We select our bikes mainly for their value. This means low maintenance and safety in all seasons, usually upright comfort and plain-clothes friendliness. Nice looks are gravy. All quality bikes properly set up are fun and provide good exercise too, even if you leave the city.

City bikes: Once almost forgotten in Europe, city bikes have been the most common type worldwide as long as bikes have existed. Not road bikes, not cruisers, not mountain or hybrid or “comfort” bikes, city bikes are ideal for going places less than an hour away in plain clothes, carrying a modest amount of stuff or child passenger, in all weather, every day. With handlebars neither straight nor dropped, but swept back and rising, they support at least a moderately upright posture for comfort and seeing over the tops of cars. Kickstands, bells, full fenders, and cargo carriers are factory components, not accessories to be purchased separately. Better models have built-in lighting systems and locks, too. Chains are covered for keeping clothes clean. Gears are often internal for shifting at a stop and little or no maintenance. Tires are smooth and fat enough for resilience and comfort on rough streets but not so fat as to cry for mud.

Electric bikes : Not really a category by itself, our electric options add special utility to city, and folding bikes, offering greater carrying capacity especially in hills, extended practical range, and higher speeds sweat-free.

Kids’ and Junior bikes : As soon as your child can walk, it’s not too early to consider a balance bike . Skip the training wheels a few years later with a mini city bike just like mom’s!