Hybrid, electric bike, road bike, gravel bike or mountain bike – let us guide you through the commuter bike options
The key to choosing the best commuter bike is ensuring it’s comfortable and practical for the type of riding you intend to do.
If your commute is short and you’re not in a rush, your best bike for commuting could be a flat-bar bike, such as a hybrid or mountain bike.
Or, if you want to cover ground quickly while cycling to work, a drop-bar road or gravel bike may be a better choice.
In this in-depth guide, we’ll talk you through the options and recommend bikes in each category that have earned the approval of our expert reviewers.
The best commuter bike in 2024
What type of bike you choose to ride to work will depend on factors such as journey distance, terrain, where you live and your taste in bikes.
To make your decision easier, we’ve explained how common types of bike fare on the daily commute.
You can use the jump links below to skip to the genres that interest you.
- Hybrid and flat-bar road bikes
- Electric commuter bikes
- Folding commuter bikes
- Road commuter bikes
- Gravel bikes
- Mountain bikes
Hybrid and flat-bar road bikes: the best all-round commuter bike
A hybrid bike is a hardy road bike with mountain-bike style flat handlebars.
This makes a hybrid a great choice for beginners looking for a general-use bike or dedicated commuters who prefer an upright position in traffic.
Like a road bike, modern hybrids are usually built around 700c wheels. However, the tyres are often wider than road bike tyres, but narrower than mountain bike tyres.
Cheaper hybrids usually have rim brakes, while the best hybrid bikes are equipped with disc brakes.
Look out for hybrids with accessories, such as mudguards, lights and a rack for pannier bags. These packages often present good value for money and equip your bike for touring.
- Pros: Fairly quick; hugely versatile; confidence-inspiring upright position
- Cons: Not the lightest or most comfortable bike for longer distances
3 of the best hybrid commuter bikes, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best hybrid bikes for commuting. Head to our full list of the best hybrid bikes for more.
Specialized Sirrus X 3.0
- £769 / $1,200 / €1,100 / AU$1,300 as tested
The Specialized Sirrus X 3.0 would be great for commuting in the week and venturing further afield on the weekend, such as on bikepacking trips.
With 40mm tyres and a compliant frame, the Sirrus X 3.0 comfortable on tarmac, dirt and even bumpier trails.
Ridgeback Expedition
- £1,350 as tested
The Ridgeback Expedition will appeal to commuters to cycle to work along poorly surfaced roads, towpaths and tracks.
Its wide 26×1.75in tyres, very comfortable riding position and easy, triple-chainset gears equip the Expedition for off-road touring too.
Trek FX 3 Disc Equipped
- £1,100 / €1,229 as tested
The Trek FX 3 Disc Equipped has pretty much all you need to ride to work and around town: mudguards, a rack and lights are included.
The Shimano Deore groupset provides good braking and contributes to the FX 3 Disc Equipped’s sporty ride.
Electric commuter bikes: best if you need a hand up the hills
Electric bikes are a particularly good option for commuting. And for those who live a distance from work, an ebike could replace the car.
You can still improve your fitness on a electric bike because electric bike motors don’t do all the work for you. The best electric bikes also enable more experienced cyclists to cover far greater distances.
- Pros: Possible to cover great distances, even when loaded; very efficient; a true car alternative
- Cons: Heavy; must be recharged; expensive (for now)
3 of the best electric commuter bikes, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best electric bikes for commuting. Head to our full list of the best electric hybrid bikes for more.
Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0
- £3,900 / $4,000 / €4,100 / AU$6,900 as tested
The Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 is well specced for commuting, with lights, mudguards, a rack and a kickstand.
A suspension fork and seatpost add comfort.
Range is good. The powerful motor adds plenty of assistance, although at 25kg it’s heavy to push.
Tern Quick Haul P9
- £3,100 / $3,299 / AU$4,995 as tested
If you need to carry a larger load on your commute, an electric cargo bike could be the answer.
The motor really helps keep you moving and, in the case of the Tern Quick Haul, you can load up with up to 70kg of cargo.
It stands on its rack for more compact storage too.
Canyon Precede:ON CF 9
- £4,999 / €4,999 as tested
Canyon has given the Precede:ON sleek looks with a high-capacity integrated battery and a belt drive to reduce maintenance and cleaning.
Continuously variable transmission makes gear shifts a thing of the past.
The motor gives plenty of assistance and the bike feels stable but agile, despite its 23kg weight.
Folding commuter bikes: best if your commute involves public transport
Most often built around diminutive 16in or 20in wheels, folding bikes pack down so you can store them neatly during and at the end of your journey.
Designing a bike to be packable does compromise handling and speed. But if convenience, easy storage and the ability to travel on public transport trump all, a folder is likely the right choice for you.
The best folding electric bikes use a motor to compensate for an unassisted folding bike’s slowish ride. But they are likely to be heavier and more expensive.
- Pros: Incredibly convenient to store and travel with
- Cons: Not as sprightly, confidence-inspiring or comfortable as a ‘full-sized’ bike
3 of the best folding commuter bikes, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best folding bikes. Head to our full list of the best folding bikes for more.
MiRider ONE
- £1,395 as tested
The MiRider ONE is a compact electric folder offering up to 45 miles on a charge.
The ride is nippy and the wide tyres help cushion the road well.
It’s also quick to fold and its 17.2kg weight isn’t excessive for an electric folding bike.
Brompton P Line
- £2,100 / $2,750 / €2,550 as tested
Despite weighing a willowy 10kg, the speedy Brompton P Line remains practical.
It has a front carrier rack and folds up easily.
Hummingbird Single Speed Flax
- £3,995 / $4,946 / €4,549 / AU$7,037 as tested
The Hummingbird Single Speed Flax is a flighty folding bike made from flax fibres.
Weighing just under 7kg, the Single Speed Flax is thrilling and comfortable to ride.
It’s simple to fold, but a few lower quality parts are disappointing considering the cost.
Road bikes: best commuter bikes if you’re riding a long distance on roads
Built for use on tarmac, the best road bikes are for riding long distances fast. They’re arguably the best commuter bikes if you want to use your commute to get fit.
You’re unlikely to want to spend a fortune on a road bike dedicated to commuting, and even bikes as cheap as £600 can make great commuter bikes. Just make sure your choice has mudguard eyelets, a dependable groupset and a strong, high-spoke-count wheelset.
Thieves really do love a road bike, so it’s wise to invest in one of the best bike locks and bicycle insurance, just in case.
Although the best road bike tyres feel great on a fast Sunday ride, they are probably more puncture-prone than a sturdier tyre. You’ll want to replace them with the best winter road bike tyres for commuting.
- Pros: Quick; efficient; great fun
- Cons: Not the sturdiest
3 of the best road commuter bikes, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best endurance road bikes. Head to our full list of the best endurance road bikes and the best cheap road bikes for more.
Fairlight Strael 3.0
- £2,900 as tested
The Fairlight Strael’s steel frame should serve you well and is available in regular and tall sizes. It can handle wide tyres as well as mudguards, making it a great four seasons road bike, while the frame is comfortable and smooth-riding.
Triban RC 120
- £429.99 as tested
Decathlon’s Triban RC120 provides phenomenal value for money if you’re looking for a durable commuter road bike. There’s plenty of gear range and decent rim brakes, and you can fit a rack and mudguards for all-weather commuting duties.
Boardman SLR 8.6
- £550 as tested
Boardman is another brand that provides impressive value, and the SLR 8.6 is comfortable and fitted with an 8-speed Shimano Claris groupset for crisp shifting. It’s another bike you can kit out with mudguards and a rack as well.
Gravel/adventure/cyclocross bikes: best commuter bikes if you want to ride far on bad roads
A gravel or adventure bike is a road bike adapted to perform better off-road.
Wider clearances permit chunkier gravel tyres to be fitted, smoothing out the ride on broken surfaces.
The wheelbase of a gravel bike is often considerably longer than a road bike, with the head angle often slackened to ease handling over rougher terrain. Disc brakes for good stopping power are now a given.
Compared to cyclocross bikes, gravel bikes tend to be more practical, with some having mounts for mudguards, racks and multiple water bottle cages.
Despite CX bikes’ fairly aggressive fit, they make excellent commuter bikes for those whose ride to work takes in poor roads or light off-road detours.
- Pros: Incredibly adaptable with a fast and comfortable ride
- Cons: Not as quick on tarmac as a road bike, but more suitable for commuting overall
3 of the best gravel commuter bikes, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best gravel bikes. Head to our full list of the best gravel bikes and best budget gravel bikes for more.
Marin Nicasio
- £845 / $899 / €899 / AU$1,499 / as tested
The Marin Nicasio has a bombproof steel frame and fork. It’s specced with an impressive Microshift single ring groupset and wide, comfortable tyres. It may be on the heavy side, but it can handle anything that the trails (or city roads) can throw at it.
Boardman ADV 8.6
- £750 as tested
The Boardman ADV 8.6 provides versatility, with a Shimano Sora groupset and rack and mudguard mounts. The 38mm tyres are tubeless-ready, so you can reduce the risk of punctures on your commute, while the quality touchpoints offer a comfortable ride.
Voodoo Nakisi
- £650 as tested
Voodoo offers you a quality spec for a budget price, with the same 9-speed Sora groupset as the Boardman. The Nakisi provides low gearing and quality WTB Riddler tyres. It’s another bike that can take a rack and mudguards if needed.
Mountain bikes: best if you commute on truly rough terrain
The upright riding position and sturdy nature of the best mountain bikes have long made them a popular choice with commuters.
Knobbly mountain bike tyres add drag when riding in town, so consider switching to a slick tread.
We also recommend steering clear of full-suspension or trail mountain bikes, because you’ll be paying for a load of technology you’ll never really use.
Instead, look for a cross-country bike, even one that’s fully rigid, ideally with accessory mounts.
- Pros: Upright riding position; super-durable
- Cons: Heavier than other options; slow on tarmac; not the most versatile
3 of the best mountain bikes for commuting, as rated by our expert testers
This is a small selection of the best mountain bikes. Head to our full list of the best mountain bikes, the best mountain bikes for around £500 and the best mountain bikes under £750 for more.
Carrera Fury
- £600 as tested
Another great-value option available at Halfords, the Carrera Fury includes both a dropper post and hydraulic brakes. It’s comfortable both when climbing and descending, and corners well too, with plenty of grip.
Marin Bobcat Trail 3
- £525 as tested
The Marin Bobcat Trail 3 can handle a wide range of off-road conditions and comes with smaller wheels on smaller-sized bikes for consistent handling across the size range. The spec and geometry are geared towards distance rather than aggressive riding.
Voodoo Bizango Carbon
- £1,000 as tested
The Voodoo Bizango has a fine-looking carbon frame and excellent spec for the money. It’s an admirable cross-country performer that will do much more.