Confused by all the choices in your local bike shop? We're here to help

Choosing the best bike for you can be a tricky task. Along with the bike boom of the last decade there’s been a boom in the types of bike on offer as the bike industry tries to offer us bikes that are just right for the wide range of riding we do. You can ride and have a great time on just about anything, but if you’re shopping for a bike it’s handy to know what the different types are best at.

The wealth of different biking options can be daunting to a novice cyclist, but we’ve narrowed down the basic options to help you get your cycling journey off to a flying start...

Road Bikes 

Road Racing Bikes

Designed for speed and paved roads, a road bike is favoured by those who enjoy longer, faster rides. There’s a widespread belief that road racing bikes are uncomfortable, but that’s not the case if they’re set up properly. After all, professional racers sit on these bikes for three weeks in the Tour de France, which wouldn’t be possible if the bikes were agonising. However, it’s unarguable that the skinny high-pressure tyres of a road racing bike can transmit plenty of road vibration to the rider. As a result, these bikes work best on smooth roads. Known for its sleek and stylish aesthetic, a road bike is considered a thing of beauty. If you’re interested in racking up plenty of miles and exploring long winding roads, this could be the one for you.

Sportive Bikes

A sportive bike is a rather softer version of a road racing bike, intended to improve comfort for riders taking part in one-day challenge events. Sportive bikes therefore usually have a more upright riding position, achieved with a longer head tube and shorter top tube. These are still road bikes, but since sportive road surfaces are often poor, they’ll accommodate wider tyres than a race bike for better grip and comfort, and some have mounts for mudguards so you don’t get soaked if the weather turns wet. Aside from riding position and the details discussed above, sportive bikes have many features in common with road racing bikes.  

Touring Bikes

Packing your possessions into panniers and pedalling away is a great old cycling tradition; touring bikes have developed to make it easy to get away from the 9-5 on your bike. The obvious defining features of a touring bike are pannier racks to carry your luggage, or at the very least a rear rack, and mudguards to keep you dry if it rains. Accommodating those, and fatter tyres (at least 32mm wide) to help carry the weight, means the frame will be longer and gappier. With a shorter top tube and longer head tube, touring bikes have a more upright riding position. So that you can keep riding with a full load however steep the road gets, touring bikes come with very low gears of any category of road bike. 

Cyclocross Bikes

Cyclocross is the winter cycling discipline of off-racing on drop-bar bikes with fatter, knobby tyres on short courses, usually in locations such as municipal parks. It involves a mix of surfaces and obstacles such as low barriers, steep run-ups and sand pits. And mud. Lots of mud. In the last few years many riders have realised that a cyclocross bike’s ability to accommodate wider tyres makes it a great round-town pothole-basher. That’s led to ‘soft’ cyclocross bikes with mounts for racks and mudguards and less racy gears. With a change of tyres these bikes can tackle anything from a sportive to dirt roads to your first cyclocross race.

Gravel / Adventure Bikes

Part cyclocross bike, part sportive bike and part touring bike, the category known as gravel bikes or adventure bikes might just be the most versatile drop-handlebar bikes around (you can find some flat-bar gravel bikes, so don't need to choose drop-bars if you prefer a more upright riding position). The distinguishing features of gravel bikes are room in the frame for very fat tyres, and a riding position and handling that’s not as racy as a cyclocross bike’s. That means they’re great for riding dirt roads and less technical trails, but they’ll also roll along happily on the road too, and they point and laugh at potholes and crummy road surfaces. Versatility is a vital part of the concept, so gravel bikes will accommodate racks and mudguards. You can use them for commuting and even light touring, though few have the low gearing of a purpose-made touring bike.

Mountain Bikes

Want to get off the road and explore stunning countryside? A mountain bike could be your key to adventure. Designed for riding over rough terrain, mountain bikes will give you the freedom to ride on most surfaces. Designed for riding on rocky, steep trails, mountain bikes have wide, flat handlebars; fat, knobby tyres; low gears for climbing; powerful disc brakes and usually suspension on the front or both wheels. 

There are numerous types of mountain bike including long-travel dual suspension bikes for downhill racing; hardtails with suspension forks for general trail riding; fat bikes with low-pressure (ride in snow or sand!), super-wide tyres; go-anywhere dual suspension trail bikes and short-travel bikes for mass-start cross country races. There are three wheel sizes, but we won't get into that debate here. In summary: big wheels roll better, smaller ones are more manoeuvrable and beyond that it’s a religious issue. To keep it simple, choose between Hardtail vs. Full Suspension

Hardtail Mountain Bikes

A hardtail mountain bike is a versatile and all-terrain bike that has no rear shock and is equipped with either rigid forks or front suspension. A hardtail tends to be lighter and cheaper than a full – suspension bike and are a great choice for entry level and accomplished riders alike.  They are more efficient while pedalling, faster on climbs and smooth trails, lighter weight, great for beginners and easier terrain. They're also simpler to maintain and a good choice for cross country racing.

Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

Full suspension bikes feature front and rear shocks. They have more capability and versatility, and are faster on difficult trails with lots of obstacles. They provide increased stability over bumps and while descending downhill. If you want an instant confidence boost as a beginner, you will love the full suspension. Nowadays, new technologies make them more efficient than ever and are a smart choice for all types of racing.

Hybrid Bikes 

They don’t get much attention from the cycling media, but as a result of their practicality hybrids are actually the UK’s best-selling bike style. As the name suggests these bikes have features taken from road bikes and from mountain bikes. From road bikes they have light frames and large, 700C wheels. From mountain bikes they get flat handlebars and cantilever or disc brakes. The larger wheels make them nippier round town than mountain bikes.

Ideal for those who want to commute to work by bike, a hybrid offers a practical, comfortable and stylish ride. Available in many shapes and sizes, hybrids blend characteristics from their road and mountain bike counterparts, offering a general-purpose ride which can handle most riding conditions. The tyres are usually in between road and mountain bike width, which helps make a hybrid more comfortable, better able to handle potholes and capable of tackling easier off-road tracks and trails.

They always have mounts for rack and mudguards, and some models come with them already fitted. Hybrids intended for the European market may also have lighting systems powered by a dynamo built into the front hub, so you never run out of batteries, and a frame-mounted lock on the rear wheel.

Folding Bikes

Want to store a bike in a tiny London flat, or take one on a peak-hour train as part of a bike-train-bike commute? You need a folder. As the name suggests, these are bikes that fold up for easy carrying. A top quality folder, such as a Brompton or Birdie, folds in seconds into an easily-carried or stashed package. That means you can probably also store it under your desk at work, rather than leaving it out to risk getting stolen.

Folding bikes generally have steel or aluminium frames and small wheels. You sacrifice some ride comfort for the convenience of folding, but better folders deal with that by including suspension.  Can they climb well? no, but can they manoeuvre like a cat in the streets, yes.