Published on CTC (http://www.ctc.org.uk)

Home > Cyclepedia > Cyclists' Library > Bikes/Cycles > Cycle styles - how to get the most out of your ride

Cycle styles - how to get the most out of your ride

image/jpeg iconboguslaw_mazur_shutterstock_48157603.jpg [1]
Cycle styles - different kinds of bike suit different kinds of riding (Credit:boguslaw_mazur/shutterstock.com)
Style means how a cycle is optimised to make it most suitable for a certain type of cycling, from a bike designed to carry loads to downhill mountain bikes for thrills and spills. Use CTC's handy guide to work out which style is best for you.
Access Rights: 
Available to everyone (no log in required)

In This Section:

City bike [2]
City bike [2]
It's what we used to call a roadster, brought up-to-date with better brakes and so on. The city bike differs from a hybrid or trekking bike in having enclosed hub gears and possibly hub brakes too so the bike doesn't need so much maintenance.
more [2]
A folding bike [3]
Folding Bike [3]
A bike that folds, or quickly separates into compact pieces, is great for combining cycling with trains, planes, boats or indeed automobiles - or a lack of storage space at home.
more [3]
Hybrid bike [4]
Hybrid Bike [4]
This sturdy mongrel of a bike-with-no-name is a mixture of the things most people find handy about other, more specialised - and less versatile - varieties of bicycle, and appears slap in the centre of our Bikefinder Chart.
more [4]
Mountain bike [5]
Mountain Bike [5]
Mountain bikes can literally open up horizons. They can be ridden pretty much anywhere there and with a range of styles and a choice of equipment to suit every style and budget, they will always be popular.
more [5]
Trekking Bike [6]
Trekking Bike [6]
This variant adds to the basic hybrid all the accessories you'd otherwise have to buy separately in order to do something useful with it – something useful like ride to work or the shops or go touring.
more [6]
Audax Bikes [7]
Touring Bikes [7]
Touring bikes transcend the usual parameters by combining trekking bike practicality with racing bike performance.
more [7]
2012 Vitus Sean Kelly Road Bike [8]
Racing Bike [8]
Nowadays often called a 'road bike', these are becoming more popular as people take to cycling for fitness – since going fast encourages you to work harder and that’s what racing bikes are about.
more [8]

Copyright CTC 2012

Source URL (retrieved on 24/05/2013 - 18:12): http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles-how-to-get-most-out-your-ride

Links:
[1] http://www.ctc.org.uk/sites/default/files/media_library/shutterstock/boguslaw_mazur_shutterstock_48157603.jpg
[2] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/city-bike
[3] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/folding-bike
[4] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/hybrid-bike
[5] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/mountain-bike
[6] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/trekking-bike
[7] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/touring-bike
[8] http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-and-other-cycles/cycle-styles/racing-bike