has led to a relatively new decision for bike buyers: buy from a local bike shop or do it yourself online? The former offers you hands-on service and perhaps access to a local riding community, while the latter more than likely has a price advantage. Personally I believe that buying a bike online is best left to those who know exactly how they like their bikes to fit and are able to do basic maintenance themselves.

For everyone else the hands-on experience and service a good local bike shop can provide has the potential to make a substantial difference to your enjoyment in cycling.

Closely following the last point is a decision over new and used. No doubt your money can go further with a used bike, but there are always risks associated with this. Gone are the days of a road bike being an ache to ride — you should be able to pedal without any discomfort. Endurance-style bikes are designed for the masses and most riders are likely to be most comfortable on this style of bike which offers a more relaxed riding position. Experienced bike shop staff will be able to advise you on the correct size bike and style for your needs.

A 54 cm frame in one brand may be equivalent to a 56 cm in another, and the same applies for those labelled with small, medium and large. Thankfully there is a pretty good guide for how a bike will fit and compare to other bikes: stack and reach figures. These two figures remain the most robust way of comparing the actual sizing between various bikes. We have a dedicated article about the importance of stack and reach in bike sizing. This final step is something I would have strongly suggested in the past, but current pandemic times have all but made this impossible.

Bike availability is so limited at the moment that bike shops are no longer carrying demo fleets like they would have in the past. If this is the case then listen to opinions from people you trust.

Paul recently dusted off his old department store mountain bike after constantly hearing from his work colleagues about how great cycling is. Paul did two rides and then joined his work colleagues on a road ride, he got exhausted, then got dropped, and then pretended his bike had broken so the pain would end.

Paul is now obsessed with cycling and wants a more appropriate bike for road bunch riding. We believe Paul should look for an entry-level aluminium road bike with an endurance-type fit. As Paul is a fair-weather rider and on a tight budget, then rim brakes are likely to be a fine starting point.

Sandra used to be a competitive road cyclist but shifted into running for a number of years. Sandra has a competitive spirit and good fitness. That old bike still runs but feels tired. Sandra is likely the right candidate for a lightweight all-rounder race bike. Bikes like those covered in our recent all-rounder race bike Field Test are well worth a look. However, Leo also wants to join his friends who ride road bikes in a group. Leo is much like a number of riders looking to either simplify their bike collection or expand what cycling means to them.

There are two paths here. One option would be to get a modern endurance road bike that offers generous tyre clearance for the occasional gravel adventure. The alternative is a fast gravel bike that was built with racing in mind. The Cervelo Aspero comes to mind as a popular pick in this space, and is wonderfully quick on the road with the appropriate slick tyres. If the versatility of a gravel bike appeals to you then be sure to check out our guide to choosing a gravel bike.

Hopefully this article has set you on a path to finding the right road bike. Good luck and happy riding! Subscribe on Youtube. Step 1: What type of road riding are you planning to do? The Giant TCR is a good example of a modern all-around race bike. It has a low weight and high stiffness as its priorities, but then merges in some riding comfort and aerodynamic design, too.

For even more simplicity, some riders prefer to not have brakes, since the fixed-gear mechanism can act as a brake. Most track bikes have drop handlebars, but some riders outfit theirs with flat or upright handlebars. Mountain Bicycles are design for riding rough off-road trails. They have flat or upright handlebars, and a very low gear range for pedaling up steep trails. Most mountain bikes have some type of shock absorbers or suspension. Mountain bikes with front suspension only are called hardtails ; mountain bikes with both front and rear suspension are called full-suspension bikes or duallies.

Mountain bikes with no suspension are called rigid. Mountain bikes can be outfitted for use as touring or commuting bikes, although they would not be as light or efficient as traditional touring or commuting bikes. Fat bikes , with their extremely wide tires, are included in the mountain bike category. Hybrid Bicycles were originally conceived to provide the advantages of both road bikes and mountain bikes.

Their large, padded seats and upright handlebars provide a comfortable riding position, and are best for casual riding around the neighborhood or bike paths, short-distance commuting, and errands around town. They can be ridden on paved roads, but are not as lightweight or efficient as road bikes.

They are ideal for paved or unpaved bike trails, but are not appropriate for rough off-road mountain bike trails. The tires are usually a medium-width with a semi-smooth tread, to provide a fairly smooth ride on pavement, but enough grip and cushion on unpaved trails. Most hybrid bikes have front suspension to smooth out small bumps, but some are fully rigid. Hybrid bikes used to also be referred to as cross bikes , but that term is not used any more in order to avoid confusion with cyclocross bikes see above.

Dual-Sport Bicycles are a sub-category of hybrid bikes oriented towards riders who want the multi-surface versatility of a hybrid bike, but want a little more aggressive style and riding position. They have a flat or upright handlebar, although not as upright as regular hybrid bikes; they usually have a smaller, more performance-oriented seat, rather than a large comfort seat.

Most have front suspension. Dual-sport bikes make good commuter bikes, and are also good for touring on unpaved trails. Cruiser Bicycles are similar to hybrid bikes, in that they are designed for casual riding, and have a very comfortable, upright riding position, and a large, comfortable seat.

Cruisers usually have wide "balloon" tires, and handlebars that are even more upright, and in some cases, swept back compared to hybrid bikes. Most cruiser bikes are single-speed or 3-speed, and have the old-fashioned coaster brake where you pedal backwards to stop.

They can be used for short-distance commuting and errands, as long as your route is fairly flat. Some cruiser bike manufacturers make a wide array of colorful models available, to suit the fashion tastes of any bike afficionado.

Flat-Foot Comfort Bicycles are a sub-category of cruiser bikes. They have an elongated frame design that pushes the pedals a few inches forward of the seat. This allows you to ride with the seat low enough so that you can place your feet flat on the ground when you are stopped, but you still get the full extension of your legs while pedaling. All Electra Bicycle Company bikes have the flat-foot technology; some other manufacturers have created their own flat-foot designs.

The term "city bike" doesn't really refer to a specific category of bikes; it's more of a general descriptive term. They might also be called "commuter" or "urban" bikes, although many of the bikes listed on this page can be used quite well for riding and commuting in a city.

However, there is a certain type of bike that some people have in mind when they use the term "city bike.