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

Cannondale Quick

Key Features
  • All Quick models feature reflective elements for that extra measure of safety.
  • Stable and confident handling.
  • Available with hydraulic disc or rim brakes.
  • SAVE Micro-Suspension in the rear triangle makes for a comfortable ride.

Genesis Croix De Fer 10 Flat Bar

Key Features
  • Robust and comfortable steel frame.
  • Mounts for racks and mudguards for carrying luggage and protection from road spray.
  • Upright position with flat handlebars for cruising through city streets.

Specialized Sirrus

Key Features
  • Available in aluminium or carbon frame.
  • Designed to be used with racks and mudguards for year-round city commuting.
  • Equipped with Specialized’s Body Geometry components for improved comfort.

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.

Specialized Diverge

Key Features
  • Available with a carbon or aluminium frame in a range of build specs.
  • Mudguard and rack mounts for all-weather riding and touring.
  • SWAT storage compartment available.

Cannondale CAADX

Key Features
  • Lightweight and sturdy aluminium frame.
  • Subtle rack mounts and removable mudguard mounts mean great versatility.
  • Clearance for 37c tyres for confident riding over mixed terrain.

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 Touring Hybrid

Key Features
  • Equipped with commuter friendly accessories such as mudguards, luggage rack and a kickstand.
  • Suspension fork and wide, 47mm tyres for a comfortable ride.
  • Bosch Active Plus motor system offers 250wh 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.

Focus Paralane2

Key Features
  • Light and agile, the Paralane2 combines the advantages of an electric bike with the speed of a road bike.
  • Tyre clearance up to 35mm for riding on varied surfaces.
  • Fazua Evation motor system offers up to 400wh of extra power.