Women's Bike Deals

Each type of bike (hybrid, electric, road) has a buyers’ guide to help you choose the best bike for your needs.

Road bikes

Road bikes are designed to give you a better ride on hard, smooth surfaces, so if your commute or leisure rides are on concrete or tarmac with no off-road, a road bike will give you the best, most efficient performance.

Road bikes are light, don’t have suspension (so no jumping or mountains on these) and feature multiple gears. You can opt for a single speed bike (no gears) if you’re not tackling any hills, and this could bring your cost down - they’re cheaper to produce as they have fewer parts.

Drop handlebars are becoming commonplace on road bikes, particularly as you move up the price brackets. If you’re serious about speed, drop bars are the way to go - the ‘tucked in’ position is aerodynamic and will see you smoothly hurtling towards your destination. However, it’s not the most comfortable for longer or leisurely rides, which is when you may prefer the flat handlebar.

The main difference here is weight; a carbon frame is lighter and, therefore, more efficient. Comfort isn’t really as much of a factor these days with modern bikes and you’d be hard pressed to tell a difference between the two. But a lightweight bike can leave your bank account light too, so if you’re looking to save a bit of money, aluminium will be the way to go.

Price guide: Expect to pay anything from £XXXX to you name it if you’ve got the cash to splash

Electric bikes

Put simply, an e-bike is a push bike with a rechargeable motor that’ll get you from A to B quicker. The motor kicks in when you start pedalling and will give you a boost up hills and on longer journeys.

E-bikes come in all forms - tourer, mountain bike, road bike etc so it comes down to what you’ll be using the bike for and on what terrain.

• Eco-friendly, zero emissions and much cheaper than an electric car
• Assisted cycling - great for older riders or those looking to improve their fitness. Great for mountain bikers and getting up those hills
• Super fun!

The battery component (normally lithium these days) can make the bike heavier than the non electric version -so bear this in mind if you battery runs out and you need to cycle without out it for some distance Needs charging - so this takes time and money. As a rough guide it takes 6 - 8 hours to fully charge, which will take you around 20-35 miles.

Your bike will need to meet EU laws on Electrically-Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) if you want to avoid tax, insurance and having to register it as a motor vehicle. To be classed as just another type of pedal cycle, your e-bike must have :

• Pedals that propel it (obviously)
• An electric motor that won’t assist you when you’re travelling over 15.5mph
• A max power of 250 watts

If you can tick all of the above, anyone over the age of 14 can ride the e-bike on the same paths and roads as a normal push bike. All the bikes recommended on this site comply with the above Government rules.

The last word on e-bikes really has to be how fun they are, so we wouldn't let charging or distance concerns put you off. You’ll have a big smile on your face every time you use your electric bike, and surely that’s worth the effort.

Hybrid bikes

The clue’s in the name with this type of bike, a hybrid is mash-up of a road bike and a mountain bike, with a bit of tourer thrown in for good measure - they’re designed to give riders a better range on a single bike.

Hybrids are great commuter bikes and really come into their own if any of your route is made up of gravelly paths or uneven surfaces - the chunkier tyres will fill you with a confidence a traditional road bike might not.

Often fitted with a wider, more comfortable seat, pannier racks and built for a less-aggressive cycling position (you’re more upright than you would be on a road bike with drop handles), hybrids are a solid option for longer rides and touring adventures.

We think this is a no. A hybrid is really made for road and path use and isn’t suitable for mountain rides or jumps, so you shouldn’t need suspension. They’re almost always made from aluminium (a cheaper lightweight option than carbon) and suspension forks would just add unnecessary weight.

Because a hybrid is a mix of mountain and road bikes, you lose a few of the features that make the individual bikes more expensive. For example, a hybrid doesn’t have suspension like a mountain bike does, and it’s not as light as a hi-spec road bike (aluminium vs carbon more often than not). This means you can pick up a decent hybrid for anything from £400 - £1,500. You can also choose from a single speed (no gears) or one with gears to see how that affects the price.

If you can't find what you are looking for then please contact us.