Road/Racing Bikes
This is your traditional racing bicycle; designed for going fast on paved roads. Like the ones you see in the Tour de France! These bikes are lightweight with drop handlebars and narrow tyres and come with a wide range of frame options from aluminium to full carbon. If you’re staying on roads, it’s hard to beat the fast-rolling efficiency of a good road bike. From racing to group rides to solo spins, a road bike can handle a wide range of recreational rides.
Mountain Bikes
These bikes are built to cater for off-road adventures and are strong, rugged machines with flat handlebars and wide, knobbly tyres for riding dirt trails. They include hardtail, full-suspension cross country, full-suspension trail, and full-suspension endurance styles. Mountain biking can means lots of things to different people. Depending on the style, a mountain bike can be used for pretty much everything from unpaved roads to steep mountain and cross-country trails.
BMX Bikes
These bikes are for the cool dudes… the adrenaline junkies who like to catch big air and do stunts and tricks. They are tough, rugged and agile, built with reinforced frames and components that are designed to take all sorts of punishment. You will often find these bikes at your local bike and skate parks.
Folding Bikes
A firm favourite with train commuters in particular, folding bikes are a great option for those commuting to and from the city. Effortlessly folding into a compact size, folding bikes can easily be carried onto all forms of public transport, in the boot of a car, and can be stored under your office desk. Built for convenience and space saving the bikes with the tiny wheels can ride very nicely.
Hybrid Bikes
Hybrid bikes cover an enormous variety of different styles of bike. Pretty much, anything that falls between a road bike and a mountain bike is typically lumped into this diverse category. Quite often they are a combination of a road and mountain bike. With mountain style bike frames with road style wheels and riser style handlebars to provide a more upright and comfortable riding position. Typically, available with different frame materials, wheels and some with suspension and some without. Hybrids are extremely versatile and are a true jack of all trades.
Commuter Bikes
A commuter bike is designed solely with the purpose of getting a rider to and from work with minimal fuss and maintenance. This type of bike takes a lot of abuse and is built to deal with all forms of weather and road conditions. They are practical, comfortable and easy to ride and often come with internal hub gears, pannier racks and mudguards.
Cyclo-Cross Bikes (CX Bike)
Cyclocross is a sport where riders (usually road-racers in the off-season) complete as many laps of a course that features a mixture of off-road cycling and cross-country terrain. The bikes can best be described as modified road racing bikes. The geometry of a CX bike is different from that of a traditional road racing bike in that it tends to feature lazier angles and a slightly longer wheelbase for stability with a higher bottom bracket for clearance over rough ground. The wheels and tyres are often bigger as well to accommodate the varied terrain.
Tri Bikes
Built for going as fast as possible… tri bikes are built for aerodynamic efficiency. Because aerodynamics are so crucial, the frame and geometry of a tri bike holds the rider into a tuck position that reduces drag with 'aerobars' that are employed for the rider to rest and tuck their forearms in. Usually made from carbon fibre and formed into an aerofoil shape that helps the bike frame to reduce drag as well as the rider. They’re not as versatile as road bikes and are not built for comfort… so you can forget long days in the saddle, climbs or technical and twisty descents.
Electric Bikes (e-Bikes)
Electric bikes, which are often referred to as ‘e-bikes’ have a small electric motor that provides an assist to the rider’s own pedalling power. So basically, think of a normal bike but with a battery and small motor attached to help the rider. There are different classes of e-bikes providing both pedal-assistance and throttle assistance. These bikes are becoming more and more popular and come in various bike styles from road to commuters to hybrids to mountain.
Touring
Very similar to a road bike in some ways but designed to be ridden long distances and on epic adventures. The number one priority of these bikes is comfort and practicality with wheels and mudguards to accommodate all weather and terrain, and panniers mounted on a front and/or rear rack to carry luggage and kit. Usually built from robust steel frames with a wide-range of drivetrains (usually with triple chainrings) that allow the rider to cope with all forms of terrain.
