Selecting the Best Beginner Bicycle

Many people who start thinking about getting into cycling wonder “what is the best beginner bicycle for me?” I went over twenty years without riding a bicycle, and then when I started shopping for a bike I was overwhelmed with all of the different types and prices of bikes to choose from.  At the time, I mainly wanted to find a good bike for a reasonable price, that would be good for some exercise and riding bikes with kids.  It’s now been about two years, and after really getting into cycling and riding many bicycles, here’s my guide to finding the best beginner bike for you.

Initially, consider how you are really most likely to use the bicycle.  For example, most of us rarely ride off road, so for those a dual suspension mountain bike may not be the best choice.  Once you have an idea of how you will use the bicycle, next review the main types of bicycles below:

Cruiser Bikes – Think of traditional beach cruiser bikes that often have a single gear, or not very many gears. Cruiser bicycles have big tires and big seats that provide a comfortable riding experience — at least as long as you are riding at a leisurely pace on pavement or gravel paths without many big hills.  However, a cruiser bike would not be the best choice if you want to ride quickly, for multi-hour rides, or for off-road riding (those big tires can pop on rocks or stumps).

Comfort/Hybrid Bikes – designed for general-purpose utility and commuting on a wide variety of surfaces, including paved and unpaved roads, paths and trails. It combines features from the road bike and the mountain bike, and includes variants such as the city bike, cross bike and commuter. If you’d like a cruiser but need gears for hills, comfort bike might be good for you. For those wanting a serious workouts but whose backs can’t tolerate the seat position of a road bike, a hybrid bike will be good choice.

Mountain Bikes – Mountain bikes were designed of off-road biking. When I say off-road, I don’t mean a flat gravel path at your local park (most any bike would be fine for that).  Off road means jumping stumps, traversing washouts, going down steep un-paved declines, sharp-rocked trails, and other uneven surfaces.  This is where the knobby-tires and suspension of a mountain bike are worth while (on paved surfaces they are just extra drag and weight).

Road Bikes – These are the sports cars of the bicycling world.  Road bikes are made for riding quickly on paved roads. Road bicycles are the best bikes for riding a long distance riding or strenuous exercise on paved roads.  While the more hunched-over position of a road bike would not be ideal for cruising or mountain riding, if you are trying to get somewhere quickly it is a more efficient position to ride in. Be forewarned, quality road bikes cost a good bit more than entry-level bikes in the other categories (remember the sports car analogy).  A quality road bike is a finely-tuned machine that gives you the best performance on the road.

Commuter Bikes – In recent years, high gas prices and environmental awareness have caused more people to look to bicycles as a transportation option for work, school, and errands. Although you could use any bike for commuting, generally people prefer commuter by bikes to have fenders, chainguards, racks and even built-in lighting to make commuting by bicycle comfortable and safe. A subcategory of commuter bikes are folding bikes, which tend to have small wheels and can be folded quickly to allow carry onto commuter trains and city buses.

Once you have decided on the right type of bicycle for you, set a budget in your mind.  However, be prepared to pay a bit more, as with bikes you really do get what you pay for.  There are many bicycle reviews out there by people who have bought cheap bikes and quickly had mechanical problems, and sometimes been injured also — there really is a quality difference.

The author reviews of all types of beginner bicycles at Cycling For Beginners. Also, if you are looking for a low-cost commuter bicycle, you can see his recommendations at Best Commuter Bicycles.

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