The Best Bikes for Commuting

The type of bike best suited to get you from home to work will vary greatly depending on your journey – the terrain, distance, preferred style of riding and budget are among many factors that should be considered when buying a bike for commuting.

Whether your ride to work is through a busy city centre, along a riverside path or quiet country lanes, getting the right type of bike to suit your needs can take some getting your head around. There may seem like an endless number of multi-purpose bikes now available, many of which will be perfectly adept at getting you from A to B. Our buying guide for commuters aims to detail the different options available and which bikes are best suited to each style of ride to work.

Hybrid or Leisure Bikes

A hybrid or leisure bike is the most common type of bike used by commuters. A hybrid bike takes in elements of road and mountain bikes to create a balance of comfort, speed and practicality. The majority of hybrid bikes will be equipped with flat handlebars, road bike size wheels and an upright geometry. This type of bike will come with wide enough tyres for riding over mixed terrain and will also offer a wide range of gears, making pedalling easy and efficient.

Examples of hybrid bikes

Trek Dual Sport 3

Key Features

• Stiff wheels and wide tyres give you the terrain-smoothing comfort and confidence of a suspension fork without the added weight
• The dynamo hub powers the front and rear lights, ensuring that you’re always able to hop on and go
• The 1x drivetrain gives you all the gears you need and none you don’t
• Versatile gravel tyres are fast on the road and grippy on rougher terrain
• It comes with lights, mudguards, a kickstand, and a rear MIK rack so you’re ready to ride right from the start

Whyte Rheo 1

Key Features

•  Lightweight aluminum frame and fork for easy pedalling and carrying.
•  Easy to use 1×10 transmission gives you the gearing to ride everywhere easily.
•  Fast-rolling, grippy tyres and confidence-inspiring handling let you flow smoothly along even the roughest streets.
•  Reassuringly powerful and dependable all-weather hydraulic disc brakes.
•  Weighing just 12kg (size m) it’s easy to lift and live with, too.
•  Ready to take a full set of mudguards, a bike rack, kick-stand and more.

Gravel or Cyclocross Bikes

For the all-weather, multi-terrain commuter a gravel road or cyclocross bike is the ultimate companion. These bikes are very similar to a standard road bike but with capability to take on more varied surfaces, ideal if your ride to work involves a mix of tarmac and bridleways. Most aluminium gravel and cyclocross bikes come with mudguard and pannier mounts which are extremely useful if you’re commuting with luggage.

While completely at home on the road, these bikes come packed with additional features to tackle anything should your journey take an unexpected turn. Room for wider tyres, disc brakes and higher bottom bracket clearance means they’re setup for rough gravel tracks and bridleways.

Suitable gravel and cyclocross bikes for commuting

Trek Checkpoint

 

Key Features

• Extremely versatile bike for commuting and weekend adventures.
• Extra mounts in convenient places for carrying extra gear and water.
• Clearance for up to 38c tyres for commuting over rough terrain.

Cannondale Topstone Carbon 3

 

Key Features

• Lightweight Carbon Frame
• Mudguard and rack mounts for all-weather riding and touring.
• Kingpin suspension for a smoother ride
• Comfortable geometry

Merida Silex 700

Key Features

• Lightweight and sturdy aluminium frame.
• Subtle rack mounts and removable mudguard mounts mean great versatility.

Electric Bikes

The popularity of electric bikes being used by commuters has soared in recent years. Riding to work using an electric bike takes the sweat out of commuting and means you can roll into the office feeling comfortable and full of life. An electric bike will offer pedal-powered assistance up to speeds of 15mph, meaning you can cruise through city centre traffic with minimal effort.

With varied levels of assistance (from eco up to turbo), an electric bike gives you the opportunity to adjust how much effort you put in on your daily ride. If you’re keen to expend some energy on your morning commute you can reduce the assistance to get in a good workout or if you’re looking to get to work as quickly and efficiently as possible you can crank it up to turbo and let the motor do the majority of the work. Electric bikes are becoming a lot more affordable and, given their environmental benefits over commuting by car, save money in the long run and can reduce congestion in city centres.

Best electric bikes for commuting

Cube Kathmandu Hybrid C:62 SLT

 

Key Features

• Equipped with commuter friendly accessories such as mudguards, luggage rack and a kickstand.
• Lightweight carbon frame
• Bosch Active Plus motor system offers 400wh assistance.

Kalkhoff Endeavour Move

Key Features

• Commuter friendly features such as integrated front and rear lights (rear light works as a brake light).
• Fully integrated battery and cabling for clean look.
• Available in standard, trapeze and step-through frame shapes.

Merida eSilex+ 600

Key Features

• Light and agile with a striking colourway for extra visibility.
• Hidden 250Wh battery in the downtube for a racier look
• Can run both 700c and 650b wheels.