Best Bikes for Commuting
What bikes count as a commuting bike? Why have a commuting bike? What bikes are best for getting me from A to B?
The nature of what bike you would need depends on what your commuting route is like. Is it all road? Do you go through a park? Is there loose gravel on the way?
Road Commuting
If your commute is straight forward riding on the road then the sky is the limit on what bike you can go for. A decent entry-level road bike start will start at about £600 – £1000. The Cube Attain 2020 is a great starter road bike. Bear in mind that this will be a bike that you will spend a lot of time on so we think this is a good target price for a capable bike. There are cheaper bikes available on the internet, but these are likely to be very heavy and have cheap parts. If you commute daily on it you aren’t going to regret having a nicer bike to ride.
Working on a 20 Min daily commute 1 way at 48 working weeks a year (this is minus holiday). You would be looking at spending 160 hours on this bike. The better and nicer the bike is to ride the more fun you will have over that 160 hours. If your commute is an extremely hilly commute. A lighter bike geared for hills will be better to ride. The Scott Addict 20 Disc 2020 endurance bike would be an amazing commuter bike.
Gravely Commuting
If your commute isn’t plain sailing or should I say plain riding and you have gravel paths and canal paths to rider over. More of a gravel bike or CX bike would be better suited to your riding needs. These bikes have slightly wider tires, allowing you more grip over the rougher terrain. Most (if not all) gravel and CX bikes will come with disc brakes giving you better stopping power especially in wetter conditions. The Cube Nuroad Race FE is a great around great gravel bike with a 35mm tyre and also with a full mudguard set. Perfect for those wetter commutes.
Hybrid Commuting
If you have a commute to work that is gravely and a little bit bumpier and you don’t like the idea of a road style geometry bike then a Hybrid would be for you. Normally with fatter tires than a road bike but not a wide as a mountain bike a hybrid bike is a brilliant choice for a commuter bike. Focus does a brilliant Crater lake 3.8 Hybrid Bike perfect for commuting on.
If you have a relatively long commute and don’t want to arrive at work already tired for your day ahead or a shattered from your hard-working day and want assistance on the home stretch an Electric Bike can be a great choice. With a 625Wh Battery giving you plenty of juice for many miles and a powerful Bosch crank driven motor. The Kalkhoff Endeavour 5.B Move is an all-round beast of a commuting bike. If you want any more information on Electric Bikes. Have a look at our E-Bike Guide outlining everything that you need to know about them.
Short Commuting
If you have a relatively short commute to work and want to then go out at the weekends doing a bit of countryside riding then a Mountain bike could be a great suggestion. Mountain bikes have more rolling resistance on flatter smoother roads with their tires so this is why I have suggested them for shorter commuting rides. Having a MTB as a commuting bike though does give you the versatility of taking it out for the weekend for a smash around Carsington water. Or somewhere similar. Obviously depending on the bike depends on the type of riding. I wouldn’t suggest doing a downhill MTB trail on a £400 hardtail. Speaking of £400 hardtails the Scott Aspect 970 is a great entry-level mountain bike perfect for short commuting routes.
In conclusion, any bike can be a commuter bike you just have to pick the right bike for your commute. If you need any more assistance or have any more questions. Please pop down to the shop on 76 Derby Road, Spondon, Derby, DE217LX. If you are on the fence on why to still buy a bike currently. Please have a read of our post.
