Your choice of bike for the ride to work will depend on your own tastes and on the distance, terrain and varying surfaces you’ll encounter on the journey.
For longer tarmac commutes, experienced riders tend to prefer drop-bar bikes of one sort or another for their extra turn of speed. However, many people find that the best bike for cycle commuting has a more upright position that you get with a flat-bar road bike or mountain bike, fitted with slick tyres for smooth surfaces.
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If your ride takes in some trails or unsurfaced paths, then the fatter, grippier tyres of a mountain bike will help with traction. They can be overkill for many situations though, so don’t overlook the option of fitting a flat-bar road bike with fatter rubber (there’s often room for deeply-treaded 32mm or 37mm tyres).
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Typical road bike gearing will work fine unless you live somewhere extraordinarily hilly, while flatlanders can get away with fixed-gear bikes and other variants on simple transmission systems. Consider a touring bike or mountain bike if you have some monster hills to tackle, though.
Whatever you choose, you’ll need a way of carrying your stuff – in a rucksack, courier bag or panniers. Panniers are the most comfortable option, especially for longer rides, so if you want to use them you’ll need to choose a bike with rack mounts.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the roads are often wet even when it’s not raining, so mudguards are a handy addition for bike commuters. If your bike doesn’t have mounts for them then clip-on guards are available, but full-length mudguards / fenders securely bolted to the bike are still the best way to avoid a muddy backside.
Road bikes: best if you're in a hurry on good roads
- Budget: Specialized Allez, £750
- Sensible: GT Grade Alloy 105, £999
- Luxury: Cannondale CAAD12 Ultegra Disc, £1,999
Touring bikes: best if you need to carry lots of gear
- Budget: Specialized Diverge A1, £799
- Sensible: Trek 920, £1,300
- Luxury: Genesis Croix de Fer Ti, £2,999
Fixed gear bikes: best if you hate maintenance
- Budget: Charge Plug 1, £499
- Sensible: Kona Paddy Wagon, £599
Hybrid / flat-bar bikes: best all-rounder
- Budget: Trek 7.0 FX, £330
- Sensible: Boardman Hybrid Pro, £999
- Luxury: BMC Alpenchallenge, £1,899
Mountain bikes: best if you commute on rough terrain
- Budget: Specialized Pitch, £425
- Sensible: Giant Talon, £1,099
- Luxury: Santa Cruz Highball, £2,799
Electric bikes: best if you need a hand up the hills
- Budget: B’Twin Bebike 900, £930
- Sensible: Raleigh Motus, £1,999
- Luxury: Haibike Trekking RC, €2,599
Folding bikes: best if your commute involves a train
- Budget: Tern Link B7, £325
- Sensible: Brompton M6L, £1109
- Luxury: Airnimal Chamelon Sport, £1,999
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