What is a highway bike? Well, that’s a bit trickier to pin down than you may suppose. At first look, you’d most likely image a motorbike with skinny tyres and drop handlebars driving alongside easy roads. While that is largely correct, most highway bikes do have drop bars, there are many exceptions.
Take time trial bikes, for example. They’re constructed for pace, aerodynamics, and effectivity, however they nonetheless fall below the highway bike class. Then, you’ve flat-bar highway bikes, which blur the strains much more, however the reality is many flat-bar bikes designed for highway driving usually get categorized as hybrid bikes.
The blurred strains do not cease there, both, as a result of not each highway bike is made strictly for the highway. Due to their drop bars, a rising variety of cyclists embrace gravel bikes within the highway bike household. Gravel bikes can deal with tarmac nicely, however are designed primarily for off-road adventures. They’re constructed to be versatile, supplying you with the liberty to change between terrains with out lacking a beat.
The boundaries between several types of highway bikes are something however clear-cut. There’s loads of crossover, and area of interest classes exist too. For instance, fixed-gear bikes – whereas in style in sure biking communities – fall outdoors the scope of this information, however they add one more layer to the combo.
In the next sections, we’ll break down the primary varieties of highway bikes and spotlight the important thing options that set them aside. Whether you’re racing, commuting, or having fun with the weekend membership experience with your pals, this information ought to show you how to discover the very best highway bike in your fashion of driving.
Race bikes
Race bikes are designed to go quick, whether or not that’s on the flat or up a hill. As such, the race bike is a catch-all class encompassing each light-weight and aero bikes, each of that are defined in additional element beneath.
Bikes designed for racing are more and more changing into each aerodynamic and light-weight in a single bundle. Whichever class they fall into, race bikes have a body form (technically referred to as their geometry) that sometimes favours a protracted and low experience place, to place the rider’s torso in a flatter place and so cut back their frontal space and wind resistance.
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This might swimsuit fitter riders, however novices might discover the place uncomfortable with extra weight supported on their arms and shoulders. They will most likely discover an endurance bike extra comfy, as defined later.
Lightweight bikes
Many race bikes are constructed for a low weight. For premium light-weight race bikes, this implies unique high-modulus carbon fibre and costly elements akin to wheels and groupset.
Any bike raced at an expert stage can’t be too gentle although, as biking’s governing physique, the UCI, mandates a 6.8kg minimal weight for bikes raced in its competitions.
To some extent, this has stifled innovation, though bikes not designed to be raced by the professionals can commonly drop beneath 6.8kg. The premium spec Canyon Ultimate CFR Di2, for instance, has a claimed 6.3kg weight, the identical because the Specialized S-Works Aethos with SRAM Red AXS.
Such bikes are very costly, usually costing over £10,000/$10,000 (though the Canyon squeezes below this), however their makers sometimes provide extra reasonably priced bikes in the identical ranges that are nonetheless moderately light-weight however constructed with cheaper, heavier elements and sometimes with much less premium, and once more heavier, carbon fibre used of their frames.
Aero bikes
While bike makers have at all times striven for low weight, over the past 20 years or so, aerodynamics has come to the fore. The forerunner was Cervélo, which launched the Soloist aero highway race bike in 2002.
Unless climbing a reasonably steep incline, bicycle aerodynamics is extra vital than weight. The tipping level the place weight turns into extra vital is usually round a 5 per cent gradient, but it surely’s steadily growing as bicycle aerodynamics enhance and aero bikes develop into lighter.
Early generations of aero bikes had aggressive, deep tube profiles all through the bike, which approached a teardrop form. As design has progressed, it’s been discovered that truncated aerofoil, or Kammtail, shapes are simpler than longer aerofoils. They have the extra advantage of being lighter, though the sharp tail cut-off will be tough to fabricate.
It’s additionally been discovered that the best aero profit is available on the entrance of the bike, the place it’s hitting smoother air. Thus, newer aero highway bikes such because the Giant Propel and Ridley Falcn are likely to have deeper sections to the top tube and forks (whereas nonetheless staying inside the limits on body dimensions stipulated by the UCI) however are slimmed down in the direction of the rear to avoid wasting weight.
An extra profit is that they’re extra comfy than their aero bike predecessors.
Combined aero-lightweight bikes
Now, right here’s the place it will get tough. While just a few years in the past light-weight and aero bikes have been two distinct classes, now they’re more and more merging into one.
A latest instance is Trek’s race bikes. In the previous, Trek offered the light-weight Emonda and the separate aero Madone vary. The Emonda began off with spherical tubes, however newer generations turned progressively extra aero.
When Trek started its R&D for the fourth era Emonda, it rapidly realised that the bike might tackle a form that was nearer to the (seventh era) Madone and be each as aero because the Madone Gen 7 and as gentle because the Emonda. As a end result, the Gen 8 Madone, launched in 2024, changed each the Gen 7 Madone and the Emonda.
This allowed Trek to slim down its bike vary and likewise made it lots simpler for its professional riders, as they didn’t want to select and select between a light-weight and an aero bike primarily based on the terrain for a race or a stage.
Trek isn’t the one model to merge its light-weight and aero race bikes; Specialized did it just a few years in the past with the Tarmac SL7, which changed the Tarmac SL6 and the Venge aero bike. The Tarmac SL8 is claimed to be extra aero than that Venge, whereas nonetheless weighing below the UCI’s 6.8kg weight restrict.
Other manufacturers nonetheless hold separate aero and light-weight bikes of their stock. Examples embrace Giant with its TCR light-weight race bike and Propel aero race bike, Canyon with the Ultimate and the Aeroad, and Merida with the Scultura and Reacto.
Yet different manufacturers by no means differentiated. The Pinarello Dogma F and its predecessors at all times stuffed each the light-weight and the aero area of interest in a single frameset.
Endurance bikes
While race bikes are engineered that will help you go sooner, endurance bikes are designed that will help you hold going for longer. They’re typically referred to as sportive or fondo bikes, as they’re a superb possibility for these organised longer-distance rides.
Endurance bikes normally have a extra upright experience place, so there’s much less pressure in your arms, neck and shoulders. They additionally usually have micro-suspension options in-built, akin to flex areas within the body or a seatpost designed to easy the experience.
Their geometry is designed to make the bike simpler to deal with and extra secure, with an extended wheelbase and fewer sharp dealing with, whereas a race bike’s geometry is probably going to provide edgier, extra responsive dealing with.
Endurance bikes sometimes have bigger tyre clearance within the body and are fitted with wider tyres, additionally growing experience consolation. They’ll have decrease gearing than a race bike, to assist the rider climb hills extra simply and with decrease fatigue. There are sometimes mounting factors for mudguards on fashionable endurance bikes.
Entry-level highway bikes are sometimes endurance bikes too, because the experience place, dealing with and luxury make them simpler to get used to.
While race bikes and high-end endurance bikes are sometimes manufactured from carbon fibre, lower-priced endurance bikes could also be manufactured from aluminium. Titanium or metal are additionally choices sometimes reserved for bikes with endurance geometry however are much less widespread.
The distinction between race bikes and endurance bikes isn’t fully clear-cut and a few bikes, such because the Cervélo Caledonia and Giant Defy merge aero options from race bikes. Others mix extra into the gravel bike world to develop into ‘all highway’ bikes, defined beneath, with clearance for wider tyres and the aptitude to deal with rougher roads.
All-road bikes
The recognition of gravel bikes, that are drop bar bikes designed for driving off-road, has resulted within the development of the all-road bike class.
These are bikes which can be designed predominantly for highway driving however incorporate options to permit the rider to move onto simpler unpaved surfaces, with out providing the total off-road competence of a gravel bike.
All-road bikes have a lot in widespread with endurance bikes, however might provide extra tyre clearance and are normally offered with grippier tyres from the offset. Their gearing could also be decrease too, or present a better vary. They might have extra mounting factors in order that extra baggage or water will be carried and, as with endurance bikes, will virtually at all times have mounts for mudguards.
Gravel bikes
Gravel bikes have develop into actually in style lately. They’re drop bar bikes designed for driving off-road. This means considerably bigger tyre clearance than the above bike classes, with treaded gravel tyres fitted to supply grip off-road. Even greater than an endurance bike, gravel bike geometry shall be designed for stability, in order that tough terrain will be ridden with confidence. They might provide suspension options too.
Most highway bikes at the moment are fitted with disc brakes slightly than rim brakes, however they’re important for gravel bikes, as they supply sturdy, dependable braking that’s normally not affected by muddy or moist circumstances.
Gravel bikes sometimes include decrease gearing than bikes designed for highway driving, that will help you experience up inclines within the saddle; it’s tough to climb standing on free trails, because the rear wheel is liable to slide.
Many gravel bikes are fitted with a single chainring (1x) groupset. This simplifies shifting, reduces the possibilities of clogging with mud and might improve obtainable tyre clearance whereas providing an analogous gear vary to a double chainring configuration.
Gravel bikes sometimes have plentiful mounting factors, normally together with mudguard and rack mounts, a 3rd bottle cage mount beneath the downtube and mounting factors on the highest tube. There could also be mounts on the fork legs too. These can help you carry baggage for bikepacking and likewise make finances gravel bikes a superb possibility for commuters.
Gravel bikes was once do-it-all, however the growing recognition of gravel racing has seen a sub-genre of gravel race bikes emerge. These have racier, much less secure geometry, normally provide much less tyre clearance and should forgo a number of the mounting factors. They usually incorporate aero options too, as speeds in gravel races will be quick sufficient for aerodynamics to be vital.
At the opposite finish of the gravel spectrum are bikes with very vast tyre clearance, designed to be taken into mountain bike terrain or used for multi-day off-road bikepacking adventures.
Cyclocross bikes provide one more bike sort for off-road driving. Although they’ve a lot in widespread with gravel race bikes, they’re designed for cyclocross races. These sometimes final an hour or much less and happen within the winter over brief circuits with obstacles and tough turns which can must be tackled by operating whereas carrying the bike on a shoulder.
So cyclocross bikes are likely to have geometry designed for snappy dealing with and should not provide all of the mounting factors of a gravel bike. They’ll have a big central triangle to make shouldering the bike simpler and narrower tyre clearance than a gravel bike.
Triathlon and time trial bikes
Aerodynamics has come up repeatedly on this dialogue, however nevertheless aero a motorbike is, round 80% of the wind resistance skilled when driving is because of the rider, not the bike.
Triathlon and time trial bikes are designed to scale back the drag brought on by the rider to a minimal by reducing their frontal profile. They’ll be fitted with out-front time trial extensions, which permit the rider to relaxation their forearms on the handlebars in a slender place that lowers wind resistance. A base bar is included that can be utilized to steer the bike extra simply and improve leverage when climbing, accelerating and sprinting.
The bike’s geometry favours a really flat-backed experience place, with a steep seat tube and low entrance finish. Time-trial-specific saddles are designed to be extra comfy in such a low place.
Triathlon and time trial bikes are sometimes fitted with deep-section carbon wheels or usually with a disc rear wheel and tri- or four-spoke entrance wheels to enhance their aerodynamic efficiency.
Triathlon and time trial bikes will be tough to experience and to get comfy on, so bike becoming is essential to discover a place {that a} given rider can maintain whereas nonetheless having the ability to ship their greatest energy output.
Triathlon-only bikes aren’t constrained by UCI guidelines and so their designs will be excessive, with very deep tube profiles. They’ll usually have feed containers and hydration bladders integrated into the body and should not have a standard double-diamond body.
In distinction, the design of time trial bikes normally must adjust to UCI guidelines. This signifies that they’ve much less radical aerodynamic options, a body with a seat tube and downtube and might’t embrace feed containers and in-frame hydration.
Touring bikes
Touring bikes are an older class of bikes which remains to be in style. Typically manufactured from metal, they’re designed for multi-day adventures on the tarmac.
While bikepackers lash their baggage for in a single day stays to their bike’s body in bikepacking luggage, a touring bike rider will carry their baggage in panniers connected to a rear rack, usually supplemented by a entrance rack and extra panniers.
The set-up permits for the transport of loads of baggage however on the expense of weight. Touring bikes will usually be fitted with decrease spec elements that are heavy however sturdy and straightforward to exchange all through the world. A dynamo is a well-liked addition because it avoids having to maintain your bike gentle’s batteries topped up and can be utilized to maintain a biking pc operating.
Electric bikes
We have a separate web page devoted to electrical bikes, but it surely’s price referencing that almost all of the above bike varieties will be purchased with an electrical motor. E-bikes are massively in style, serving to riders who need additional help to experience farther and sooner and making climbing hills simpler.
Electric highway bikes have a motor housed within the backside bracket or typically within the rear hub. Both present secure dealing with and good rear-wheel traction. The battery is normally housed within the bike’s down tube. It could also be detachable for charging or in some circumstances could also be totally enclosed within the body and charged through a port close to the cranks.
The motor will provide totally different help ranges, which will be chosen by the rider through a controller which is normally on the handlebars or constructed into the bike’s high tube.
The obtainable vary varies and relies on components such because the battery capability, the help stage chosen, the terrain, the circumstances and the rider’s health.
Many electrical bikes will be fitted with a second vary extender battery, which regularly matches on a bottle cage mount and plugs into the motor system to supply extra battery capability and therefore vary.
The greatest electrical highway bikes will be very low in weight, with many light-weight electrical highway bikes weighing lower than 12kg, which isn’t much more than many non-assisted highway bikes.