The 13 Different Types of Bikes You Need To Know About In 2024

Based on my experience, there are 13 different types of bikes you should know. I left off a few from this list because they might be a subcategory of one of these others or they may just not be super important. For example, beach cruisers may be a fun way to ride on Saturdays down at the boardwalk, but they are pretty simple to spot and hardly get enough miles to warrant any thought time.

In the same way, bmx bikes are very important in some circles but didn’t make my list because they are very simple, and it is easy to understand the differences between them and other bikes.

The 13 Different Types of Bikes You Need To Know About

Here are 13 different types of bikes that you will come across in 2024! Let’s make the most out of it!

1. Mountain Bikes: For The Wild Adventures

Mountain bikes have been around since the late 1970’s early 80s when people just started throwing wider knobbier tires on commuter or road builds. Then builders started giving them more clearance, homemade shock systems, higher gear ranges, and everything in between. Today they are made with the highest quality highly engineered materials and components; Front and rear hydraulic shocks, incredible hydraulic disc brakes, and so much more. There are so many subcategories including 29ers, 29+, fat bikes, street trials, downhill bikes, and enduro bikes.

Mountain bike pricing begins at around $400 here in America for your basic department store bikes; at least that is what would be the limit of what I would take out on the trails. You could buy a nice mid-level aluminum 26-inch-tire mountain bike for around $800 depending on how old it is. From here things can get expensive quickly. Things that matter in pricing are the make of the fork (suspension), the groupset (shifters, derailleurs), and the gearing options. Typically price will go up when the weight comes down. You end up paying more and more to shave off less and less weight. For example, the difference between an aluminum bike and a carbon bike can be 1200 dollars or more.

Other things that matter are if it is rigid or has suspension. You might find that you like the feel of a rigid or hardtail bike because you don’t end up riding a lot of downhill trails. My suggestion would be to buy only what you need and as always, check the classifieds if you are looking for a price break.

The last thing I wanted to mention is custom-made bikes and other brands. Custom-made bikes will have a more precise fit and the exact components you want. This will typically cost you $1000-$2000 more than buying a complete build from a retailer. Just keep that in mind. Brands to consider for mountain bikes are the big 3 (trek, giant, and specialized.) These manufacturers sell more bikes than any other. Other specialty brands include Yeti, Santa Cruz, and Chumba.

These brands specialize in mountain bikes only. Other good mid-level brands (of course the quality is just the same as the others) are Cannondale, Fuji, Norco, Novara, Ghost, GT, Redline, Niner, and too many others to count. Do some research, ride your friends’ bikes, and as always have fun.

2. Roadies: How Fast Can You Go?

Another essential type of bike with which most people are already familiar is road bikes. With an “A-frame” design as old as cycling itself, road bikes are the most common type of bike you will see around town. Their thin tires, lightweight builds, and more aerodynamic handlebars are what usually set them apart from other types of bikes. Today they are made with everything from steel to titanium, carbon fiber to graphene. Engineers are always interested in creating lighter and faster designs to push the boundaries of cycling as a sport. You must be wondering, city bikes are also a form of road bikes, and mostly they have a powerful rear suspension.

Road bikes may take other forms like time trial bikes, touring bikes, or cross bikes. They may have disc brakes or even now, lefty forks. Older bikes will have a threaded headset and newer ones will be press fit. They look sleek and trim. The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) is the governing body of professional cycling and determines what road bike specifications a bike can have to participate in a race event. Typically road bikes will have caliper brakes because the UCI will not allow people to race with disc brakes. They also do not allow highly aerodynamic designs for safety or an unfair advantage

The top road bike manufacturers are the big 3 (specialized, trek, and giant) along with so many others including Fuji, Cannondale, Scott, Norco Bianchi, Pinarello, Scatante, Cervelo, and Raleigh. There are so much more. A good price for a competitive road racing bike will be around $1600 new. You can find some cheaper if you are looking for used, but be careful and be sure to do a full thorough inspection. Steel bikes will be the cheapest but heaviest.

They will last much longer and have a much lower chance of catastrophic failure. Titanium bikes will last the longest and never rust but they will be very expensive because not every manufacturer works with TI and they are often made custom. Carbon Fiber and Aluminum are mainstays in the road market and are worth the extra money if you want a light bike to haul your butt up those long steep climbs. They can also be as stupidly expensive as the bikes listed above. I’m sure it is a dream to ride.

3. Commuters: The Everyday Bike

You may not think of commuter bikes as very specialized for their purpose but actually, they are. Often fitted with wider rims for wider tires that provide stability on wet slick city roads. They also come with disc brakes for better stopping power and fenders to keep water and debris from being flung up onto you. Finally, they are also geometrically different from other road bikes. They have shorter top tubes to put you closer to your handlebars but longer stays so you can run a rear rack and not clip your panniers every pedal revolution.

The geometry is meant to keep you upright for two reasons; so you are visible to drivers that you share the road with and so you can see over the hoods of parked cars and everything else. Some commuter bikes have shocks to dampen the road but most models don’t come with them.

It is also important to mention that commuter models do not look the same all over the world. The model I described earlier is what manufacturers are putting out here in the US. In Europe, the commuter looks more like a cruiser with a sloping top tube and wide-set handlebars. They often come with an internally geared rear hub which is less susceptible to the elements and maybe even a dynamo front hub for a front light or to charge your USB devices.

There are also several cargo models built for hauling kids or whatever else and in some places there is a big push to do away with cars and replace the family minivan with a cargo bike. Folding bikes are also a type of commuter bike that can fold up to fit in your trunk or on any form of public transportation.

Brands to look into are Specialized, Trek, Brompton, Liv by Giant (Specific models), Xtracycle, Dahon, and so many others. Good basic models should cost somewhere between $400-$600 with folding bikes and cargo bikes being around $1000 or more depending on the features. A cheaper option is to buy a good older frame off of the classifieds and build it up with specific parts that fit your commuting style. Here in Portland, old 1990s 26 in mountain bikes are really popular. People just add fenders and a rack and take off. It is a bike that can take a beating from the rain and keep on ticking.

4. Touring Bikes: The Go Anywhere, Do Everything Type

There is nothing like traveling by bike. It is far cheaper than any other mode of travel, you see more of the places in between, and you get to exercise every day. Touring bikes have similar geometry to commuters but often a wider gear range, mounts for all kinds of racks and bottle cages, and bar end shifters with friction or indexed mode. They are almost always made from steel or titanium but that does mean you can’t tour on an aluminum bike. They have wider tires and disc brakes to give you good stopping power for the heavier load you will be carrying.

I would also consider bikepacking bikes in this category. They are just touring bikes that are meant for more intense roads. They often have more of a mountain bike geometry with an angled top tube instead of it being level across. They will have mounts for everything, but often won’t include fenders because there is no point. Gearing will not include the higher ranges of road touring bikes because there isn’t a need to be going 20+ mph (30+ km) with the trail conditions as they are. They will also have knobbier wider tires and sometimes a front suspension.

Good brands to consider are Surly, Salsa, Co-Motion, Trek, Specialized, All-City, Jeff Jones Cycles, Gunnar, Kona, Novara and so many more. Look for steel, a wide gear range, wide rims, and handlebars you will be comfortable with. These can cost you anywhere from $800-$4000 depending on the features you go for and how new the bike is. The Surly Long Haul Trucker is the essential base-level touring bike and now they can cost around $1400. This bike will last you a lifetime and you can put some serious miles in that saddle. Get out and see the world.

5. Cross Bikes: Surprisingly Versatile

Finally, Cross Bikes are the most versatile bike. Cross races haven’t been going on that long but they have certainly gotten more popular in the last few years as a way for pros to stay in shape in the offseason. Cross bikes have a wider tire clearance than road bikes and usually disc brakes, but maintain a geometry that is very close to road bikes. They have shorter stays and cranks.

They are also often made from lighter materials like carbon and aluminum, but of course, you can find steel out there as well. If you want a bike that you can slap some knobby tires on and ride the trails, this is the bike. If you want a bike that you can move from the trail to doing long distances on the road, this is the bike. For that reason alone I think this type of bike is essential for people trying to get the most out of their bike.

Not to mention, there is a whole culture of cross-racing that is similar to trail running or racing. Waking up early, putting on weird costumes, drinking beer and gourmet coffee, and getting covered in mud while you race other people. You don’t necessarily need a cross bike to compete but I will say that it makes it that much easier.
Look into brands like Scott, Norco, Kona, Salsa, Specialized, and Trek. Look to spend anywhere from $1200-$4000 for a new bike and somewhere around $800 for a good used one.

6. Folding Bikes: They Fit Anywhere 

If you travel frequently and love to take your bike with you then these are the bikes that you should go with. As my personal opinion goes, folding bikes turn out to be excellent travel buddies, you can fit them however you want. Yes, they fold like a charm, are lightweight, and you can fit them almost anywhere, may it be a boat, the trunk of a car, or even a plane! There are even some new bike models that you can fit in a suitcase, how cool is that?!

Some of the best features of folding bikes are:

• Smaller Wheels (Mostly 20-Inches)
• Frames Are Fully Adjustable 
• Adjustable Handlebars and Seats 

Folding bikes are great from a performance perspective too, expect to rip up the trails whenever you feel like it. You will be getting a complete package whenever you opt for a folding bike!

7. Fixie Bikes/ Fixed Gear Bikes: For The Racers

If you are a racer or a professional cyclist then there is no better option for you than the “Fixie Bikes”.

These are also known as Track Bikes and are primarily used for intense racing, and other professional events. Why are they named Fixie Bikes though? As you can get an idea from the name, these bikes come with only a single gear, you cannot do any kind of freewheeling on this bike. Being a cyclist and racer, you will have to fully depend on your leg power to stop the cranks and halt the bike whenever you want to.

To run a higher cadence with this bike, cyclists have to spin their legs in constant circles which can be pretty demanding at times. Another interesting aspect of these bikes is that they may feature several brakes and handlebar designs to choose from. Try them out!

8. BMX Bikes: For The Daredevil

You probably would have seen those motocross races, BMX bikes are used for that. However, what does BMX stand for? BMX stands for Bicycle Motor Cross, these are single-speed bikes that are designed to be raced around short dirt tracks, these tracks are similar to what you see in the motor sport category. These bikes also have distinct features like being single-speed and having 20-inch wheels. 

Why you should go for these bikes? If you are a fan of motocross or just want to get on the wild side and perform super awesome tricks on your bike then definitely go for BMX. They are robust and also have a durable design, and should be able to withstand a lot of punishment.

Since these bikes have small frames, they are easily maintained, you don’t even have to maintain them that often, just be sure to oil the chains regularly. 

9. Recumbent Bikes: The Non-Traditional Bike 

What if a bike required you to go lower than usual for you to use it? Sounds bizarre right? Well, these are recumbent bikes, to use them the rider almost has to lie down to use them. The seat of the bike looks like a chair, once you get the hang of it it gets quite comfortable. 

Recumbent Bikes have different configurations to choose from:

• Short Wheelbases 
• Long Wheelbases 
• 2-4 Wheelers
• Under/Above Seat Steering 

Riding this kind of bike is like doing a seat leg press, the cyclist has to be seated comfortably on the char and has to turn a very large gear while being seated like that, and it takes some time to get used to. Honestly, these bikes are great for flat terrains, but I wouldn’t use them for hill climbing as you cannot use stand-up while pedaling up a hill.

10. Cruiser Bikes: Specialty Bikes

As the name goes, these are special bikes made for cruising on different types of terrain. Since they have specific uses and features, they are very different from other sorts of bikes. These bikes are focused more towards “Leisure”, you can use them for a relaxing ride around the neighborhood or town. 

The defining features of these bikes are:

• 26-Inch Tires
• Comfortable Seats 
• Internally Geared Hubs 

The whole point of having a cruiser bike is to have fun with it enjoy yourself, and be stress-free. With the internally geared hubs, these bikes will require less maintenance but the performance will be top-notch. Get one of these bikes and start having the time of your life!

11. Hybrid Bikes: The Jack Of All Trades

Hybrid bikes feature the features of both road and mountain bikes, and you can use them for any kind of activity. Since they are termed as “Jack Of All Trades” you should be more than satisfied while using them. Having personally used them, I can easily say that these are the best inventions yet. They usually have large road bike-sized wheels, and just because of that, they can perform well on dirt trails and paved roads.

I love how they feature a flat bar which allows the rider to easily control the bike, the comfort of these bikes is also spectacular. Most hybrid bikes also contain disc brakes that allow amazing stopping power, even during unfavorable weather conditions. Gravel bikes are also a type of hybrid bike, they perform both the functions of road and mountain bikes. Most of these bikes will also offer an upright riding position.

You will also come across many hybrid bikes that are commuter-friendly in nature. These bikes will have various lighting systems, fenders, and racks. Just know that you will never come across two hybrid bikes that are the same. Every hybrid bike is going to be different, enjoy the differences and make the most out of them!

12. Electric Bikes: For The Fast and Furious

Well, there is no forgetting Electric Bikes, they have boomed in popularity over recent years. Why though? They can do everything better, they can even replace our cars shortly. These bikes are the cross between traditional bikes and motorbikes, offering the best of both worlds. They are installed with a motor and battery which allows them to go faster and harder than anything you have tried before. You will also come across some bikes that can be used as traditional bikes once you remove the motor and battery.

These bikes can handle almost anything that you throw at them and are also best known for long-distance rides. You can use either the throttle mode or combine it with the pedal to go even longer than before. No matter what happens, you are going to have the time of your life with these bikes, just keep in mind that these bikes don’t come cheap. Full-suspension bikes are also available in electric variants if you want to go for them.

13. Cargo Bikes: For The Heavy Stuff

These bikes are the portable buses of the cycling world, they allow you to move a lot of cargo with ease. Why go for them? Fuel prices are rising which will force you to seek out alternatives soon, cargo bikes are great options. These bikes have durable frames, a strong structure, powerful brakes, and multiple mounts to carry a lot of cargo. You can even get the electric variant of cargo bikes which will allow you to travel longer distances.

You can see a lot of people using cargo bikes these days, even UPS riders are using them nowadays. This cuts fuel costs and enhances the efficiency of deliveries. 

FAQs

How many types of bikes are there?

6 types of bikes are most commonly used namely road bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes, cruiser bikes, BMX bikes, and hybrid bikes.

Conclusion

There are so many types of bikes out there. Some of these are close enough to other types that I included a little about them in their respective sections but wasn’t able to include a specific breakdown of their details. Each type of bike provides a different type of riding sensation and I would wager that each one is equally fun in different ways.

Bike designs are changing all the time. Check out these cool projects for a look at what might be coming next. You will never come across two bikes that are the same, and since there are a lot of them, you will get what you are looking for. The world is changing fast, technology keeps on advancing daily, and we will probably find new types of bikes in the coming year!

Also Read

• Is Riding A Bike Good Exercise? 7 Exercise Benefits Of Real Bikes Vs. Stationary Bikes
• The Best Electric Cargo Bikes
• Road Bikes Vs. Mountain Bikes: Which Is The Perfect One For You?
• How To Choose The Best Hybrid Bike For Both Men And Women
• 8 Unique Bicycles That You Can Buy Today!