There is no right or wrong answer to what type of bike is best. Cycling has branched out into specialized bikes that serve a specialized purpose. The cyclist must determine answer a simple question to determine the correct bike for their use and that question is simply:
Why are you cycling?
Speed
If your reason for cycling is speed, then you need a Racing bike. These bikes are called Road bikes but that terminology fails to differentiate the use of this type of bike. With their downward curved handlebars, these bikes are easy to identify and are among the most common in the cycling world. Certainly, anyone who has watched the Tour de France is familiar with this type of bike.
A Racing bike is what I term as a ‘butt up, head down’ bike. Everything about a Racing bike is about speed and molding the human body into an aerodynamic form is part of that goal. The seat is higher than the handlebars, forcing the rider to bend downward to allow airflow over the bike and rider.
Their price range is wide depending on how hardcore the owner is about speed. A Cannondale* Racing bike can list from under $1,000 to $12,000 US.
The Racing bike is lightweight, aerodynamic, and designed to reduce friction in every way. If you’re looking for speed and efficiency, a Racing bike is probably for you.
Adventure
If you want a bike to get away from the urban environment and travel down trails that lead to places away from the crowds, then the Offroad bike is for you. Once again, in the cycling world, the terminology is misleading. Mountain bikes are the common name for Offroad bikes, but these bikes aren’t just for climbing mountains. They are designed to take the rider off the paved road.
They are built for durability and agility, but not for speed. Many people began buying mountain bikes back in the 1980s as an alternative to the Racing bikes of the day. Now they have evolved into a bike that has active suspension and gearing for offroad conditions.
If your idea of fun is to get into the woods, deep in the desert, or to climb that hill, look at an Offroad bike. Cannondale’s Offroad bikes range from about $500 to $12,000 US.
Exercise
I believe many people choose the Racing bike because it is what they see out on the road, or an Offroad bike because the last bike they owned was a Mountain bike. What they want is a bike to get some relaxing exercise while they cruise through the neighborhood or the town.
But neither the Racing bike nor Mountain bike is ideal for someone who wants to ride on paved roads and get some exercise. A Racing bike is designed for efficiency, or put another way, to help the rider to do less work. If your goal is exercise, you have to ride farther on a racing bike to receive the same work benefit of a bike designed for exercise. An Offroad bike is great exercise, but it is designed to get out of an urban environment.
The Urban bike is designed for riding enjoyment and exercise. Once again, cyclings common term for this bike is a Hybrid bike because it is a mix of a Racing bike’s lightweight and friction-reducing design with the Offroad’s design of upright riding and range of gearing.
The Urban bike is not as efficient as a Racing bike, but it is more efficient than the Offroad bike. One could change out the tires on an Urban bike to make it more compatible for offroad conditions, but the bike lacks the suspension of an Offroad bike.
A key consideration is also the price range. For Cannondale’s line of Fitness and Urban bikes, the lowest price bike is around $500 US and the top of the line is only $2,000 US. For many people, the Urban bike is a perfect compromise to offer comfort and exercise in one bike.
*[Author’s Note: Cannondale is not a sponsor of this blog, nor have they offered anything to me to promote their bikes. My bike is a Cannondale, so I feel most comfortable using their bikes as examples.]
Kyote Bayte Cycling USA 