How to Choose the right Bike for You

There is more choice when it comes to bicycles than there ever has been in the market. It can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed. Well we've tried to help with this feeling by putting together a little guide to take you through choosing a bicycle, whether you're an experienced cyclist with thousands of miles under your belt or just starting, we're here to help.

Electric or Regular?

This is the first big question you need to ask yourself, and in truth as long as you’re not using your bike for competitions (where there are strict rules in place), it all comes down to budget. On average a decent electric bike could set you back £3000-£5000, whilst a regular bike is of course much more affordable.
Once you’ve worked out whether you want an electric bike or not, it comes down to what you’ll be using it for. This is where it can get a little trickier, as most people use their bikes for multiple reasons, but we’ve tried to break it down into the main categories of bike usage, and provided different bikes options for each one, take a look and see if any suit your requirements:

Leisure Bikes

If you’re just look for a bike for general leisure use and with no specific function in mind then you can’t go wrong with any of these choices.

Giant Escape Series

Giant do a lot of great ‘hybrid’ models, which are essentially good all round cycles. You can use them effectively on the road and they can cope with a decent about of inclines so if you’re a casual cyclist then this is a good place for you to start.

Super 73

Based on the look of vintage motorbike the Super 73 has completely changed the way we look at electric bicycles. These are a fun alternative to regular hybrid bike, just don’t trying and light mountain biking with these, they won’t cope well.

Commuting Bikes

One of the most popular ways to get into work in urban areas, the commuter bike has been a staple of city centres in the UK for years. Lightweight, durable and easily carried are three absolute musts for commuter bikes. We’ve highlighted three good options for you, take a look:

The Brompton Bike

These are the staple commutor’s bike, they come with and without batteries and so price can be a sticking point with some people, as the brand name has made these about as desirable as they can get.

B’twin Folding Electric Bike

One of the more affordable electric brands and there are of course hundreds more. If you’re commute is on the longer side and you think that little extra push might help you, then this is a great option. It's especially helpful to turn up to work less sweaty than usual!

Raleigh Propaganda

This one’s all about the looks. This bike couldn’t look more city if it tried, the downside to it’s sleek and stylish looks is that it’s only single speed, but with prices starting from £499, it’s a darn sight cheaper than some of the alternatives.

Road Bikes

Road cycling clubs have been popping up across the country for some time now, one of the more social forms of cycling, road bikes are often towards the more expensive end of the spectrum. There aren’t as many electric bike options for serious road cyclists as for other categories, so we’ve decided to give you different options based on cost.

Ribble Road Bikes

Towards the more affordable end of the road bike spectrum, Ribble still produce high quality cycles in a huge variety of classes. The “Endurance” model is your best bet for starters, and offers a big choice with prices starting from around £800.

Specialized Venge

For the road bike connoisseurs among you, the Specialized brand has a variety of performance road bikes with prices starting from about £2,600.00, don’t expect these to be cheap but the quality of the frames and equipment is undeniable.

Trails/Mountain Bikes

For the more adventurous among you, mountain and trail bikes are definitely some of the most fun you can have on two wheels. Surprisingly, this is where electric bikes really come in to their own., and the growth of the electric market is skyrocketing in the mountain sector and with good reason. The electric mountain bikes make this activity so much more accessible for people with the help of a battery, making mountain biking one of the fasting growing biking hobbies in the UK. We’ve focused more on electric in your options here, but still offered a good old standard make too

Vitus

You can’t go that wrong with a Vitus. With both standard and electric models available, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more playful and robust mountain bike around the £1000 mark. Definitely worth a closer look if you haven’t tried one out.

YT Decoy CF Pro

German brand YT Industries produces some great value performance mountain bikes available. The Decoy is aimed at riders who will throw their bikes into corners and really test their limits. Believe me, this bike can take it. Surprisingly affordable, and great fun to ride this is one look at, if it hasn’t turned your head already.

Stunt Bikes

Still want to connect to your inner teenager? Then have a look at these great stunt bikes to find out how much a return to your halfpipe days will cost you.

Electric BMX

The long wait for an electric stunt bike model was finally concluded with the launch of the electric BMX. The Life EV e-BMX is the world’s first electric stunt bike and though you’ll have to ship it over from America, it’s turning heads across the industry. If you still long for another drop into a halfpipe, then seriously consider an e-BMX.

Which ever type of bike you choose head over to our cycle insurance page (LINK) for ll the information