The 23 best bikes of 2022. Performance. Endurance. Women’s. Budget. Gravel. Time to let battle commence…

Need to know…

ONCE AGAIN, OUR annual Bike of the Year showcase has proven a tough task. First to whittle the bikes down to 23, then to pick both category champions and an overall winner. Despite all that’s going on in the world politically and pandemically – and the knock-on impact it’s having on the bike industry – the standard of bikes being designed, created and mass produced is incredibly high in terms of usability, performance and innovation.

In 2022, we’ve witnessed a sterling display of bikes across our performance, endurance, women’s-specific, budget, and gravel genres thanks to our unmatched industry contacts and the historic legacy of Bike of the Year (see our previous winners on the right).

Wide range

The bikes on test range from £650 to well north of 10 grand. Some are brand new versions of familiar names, with Domanes, Roadmachines and Synapses all present and correct, while a quick glance at the Merida Scultura Team and Bombtrack Audax will show the cutting-edge design on display. Gravel has again increased its page count, as have the women’s-specific and entry-level bike categories.

I hope one of the 23 bikes on show here inspires your next bike purchase, whether that’s a like-for-like of what we’ve tested or lower-priced models with trickle-down tech from the shiny contenders on display.

Which bike will be crowned the winner?

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