What's The Best Bike For Me?

“What is the best bike?” is a question I have been getting since I started in the bike business 28 years ago. While bike trends have come and gone and technology has advanced the performance and variety of bikes available, choosing the “best” bike comes down to just a few questions.

There really is no such thing as the “best” bike. Certainly, you can find the most expensive bike, or the lightest bike, but the notion that there is one “best” bike is just that, a notion. Even the idea that there is a “best in class bike”, for example the best racing bike, or the best touring bike, or even the best brand is impossible to pin down. The answer really is more about the rider than the bike. So, what you really should be asking is “what’s the best bike for me?” The paradox is that question both simplifies and complicates the process of finding the best bike for you.

Let’s break it down then and see if we can find the right answer. There are a lot of different types of bikes out there and within those types are sub-types designed to specific things. For example, there is the category “mountain bikes” and within that category there are sub-categories such as downhill or cross-country bikes. While both are mountain bikes, they are designed to do very different things. The downhill bike is very good for going down very steep, very rocky trails at high speed. Pedaling back up hill again is a major challenge! A cross-country bike is much lighter and quicker handling than a downhill bike making it more suitable for fast single-track and much better for pedaling up mountains.

Similarly, there is the category “road bikes” that have bikes that look very similar but do different things. Back in the old days there were racing bikes and touring bikes and not a lot of choice in between. Now, we have racing bikes, endurance road bikes, gravel bikes, cyclocross bikes, commuter bikes, and touring bikes. Could you ride your racing bike to work? Absolutely, but it’s not ideal for the job. On the other hand, could you enter a race on your touring bike? There’s no rule against it but you would be struggling to keep up!

There are also hybrid bikes that offer a lot of versatility but even in the hybrid category there are at least three sub-categories to considering including fitness hybrids, dual-sport hybrids, and comfort hybrids.

Consider now that we also have pedal assist electric bikes in all the listed categories!

I know! It can make your head hurt. So now that I’ve overloaded you with information let me break it down in a way that should make it easy to choose the “best” bike for you.

1. Your first question is “how and where do I want to ride?”. Don’t think about this so much in words but try to visualize yourself riding. What does that picture look like? Are you carving down the open road at high-speed leaning into the turns on beautiful smooth pavement? Does your ideal ride look like a gentle cruise on a non-paved path through nature?
2. Does the picture in your mind cover different types of rides? Maybe a fast ride on the road with your friends and then a r to prioritize what’s most important to least important for your ultimate choice.
3. Now that you have your priority list, what’s your budget? Unfortunately, sometimes your total want list exceeds your budget. That’s why prioritization is so important. If you must compromise on the want list the choices become much easier. Keep in mind that your budget should include the appropriate accessories to make your rides successful. If you go for the high-tech racing style bike you will want to include a budget for the type of pedals and shoes that will work with that bike. If your bike is a hybrid that you will use for fun rides the family and commuting to work, you may want to plan on having a rack and bags to carry what you need with you. Whatever type of bike you choose, figure on 20% to 50% of the bike price for accessories.
4. Research! Now that you have your prioritized list and budget you can begin your search for the best bike. Research can include scouring the internet, asking your friends, and visiting a local bike shop that has well informed professional associates that will help guide you. In my opinion, you should give a lot of weight to the bike shop folks, assuming you are in a reputable shop. Why? Well, the internet is loaded with information but does not do a good job at assessing your specific needs. The internet doesn’t know what you don’t know so you may spend a lot of time going in circles and not really getting the information you need. Asking friends can be a good source of getting real feedback on their experiences without the bias of someone trying to make a sale but the downside is that your friends are offering advice based on what worked for them and not necessarily going to give you good information on what works for you. A good bike shop person will ask you about that visualization you have for yourself and, based on their knowledge and experience, guide you to the things that will work for you specific list of needs.

Hopefully, now that you have a process, finding the best bike for you should be much easier. If you any questions about this process, feel free to reach out to us and we’d be happy to help!

Drop us a line via email gen_mgr@cyclecraft.com  or give our shop a call (973)227-4462