If you are just starting out with biking, don’t waste your time on high-end bike websites or reviewing the “Top 10” retail article recommendations. In our non-gearhead opinion, spending $500+ on a shiny new bike with all the bells and whistles designed by marketers isn’t going to provide the motivation to take it outside and hit the urban trails.
What we think you need is a solid commuter bike at a reasonable price that you won’t regret if it gathers dust on your deck, closet, or garage. Or, that you won’t regret if it gets stolen. Once that you decide biking is an essential part of your everyday routine, that is the time to upgrade your ride and pass the prior down to another newbie. For now, trust us and start with the basics.
Specific Features to look for in a Commuter Bike
If you don’t read anything below, find something that is comfortable and functions well for reliability. Searching for “urban” or “commuter” might help narrow the results.
Bicycle style: road or hybrid. Test the bike to make sure it is comfortable and easy-to-ride. Road bikes are lightweight and have smooth skinny tires designed to be ridden on smooth pavement. They can have flat or drop handlebars depending on your preference. Hybrid bikes combine some of the advantages of road bikes and mountain bikes with comfortable upright handlebars and semi-smooth medium-width tire but are not as lightweight as road bikes.
Frame Size: Search for the manufacturer size where your height falls between the min and max rider height.
Brakes: Functional. There are many great styles so just test them out to make sure they work and will be reliable.
Number of speeds: Minimum 7 speeds will work. We don’t recommend a single speed bike unless you are on a permanent vacation at the beach and have all the time biking on short, flat roads.
Bonus add-ons: Rain guards and a pannier rack. Rain guards will protect you from water and dirt kicked up by rotating tires in the rainy season. A bike rack will enable adding a bag or pannier (a fancy bike bag that clips in) to easily carry things in the future.
The Best Places to Find a New (or New-to-You) Bike
- Local Bike Shop, especially community bike shops
- Online consumer-to-consumer marketplace (such as Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist)
- Any of the Big Box sports good stores
When does it Make Sense to Buy an E-Bike?
E-bikes are a large investment so should fall into the category of buy-later once you know you like it. However, if you have a long commute (more than 30 to 40-minutes on a non-E-bike), need to cover very hilly terrain, or don’t see a standard bike as a feasible option for other reasons, go for it!
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