lightest trek hybrid bike

The Lightest Hybrid Bikes Of 2024: Carbon-Fiber Fitness & Commuting!

October 2, 2021

Erik Bassett

Last updated: January 13th, 2024

Today’s lightest hybrid bikes weight about 19-21 lbs.

And if you’ve got the cash, I’ve got the list.

Whether you call them “hybrid” or “fitness” or “flat-bar road,” here are the absolute lightest* models on the market:

• Canyon Roadlite CF 9 LTD (18.2 lbs) – Lightest Hybrid
• Specialized Sirrus 6.0 (20.2 lbs)
• Trek FX Sport 6 (20.5 lbs)
• Litespeed Cherohala City (~21 lbs**)
• Specialized Sirrus X 5.0 (21.1 lbs)
• Giant FastRoad Advanced 1 (21.6 lbs)
• Obed Borough Grid (~22 lbs**)
• BMC Alpenchallenge 01 TWO (22.0 lbs)
• Fuji Absolute 1.3 (23.0 lbs) – Best Value

* Based on manufacturers’ published weights where available, or an average of third-party reported weights in other cases. When possible, all are based on a size medium.

** Denotes my educated guess, since no credible weight estimates were available as of publishing.

None of these (except perhaps the Canyon) will impress road-bike weight weenies

But compared to typical hybrids that come in around 25–30 lbs, these feel almost unbelievable snappy.

Pro tip: The best bang for your buck is an aluminum frame with carbon rims. They contribute to rotating mass, which makes a bigger different than static mass like your frame and fork. If cost is a constraint, then minimize the weight of spinning or moving parts first.

By the way, these featherweights are geared toward the pavement side of the spectrum.

They’re not for tearing up a little singletrack or getting knocked around public bike racks.

If that is what you’re after, then check out the more robust models in my budget hybrids guide . Most have upgraded siblings, which are still heavier, but also burlier than you might think.

This article might contain affiliate links. As a member of programs including Amazon Associates, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Canyon Roadlite CF 9 LTD

At just 18.2 lbs , Canyon’s flagship Roadlite CF 9 LTD is 2024’s lightest hybrid off the rack.

Its carbon frame and fork are standard fare in this tier, but the carbon wheelset is what really stands out. Not only does that minimize overall weight, but it’s specifically a reduction in rotating weight, so you’ll enjoy quicker acceleration and an overall nimbler feel.

Components are the cream of the crop, in keeping with its hefty $3649 MSRP. Your money buys electronic shifting in the form of a 1×12 SRAM X01 Eagle AXS eTap derailleur, tubeless-ready Reynolds AR41 rims , and small but thoughtful touches like Ergon GA3 grips on the all-carbon cockpit .

Specialized Sirrus 6.0

Specialized’s Sirrus line runs the gamut from solid, entry-level commuters to today’s featured model: the impressively-spec’d Sirrus 6.0, which comes in at about 20.2 lbs .

Like the Canyon model above, the Sirrus 6.0 is built around a full-carbon frame and fork . But it has a trick up its sleeve: the Future Shock 1.5 adds just under an inch of coil-sprung suspension to take the edge off rough roads. It fits discreetly inside the head tube and should require no maintenance under normal use.

The alloy cockpit and tubeless-ready alloy rims leave some weight savings on the table, and the Shimano 105 2×11 drivetrain is underwhelming for a sticker price of $3000 . But if you’re sold on the Future Shock’s lightweight, low-tech suspension, then it’s a worthy contender that may be easy to find locally.

Trek FX Sport 6

Next in the all-carbon cohort at 20.5 lbs , we have Trek’s FX 6—the premium offering in their extremely popular FX hybrid line.

The FX 6 is Trek’s counterpart to the Sirrus 6.0, using a similar carbon frame and fork coupled with an alloy cockpit , tubeless-ready alloy wheelset , and Shimano 105 2×11 drivetrain .

But unlike the Sirrus, there’s no suspension mechanism built in. Instead, it has Bontrager IsoZone handlebars and grips, which essentially stick an elastomer layer under your hands. (The branding is a little over-the-top, since good ergonomic grips would accomplish the same thing on any bike for about $50.)

And also unlike the Sirrus, you can snag an FX 6 for a more appealing $2200 —provided you’re comfortable on the FX frame’s longer reach and lower stack.

Litespeed Cherohala City

Litespeed is not a large brand, but they’ve been making high-end titanium bikes in Tennessee for longer than I’ve been alive. Their Cherohala City is their popular Cherohala all-road frame in a slightly more rugged flat-bar build kit.

The titanium frame and carbon fork should theoretically outlast fully carbon construction, or at least withstand a few more bumps on the way, but most fans of titanium point to silky-smooth ride quality as the top selling point.

The $2995 baseline build kit includes a 1x Shimano 105 drivetrain and TRP mechanical discs (one of the better mechanical discs I’ve ridden to date), which the $3695 package upgrades to Shimano’s 1x Ultegra drivetrain and MT201 hydraulic discs . I don’t foresee enough difference to justify the extra $600, especially seeing as both price point use an alloy cockpit and bars .

However, I’d happily fork out another $350 to upgrade the standard Sun Charger Comp tubeless wheels to the optional Stan’s Grail MK3 , which drop roughly a pound of rotating weight.

Specialized Sirrus X 5.0

Here’s a little secret: flat-bar gravel bikes and hybrids are just about the same . I suppose we can quibble over bottom bracket height and ±1° head-tube angle, but we’re not talking about major differences. But “gravel bike” carries enough cachet that some brands—ahem, Specialized—can command quite a bit more for very, very similar designs.

All that by way of introducing the Sirrus X 5.0, a more rugged, 21.1-lb sibling to the aforementioned Sirrus 6.0. And, as it happens, a cheaper alternative to the only slightly fancier Diverge Expert E5 EVO gravel bike.

To the best of my knowledge, its carbon frame and fork with Future Shock 1.5 “suspension” are identical to the Sirrus 6.0—and they perfectly straddle the line between hybrids versus mountain bikes .

The main differences that give the Sirrus X 5.0 a little more all-terrain capability are its 38mm tires and clutch-equipped Shimano SLX 1x drivetrain . There are also small cockpit differences, like ditching the bar ends and carbon seatpost, but these won’t make a major difference.

At $1900 , this is one of the better values on this list—all the more so compared to its high-end Specialized brethren. Although the Sirrus 6.0 is slightly more svelte, its components are too similar to justify its massive price increase.

And as for the Diverge Expert E5 EVO? For $700 more, you’ll get the hydraulically-damped Future Shock 2.0, a dropper post, an XT derailleur, and an enviable 700c x 47 mm / 650b x 2.1″ of tire clearance. The Diverge frame creates a longer, lower posture than the Sirrus, which spells speed to some but back pain to others.

Those differences aren’t exactly game-changing, but they’re arguably worth the extra cash if you spend the vast majority of your time off-road (yet don’t want a rigid or hardtail mountain bike). For everyone else—including the quintessential hybrid customer who wants to do a bit of everything—the Sirrus X 5.0 is a significantly better deal.

Giant FastRoad Advanced 1

Turning to the last of the US bike mega-brands, we have Giant’s FastRoad Advanced 1 at a reported 21.6 lbs .

Akin to the Trek FX 6 and Specialized Sirrus 6.0 model, the top-end FastRoad also uses a carbon frame and fork , a Shimano 105 2×11 drivetrain , and tubeless-ready alloy wheels . Its carbon seatpost should dampen vibrations and cut grams, although the bars and stem are alloy .

At $2290 , it’s priced neck and neck with the FX 6 but a good deal below the Sirrus 6.0. On paper, the FastRoad’s riding position should be a little more upright (higher stack and shorter reach) than the FX, but roughly similar to that of the Sirrus.

Obed Borough Grid

Rounding out the all-carbon contingent is the approximately 22-lb Borough Grid hybrid from Tennessee’s Obed bikes.

Specific weight figures were exceptionally hard to find, so take this one with a grain of salt. That said, it’s well in keeping with other bikes using a carbon frame and fork , Shimano Ultegra 1x drivetrain , and tubeless Stan’s Grail alloy wheels . (Yes, tubeless from the factory!)

The Borough Grid comes in at a steep at $3349 , within striking distance of the significantly lighter Canyon Roadlite CF 9 LTD. Unlike Canyon, Obed stuck with alloy cockpit parts that sacrifice a little bit of weight for robustness. Also unlike Canyon, Obed gave 43mm tire clearance and partially-upright geometry that’s perfect for casual/practical riding (versus the Roadlite’s 30mm tires and deeper forward lean.)

You can save on the baseline, Shimano 105-equipped Borough. It uses the same frame and fork but sells for either $2495 with heavier Sun rims (adding nearly a pound) or $2845 with the same Stan’s rims. However, the baseline spec also drops the Shimano hydraulic discs in favor of TRP mechanical discs —which is a little disappointing, even at the lower (not remotely cheap!) price point.

BMC Alpenchallenge 01 TWO

Switzerland’s BMC is staple of road bike round-ups, and their Alpenchallenge line translates similar designs into flat-bar form. And at 22.0 lbs , the Alpenchallenge 01 TWO is the lightest of the lot.

It uses an alloy frame and carbon fork , alloy cockpit , and tubeless-ready alloy rims from DT Swiss.

The Shimano GRX 2×11 drivetrain is a cool touch—essentially the clutch-equipped “gravel” version of Ultegra line—and the Shimano hydraulic discs are plenty powerful for any situations you’ll want to ride this bike in.

These are impressive specs for $1799 . One imagines the lower cost of an aluminum frame let BMC put the difference into the parts list.

(You might have noticed that this “TWO” model isn’t technically the top of the line. That honor goes to the “ONE.” But the latter is actually over 3 lbs heavier, since it adds an Alfine internally-geared hub and belt drive. IGHs are great for many things, but saving weight is not one of them.)

Fuji Absolute 1.3

To wrap things up with a budget pick, we have Fuji’s Absolute 1.3 coming in (reportedly) around 23 lbs .

The alloy frame and carbon fork are exactly as expected on a mid-level model. Same goes for the house-brand alloy cockpit . Fuji doesn’t specify which alloy rims from Alex they’ve used, but Alex rims tend toward the strong-but-heavy side.

The 2×9 Shimano Sora drivetrain is more than adequate, if not as crisp-feeling as the 105 (and up) we’ve seen above. That said, the Shimano hydraulic discs are a great choice, and more practically useful than a fancier derailleur.

At $1149 , the Absolutely 1.3 is well above the entry-level price point (like the best budget hybrids covered previously), but it’s also a few pounds lighter than any inexpensive model. And considering the added cost for something significant lighter than the Absolute 1.3, this falls in the price-weight sweet spot for a lot of cyclists.

Two important questions before you buy

What’s the easiest way to make my hybrid bike lighter.

If you’re currently riding a hybrid that isn’t a total clunker, then try going tubeless before replacing the entire bike. That’ll drop around 3 oz per wheel—not an impressive number, but surprisingly noticeable since it’s all rotating weight. Stan’s NoTubes is the go-to for conversion kits, but drop by your local bike shop first to confirm whether your existing rims are easy to convert.

A new, tubeless-ready wheelset solves any conversion issues and may cut more than a pound of rotating weight. But a worthy wheel upgrade can run $500-$1000, so that might be a case where a new bike is actually most cost-effective. (And if that’s on the table, then check out this article on the best time to buy a bike .)

You can also trim a little more weight with carbon-fiber versions of, well, just about anything. Keep in mind that prices for quality aftermarket composites parts can be eye-watering, so it’s not the best bang for your buck.

Does saving weight make sense for you?

This is important on two levels.

The first is financial. Bike weight reduction can be a slippery slope, so I try to take a cost-benefit approach .

A hybrid with high-end carbon everything will have terrific ride quality and, obviously, light weight. We can take that for granted. The real question is whether doubling or tripling the price will also double or triple your enjoyment of the ride.

There’s no wrong answer.

It’s perfectly fine to earnestly say, “Of course I won’t enjoy it three times as much, but I still like it more, and I can easily afford it!”

But if you’re expecting a featherweight bike to kindle a love for the sport or a passion for exercise that you’ve never had—or even just to make big hills feel like a breeze—you’re in for disappointment. A bike of any weight is a machine, and that’s asking too much of it.

The other level is strictly practical. Will you need to lock the bike to public racks where every exposed surface will, eventually, get gouged and knicked? Will you carry cargo or heavy accessories that add back all the weight you’ve paid through the nose to save?

A sub-20-lb hybrid might be a blast to ride unladen, but the snappiness disappears under a stuffed commuting pannier .

The 8 Best Hybrid Bikes of 2024, According to Experts

Tackle any urban terrain with the most versatile two-wheelers.

Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Why Trust Us?

Best Hybrid Bike for Beginners

Specialized sirrus 2.0 hybrid bike.

Best Premium Hybrid Bike

Trek fx sport 6.

Best Hybrid Bike for Commuters

Priority bicycles continuum onyx.

Best Folding Hybrid Bike

Tern verge d9 folding bike.

Most Versatile Hybrid Bike

Giant bicycles toughroad slr 2.

Best Hybrid eBike

Ribble hybrid al e electric bike.

Best Step-Through Hybrid Bike

Co-op cycles cty 2.1 step-through bike.

Best Value Hybrid Bike

Schwinn gtx 2.0 comfort hybrid bike.

For most fitness riders, hybrid bikes—also called “fitness bikes”—are the solution. They’re designed to offer the lightweight design of many road-racing bikes, but with a more comfortable, confident upright riding stance. Most come with wider tires, too, which makes cruising rough, potholed city streets a whole lot more bearable. Plus, the best models are built with premium components like hydraulic disc brakes, battery-free lights, and low- to zero-maintenance drivetrains. These definitely aren’t the kid-friendly Huffy bikes you grew up with.

All of which is to say that bikes, even hybrid bikes , are deceptively complex. Whether you’re just getting started in your cycling journey or are looking to upgrade your current two-wheeler, there’s a perfect model out there for you. But where to start? We’ve done the legwork for you to research and personally test many of the top-rated bikes on the market. Here are our picks for the best hybrid bikes worth riding in 2023

Best Bikes for Men | Best Folding Electric Bikes | Best Electric Bikes | Best Recumbent Exercise Bikes | Best Cycling Shorts

Versatile, comfortable, and affordable—everything that makes Specialized’s wildly popular Sirrus 2.0 a solid buy for just about anyone. The lightweight design couples an aluminum alloy frame with a steel fork that altogether weighs roughly 27 pounds. Its ProMax F1 hydraulic disc brakes provide serious and reliable stopping power on any terrain. The result? The perfect balance of durability with easy, comfortable handling for riders of any skill level. That includes everyone from first-time adult riders to daily commuters.

It’s not the most budget-friendly bike in Specalized’s lineup, nor the most premium. At around $800 (closer to $600 on sale), it’s an incredibly affordable model for anyone looking to step up from an entry-level hybrid but who isn’t quite ready to drop $2,000 or more on a high-end two-wheeler. Of course, when you’re ready to upgrade your upgrade, Specialized’s lineup runs all the way up to the Sirrus 6.0.

What do buyers say? “This is the first Specialized bike. I've had many before but from the other brands. Very impressed. Light enough, smooth gears and stiff. Very well-made bicycle,” said one Specialized.com reviewer.

The all-new FX Sport 6 is the flagship in Trek’s FX lineup with a fitness-focused geometry that’s light, fast, and easy to ride. "Tipping the scales" at just over 20 pounds, the carbon frame is remarkably lightweight. It offers all the same features of a premium road bike—a 400 Series OCLV Carbon frame, carbon wheels, and a Shimano drivetrain—but with a flat handlebar design. It all combines in a hybrid bike that’s damn near-perfect for riders of all stripes, including commuters, newbies, and advanced fitness cyclists. Plus, the slick, blacked-out design looks pretty handsome too.

We’ve been fans of Trek for years and the FX Sport 6 is a standout among the company’s stellar lineup. It’s no surprise, given the nearly $3,000 price tag, which makes it the most expensive in this year’s round-up. But with solid buyer reviews and premium components throughout, we think it’s worth it. Plus, Trek’s 30-day unconditional guarantee means you can return it for any reason (even if it’s just because you changed your mind) for a full refund.

What do buyers say? “My previous Trek 2.6 was all the rage until I purchased this. The FX6 ia so much faster, better handling even with the fatter tires and lower pressure. They are great for the road,” said one TrekBikes.com reviewer.

If you’re looking for an upgrade to your entry-level two-wheeler but aren’t ready or willing to splash out on $3,000 high-end model, we like Priority’s Continuum Onyx. The brand is well-known for some of the best commuter bikes, and this hybrid model is no exception. It features premium components throughout, including a rust-free Gates Carbon belt drive, dynamo-powered (read battery-free) lights, and beefy 700x32mm WTB tires that are extremely flat-resistant. Enviolo CTV shifters guarantee smooth, responsive shifting and high-end Tektro hydraulic disc brakes deliver plenty of stopping power in tight city conditions.

At roughly $1,300, this certainly isn’t a cheap hybrid bike. But it’s built with premium parts from tip to tail, making that midrange price tag seem entirely reasonable. Everything that makes it a near-perfect commuter bike also ensures it’s a good fit for newbies and even more advanced riders.

What do buyers say? “It was very easy to assemble. I love the look and love the feel. Very quiet and solid,” said one PriorityBicycles.com reviewer.

Folding bikes used to be something of a novelty. They were rarely anything you’d actually want to ride (or be seen riding). Not so with Tern’s Verge D9. It’s our go-to pick for this year’s best folding hybrid bike. Proprietary T-Tuned geometry coupled with beefier 37mm tires makes this a more stable and comfortable model than most folders. Shimano hydraulic disc brakes provide solid stopping power on both wet and dry pavement. The saddle seat is also purpose-designed for shoulder-mounted carrying. Plus, we love that the entire bike folds or unfolds in just 10 seconds and is small enough to fit under a desk.

This is no doubt a specialty bike that’s designed with commuters and city dwellers in mind—hence the roughly $1,150 price tag. It’s at least 50% more than a comparably priced standard (non-folding) hybrid bike. But, if you’re looking for one of the most compact, street-friendly hybrid solutions on the market, you’ve found it. What’s more, Tern designed it with easy upgrading in mind.

What do buyers say? “Great choice. So versatile and easy to ride. Smooth ride for my 1.5 miles one way commute,” said one REI reviewer.

True to its name, Giant’s ToughRoad SLR 2 is a hybrid bike that’s built for less-than-ideal riding conditions. That includes smooth city streets, loose gravel bike paths, and everything in between. It’s made possible via a proprietary ALUXX SLR aluminum frame with a lightweight, durable carbon fork—both of which are ultra-durable yet absorb harsh front-end vibrations. Giant’s D-fuse seatpost and extra-grippy tires add an extra degree of comfort and confidence to your ride. Like other hybrid bikes in our roundup, this model features a standard flat-bar design with a more upright position that’s great for a wide variety of terrain and ride lengths.

Like most Giant two-wheelers, this hybrid bike is priced right at just over $1,000. That’s squarely at the midrange of our roundup, making it the perfect upgrade from most entry-level cycles. While it’s not a true mountain bike, it’s the closest hybrid model in our roundup that we’re comfortable taking on light off-road rides.

What do buyers say? “A higher ride position is enjoyable, shifting is smooth and quick, ride is very comfortable on rail bed trail locally,” said one Giant-Bicycles.com reviewer.

Of course, we can’t roundup the best hybrid bikes without throwing in a hybrid electric bike. Ribble’s Hybrid AL E Electric Bike is our favorite hybrid-style eBike of the year. The general framework is purpose-built with speed and efficiency in mind, making it one of the company’s best options for commuters and other city riders. But the geometry is incredibly versatile, allowing for complete customization of almost every component. If you want to add a rear storage rack, mudguards, and fatter tires, for example, all you have to do is ask. That also means you get the exact paint job you’re looking for, from blacked-out to cool blue to eye-popping red.

Under the “hood,” the Hybrid AL E is powered by a 250Wh battery which delivers roughly 60 miles on a single charge. It fast-charges in roughly three hours, too, so you can take it to work and top it up for your ride home. Ribble’s ebikemotion system weighs less than eight pounds and is so compact and perfectly built into the bike’s frame that it’s practically invisible. That only streamlines the look and the aerodynamics, but also makes it less of a target for thieves.

What do buyers say? “If you want to look stylish around town and arrive where you’re going sweat-free, it’s definitely one to consider,” said one RibbleCycles.co.uk reviewer.

For riders who like the convenience of a step-through model, Co-op Cycles’ CTY 2.1 is our favorite hybrid option. The low standover height allows for easy mounting and dismounting, while also ensuring it’s easy to stand with both feet square on the ground. The Shimano Altus 2x8 drivetrain serves up 16 available gear combinations. Coupled with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, it’s a satisfying ride around town, even over hilly, potholed terrain. The 40-mm-wide tires and shock-absorbing fork also ensure a smooth, bump-free ride.

What we especially love, though, is the price. At roughly $800, it’s on the low-end of our favorite midrange models. Given its excellent reviews and better-than-average components, we think it’s worth the premium for anyone looking to step up from a more entry-level hybrid. Because REI Co-op Cycles are only available to members, be sure to account for the (totally reasonable) $30 lifetime membership fee if you don’t already have one.

What do buyers say? “Great commuter & path bike! Perfect bike for riding around the neighborhood to stay in shape. It handles the gravel and overgrown paths with ease and is just as great on the road/sidewalk,” said one REI.com reviewer.

If $500+ is too rich for your wallet, there are other options. Schwinn’s lineup of entry-level hybrid adult bikes includes the Schwinn GTX Comfort. While it lacks the better components of our favorite premium models, this is a solid alternative for budget-conscious bicyclists. The design relies on an aluminum dual-sport frame and suspension fork that tackles city streets and light trails with aplomb. Like the best hybrid bikes of this year, it features a flat-bar design and a more upright riding position that combine for a comfortable, confident ride.

Schwinn is most synonymous with entry-level bikes that “hardcore” riders might scoff at. But, if you’re looking for a durable, reliable two-wheeler that’s ready to tackle most urban and suburban terrain, this is a solid option. We especially love that it’s available starting at less than $300 (depending on the exact model), which feels like a steal.

What do buyers say? “Great bike for the money. So far this bike has been great, and makes the daily commute to work a lot more fun,” said one Amazon reviewer.

How to Shop for the Best Hybrid Bike (for You)

Like most fitness gear, bikes are entirely personal. The best bike for your neighbor might not be right for you. It’s all a matter of aesthetics, price, weight, gearing, features, and how and where you most often ride. But there are a few key things to consider when shopping for the best hybrid bike for you. Here’s the low-down:

Drop Bar or Flat Bar

Hybrid bikes are similar to traditional road bikes in that they typically boast a lightweight frame that rolls on fast 700c wheels. What sets them apart, however, is that hybrid bikes are almost always built with a flat handlebar, while road bikes use a drop bar. The former uses a wider design for a wider hand stance that makes riding easier to control with better break access and an upright seating position. The result is a more comfortable ride that’s perfect for casual (read non-racing) cyclists and commuters, too. Hybrid bikes can feature a drop bar, too, but they’re specifically designed for a flat handlebar.

It’s All in the Gearing

In general, hybrid/fitness bikes feature two chainrings up front and usually 9-11 cogs at the rear. The latter helps to better dial in your shifts for a smoother, more predictable ride on everything from bike paths to hilly city streets. Budget hybrids sometimes include three front chainrings. It’s a setup that trades performance for price, however.

Modern disc brakes seriously changed the game for cyclists. They’re more expensive than traditional rim-style brakes, but better in every way, offering more precise control in both dry and wet conditions. Beginners and cyclists who love long rides love them, too, because they require less hand strength to operate. More budget-friendly hybrid bikes may be built with cable-actuated disc brakes. These offer similar performance but aren’t as powerful and require a bit more maintenance.

Hybrid bikes, like many of the best bikes, vary widely in price. Decent budget models start around $400, while mid-range models run north of $1,000. For the best hybrid bikes, however, expect to pay as much as a used car (upwards of $4,000 or more). Just know that you don’t have to spend a small fortune to land a decent two-wheeler.

How We Selected the Best Hybrid Bikes of 2023

Over the past year, our fitness-loving writers and editors here at Men’s Health researched and personally tested dozens of top-selling bikes. We compared every spec and feature, from brake technology and frame style to overall aesthetic and price. For this roundup, we’ve also included a few hybrid bikes with overwhelmingly positive reviews on the retailer sites we trust most. The final list above represents our honest picks for the best hybrid bikes worth buying in 2023.

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The 7 Best Hybrid Bikes For Exercise, Commuting and Casual Fun

Hybrid or ‘exercise’ bikes make for a great introduction to cycling.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. How we test gear.

They’re also great for casual riders and commuters, since they’re fairly stable and designed with an upright riding position. Throw in some feature mounts for fenders and racks, and you have an easy-going bike that’s perfect for getting you places and running errands, then taking the long way home.

The Best Hybrid Bikes

• Best Overall: Cannondale Quick 3
• Best Value: Co-Op CTY
• Best All-Arounder: State 4130 All-Road Flat-Bar
• Best Step-Through: Liv Alight Disc
• Best Commuter: Trek District 4 Equipped Stagger
• Most-Stylish: Cannondale Bad Boy 1
• Best Hybrid Electric: Velotric T1

What to Consider in a Hybrid Bike

Why trust us, how we selected the best hybrid bikes, our hybrid bike reviews, q+a with our experts, flat bar vs. drop bar.

A hybrid bike starts with a traditional road bike platform: fast-rolling 700c wheels and a lightweight, efficient frame. But while a road bike typically comes outfitted with a drop bar, a hybrid bike’s signature feature is a flat handlebar. This provides a wide hand stance for better control, easy brake-lever access, and a more upright position that’s comfortable and conducive to looking over your shoulder in traffic. These are just a few of the reasons why new cyclists and commuters are often drawn to this type of bike.

But a proper fitness bike is more than just a road bike with a flat bar: It’s a bike that’s been specifically designed to be ridden with one. Chad Price, core research and development director at Specialized, says that a fitness bike typically has a longer reach than a road bike, resulting in better handling from a flat bar and shorter stem.

Disc Brakes

One of the best technologies to come to fitness bikes is disc brakes . Although they cost a little more than rim-style brakes, discs offer more control and precision, particularly in wet conditions . They also don’t require as much hand strength to operate, making them a reliable choice for rides with long, winding descents.

Some lower-cost bikes may come with cable-actuated disc brakes, a cheaper alternative that’s not quite as powerful or as low maintenance as a fully hydraulic disc-brake system but that delivers similar all-weather performance and reliability.

The Right Gearing

Most fitness bikes come with two chainrings in the front and between nine and 11 cogs in the rear. Having more gears in the back allows you to fine-tune your shifting so you can keep a steady cadence, no matter the terrain. Bikes with three front chainrings typically cost less, but the third ring can make shifting less precise. A single-ring option simplifies shifting and cuts down on maintenance but may not have the range you need for climbing.

Belt Drives and Internally Geared Hubs

A belt drive (which takes the place of a chain) with an internally geared hub (where all the gearing is packaged inside the rear hub’s shell and sealed from the elements) requires less maintenance than a traditional chain-and-derailleur drivetrain. It’s reliable and clean, says Andrew Lumpkin, CEO of Spot Bikes.

A belt drive is also easy to use (one shifter controls everything) and, perhaps best of all, lets you change gears while sitting still at a stoplight. It’s a great, low-maintenance option if you can afford it, though it adds a small amount of weight.

Bicycling recommends bikes based on the extensive work of its test team, which currently includes Deputy Editor Tara Seplavy, Senior Test Editor Matt Phillips, Test Editor Dan Chabonov, and Maintenance Editor Gabe Ortiz. Together, they have more than 60 years of ride-testing experience and bring that insight to every recommendation they touch.

For our guide to hybrid bikes, Tara Seplavy recommended many of these selections based on the team’s collective testing experience, as well as her extensive knowledge of the category.

Vanessa Nirode has been writing about bikes, adventure travel, and cycling gear for 15 years for a variety of outlets including Bicycling , Time , Adventure Cycling , Fodors , BBC Travel , Next Avenue , and many others. With 20 years of riding experience, she’s owned and pedaled everything from a heavy commuter bike to a carbon racing road bike on her daily commutes and errands.

In addition to ride-testing many of our selections, she surveyed bike commuters and messengers at two of her favorite New York bike shops– Bicycle Roots in Brooklyn and Specialized Long Island City in Queens: They’re great places for cyclists to hang out and hear from riders about their favorite bikes, and learn what works (or doesn’t) work.

Caitlin Giddings tested bikes for Bicycling for over a decade, and has ridden bikes for more than two decades as an everyday commuter cyclist. She’s had the chance to ride nearly a hundred different bikes designed for fitness, recreation, and commuting on varied terrain.

We’ve been asked to recommend a lot of bikes over the years. Anticipating these queries, we’ve made a big effort to test as many hybrids and city bikes as we can—not only because they’re great for commuting, fitness, and fun, but also because they’re the bikes our friends who aren’t bike nerds are most interested in buying.

Our selections were recommended by the Bicycling test team, which has extensive experience testing all kinds of bikes, including hybrids. We’ve performed extensive ride-testing of many hybrid bikes on bike tours, city commutes, long bike path cruises, and bike shop test rides. Lastly, we considered a diverse range of external notes from bike messengers and commuters, as well as customer reviews.

Cannondale Quick 3

If you’re still holding onto the belief that hybrids are sluggish and heavy, the Cannondale Quick will disabuse you of that notion right away. This lightweight bike is a favorite for its fast feel and smooth ride, as well as a comfortable upright riding position that makes it an easy choice for recommending to new riders who may be a bit hesitant about incorporating regular cycling into their routine.

It features reflective accents to boost your visibility, mounts for racks so you can carry stuff (except on the front, as the carbon fork precludes rack mounting), and fenders to keep road spray out of your eyes and off your backside during commutes in questionable weather.

The 2x9-speed drivetrain comes courtesy of Shimano, with a decent range for tackling the hills on your commute. Tektro hydraulic disc brakes give you confident stopping power, while the 35mm Schwalbe tires barrel over urban debris.

If you’re looking to spend a little less, we also like the Quick Disc 4 , which features a steel fork, microSHIFT Advent groupset, and 1x9 gearing. It rides similarly well and costs a bit less, though we ultimately prefer the Quick Disc 3 for its carbon fork and higher gearing, which bring more speed on downhills and flats.

Co-op Cycles CTY 1.1

Keeping in line with REI’s inclusive ideology and the simple goal of getting more people outdoors and (in this case) on bikes, Co-op Cycle’s CTY bike is a capable and affordable hybrid bike that will suit a varied range of riders, especially beginners.

The CTY has wide, flat-resistant, wire-bead 40mm tires with reflective sidewalls so you can easily roll over potholes, dirt, gravel, random road debris and the occasional curb. Its Tektro mechanical disc brakes ensure that you can slow your roll when needed. The Shimano 3x8-speed drivetrain provides 24 gears, enough to get you most anywhere you want to go.

The CTY has an upright riding position (as opposed to the more competitive bent-over posture encouraged by road bikes.) A comfortable memory foam saddle and gel handlebar grips help you complete your commute and/or errands without introducing any soreness or aches into the equation.

State Bicycle 4130 All-Road Flat-Bar

State Bicycle’s All-road flat-bar stands out for its versatility, strong steel frame, and plethora of customizable options that allows you to set it up exactly like you want. Steel bikes have their own dedicated following : Fans love their springy feel. They’re also durable and reliable, which is an important quality in a bike you use to get around every day.

We love how much room there is to tinker with this bike. State offers two extra wheel sets–a 700c with slick 38mm road tires and a 650b with knobby 2.1 inch (53mm) off road tires. These sets, which cost an additional $390 apiece, come with tires, tubes, brake rotors and cassettes for easy switching. You may also want to upgrade to a SRAM drivetrain for an additional $1,000, and hydraulic brakes for another $100 for added reliability, power and smoothness (especially when it comes to changing gears).

The State 4130 is a bike you’ll be able to ride for years. We might even go so far as to say for the foreseeable future. You’ll need to replace the components as the years go by–time comes for us all, even our bike parts–but that steel frame will persist.

Liv Alight Disc 3

Whenever Vanessa leaves her regular bike overnight at her local shop, her mechanic gives her this bike as a loaner. The flat handlebars and upright riding position make it a comfortable and stable bike without compromising speed. It isn’t a ‘fast’ bike by any means, but it’s far more nimble than what you’d expect by just looking at it.

Throw in the included fenders, rear rack, and kickstand, and the Alight emerges as a rather perfect errand bike. The fenders keep road muck from your person, the rack provides a place to hook on a set of panniers, and the kickstand saves you from scouring for a leaning spot when you stop for a much-needed (and deserved) pick-me-up coffee.

Trek District 4 Equipped Stagger

The Trek District 4 Equipped Stagger is built for any kind of weather. It features a front dynamo hub that provides power to your rear and front lights, and an internally geared rear hub with a Gates CDX belt, rather than a chain. The dynamo hub powers your lights, so you’ll never have to worry about remembering to charge them. The geared hub and belt cuts down on chain and derailleur maintenance, so you don’t need to make adjustments after riding through bad weather.

Belts tend to be quieter than chains, so while this adds a level of stealth, make sure to add a bell and alert others when you pass them, which you’ll need to use often as the Stagger doesn’t cramp your speed. Or style.

The powerful hydraulic disc brakes provide great stopping power, and the 700x40mm Bontrager wire bead tires with reflective strips keep you moving no matter what obstacles get thrown in your way. The Stagger includes a kickstand, fenders and rack for a quick and easy commute, or getting a workout in while you get things done.

Cannondale Bad Boy 1

The Cannondale Bad Boy represents some of the latest innovations in bike design, making it a very capable way to get around, no matter where you decide to take it. It’s also just plain fun to ride, dodging and cornering more sharply than other bikes allow when a wayward obstacle ends up in your path.

This is because of perhaps the most significant flourish of its design and legendary urban style; the LightPipe Lefty fork. Unlike most every other fork on the market, the Lefty features a single pipe on–you guessed it–the left side that connects to the front wheel hub. The entire suspension is squeezed into a package that’s effectively half the size (and half the weight) of the standard component. The Lefty (also referred to as an “upside-down fork”) is thicker and stiffer at the headtube where you need the leverage, so it performs exceptionally well when braking and cornering.

The Bad Boy 1 also has a bevy of cool quality-of-life features, including an integrated LED light strip on the fork, an integrated tail light on the seat post, internal geared hub and belt drive for minimal maintenance, and top tube bumpers that protect your frame from scratches and nicks when leaning and locking.

Velotric T1

Powered by Velotric’s new, smart drive system motor, stealthy internal wiring and an integrated battery, the T1 is an electric bike that doesn’t look or feel like an electric bike. Weighing just 36 pounds, you can easily hoist it onto your shoulders and carry it up or down stairs when needed, which is not something you can do with most other e-bikes.

A Class 1 e-bike, the T1 features 5 levels of pedal-assist power. On pedal-assist bikes, the power only kicks in when you’re pedaling. This also means you can take your T1 out on most trails and multi-use paths where Class 2 e-bikes are prohibited.

“With its mix of styling, power, and passive security features, Velotric’s T1 is great for city and around town use, notes Bicycling Test Editor Tara Seplavy. “It has a fingerprint lock to keep someone from turning on the bike when you’re not around and a ‘Find My Bike’ feature in the Velotric app in case you forget where you locked it up. A torque sensor helps provide a smooth ride feel and the motor has plenty of zip, especially in the higher power settings.”

Speaking of power, Velotric designed some of the smallest and lightest electronic components we’ve encountered on an e-bike and housed them all inside the frame, which is part of what gives the T1 its stylish, sleek look. And, the integrated headlight comes on when the sun goes down - just like the street lights do, so you never have to worry if you remembered to charge your lights or not.

As required by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and local laws in some cities , the Discover 1 is UL certified for safety within the Standards for Electrical Systems, so it has been tested and engineered to eliminate accidental battery fires.

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Hybrid bikes are great for riding long distances and casual rides where speed isn’t a top priority. The flat, wide bars provide a better vantage point when you need to quickly look behind you and side-to-side. 

They also offer a more upright riding position that many people find more comfortable when navigating city streets compared with the experience you get with a road bike and their drop handlebars.

A hybrid bike can be a great fit for commuters, running errands, and a solid all-arounder for anyone who likes to get out on their bike and ride for awhile.

What are the benefits of a hybrid bike?

Hybrid bikes are, above all, comfortable and casual. Sitting upright is often a more comfortable riding position, and makes it easy to keep track of your surroundings. They often feature mounts for racks,  fenders  and  lights , so you can add some  accessories  that you may need if you plan to work it into your day-to-day life. Last but not least, hybrid bikes often cost less than a road bike or full-featured mountain bike.

Are there any disadvantages to riding a hybrid bike?

As you’d expect, hybrid bikes occupy a middle ground that’s useful for new and casual riders, but may hold more advanced cyclists back as they take on tougher routes or pursue more competitive challenges. 

They aren’t as capable as mountain bikes in rough off-road conditions. Conversely, most hybrids aren’t as aerodynamic as a great road bike, and will move slower when you pedal at top speed.

Vanessa Nirode is a freelance writer who covers wellness, culture, outdoor adventure and travel for Hearst , HuffPost , PopSci , BBC Travel , and Threads , among others. She’s also a pattern maker and tailor for film and television but most of the time, she’d rather just be riding her bicycle.

As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.  

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The Best Hybrid Bike

By Christine Ryan

Christine Ryan is an editor overseeing coverage of travel and outdoors gear, which has entailed testing down-filled vests in Iceland in June.

If you’re seeking a bike for your daily commute and your weekend exercise, a fitness hybrid—that is, a road bike with flat handlebars—may be the right choice.

Over the past seven years, we’ve spent 60 hours sifting through nearly 75 options, test-ridden more than a dozen bikes, and concluded that the Marin Fairfax 1 is the best hybrid for most people.

It provides a stable, comfortable ride on city streets, and it’s a better value now than when we first tested it.

Everything we recommend

Marin Fairfax 1

Our favorite hybrid bike.

This fun-to-ride and capable commuter bike is equally comfortable on longer weekend outings—and it offers far better value than its competitors.

Buying Options

Jamis Coda S2

Still the smooth one.

This steel-framed bike provides a vibration-dampening ride and some nice extras—brand-name tires and sturdy pedals. But the trade-offs are less maneuverability and a steepish uptick in price.

Upgrade pick

Priority Continuum Onyx

For the neatnik diyer.

A belt-drive bike with an easy-to-use internally geared rear hub means less maintenance and no grease on your work clothes. However, you have to assemble it yourself (or pay someone else to).

We looked for...

That means a frame designed to be comfortable on a long(ish) ride: If it forces you to sit upright, you’ll be fighting the wind.

If you’re planning to schlep any cargo, you’ll be able to use panniers instead of a backpack. (Better balance, no sweaty back.)

Fixies may seem cool, but they’re no fun on hills or when you’re riding into the wind. You’ll want gears to help you out.

Some entry-level hybrids come with front shocks, but they’re pretty crummy. Big tires will give you all the cushion you need.

Our top pick, the Marin Fairfax 1 , ticks most of the boxes on our hybrid-bike checklist: durable-enough components, a chrome-moly steel fork that’s forgiving on potholes and rough city streets (and of higher quality than the high-tensile steel forks used on many other, pricier bikes), rack and fender mounts, and hill-friendly gearing (including a rear cassette, rather than a cheaper and outdated freewheel cogset).

In our testing, this bike stood out for its well-designed aluminum frame, which provided more-agile handling and zippier acceleration than the competition while remaining stable. We wish it still came with the above-average-in-quality tires that we originally liked. However, given the growing price difference between the Fairfax 1 ($500, the same as it’s been for the past few years) and similarly equipped bikes from other companies, we believe it’s still the best option. (The Fairfax 1 is available in a step-through option at the same price.)

The Jamis Coda S2 is a very good option if you’re looking for the comfort of a steel frame (steel does a much better job than aluminum at dampening the vibrations caused by rough pavement) without the weight penalty that lower-priced steel frames often impose. (Such frames are often made with heavier high-tensile steel, rather than the chrome-moly that the Coda S2 has in both its frame and fork.) That means an easy time carrying this bike up stairs and lifting it onto bus- or car-mounted bike racks.

The Coda S2 comes with well-rated Vittoria Randonneur tires—that is, tires from a “real” tire company that you can buy in a bike shop, and now in a wider and cushier size—and steel-wrapped resin pedals. (This bike is also available in a women's version , which essentially means smaller sizing and a women’s-specific saddle.) The main drawbacks with this model are maneuverability—it’s not quite as nimble as the other bikes we tested, which could be a function of its geometry (more on that in How we picked and tested )—and price. In 2018, its predecessor cost $530; now, the Coda S2, which has very similar components, is $630 (on sale).

For commuters, belt-drive systems make a lot of sense. The belts don’t wear out as quickly as chains, and they don’t need to be oiled, so there’s less bike grease in your life and on your clothes. And the internally geared rear hubs let you change gears when you’re standing still (like at a traffic light). The downside is the cost: Reliable internally geared hubs are expensive, and that makes bikes with belt drives pricier than our other picks.

But the aluminum Priority Continuum Onyx is a bargain for this category, especially considering that it comes with hydraulic disc brakes, the well-respected Gates Carbon Drive belt, and an Enviolo continuous gearing rear hub, plus upgrades, such as internal gear cable routing and dynamo-charged front and rear lights. This bike does not, however, come in a step-through version, and it’s not available in bike shops, which means dealing with assembly yourself.

The research

Why you should trust me, who this is for, how we picked and tested, our pick: marin fairfax 1, also great: jamis coda s2, upgrade pick: priority continuum onyx, the competition.

I’ve overseen Wirecutter’s cycling-gear coverage for seven years. In a previous life, I commuted on an eight-speed hybrid from San Francisco’s Bernal Heights to my downtown office, and I later used the sturdy little bike as my townie bike.

• For the original 2017 version of this review, I interviewed mechanics and proprietors at shops specializing in commuter bikes all over the country—Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC—who repair bikes ridden in all kinds of conditions.
• I talked to bike manufacturers and component suppliers, spent multiple days surveying every booth at bike trade shows over the past seven years, and interviewed everyday riders, including members of San Francisco’s local bike coalition.
• I’ve continued to test new iterations of our picks, to make sure they’ve retained the features we liked, and I’ve researched new models from other manufacturers, testing those that seemed promising.

If you’d like to start regularly riding to work or school, and your ride will last half an hour or more, you’ll probably want what’s often called a fitness hybrid bike, or a performance hybrid. That term gets you what is basically a road bike with flat, mountain-bike-style handlebars.

A bike like this will be agile enough to maneuver around the potholes you see, tough enough to weather the ones you don’t, and speedy enough that you can roll it out on the weekend to get some exercise with the family, or even join a charity ride. But it’s not as twitchy, in terms of handling, as a drop-bar road bike would be.

And should you get to the point where you are snagging all the local KOMs or QOMs (translation: you’ve bought a fancy road bike) or shredding the singletrack gnar (translation: you’ve bought a fancy mountain bike), you can still use your trusty hybrid as your townie bike—the one you can load down with groceries (hurray, rack mounts!) or lock up outside without too much fear of theft (hurray, lower price!).

Performance hybrid bikes don’t attract the kind of enthusiasts who keep endless threads going on road-bike or mountain-bike forums, debating the merits and flaws of different brands and models. Still, we dug up what reviews we could find, looking for praise and dings.

The sweet spot for a starter bike like this used to be $500. Drop much lower, and you’re stuck with outmoded or truly poorly made parts that might be hard to replace once they wear out; spend more, and you can get a nicer bike, with lighter components, but that defeats the purpose of a starter bike. However, many of the $500 bikes we looked at a few years back have gone up in price, some by as much as 35%.

After seeing what’s available now and consulting commuters, bike-shop owners, and mechanics, we settled on what we’d like to see now in the ideal basic hybrid-fitness bike.

Fitness-appropriate geometry: When bike people talk about “geometry,” they’re talking about the angles at which the tubes that make up the bike’s frame meet. Change the degrees of the angles, and you change the way the bike handles on corners and going up and down hills. If the bike is too responsive, it could feel squirrelly and unstable. For efficiency’s sake, the design of your hybrid’s frame should be closer to that of a road bike than to that of a beach cruiser. You don’t want to sit straight up, especially on a longer weekend ride, because you’ll have to fight the wind more.

Flat handlebars: These are more user-friendly than the drop bars you see on a road bike, and since you will be more upright, your field of vision will be broader—a plus in city traffic.

Safe, strong brakes: Mechanical (or cable-actuated) disc brakes have just about replaced traditional V brakes on even low-priced hybrids. This isn’t necessarily a good thing: As Loren Copsey , co-owner of The Daily Rider in Washington, DC, said, “On these bikes you’re going to get entry-level disc brakes, which are hard to set up and hard to keep adjusted, and lower-quality pads—and they’re not necessarily even more powerful than rim brakes.” Also, bikes with disc brakes are almost always heavier than comparable bikes with rim brakes. However, it’s now unusual to find a hybrid equipped with V brakes that doesn’t have serious flaws elsewhere.

Fender and rack mounts: Using panniers attached to a rear rack, instead of a backpack, to carry your gear lowers your center of gravity, which is a good thing. Also, no sweaty back. Fenders will keep you (and your riding companions) somewhat drier when you’re riding in the rain—or on wet roads, after the rain has ended.

Gearing appropriate for your terrain: By this we mean, for the most part, that the bike should have gears and not be a single-speed. Single speeds do have their place. In flat parts of the country that have vicious winters—hello, Minnesota!—the fewer moving parts in a drivetrain, the better. But for most of us, gears will come in handy. Most fitness hybrids come with three chainrings in front and seven or eight cogs in the back, for a total of 21 or 24 gears, which would give you enough options for pretty much anywhere you’ll be riding. Something we’ve seen more of lately are hybrids with just a single chainring up front. Having one fewer shifter to deal with is appealing, but to get the equivalent range of gears, you need a big—and expensive and heavy—cassette in the rear. So we eliminated such hybrids.

A sturdy yet reasonably lightweight frame: You do want to be able to carry your bike up steps or down into the subway, or be able to lift it onto a bus or a bike rack. But you also want it to withstand being knocked around a little. So you’ll probably be looking at an aluminum frame. Aluminum’s a third of the weight of steel, and it doesn’t cost nearly as much as carbon; the ride can be a bit jarring, though. Steel provides a cushier ride, but a good-quality, lightweight steel frame will not be cheap. Almost all of the bikes we looked at, though, do have steel-bladed forks; the slight increase in weight that they add is worth the vibration dampening they provide. (Of these forks, we preferred those made from chrome-moly , a type of steel that’s stronger than high-tensile steel , which you tend to see in very cheap bikes.)

Decent-quality components: Here, it’s a matter of finding the right balance of price, quality, and durability. One thing we would avoid, though, are bikes that come with old-fashioned freewheel cogsets on the rear wheel, instead of the more modern cassettes. A common complaint on the few hybrid user threads we’d found was being stuck with a wheel whose hub was compatible only with freewheel cogs, which are becoming hard to find, especially high-level ones. What you really don’t want to buy is a bike with a freewheel and disc brakes—and we’re seeing more and more of them. If that rear wheel gets stolen or destroyed, good luck replacing it, said Copsey: “You just can’t find those two things on an off-the-shelf wheel.”

Wide rims: The wider the rims on the wheels, the wider the tire you can use, and the lower the air pressure you need, which gives you a more comfortable ride. “A big fat tire is the poor man’s suspension,” said Michael Ferrand, owner of Bicycle Michael’s , in New Orleans. The norm for these bikes’ rims is 32 mm—you’ll want at least that. (One welcome trend is the increasing number of hybrids being sold with wider tires: Instead of the usual 35s, they’re coming with 38 mm tires and even 40 mm.) Speaking of suspension, none of our experts would recommend getting a $500 bike with front suspension, no matter how bad your roads are. As Emily Thibodeau, owner of Hub Bicycle (now closed), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, put it, “The shocks you’d get are really heavy and can’t be adjusted—it’s like having a glorified pogo stick on the front of your bike.”

When we first compiled this guide, in 2017, we started with a master list of 45 bikes and filtered it down to 16 to test. In subsequent years, we dove deep into the latest specs for all the bikes we’d ever looked at, as well as those of our picks, and of any new bikes on the scene. When necessary, we called in models that had undergone any substantial changes.

Next came the test-riding stage. The highlight was what I like to call the Supermarket Slalom: riding up and down a steep driveway leading to my local Safeway, while weaving through a line of soft-hit poles, to test the bikes’ handling. San Francisco even obliged with a few rainstorms, which made the abundant broken glass in the parking lot even more appealing to tires and the pedestrian walkway’s plastic surface even more slippery.

Here are two things to remember when you’re shopping. First, you should try to test-ride any bike you’re considering buying—how a bike feels to you and how your body feels while riding it are intensely personal.

The second thing is that bikes don’t often change that much—or at all—from one model year to the next. If the bike you like isn’t available anymore but the dealer says that next year’s model is arriving soon, ask if it’s a “carry-forward” model. If it is, nothing will be changing.

After a redesign for 2022, the Marin Fairfax 1 remains at the top of our list. For those riders who prefer a step-through or low-rise frame, Marin makes a version of the Fairfax 1 called the Fairfax 1 ST ; it’s identical to the Fairfax, apart from having a lower top tube.

It’s designed to be agile yet stable. When I got on the 2022 model and pedaled off down the street, the bike felt quick—not in a nervous, edgy way, but in a sprightly way. (We tested a step-through version, which is the bike shown in the photos above and below.) Accelerating felt easy. When I looked at the bike’s chainstays (the parts of the frame that connect the rear wheel to the bottom bracket), I saw that they’re flattened (a design meant to increase stiffness; that is, more of your pedaling power makes it to the rear wheel), and the seat stays (the parts of the frame that connect the rear wheel to the seat tube) join the seat tube at a relatively low point, tightening the rear triangle, which also increases the bike’s responsiveness.

It’s an excellent value. At a time when prices for similarly equipped hybrids from the big companies (Cannondale, Fuji, Giant, Specialized, Trek) hover around $600, the 2024 Fairfax still costs only $500. Even so, it uses the same frame and the same components as last year’s model.

Its gearing is good for hills.  The cassette on the pre-2019 Fairfax had eight gears ranging from 11 to 32 teeth; the cassette on the current one has seven gears ranging from 11 to 34 teeth. This means that although you have fewer gear choices, the gearing range actually increased. That’d be a good thing—especially if you’re facing a steep hill and will be needing that extra-easy big gear in the back—except that the bigger jumps between fewer gears might make the shifting feel rough. This isn’t something we noticed with the Fairfax, however. As for the front gearing, it’s the same as all the bikes we tested, apart from the belt-drive ones: a Shimano Tourney triple set of chainrings with 48, 38, and 28 teeth.

Its components are upgraded where it counts. Having only seven gears in back is common among the other hybrids we saw in the Fairfax’s price range; what makes the Fairfax stand out is that Marin is using a true seven-speed cassette, not a freewheel cogset (see our criteria in the How we picked and tested section). None of the other 21-speed bikes we considered come with a cassette. In fact, we’ve seen bikes costing as much as $650—such as the 2022 Giant Escape 3 Disc —fitted with a freewheel cogset. The Fairfax also has a shock-dampening chrome-moly steel fork instead of the cheaper, stiffer hi-tensile steel forks that many of its competitors use. The remaining components—mechanical disc brakes, derailleurs, shifters, handlebars, wheels, rack and fender mounts—are par for what you’d see on entry-level hybrids: no better, but no worse. (This goes for the saddle, pedals, and handlebar grips, too.)

The most recent redesign added a couple of nice extras. First, the shifter cables are routed internally, as they once were, and now the brake cables are as well—an unexpectedly high-end touch in an entry-level bike. Running the shifter or brake cables inside the frame tubes protects the cables from damage in much the same way that cable housing does, only better. (Grit can work its way in between the cable and the housing and make your bike’s shifting slow or ragged.) Second, the frame now has clearance for bigger tires, which means that if you so choose, you can replace the 35 mm tires that come stock on the bike with cushier 38s or even 40s (I checked and they’ll fit).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• When we first tested this bike, in 2017, it came with Schwalbe Road Cruisers—made by one of the most respected tire makers in the business, they have a protective layer of Kevlar fiber. In 2019, Marin substituted a private-label tire with no claim of flat protection. The 2024 Fairfax 1 still comes with the private-label tire.

If your daily routine takes you on rough pavement or potholed city streets, we recommend the Jamis Coda S2 . (Jamis does make a “women’s” version of the Coda S2 ; it comes in one smaller size, different colors, and with a slightly wider saddle.)

Its steel frame provides a smooth ride. The current version of the Coda S2 is very similar to the 2017 version we tested (though back then it was called the Coda Sport). This model has the same Shimano Tourney front derailleur and triple crankset (with 48, 38, and 28 teeth), Acera rear derailleur and eight-cog, 11-32-tooth cassette, and Tektro V brakes, as well as steel-wrapped resin pedals. The heart of the Coda S2, though, remains the relatively lightweight (27 pounds for the 19-inch size) chrome-moly steel frame and fork, which quiets the road chatter you might otherwise feel while riding on rough pavement.

Steel is also easily repaired. Another advantage steel offers is that if it bends, it can be bent back. So if the hanger that attaches the rear derailleur to the frame gets bent—as can happen if the bike is in a crash or even, say, jostled roughly on a train—it can be straightened again without risk that it will snap. With aluminum, sometimes such an operation is successful and sometimes … not. (Most aluminum frames—such as our top pick’s—do use replaceable hangers, but they come in a wide array of sizes, and not all bike shops carry all of them.)

It comes with name-brand—and cushier—tires. After a brief downgrade, three years back, the Coda S2 once again sports Vittoria Randonneur tires, from a venerable manufacturer. And now those Randonneurs are 40mm wide—they used to be 32s—which will undoubtedly make your ride even smoother.

• In the years since we first tested this bike, its specs haven’t changed in any substantive way, but the price has steadily marched upward, from $520 in 2017 to $530 to $580 to $700 in 2021 to $770. It is currently discounted to $630, but even so, that’s quite a trajectory.
• We found this bike not quite as maneuverable as our top pick in terms of acceleration and handling.
• The Coda’s V brakes worked fine in our testing. But if you plan on commuting during foul weather or spend a lot of time riding on dirt roads, you might want to consider a bike with disc brakes, which maintain their stopping power in the rain (they also don’t get clogged up with mud or slush the way V brakes can).

People who commute in nice clothes, who find numbered gears confounding, or who simply don’t want to deal with much bike maintenance might want to consider the Priority Continuum Onyx .

Instead of a chain, a carbon-fiber belt drives the bike’s gears and wheels. Because carbon belts don’t need lubrication, unlike chains, they don’t pick up dirt the way chain lube does. (No bike grease on your pant leg. And no need to remember to lube your chain.) However, belt-drive hybrids cost a lot more than traditional hybrids, because they require an internally geared rear hub, which can run anywhere from about $100 to $1,500. (Compare this with $45 for the Shimano eight-speed cassette and hubs that are on most of the bikes we looked at.)

Changing gears is extremely simple. The Continuum Onyx comes with an Enviolo continuous internally geared rear hub drive (instead of the cassette-and-derailleur system on our other picks). Rather than changing gears one by one—with an audible click—you twist the grip shifter of the Continuum Onyx smoothly in one direction to make the pedals easier to turn (and the bike easier to ride up hills), and you twist it in the other direction to make the pedals harder to turn (which will make the bike go faster on flat ground). The workings of ordinary internally geared hubs are difficult enough to grasp—picture something like the inside of an old, expensive watch —and when you add in the concept of continuous gearing, it seems like magic. The hub does have upper and lower limits in terms of ease and difficulty: According to Enviolo, the range of “gears” is broader than that of another popular internally geared hub, the Shimano Nexus eight-speed hub.

It’s a good price for what you get. Although the aluminum-framed Continuum Onyx retails (at the time of publication) for $1,300—a little over two and a half times the cost of the Marin Fairfax 1 —it’s inexpensive for a belt-drive hybrid. The Continuum comes with hydraulic disc brakes, an aluminum fork, and a Gates Carbon Drive belt (Gates being the most well-made option from a high-quality manufacturer).

You don’t have to charge its lights. The Continuum Onyx we tested came with a headlight that’s powered by the front wheel’s dynamo hub, so you don’t need to plug it in to recharge it, and a removable, rechargeable (by USB) rear light; the Onyxes now shipping, however, are equipped with a rear light that’s wired to the front hub’s dynamo as well. The headlight on our test bike was strong enough for city use—I’d supplement it with our commuter headlight pick if I were taking it on dark suburban bike paths—but it had a strobe-y effect that I found distracting.

• The bike doesn’t come in a step-through version, which makes it hard to use with a child’s seat on a rear rack.
• The bike is available only through the Priority website, not in bike shops. This means you can’t test-ride the bike ahead of time to make sure you like it and that it fits you.
• Once the bike arrives, you have to finish putting it together. This was the case when we tested this Continuum Onyx, as well as its predecessor, the first Continuum. Though you don’t have to fiddle with derailleurs, you do still need to make sure your brakes are set up correctly and your bike is bolted together properly.Since our testing, Priority has created a workaround: Priority ships your bike to a bike shop near you, and the shop assembles it for a fee of $130.
• If you do choose to have the bike shipped directly to you (this costs $30), we recommend that you have a bike shop assemble your bike for you or at least check your work. You should expect to pay the shop its standard service rate and maybe even a “corkage” fee—a small fee for bringing in a bike you bought online instead of purchasing one at the shop. (If there is a fee, pay it, and don’t be a jerk about it. As Michael Ferrard points out, bringing in a bike you’ve bought online for them to put together is like “driving your meat to McDonald’s and asking them to fry it up and put some porcini and portobello mushrooms on it.”)

The Trek FX 2 Disc  and the Trek FX 2 Disc Stagger step-through , which both come with hydraulic brakes, now list at a cool $800 each, a $70 increase from 2021 and a $260 increase over 2019. Trek’s entry-level FX, the FX 1 , is available for $700 (currently, it’s discounted on Trek’s site to $600). The FX 1 now comes with a cassette, not the freewheel cogset that we initially dismissed it for. However, even on sale, it’s still pricier than our top pick

Giant’s Escape 3 series of bikes come with high-tensile steel forks, which we like less than chrome-moly forks, and in rim-brake and mechanical-disc versions; the rim-brake one uses a freewheel cogset—a dealbreaker, as we said above . The 2024 version of the disc Escape 3 Disc now has a cassette, instead of 2022’s freewheel. But beware: The Giant website still lists the 2022 freewheel incarnation as well, and both cost $650—$150 more than our top pick.

In a laudable commitment to women’s cycling, Giant has an entire women-specific brand, Liv. The Liv equivalent to the Escape line is called Alight; the Alight 3 comes in rim-brake and mechanical-disc models, also with (dealbreaking) freewheel cogsets.

The Specialized Sirrus 1.0 has a double chainring in front, in place of the triple it once had. This reduced the number of gearing options to 14, as the rear cassette remains a seven-speed, and those gears span a narrower range (12 to 32) than the Marin Fairfax’s 11 to 34. (The bike also has rim brakes and a high-tensile steel fork.) As of spring 2024, the price is $550 (discounted from $650).

Cannondale’s Quick range of fitness hybrids now starts with the Quick 6, which has V brakes, triple chainrings, and a seven-speed cassette. The price was $660 for the men’s and the women’s versions; they are identical apart from the range of sizes and colors available, and the fact that the women’s version has a step-through frame. Currently, last year’s stock is discounted on Cannondale’s site to $530—if you prefer V brakes, you might consider this bike, if you can find it in your size.

Fuji’s Absolute line is available again, after a period of corporate turmoil. However, the Absolute 2.1 , which is the closest in price and features to our top pick, comes with a freewheel rather than a cassette.

We dismissed Batch Bicycles’ Fitness Bicycle because it uses a freewheel cogset rather than a cassette. We had been planning to test the steel Roebling , from Brooklyn Bicycle Co., but it now comes with a single chainring up front instead of the original triple chainring, which we still consider a dealbreaker.

M. Loren Copsey, co-owner of The Daily Rider, Washington, DC , phone interview , September 29, 2016

Kevin Womac, owner of Boulevard Bikes, Chicago , phone interview , September 29, 2016

Michael Ferrand, owner of Bicycle Michael’s, New Orleans , phone interview , September 29, 2016

Emily Thibodeau, former owner of Hub Bicycle, Cambridge, Massachusetts , phone interview , September 29, 2016

Gene Oberpriller, owner of One on One Bicycle Studio, Minneapolis , phone interview , September 29, 2016

S.B. Phillips, then mechanic, The New Wheel, San Francisco , interview , October 1, 2016

Meet your guide

Christine Ryan

Christine Ryan is a senior editor at Wirecutter overseeing the teams that cover travel, outdoors gear, beds and linens, home decor, and more. (She also edits and writes about cycling equipment, which gives her an excuse to sneak away from her desk and go for a ride.) Previously, she was an editor at European Travel & Life, Gourmet, and Sunset.

Further reading

The Best Bike Storage Ideas

by Christine Ryan

After 30-plus hours of research and testing, we think the Delta Cycle Michelangelo Gravity Stand  is the best bike rack for storing bikes in limited-space homes.

The Best Bike Helmet for Commuters

by Lindsay Warner

In our ninth year of testing bike helmets, we now recommend the Met Downtown Mips for most commuters. We also have other picks for other needs.

The Best Bike Pump

by Eve O'Neill, Matthew Edwards, and Dave Yasuda

After six years of tests, we believe the Lezyne Classic Drive 3.5 is the best floor pump for most commuters, and the Lezyne Pressure Drive is the best handheld.

Gear for Foul-Weather Bike Commuting

by Wirecutter Staff

Hard-core bike commuters share seven items—from storm-worthy gloves to rugged tires—that keep them (and their stuff) safe and dry in the winter.

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Best Hybrid Bikes in 2024: Top Models for Leisure, Commuting and Fitness

Hybrid bikes are known as the champions of versatility, making them a great choice for anyone who loves cycling on different types of terrain.

They blend the best parts of road and mountain bikes, which helps them perform equally well on smooth roads, busy city streets, and on country trails.

The best hybrid bikes are designed to promote a relaxed upright riding position that balances comfort and handling with speed and acceleration. 

Hybrid bikes are super versatile and ideal for a wide range of riders and uses.

Our buying guide below is your ticket to discovering the 13 best hybrid bike models of the year, whether you’re riding to work or going on a weekend adventure.

If you’re on a tight budget, we recommend also reading our buying guide on the best hybrid bikes under $1,000 . We’ve also written guides on the best hybrid bikes for women and the best electric hybrid bikes  if you want to explore even more options.

Key Factors in Choosing the Best Hybrid Bike

Choosing the best hybrid bike for your needs requires understanding the main aspects that impact performance, comfort, and practicality.

Here are some key factors to keep in mind, but consider reading our full guide to hybrid bikes as well to learn more.

Gearing Options and Belt Drives

Hybrid bikes are available with diverse gearing options, from single-speed to multi-gear drivetrains that cater to different needs and riding conditions. 

Many models also come with internal gear hubs that feature a sealed low-maintenance mechanism, ideal for daily exploitation in various weather.

Higher-end models might feature belt drive systems, an alternative to traditional chains, that provide a clean, quiet, and low-maintenance ride. Though the technology is slowly trickling down and belt drive bikes are becoming more affordable over time. 

Each of these setups can be right for you, depending on your needs. When choosing, consider the typical terrain you’ll ride on and the amount of maintenance you’re comfortable with.

Bike Fit and Comfort

Hybrid bikes are typically designed to prioritize comfort over performance, so it’s crucial to get a model that fits you well. 

Make sure to study the geometry and size chart well and choose a frame size that fits your body dimensions such as height and inseam length. 

You should also keep in mind that some hybrid bikes have a relaxed, upright riding position, whereas others favor a more aggressive, forward-leaning position. 

Therefore, choosing the right frame type for your style of riding is critical to ensure you feel comfortable and the bike meets your needs perfectly.

Recommended reading:

• Bike Size Charts: How to Choose the Right Bicycle Size
• Easy DIY Bike Fit: Tips for a More Comfortable Ride

Disc Brakes

Disc brakes used to be available on mountain bikes only until a few years ago—now the best hybrid bikes have them as well. 

They are a superior choice compared to traditional rim brakes as they offer more braking power and perform consistently no matter the weather conditions. They especially shine on rainy days and on muddy rides.

Disc brakes are available in two types—mechanical and hydraulic. The former are cheaper but require manual adjusting, whereas the latter are slightly more expensive but brake better and require less frequent adjustment. 

Whenever possible, we recommend choosing hydraulic disc brakes. But, if your budget doesn’t allow it, mechanical discs and rim brakes can also be a good choice, especially if you typically ride in dry conditions.

The weight of a hybrid bike is not as important as the weight of a road bike, but it does affect a few important daily aspects, such as handling and portability. 

Hybrids are generally not considered to be lightweight, especially if they come with features like an internal gear hub, hydraulic disc brakes, multiple add-ons, and wide tires. 

However, choosing a lighter model can be beneficial, especially if you need to lift the bike often, carry it up and down the stairs, or take it on public transportation. 

If you want to ensure you get a lightweight hybrid bike, look for a model with a carbon frameset or a high-grade aluminum frame and carbon fork. They may cost more, but they’ll be easier to handle and a joy to ride.

If this doesn’t fit your budget, don’t obsess over it—generally speaking, weight is of secondary importance when riding a hybrid.

Accessories and Customization Options

The best hybrid bikes we’ve chosen below may or may not come with preinstalled accessories, such as fenders and racks. However, most hybrid bikes offer mounts for customization options, so you can include these add-ons on your own.

Unless you’re planning to use your hybrid bike for performance-focused fitness riding, accessories like racks and panniers can be handy for carrying goods, whereas fenders will allow you to ride in wet conditions. 

We also recommend investing in getting a set of bright lights and reflectors for visibility, as well as mounts for water bottles. A kickstand can also be handy if you make a lot of frequent stops, as it will prevent you from chipping the frame paint by having to lean your bike on posts and walls. 

Best Hybrid Bikes in 2024

• Specialized Sirrus 6.0
• Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1
• Priority Bicycles Continuum Onyx
• Trek Dual Sport+ 2
• Cannondale Quick Disc 4
• Tommaso La Forma
• Giant FastRoad AR Advanced 1
• Diamondback Division 2
• Public Bikes V9 Aluminum
• Cannondale Bad Boy 1
• LIV Alight 2 Disc
• Marin DSX 2
• Rondo Booz ST

1. Specialized Sirrus 6.0

High-End Hybrid Performance

• MSRP: $3,000
• Frame: FACT 9r carbon w/ Compliance Junction
• Suspension : Future Shock 1.5
• Gears: SRAM GX Eagle Lunar 1×12
• Brakes: SRAM Level TLM hydraulic

Reasons to buy:

• Compliance Junction carbon frame technology
• Headtube-hidden Future Shock 1.5 suspension
• High-end SRAM components
• Rack and Fenders compatible
• Tubeless-ready tires

Reasons to avoid:

A single glance is enough to see that the Specialized Sirrus 6.0 is a unique bike that aims to redefine hybrid cycling, blending high speed, comfort, and technology. Its lightweight carbon frame is a standout feature, boasting the Compliance Junction that provides flexibility in the frame for a smooth ride without losing efficiency.

The carbon frame is paired with the Future Shock 1.5 suspension in the headtube to reduce road vibrations and enhance comfort on various terrains. Therefore, the Sirrus 6.0 is an outstanding choice for city streets, as well as for gravel and dirt roads.

The Specialized Sirrus 6.0 is pricey, there’s no doubt about that, but the attention to detail is evident in its high-quality build and components. It comes with a reliable SRAM GX Eagle Lunar 1×12 drivetrain and powerful SRAM Level TLM hydraulic disc brakes, ensuring easy pedaling and reliable braking no matter the conditions.

But where the Sirrus’ versatility truly shines is its ability to accommodate up to 42c wide tires and its compatibility with racks and fenders, which is not often seen with carbon frames.

So whether you need a hybrid bike for fitness, commuting, or exploring, the Specialized Sirrus 6.0 can adapt seamlessly to your needs on a day-to-day basis.

Buy from Specialized.com

2. Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1

Affordable Commuter Choice

• Frame: Aluminum
• Suspension : SR Suntour Nex DS, 63 mm
• Gears: Shimano Altus 2×8
• Brakes: Tektro HD-M275 hydraulic disc brakes
• Lightweight and efficient 2x drivetrain
• Top tube bag mount
• Reflective tire sidewalls improve visibility
• Powerful hydraulic brakes
• 300 lb weight limit
• A bit heavy at 32 lb

The Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1 is a budget hybrid bike that’s comfortable, reasonably fast, and perfect for commuting thanks to its upright riding position.

With 63mm of travel in the front and 700c x 40mm tires, the CTY 2.1 is capable of navigating city streets and hardpacked gravel roads equally well. 

Related:  Co-op Cycles CTY Series Review

This bike also features a Shimano Altus 2×8-speed drivetrain and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. The previous version of this model had a 3x drivetrain, which is overly complex and heavy, so the 2x is an improvement. It’s paired up with a wide-range 11-34T cassette, which is good news if you live somewhere hilly. 

With a step-through frame, the CTY 2.1 is incredibly practical and easy to get on a off. The frame does not come with any accessories, but there are multiple mounts to retrofit them if you decide that you need any. 

To sum up, the Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1 is one of the best hybrid bikes for recreational riders and those shopping on a tight budget.

Buy on REI.com

3. Priority Bicycles Continuum Onyx

Low-Maintenance Commuting Star

• MSRP: $1,299
• Frame: 6061 T6 Aluminum
• Suspension :  None, rigid aluminum fork
• Gears: Enviolo CVT hub, 380%
• Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes
• Sealed Enviolo CVT rear hub
• Gates belt drive
• Dynamo-powered lights
• Maintenance-free hydraulic brakes
• Excellent accessories
• Weighs 31 lb

The Priority Continuum Onyx is the best low-maintenance hybrid bike on this list and possibly one of the best ones on the market. If you’re looking for a bike that requires minimal adjustment and easy upkeep, you should stop your search here. 

The Continuum Onyx comes with an Enviolo CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) hub with no predefined gears and a 380% gear range. You simply turn the twist shifter to the ideal resistance point and enjoy riding. Plus, all parts are sealed in, so you won’t need to do any maintenance or adjustments. 

In addition to that, the Onyx also comes with a belt drive that requires no lubrication or cleaning and lasts multiple times more than a traditional chain. The low-maintenance build is rounded up with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes that also need minimal upkeep. 

Priority Bicycles also equipped this hybrid bike with a front-wheel dynamo that powers the lights, front and rear fenders, a kickstand, and puncture-resistant 700c x 32mm tires. In other words, they pretty much thought about everything so that you don’t need to.

Check out the rest of the Priority Bicycles’ range as well, as their bikes start from as low as $599.

Buy from PriorityBicycles.com

4. Trek Dual Sport+ 2

Best Electric Hybrid Bike

• MSRP: $2,400
• Frame: Alpha Gold Aluminum
• Suspension : None, rigid alloy fork
• Gears:  Shimano Altus, 9-speed
• Brakes: Shimano MT200 hydraulic discs
• Powerful motor and battery kit
• Bright front and rear lights
• Low weight despite the electronics
• Versatile 650 x 50mm tires
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• No fenders or rear rack

The Dual Sport+ 2 is Trek’s most affordable electric hybrid bike and one of the best choices on this list. This is a fast and nimble hybrid e-bike with a sleek integrated motor and battery that will make your commute faster and easier than before.

The Hyena G2 rear hub motor has 40 Nm of torque and provides assistance for up to 20 mph, whereas the 250 Wh battery is integrated into the down tube and provides a 35-mile range.

That’s a decent setup for everyday riding and climbing, especially when you consider the 9-speed Shimano Altus rear derailleur and Shimano’s MT200 hydraulic disc brakes. Even though these are entry-level components, they are reliable and durable and get the job done. 

Finally, the Dual Sport+ 2 also comes with bright front and rear lights, so you can ride it day and night, but sadly doesn’t feature fenders or a rear rack. Though you can easily retrofit these accessories, as Trek has included all the necessary mounting points.

We recommend getting it if you want a minimalistic hybrid electric bike that will allow you to ride further and faster than before.

Buy from Trek Bikes

5. Cannondale Quick Disc 4

Fitness and Commute Ready

• Frame: SmartForm C3 alloy
• Suspension : None, rigid chromoly fork
• Gears:  microSHIFT Advent, 9-speed
• Brakes: Tektro hydro disc
• Lightweight at 25 lb
• Cannondale’s integrated wheel sensor
• SP Connect–compatible smartphone case mount
• 360° reflective details
• Mounts to add accessories
• Chromoly fork

The Cannondale Quick Disc 4 is part of Cannondale’s Quick Series , which includes several fitness bikes with rigid forks and balanced geometries, ideal for speedy city commutes and workouts.

The Quick Disc 4 build offers excellent value and a decent set of components to satisfy the needs of a recreational cyclist or urban commuter. It’s equipped with a microShift Advent 9-speed rear derailleur and decent Tektro hydraulic disc brakes.

As a fitness hybrid bike, the Quick Disc 4 does not come with any accessories, but you can add racks or fenders to the bike to make it even more versatile. It doesn’t even come with a kickstand, but you can install one easily. 

This bike also comes with Cannondale’s integrated wheel sensor that helps track your activities, a mount on the stem that holds any SP Connect–compatible smartphone case, and 360° reflective details that increase visibility at all times.

All in all, the Cannondale Quick Disc 4 hybrid bike is definitely a model that should be at the top of your list if you’re looking for a fast and simple workhorse.

6. Tommaso La Forma

Best Urban Speedster

• Frame: 6061 Alloy aluminum frame
• Suspension : None, rigid carbon fork
• Gears: Shimano Acera, 3×9-speed
• Brakes: Rim brakes
• Lightweight carbon fork
• Fast 700x32c tires
• Attractive design
• Wide gear range for steep climbs
• Comfortable compact frame
• No internal cable routing

Tommaso La Forma is a budget-friendly urban bike equipped to tackle city roads as a commuting companion or a swift fitness bike.

The La Forma has a high-quality Aluminum frame combined with a lightweight carbon fork, which is a nice surprise in this price range.

This bike is designed for fast workouts and speedy commutes, which is reflected in its 700x32C tires which help you zip around the city. The 3×9 Shimano Acera drivetrain is a bit heavy, but you get 27 gears to tackle any gradient you encounter.

The only disadvantage is the fact La Forma comes with rim brakes instead of disc brakes, but this is understandable as Tommaso’s goal was to create a flat bar hybrid bike that’s as close to a road bike as possible. 

Finally, this bike also comes with mounts for fenders and a pannier rack which will allow you to turn it into the perfect commuter bike.

Buy from TommasoCycling.com

7. Giant FastRoad AR Advanced 1 

Performance Oriented Versatility

• MSRP: $2,100
• Frame: Carbon fiber frame
• Gears: Shimano 105, 2×11
• Brakes: Tektro HD-R280, 160mm rotors
• Lightweight carbon frameset
• Versatile 700x40c tubeless tires
• Road-specific Shimano 105 drivetrain
• Stiff bottom bracket for power transfer
• Fork mounts
• D-shaped seat post limits upgrade options

The Giant FastRoad is the best hybrid bike for someone who needs a two-wheeler that can do it all. It may seem costly, but it’s the only bike you need, and here’s why.

The FastRoad AR Advanced 1 is built around a super stiff and lightweight carbon frameset that you can see on Giant’s road bikes. That makes it fast, agile, and responsive, which is ideal for fast commutes and fitness rides. 

Moreover, it boasts a road-specific Shimano 105 2×11 drivetrain that can be seen on many best road bikes , combined with Tektro’s powerful hydraulic disc brakes. 

The Giant Gavia Fondo AR 700x40c tubeless tires are perfect for tackling bumpy backroads with speed, comfort and control, but are also great for city streets and smooth tarmac. If you prefer gravel riding, there’s clearance for up to 42mm wide tires. 

In conclusion, the Giant FastRoad AR Advanced 1 is a versatile, high-performance hybrid bike that excellently balances speed, agility, and comfort, making it an outstanding choice for both urban commuting and adventurous backroad cycling.

Buy on Mikesbikes.com

8. Diamondback Division 2

All-Around Recreational Hybrid

• Frame: 6061 Heat-Treated Aluminum
• Suspension :  None, rigid alloy fork
• Gears: Shimano Alivio/Acera 9-speed
• Brakes: Tektro HD-T275 Hydraulic
• Attractive tan-wall tires
• Excellent components for the price
• Four sizes fit 5’7″ to 6’4″
• Comfortable grips and saddle
• Versatile 650b x 47 mm tires
• Cables not fully internal
• One water bottle cage mount

The Division 2 is Diamondback’s vision of a one-bike-to-rule-them-all that’s built on an attractive aluminum frame that features relaxed geometry perfect for urban rides.

It’s equipped with above-average components for the price, which is generally the case with all Diamondback bikes—they offer good bang for the buck. Plus, the Division 2 rolls on versatile 650b x 47mm tires that are suitable for different uses, such as fitness riding, commuting, and light gravel adventures.

The drivetrain is comprised of a Shimano Alivio rear derailleur and a Shimano Acera shifter and gives you nine versatile speeds for easy-going recreational rides. Another positive surprise is the Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, which are always a positive sight on hybrid bikes under $1,000.

The only drawback is the fact that the cables are not fully internally routed and that there are mounts for only one water bottle. But, other than that, the Diamondback Division 2 is a well-thought-out package.

All in all, this is one of the best hybrid bikes you can use to travel to work, enjoy a fun afternoon spin with friends, or explore gravel trails!

Buy from Diamondback.com

9. Public Bikes V9 Aluminum

Simple and Efficient Commuter

• MSRP: $650 ( Public Bikes / Mike’s Bikes )
• Frame:  PUBLIC premium aluminum tubing
• Suspension :  None, rigid steel fork
• Gears:  Shimano Altus 9-speed
• Brakes: Alloy dual-pivot calipers
• Retro aluminum frame and steel fork
• Mounts for fenders and racks
• Vegan leather grips
• Fast and comfortable
• No disc brakes

The Public V9 Aluminum is a retro-styled hybrid commuter that keeps things simple to get the job done with minimal fuss. Need a bike to get from point A to point B without overthinking it too much? The V9 Aluminum is the right choice for you.

This hybrid bike is built around a classic diamond-shaped premium aluminum frame with a high-tensile steel fork for maximum comfort. It includes mounts for fenders and racks, so you can personalize it to your liking. 

The V9 is called this way because it sports a Shimano Altus 9-speed rear derailleur, which is a wide range of gears for recreational riders and commuters. To keep things light and simple, this bike has dual-caliper rim brakes instead of disc brakes, which is the same type you see on many road bikes, so they will provide enough stopping power. 

The Public V9 Aluminum weighs just 25 lb, which is 20% lighter than Public’s similar steel frame bikes. These weight savings will make a huge difference whenever you’re lifting or carrying the bike up and down stairs. 

Buy from PublicBikes.com     Buy from MikesBikes.com

10. Cannondale Bad Boy 1

Stylish Urban Explorer

• MSRP: $2,325
• Frame: SmartForm C1 alloy
• Suspension : Lefty LightPipe rigid
• Gears:  Shimano Alfine Rapidfire, 8-speed
• Brakes: Shimano MT400 hydraulic
• Sealed low-maintenance gearbox
• Durable gates carbon belt drive
• Integrated LED lights
• Integrated Urban Armor bumper
• Multi-surface 650b x 40mm tires

The Cannondale Bad Boy 1 is a hybrid bike with the look of a hardtail but the versatility of a city bike. 

At first glance, the feature that stands out the most is the Lefty rigid fork that reduces overall weight without sacrificing strength. Cannondale built this bike around its premium SmartForm C1 aluminum frame, which is a high-performance alloy with excellent ride characteristics and a low weight.

The frame has in-built top tube protection for leaning and locking the bike when out and about, as well as integrated LED lights in the Lefty LightPipe fork and seat post that will make you more visible on night rides.

The Bad Boy 1 also boasts an 8-speed internal Shimano Alfine gearbox with a belt drive to minimize maintenance and simplify shifting. The build also includes premium Shimano MT400 hydraulic disc brakes and multifunctional WTB Byway, 650b x 40mm tires. 

Therefore, this combination gives the Bad Boy 1 mixed-terrain capability and plenty of traction in wet urban conditions. 

In our opinion, you should not miss out on the Cannondale Bad Boy 1 if you want an affordable, versatile, and stylish city bike with the reliability of a big-name brand. 

11. Liv Alight 2 Disc

Best Women’s Beginner-Friendly Hybrid

• Frame: ALUXX-Grade aluminum
• Gears: Shimano Tourney/Altus 2×8
• Brakes: Tektro HD-R280 hydraulic
• Women-specific design
• Versatile puncture-resistant tires
• Mounts for multiple accessories
• Internal cable routing
• Ergonomic touchpoints
• Low-tier drivetrain components

The Liv Alight 2 Disc is a stylish women’s hybrid bike with plenty of versatility for mixed-terrain riding. As an entry-level model, it comes with several low-tier components, which makes it a good choice for beginners and recreational riders. 

Namely, the Alight 2 Disc is equipped with Shimano Tourney and Altus 2×8 derailleurs, which are the cheapest options you can get from this brand. They work well, but they’re not great for aggressive use. 

What we particularly like is the addition of Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, despite the low $750 price tag, which is a nice surprise and a highlight of this build. You also get 700 x 38c tires that balance speed, grip, and versatility well. 

The Liv Alight 2 Disc also has all the accessory mounts you need, so you can retrofit it with front and rear fenders and racks, a kickstand, and two water bottle cages. 

So if you want one of the best women’s hybrid bikes that costs little and comes with a well-balanced build, the Liv Alight 2 Disc won’t disappoint you.

12. Marin DSX 2

Gravel-Ready Adventurer

• MSRP: $1,349
• Frame: Series 3 6061 Aluminum
• Gears:  Shimano Deore 12-Speed
• Brakes: Shimano MT201 hydraulic
• High-quality Shimano components
• Gravel-ready tires
• Stable, slack geometry
• Great for light-duty touring
• Wheels and tires not tubeless-ready
• Reinforced seat tube results in a harsher ride

The Marin DSX 2 is a highly versatile and capable rigid hybrid slash gravel bike. If you can afford only one bike but your riding style requires multiple different types, the Marin DSX 2 should meet most of your needs.

The DSX 2 comes with an aluminum frame with a long wheelbase and slack geometry, which makes it stable at higher speeds and on rough surfaces. It also boasts a stiff carbon fork that improves comfort and lowers the total weight of this gravel hybrid bike.

The Marin DSX 2 features the latest Shimano Deore 12-speed rear derailleur, along with the MT201 hydraulic disc brakes, so it is definitely suitable for proper weekend adventures when the weekday commutes are over. 

The bike rolls on WTB Riddler 700 x 45mm, which is the widest you can go and the main reason why this bike is classified as a flat-bar gravel hybrid. 

If you love bikepacking, the DSX 2 can do that as well, you just need to add fenders and racks, or fit frame bags on it. 

Overall, this is the best hybrid bike for cyclists who love riding gravel or have a mixed-terrain commuting route to tackle each morning.

Buy on JensonUSA.com

Other Types of Urban Bikes to Consider

If you haven’t found exactly what you were looking for on this page, we recommend checking out our other urban-bike-related buying guides for more options!

• Best Commuter bikes : Excellent, fully-equipped bikes for everyday use. Designed to get around in urban areas.
• City bikes : Basic bikes for grocery runs, or for school/work commutes.
• Fitness bikes : Fast and sporty hybrid bicycles designed for fast commutes and workouts.
• Used Hybrid Bikes from The Pro’s Closet : A selection of used and new hybrid bikes for all types of riders.

Additional Things to Consider When Buying a Hybrid Bike

Types of hybrid bikes.

Hybrid bikes blend characteristics of road and mountain bikes, but they come in several different types, each of which caters to different needs. 

• City hybrid bikes are intended for urban commuting, boasting accessories like fenders and racks and a comfortable upright riding position. 
• Cross hybrids typically come with a suspension fork and wider tires and are able to handle gravel roads and off-road paths, in addition to paved roads.
• Comfort hybrids are similar to comfort and cruiser bikes, with a more relaxed geometry, wide saddles, and slightly swept-back handlebars. They are commonly used for leisure rides and shorter commutes. 
• Fitness hybrids are essentially sportive road bikes with flat bars and narrow tires that can be used for workouts, urban commutes, or recreational cycling. 

The choice between these four main types depends on your intended use, such as fitness, commuting, lesiure, or a combination of these activities.

Hybrid Bike Wheel and Tire Sizes

Traditional hybrid bikes usually come with a 700c wheel size, which is commonly associated with road bikes and city bikes. They often have tires that are between 28mm and 40mm wide, with 35-38mm being the sweet spot. 

However, more and more modern hybrid bikes are available with smaller 650b wheels and slightly wider tires (40mm+) that are similar to the best gravel bike tires . This makes them more versatile and suitable for tackling paved and unpaved roads. 

Related:  A Complete Guide to Bike Wheel Sizes

If you’re looking for the best hybrid bike for speed and efficiency, choose one with narrower tires (28-32mm). But if you want a multi-functional model that provides enough grip on different types of terrains, choose a model with 35mm tires and above.

Suspension Fork: Yes or No?

As you can see from our selection of the best hybrid bikes above, a suspension fork can be an important feature of this type of bike. 

However, whether it’s going to be a game-changer or an unnecessary addition for you, depends on what kinds of terrains you intend to ride. 

For smooth roads and city streets, a suspension fork may be overkill, adding unnecessary weight and complicating maintenance. But, if your routes include gravel roads, bumpy trails, or rough broken asphalt, front suspension can be a godsend, improving comfort and handling. 

Cost and Budget

Hybrid bikes are suitable for all types of riders because their cost varies widely.

Entry-level models start from around $500 or slightly under and are suitable for casual riding and shorter commutes. However, they may not be as durable or reliable as more expensive models. 

Mid-range hybrid bikes cost between $700 and $1,200 and offer higher quality components, better materials, and lower weight. They are suitable for more frequent riding and longer commutes, as well as light workouts. 

Finally, high-end hybrids cost anywhere between $1,500 and $3,000 and often come with a lightweight carbon frame, high-quality brakes and drivetrain, and features like a belt drive, dynamo lights, or internal gearing.

In our opinion, your budget should reflect how often you plan to ride and the features you prioritize, balancing cost with the quality and longevity of the bike.

Do you ride a hybrid bike? Is there another model you’d like us to review and include on our list? Let us know in the comments below!

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About the Author

Sam Millers

10 thoughts on “ best hybrid bikes in 2024: top models for leisure, commuting and fitness ”.

Best bike for exercise and riding around the neighborhood? I have a trek fx 7.6 (model 2016) for females however it’s not the most comfortable. Also I have neck and back problems.

Look for comfort bikes that have a more comfortable entry & upright riding position.

They have no large or xlarge co-op in stock at Columbus Ohio stores, kinda hard to test ride one before you buy

Why there is no mentioning of the Trek verve and the Dual Sport?

The link to Verve-series review can be found after the last model.

Hola! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the good job!

Who are these reviews for? REI? Surely not the public. So I’m guessing you are an affiliate with these companies.

We are indeed partnered up with REI and many other stores. This is also clearly stated at the top menu . The reason why we have chosen so many bikes from REI is that they have a great selection of bikes on offer, and a trustworthy feedback & rating platform as well.

Feel free to add a bike store in the comments which has a better selection of great value hybrid bikes that can also be ordered online :).

WHAT ARE YOUR COMMENTS ON COMFORTABLE SADDLES

We might release an article about saddles soon.

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Best electric hybrid bikes in 2024: ebikes for commuting, shopping and riding around town

Our pick of the best electric hybrid bikes for 2024, as reviewed by the BikeRadar test team

Russell Burton / Our Media

Paul Norman

The best electric hybrid bikes will get you around in style and give you a bit of a push when you need it.

Many of the first electric bikes to hit the market were hybrids. With flat handlebars and a comfortable, upright riding position, they’re a good option for general recreational riding, beginner cyclists , shopping and trips around town.

Electric hybrid bikes also work well for commuters who aren’t pressed for storage space and want a little assistance when cycling to work . If space is tight, take a look at our guide to the best electric folding bikes .

For more information on what to consider when buying an electric hybrid bike and other electric bike options, we’ve got a full buyer’s guide at the bottom of this article , but first read on for our pick of the best electric hybrid bikes.

The best electric hybrid bikes in 2024

Canyon grand canyon:on 9.

• £3,699/€3,899/AU$6,899 as tested
• Smooth around town, but with the power for weekend adventures
• Good range and spec

Although it's a hardtail mountain bike rather than a hybrid, the Canyon Grand Canyon:ON is potentially a good choice for city riding if you want to go somewhere more adventurous at the weekend. It has the performance for steep and rough riding, but still feels comfortable around town.

It's powered by the compact, powerful Shimano EP8 motor, with a 630Wh battery on all but the smallest frame size, delivering over 100km of range. The 12 speeds give plenty of options to tune your own pedalling power.

• Read our full Canyon Grand Canyon:ON 9 review

Canyon Pathlite:ON 5

• £2,499/€2,699 as tested
• Delivers lots of power
• Handles and rides well

The Canyon Pathlite:ON 5 is all you want in a commuter bike. It soothes rough roads and presents great value, while Bosch's Gen 4 motor is powerful and the drivetrain is superb. Our testing was consistent with Canyon's claimed 100km range.

The battery slots into the down tube and comes out at the click of a key. Its charger is easy to carry in a rucksack, which is a bonus for commuting. Mudguards and integrated lights add to its ride-to-work credentials.

Where the Pathlite:ON 5 stands out from the field is off-road. Its handling, gearing, suspension fork and tyres make it at home on mountain bike trails, but it has an upright riding position for urban riding and bike paths.

The Bosch motor is discrete when you're pedalling unassisted. A welcome boost comes on steep inclines. You switch between off, Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo modes using the Bosch's Purion display.

Since it weighs 23kg, one place you won't want to take the Pathlite:ON 5 is up a flight of stairs.

• Read our full Canyon Pathlite:ON 5 review

Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0

• £4,000/$4,500/€4,200/AU$7,200 as tested
• Comfortable ride
• Off-road focus may not appeal

The Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0 sits between bike categories. It’s neither a svelte commuter nor a fully fledged electric mountain bike, but don’t let this be a deterrent: our tester found it to be one of the best all-around ebikes they’ve ever tested.

The RockShox suspension fork and rear shock help the bike’s off-road performance, offering a composed ride on technical singletracks and more demanding terrain.

If you’re sticking to tarmac, the suspension also helps soften speed bumps and potholes.

Despite weighing 26.54kg (size large), it’s still lighter than many other commuter ebikes and rides like a lighter bike, too. It has excellent handling and a composed feel across varying terrain.

The Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0 doesn’t come cheap, but it’s hard to think of any other ebike that can do so much, so well.

• Read our full Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0 review

Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0

• £3,900/€4,100/$4,000/AU$6,900 as tested
• Smooth and comfortable
• Sophisticated controller

The Specialized Turbo Vado comes in the SL version and this full-fat iteration, with a more powerful motor boasting 70Nm torque and larger battery capacity. Specialized calls it "4x You" as opposed to "2x You" for the Turbo Vado SL.

We got over 70 miles/113km on a charge. There's an impressive four-colour controller display, which you can configure using the Specialized Mission Control app. You can also set an alarm and deactivate the motor if the ebike is stolen.

It's a relaxed, comfortable ride, thanks to 80mm of suspension in the fork, a suspension seatpost and comfortable saddle, although at 26kg – 11kg more than the Turbo Vado SL – you're not going to want to lug the ebike up a lot of stairs.

• Read our full Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 review

Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0

• £2,600/€2,999/$3,500 as tested
• Well-tuned power delivery
• Lights included

Weighing under 15kg and with a 130km range, the Turbo Vado SL is intended to take ebike use for recreation and city riding mainstream. Its motor weighs under 2kg and the concealed battery makes for clean looks, although the 35Nm torque output is lower than most ebike motors.

Support feels very natural, without any bursts of acceleration but still helping out well on inclines, although it seems a bit underpowered on the steepest climbs, even in its top Turbo mode.

All models come with lights, and higher specs add a rack and mudguards.

• Read our full Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0 review

Tern Quick Haul P9

• £3,100/$3,299/AU$ 4,995 as tested
• Great handling and ride quality
• Vertical storage to save space
• Loads of extras to carry everything from kids to locks

Electric cargo bikes enable you to lug groceries, equipment, kids and dogs around, ditching the car, without breaking too much of a sweat.

The Tern Quick Haul can carry up to 70kg of additional load and is a much more affordable and compact option than Tern's older models. It comes with a large rack, which can also be used to stand the bike vertically and free up space when it's stored.

Tern sells loads of accessories and luggage, so you can kit the bike out for whatever you want to use it for.

With 65Nm of torque from the Bosch motor and a range that we found to average 46 miles, the Quick Haul has plenty of oomph to get you around. Handling and ride quality are great, although with a rack and luggage, it's not so easy to negotiate tight gaps.

• Read our full Tern Quick Haul P9 review

Bianchi E-Spillo Luxury

• £2,159 as tested
• Attractive aesthetics
• Quality build
• Luggage options

Coming with a rear rack for proper panniers and an upright riding position, the Bianchi E-Spillo Luxury is made for cruising stylishly to the shops or work. The Shimano Steps E5000 motor is partially concealed in the position of the bottom bracket. It has three modes – Normal, Eco and Turbo.

The 418Wh battery slides under the rear rack, bringing maximum claimed range to 120km. Our tester found the power gauge dipped sharply after 97km, underlining the bike is best for short, urban trips.

The E-Spillo Luxury has Shimano’s 9-speed Altus groupset. The 34t front ring, matched with an 11-36 cassette, suits most town riding. The brakes do a decent job of slowing the bike’s bulk.

Steel mudguards are included and match the brand’s iconic celeste frame. It weighs 21.65kg in size 53cm and also comes in a 47cm version.

The easy-to-read Shimano Steps dE6100 head unit displays speed, predicted range, distance and journey time.

• Read our full Bianchi E-Spillo Luxury review

Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV

• £5,249 as tested
• Superbly equipped and has excellent motor
• Enhancements aren’t cheap

The Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV is a user-friendly, capable ebike suitable for commuting and even touring.

It’s not as exciting to ride as some of the other bikes in this list, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, given its focus on practicality and utility.

The upright ride position helps you sensibly navigate through traffic, while the robust frame and suspension fork help deal with any surface.

The Bosch electric motor provides enough power to tackle hills, ramps and steep dirt tracks. The motor has a generous range and the bike achieved 52.71 miles (84.82km) with 3,227.53ft (983.75m) of climbing in testing.

With a dropper post and an anti-lock braking system, the Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV arguably has more features than it necessarily needs for its intended purpose, but that doesn’t stop it from being an impressive ebike.

• Read our full Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV review

Canyon Precede:ON CF 9

• £4,999/€4,999 as tested
• Top-spec motor and large battery
• Belt drive with CVT transmission
• On the heavy side

The Precede:ON's futuristic design includes comprehensive integration for a slick, fast-looking commute. Power comes from a top-spec Bosch Performance Line CX motor, with a high-capacity integrated battery that gives plenty of range and is easy to remove for charging.

There's a belt drive with a constantly variable transmission system that means you don't need to change gears.

There's a slick-looking cockpit, too, and the Precede:ON feels stable without being sluggish or lacking agility. At 23kg, it's heavy though.

• Read our full Canyon Precede:ON CF 9 review

Carrera Crossfuse

• £1,899 as tested
• Bosch motor and battery
• Quality Shimano gears and brakes

Halfords’ Carrera brand offers the competitively priced Crossfuse, with a 50Nm Bosch motor and lockable battery. The ride position is upright, and the saddle and handlebar grips comfortable, while wide tyres with a deep tread work well on a variety of surfaces and the short-travel fork helps smooth the way.

Range is good – we got close to 100km – and you can remove the battery for charging.

The single-chainring drivetrain offers a wide spread of gears and the hydraulic disc brakes come from Shimano, making for effective stopping power. Coupled with a very comfortable ride, we rated the Crossfuse a great commuter option.

• Read our full Carrera Crossfuse review

Carrera Impel IM-2

• £1,299 as tested
• Commuting and off-road capability
• Respectable range and punchy motor
• No mudguards, disappointing brakes

The Carrera Impel IM-2 is a capable commuter with all-road potential and a nippy ride. Carrera says the 367Wh battery will see you through 50km, but our tester found this was slightly optimistic. Its assistance is supplied by a 45Nm/250W rear-hub motor, which has three modes.

The battery can be taken off the bike and recharged in five and a half hours.

The Impel’s agile handling, 650b wheels and 47mm tyres make it no slouch off tarmac.

The 1x drivetrain is unfussy and effective. It comprises a Shimano nine-speed Alvio rear derailleur and the brand’s Altus shifter. The 11-36 ratio is perfect for most commuting.

The absence of mudguards and powerful brakes are among few downsides to this keenly-priced bike.

• Read our full Carrera Impel IM-2 review

Cooper CG-7E

• £2,199 as tested
• Easy-to-use power system
• Quality grips and saddle

Cooper makes ebikes that are designed for clean lines and simplicity, with a rear hub that includes both the motor and its 173Wh battery, so there's no wiring, sensors or other stuff to clutter it up.

It also allows regenerative braking, upping the range to a claimed 25 to 37 miles, which we exceeded. It's controlled via a phone app rather than a separate controller, which also reduces clutter, although we found it a little hard to read in bright sunlight.

It's a really nice bike to ride, with the characteristic feel of a steel frame. The motor helps, rather than taking over, although its 40Nm of torque is enough to get you up hills at a good pace. The gearing is basic but works, while Cooper has specced quality grips and saddle.

• Read our full Cooper CG-7E review

Genesis Smithfield

• Stylish urban option
• Steady handling
• Disappointing drivetrain

The Genesis Smithfield is a sleek urban ebike that rides nicely with a sizeable 150km claimed range and all you need for commuting, such as metal mudguards, a nurse's lock and bosses for bottle cages or racks.

Although the price tag calls for a better drivetrain than the nine-speed Shimano Acera, the Smithfield does boast a capable Shimano STEPS motor, long-lasting battery and disc brakes.

The Smithfield might not be the snappiest given it weighs 23kg, but it has the range and compliance for you to incorporate off-road sorties into your route home.

Our tester managed an undulating 81.5km using the variety of modes and found the battery recharged to 80 per cent in two hours and full charge in four.

• Read our full Genesis Smithfield review

• £3,999/$4,999 as tested
• Clever design
• Nimble ride

The GoCycle G4 is a class-leading collapsible bike with an excellent motor and reasonable range. A carbon fork and mid-section reduce weight but increase cost to just shy of £4,000.

The GoCycle is well-specced. It has hydraulic brakes and a three-speed Shimano Nexus hub gear with ratios low enough for steep hills. Its battery should be good for 50 to 60km rides.

The G4 motor has so much torque it really whizzes around town, and beyond, including towpaths, thanks to wide tyres, suspension and traction control.

The GoCycle's app, which allows fine-tuning and displays loads of data, gets the best out of a fun-to-ride bike.

• Read our full GoCycle G4 review

GT Power Performer

• £1,800/$2,625 as tested
• Retro BMX style
• Decent range and performance
• Fun but still practical

With 1980s-inspired looks and equipment, but the benefit of a motor, the GT Power Performer gives you a BMX-style ride position with a low saddle and high bars. There's even a platform behind the saddle to stand on.

There's a Bafang rear-hub motor with five assistance levels and 45Nm torque, and we got around 40 miles of range. There are hydraulic disc brakes to help with skids and tricks, and full mudguards that almost keep you dry, but not quite.

It's more practical than you'd expect for the commute, well-priced and fun.

• Read our full GT Power Performer review

LeMond Prolog

• £4,350/$4,795/€5,195 as tested
• Lightweight
• Slick integration

Former professional road racer Greg LeMond is back in the bike business with this impressive electric bike. The LeMond Prolog is lightweight and sleek-looking, but one of its biggest surprises is its dynamic ride.

Unlike many electric hybrid bikes, which look to mountain bikes for their relaxed, upright designs, the Prolog is much sportier and consequently has faster handling.

The stiff and responsive carbon frame has wide tyres and comfortable contact points to cushion your ride.

The bike has a 1x Shimano GRX drivetrain and an oversized rear hub that houses a 250W motor, putting out 40Nm of power. We found the battery life to be decent in testing, with the bike only running out of power after 60 miles / 100km of riding.

At over £4,000 / $4,500, the Prolog is at the pricier end of the electric hybrid spectrum. But if you’re looking for a sporty assisted bike, we reckon it should be high on your list.

• Read our full LeMond Prolog review

Mango Dee Dee

• £2,528 as tested
• Powerful, lightweight Bafang motor
• Options to customise the build and colour

The Mango Dee Dee is available as a range of standard models, but we specced a custom build, which included a rack and lights, as well as the bright pink paintwork.

The Dee Dee mixes stable handling at speed with low-speed manoeuvrability that makes getting around town a breeze. It's powered by a compact Bafang motor with an internal 360Wh battery that we got around 30 miles range from.

• Buy the Mango Dee Dee from Mango Bikes

MiRider One GB3

• £2,495 as tested
• Easy folding and suits a wide range of rider heights
• Reasonable range for a city folder at around 45km

The MiRider One is a compact folding electric bike that enables you to nip around town. It's highly adjustable to suit a wide range of rider heights and folds in half for storage.

There's a magnesium alloy frame that's lighter than aluminium and corrosion-resistant, while a shock absorber at the rear makes for a more comfortable ride.

Power comes from a rear-hub motor with a 252Wh battery that gives reasonable range. A three-speed gearbox that works when stationary, not just when you're pedalling, enables you to adjust your pedalling speed and there's a low-maintenance belt drive .

• Read our full MiRider One GB3 review

Mycle Cargo

• Lowest-priced cargo ebike option
• Well specced with huge range
• 215kg carrying capacity

If you need to carry large loads, a cargo ebike is a good option to make the trip easier, with the assistance making load lugging less of a chore. The Mycle Cargo can handle up to 215kg loads, so there's loads of carrying capacity.

It's also the cheapest option in the class, but still packs a battery of over 700Wh, a 65Nm motor and a seven-speed Shimano drivetrain with plenty of gear range. It even comes with lights, a padded seat for the rack and integrated footboards.

Despite its hefty 36.5kg weight, the Mycle Cargo is easy to navigate in town, with a nimble low-speed ride and stable feel. The electric assistance does take a pedal turn or so to kick in though, which isn't great for standing starts when loaded up.

• Read our full Mycle Cargo review

Pure Electric Flux One

• £999 as tested
• Value-for-money
• Smooth motor
• One size, no mudguards

The Pure Electric Flux One is simplicity itself. The single-speed drivetrain with Gates belt drive will reduce maintenance and deal with flat commutes. Its 55t chainring and 22t sprocket will see you up to 35km/h before spinning out, while the rear-hub 250Wh motor has 35Nm of torque.

Our tester found the 252Wh battery carried the Flux One beyond its claimed range of 40km.

You adjust the motor’s three modes with buttons on the LCD display, which has an odometer and shows speed and battery life, while you can take the battery off the bike to charge fully in five hours, and three hours tops it up by 80 per cent.

The riding position is similar to other hybrids , offering good visibility. The Flux One’s comfy saddle and agile handling make it a joy to ride, however, riders taller than 6ft 2in might be cramped by the single frame size. The lack of mudguards is a glaring omission on a commuter bike.

• Read our full Pure Electric Flux One review

Rad Power RadRunner 3 Plus

• £2,199/$2,299 as tested
• Easy to ride with steady handling
• Struggles on big hills

If you’re looking for a cost-effective method of transport with great performance, the RadRunner 3 Plus is a good bet.

The RadRunner is easy to ride and versatile, while its step-through design and frame shape mean it can be ridden by a variety of people.

The bike has a 672Wh battery, which powers a 250W rear-hub motor. The motor system provides a smooth delivery of power and works well in most situations, struggling only on steep inclines.

The steering is steady and the bike simply rolls along. You can add a child seat or bench seat to the rear rack and the kickstand is a welcome addition.

• Read our full Rad Power RadRunner 3 Plus review

Revolutionworks Whippet

• £1,499 as tested
• Rapid charging

With sleek steel tubes, skinny tyres and a responsive feel, the Revolutionworks Whippet looks and rides more like a pedal-powered commuter bike than an ebike. As a result, extensive off-roading is best avoided on the aptly-named Whippet, which is light for an ebike at 16kg.

The weight advantage, 700c tyres and relative aerodynamics bring range beyond 55km despite its modest 250Wh rear-hub motor and 200W compact battery. The portable charger fills this up in two hours.

The motor assistance is easy to use. A readout on the bars displays power level and battery life.

The standout component is Shimano’s MT200 hydraulic brakes. The brand’s seven-speed Altus drivetrain and Prowheel chainset outperform their budget price.

The Whippet is fitted with full-length mudguards, but not lights.

• Read our full Revolutionworks Whippet review

Ribble Hybrid AL e Fully Loaded

• £2,099/€2,326/$2,270 as tested
• Sophisticated motor and app-based control
• Quality finishing kit

Ribble uses the Mahle ebikemotion rear-hub motor with its fully enclosed 250Wh battery to provide gentle assistance rather than a burst of power.

It’s simple to control the assistance level and monitor the battery via the top-tube button, and the phone app adds more info, including the option to use your heart rate to control the motor’s power.

Other kit is good too, with Mavic wheels, Schwalbe Marathon tyres and a SRAM single-ring drivetrain. The Fully Loaded spec adds mudguards, rack, lights and a bell.

• Read our full Ribble Hybrid AL e Fully Loaded review

Trek Allant+ 8

• £4,250/€4,400/$4,450/AU$5,700 as tested
• Comfortable and easy to ride
• Fully equipped

Geared to commuters, with a high-powered 85Nm Bosch motor and a large-capacity 625Wh battery, the Allant+ comes with loads of mounts, including bolts on the underside of the top tube.

There's a high spec with a rack, kickstand and mudguards. It also includes lights and quality pedals that will grip your shoes without wrecking their soles.

There's loads of gear range and powerful hydraulic disc brakes, while the 2.4in 650b tyres do away with the need for suspension but still deliver a comfortable ride. At a shade under 26kg, it's a heavy electric hybrid bike though.

• Read our full Trek Allant+ 8 review

Volt London

• £2,200 as tested
• Slick looks
• Impressive range
• Only one frame size available

The Volt London is a singlespeed electric hybrid bike with chunky tyres to take on unpaved surfaces. There's a 504Wh removable battery that will give you around 60 miles of range and a Bafang motor that kicks in readily and offers three levels of assistance, plus a Turbo and a Walk mode.

Although it might seem as if the single gear might limit you to urban riding, we found that switching back and forth between assistance levels allowed us to use the motor as a substitute for gears when we hit a hill.

The mix of the motor's performance and light handling gives a nippy ride feel. The Volt London is well equipped, although if you use the front rack you'll obscure the front light. There's only one frame size, which won't suit taller riders and won't fit shorter ones.

• Read our full Volt London review

Buyer’s guide: what to look for in a hybrid electric bike

Types of hybrid ebike.

Most hybrid electric bikes can perhaps be best described as all-rounders. They’ll usually have mudguards (or mudguard mounts, at the very least), often come equipped with lights, and there will probably be mounts for a rack, so you can carry extra stuff.

But there are more specialist machines such as the Canyon Pathlite:ON , where not only do you get lights, mudguards and a rack, but the higher-spec machines come with a second 500Wh battery for long-distance trekking.

There are also flat-bar versions of sporty drop-bar road ebikes, such as the Orbea Gain and Focus Paralane2 .

Other variants we’ve reviewed include the Tern GSD and Rad Power RadWagon electric cargo bikes, and the Orbea Katu-E , an e-shopper.

Hybrid ebike motor systems

Mid-mounted motors are a popular choice for hybrid electric bikes. These have a motor mounted between the cranks that powers the rear wheel when you’re pedalling. It’s a position that provides plenty of stability because it puts the motor’s weight low down and centrally on the frame.

Look out for systems from Bosch and Shimano. A rear-hub motor is another option, but front-wheel motors are less common on hybrids.

Batteries are typically mounted low on the down tube, also for stability, although some hybrid electric bikes stash the battery out of sight within the frame or have it mounted under the top deck of a rear luggage rack.

More expensive models tend to have larger-capacity batteries for additional range and there may be the option to plug in a second battery, if you want to go further.

There’s usually a controller on the handlebar, where it’s within easy reach, that enables you to select assistance level and keep an eye on your battery status as you ride.

Some quoted ranges are pretty accurate or even conservative, but look out for exaggerated claims if you’re planning to use your ebike for anything more than local excursions, or don’t have access to convenient charging.

In general, you’ll want a battery capacity of 250Wh or more for a decent range. Most hybrid electric bike motors will push out a maximum of 250 watts, so that would give you an hour if you were using the motor at full power, though in reality that will rarely happen.

In practice, the motor will be working less hard than this, but your real range will depend on where you’re riding, the assistance level selected and other factors.

Added extras

For practicality, it’s nice to have mudguards, and front and rear lights as part of the package, giving you all-weather rideability.

Also look out for a rear rack or rack mounts, so you can use your hybrid electric bike with panniers or other cycling luggage for shopping or longer excursions.

And if you're planning on longer rides on your ebike, the option to add a second battery will more or less double your range.

What if you're not sure a hybrid electric bike is for you?

If you're not sure where to start on your electric bike journey, read our explainer on how an electric bike works and our guide to the most popular electric bike motors . You can also read our guide to the best electric bikes to help you choose the right ebike for you.

If you decide you'd like drop bars, then consult our best electric road bikes guide or our list of the best electric gravel bikes , while if you would prefer a mountain bike, we've also got a guide to the best electric mountain bikes . There's also the option to convert a bike that you already own to electric power; the best electric bike conversion kits will make this a reasonably simple task.

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Best women's hybrid bikes 2024 and how to choose between them

Our top picks of the best women's hybrid bikes, with lots of helpful advice on how to find your ideal bicycle for mixed terrain riding

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Best all-rounder, best for commuting, best for fitness, best on a budget, best for casual rides, best for comfort, urban focused, do-it-all versatility, how to choose a women's hybrid bike, best women's hybrid bikes 2024: jump menu.

The list in brief ↴

1. Best all-rounder 2. Best for commuting 3. Best for fitness 4. Best on a budget 5. Best for casual rides 6. Best for comfort

How to choose a hybrid bike

Capable of tackling tarmac or heading off piste, the best women's hybrid bikes take their influence from both road and off road bikes. They are a great option for anyone who is looking for two wheeled adventures, but who doesn't want to be committed to just one style of riding. 

Choosing a women’s specific bike is not for every female rider, and cycling brands have even flip-flopped over the years in their manufacturing of them. Our guide includes genuine hand picked options that we think make ideal women's specific hybrid bikes, as well as lots of helpful hints and tips on how to find your perfect match. 

Just because a bike isn’t labelled as a 'women’s bike’ doesn’t mean it can’t be ridden by a woman, we've even got a whole page on Is ‘women’s specific geometry’ still relevant? However, there are certainly benefits to be gained from purchasing a women’s specific bike. It's likely to have features like a women's specific saddle , shorter cranks or narrower handlebars for more comfortable riding.

As well as this, certain models will adjust the geometry of the bike so that it is more suited to the shape of the average woman. That includes, for instance, shortening the top tube, as traditionally bikes have been manufactured with long top tubes to accommodate men’s proportionally longer arms compared to their legs.

A wide gear range, mounts for fenders and a rack alongside clearance for wide tires make this a versatile hybrid indeed.

Read more below

Equipped with a front dynamo light, fenders and a rack it's ready for the daily grind. With reliable hub gears and belt drive.

Read more below  

Light, sporty and with a 10-speed drivechain, it's ideally suited for fitness pursuits - but has fender and rack mounts too.

A lower price point but still features an 8-speed Shimano drivechain and disc brakes. A tad heavy though.

With its cruiser styling and 650b wheels it's designed for comfort but also has 9 gears, disc brakes and mounts, too.

Wide tire clearance alongside a compliant seatpost, grips and pressure-relieving saddle make this a comfort focussed option.

Best women's hybrid bikes 2024: Our picks

1. Specialized Sirrus 2.0 Step-Through

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Over the years the Sirrus name has become synonymous with sporty yet practical hybrids - and the current 2.0 Step-Thru is just that.

It’s built around a lightweight aluminium frameset that’s uses Specialized's Fitness Geometry. It's been updated to include ‘modern’ standards such as flat-mount disc brakes and internal cable routing but still includes the all-important mounts for fenders and a rear rack. The combination makes for a bike that’s equally at home on the daily commute as it is on weekend fitness rides; its versatility is increased further by clearance for 42mm tires, although the bike comes equipped with 32s.

The gear range, using a 2x Shimano drivechain, is sensible. By matching a 46/30 chainset with an 8-speed 11-32t cassette, you’ll have a better than 1:1 gear for the steeper stuff while still having higher gear for flatter and faster roads - although you’ll find you’ll have to navigate some larger jumps between these gears.

2. Trek District 4 Equipped Stagger

If you’re looking for a commuter-friendly step-through hybrid you can use year round, Trek’s District 4 Equipped Stagger might be hard to beat.

Yes it’s not cheap but as the name suggests it’s a bells and whistles affair, meaning you won’t have to fork out for additional accessories. As standard it comes equipped not only with fenders, a rear rack and a kickstand but also a Herrmans front light, powered by the Shimano Nexus dynamo front hub.

And the bike’s practicality doesn’t stop there. It combines a Shimano Alfine internal 8-speed hub with a Gates CDX belt drive system that should add up to greater reliability and far less maintenance, especially when riding through winter. Add to this the hydraulic disc brakes and puncture resistant tires and you have a four-season ready machine. The potential downside? All this gear means the bike isn’t the lightest around.

3. Boardman HYB 8.8 women’s hybrid bike

Our expert review:

Coming in nearly 1 kilogram lighter than the previous Boardman HYB 8.6 model, the HYB 8.8 boasts lighter and better components to complement its reliable alloy frame and carbon forks. It was one of our Editor's Choice picks in 2021.

The 8.8 model is fitted with Shimano Deore 1 x 10 gears to ensure quick, smooth and reliable gear shifting. With one chainring at the front and a 11-42 tooth cassette at the rear, the drivetrain is lighter with less to go wrong or to maintain. The wide range cassette means there is still ample gearing for most situations.

Boardman have tailored this ride to the needs of females by kitting the bike out with narrower bars, shorter stems and a women’s specific saddle.

Mounts for mudguards and a pannier rack are also included in this model that delivers great versatility. Given that it's one of the lighter bikes here, and combined with the 10-speed drivechain, it's as equally well-suited to faster paced fitness rides as it is the daily commute.

Read more: Boardman HYB 8.8 Women's bike review

4. Carrera Subway 1 women's hybrid bike

For just over £300, this is a value for money option that will give even nervous riders confidence with its predictable handling and the stopping power of its mechanical disc brakes.

The Carrera Subway 1 comes with a subtle frame geometry tweak—a dropped top tube—for the women’s specific build.

With Kenda tyres designed with an extra Kevlar layer for puncture proofness, mudguard and pannier mounts, the Subway 1 is certainly versatile. Complementing this, its 2x8 gear set up is robust and has a broad range. But it is also not as comfortable as other options, so we’d not recommend it if you’re going on long adventures.

Read more: Carrera Subway review

5. Cannondale Treadwell Remixte 2

If your riding is varied but leans towards the more relaxed variety, then Cannondale’s Treadwell Mixte could be a great fit. It’s a bike designed for everyday use, taking the practicality of a regular hybrid and blending it with the comfort and looks of a cruiser. And the result is pretty interesting.

The Remixte frame with its step-through design makes it a good match for city riding, where you might be hopping on and off the bike throughout the day - and it's got mounts for a rack and fenders too.  It’s matched to 27.5” wheels shod in 47mm wide tires, which should translate to plenty of comfort. The stem and bars are noteworthy, too. The former has a mount that works with any SP-Connect compatible smartphone case, turning the stem into a handy dashboard. The latter take their inspiration from BMX riser bars; here it should aid a more upright and comfortable position.

As for the gearing and the brakes you get a wide range, easy-to-use 1x 9-speed Microshift drivechain and Tektro hydraulic brakes. Together they should make the bike pretty versatile across a variety of terrain.

6. Liv Alight 2 Disc

Liv is dedicated solely to making bikes for women. It’s Alight range is aimed at commuters and fitness riders, who want an agile yet comfortable and practical hybrid.

The Alight 2 appears to have all those bases covered. The aluminium frameset has integrated mounts for fenders, a rear rack, and a kickstand. Combine this with the hydraulic brakes it’s ready for the rigors of the daily commute.

It’s also equipped with a D-fuse seatpost that has built in compliance, shock-absorbing grips and a pressure-relieving saddle. The updated fork also means there’s clearance for 42mm tires should you wish to spec something a little more rugged in tread or voluminous for added comfort.

The Shimano 2x8 gearing, like several bikes featured in this guide, offers plenty of range for a variety of riding, but does mean you’ll experience some larger jumps between gears. 

7. Cannondale Quick Women's 4 Hybrid Bike

Staying true to its name, the Quick range are Cannondale ’s machines for speed and confidence when commuting and leisure riding.

Sitting in the middle is the Quick 4, which is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes and a 9 speed drivetrain.

Fitted with a chromoly fork, this bike is designed to withstand the demands of city riding by reducing road vibrations. While the alloy frame has Cannondale’s OutFront Steering Geometry to provide added stability for sweeping your way across town.

The Quick 4, like all other Quick models, features bright 360° reflective components as an important safety measure. This model has also flat handlebars for a comfortable and stable upright riding position, which is useful when keeping an eye on traffic.

8. Pinnacle Lithium 3 women’s hybrid bike

The Lithium 3 can handle any terrain you dare to ride with ease, as a do it all hybrid. Pinnacle, the in-house brand at Evans Cycles, has combined a rigid 29er mountain bike with 40c tyres for ample rolling ability on tarmac. This bike provides controllability over rough terrain and speed down the streets.

With wide clearance and space for 2.2” MTB tyres, the Lithium is built with versatility in mind and can be easily adapted to explore local trails, fields and forests.

Coming in at 12.5kg, the Lithium’s alloy frame and steel fork doesn’t make for the lightest of bikes. But, equipped with Shimano Acera triple chainset (44-32-22) and a 11-32 tooth cassette, you shouldn’t struggle up the hills. The only noteworthy issue with weight comes when trying to carry the bike.

Read more: Pinnacle Lithium 4 women’s hybrid bike

At first glance, the sheer range and variety of hybrid bikes can seem overwhelming but they do have many features in common.

Key features to expect in a hybrid bike are listed below. In the women's specific models, you'll expect a women's saddle, and narrower handlebars as well as a spread of sizes more suited to shorter riders.

Mounting points for panniers and mudguards

Carrying weight on the bike is more pleasant than on your back as it takes the weight off your shoulders and lowers your centre of gravity. Using panniers also saves getting all sweaty from where the backpack touches your skin. However do bear in mind, backpacks are more versatile and can prove useful if your journey involves sections which are not done on the bike.

Mudguards are important in helping to keep you drier when it’s raining as you won’t be flicking additional water onto yourself. But significantly, and often overlooked, they also keep you dry when it’s not raining and there’s still water on the roads.

You will find points for mounting the panniers and mudguards by the front and rear axles, at the top of the seat stays and at the crown of the fork.

Clearance for wider tyres for comfort

As your only direct contact point with the ground, tyre choice has a large effect on the comfort of your ride and the terrain you can ride on. Wider tyres provide more grip and don’t sink into soft surfaces—like mud and gravel—to the same extent as narrower tyres. In having a greater volume of air over narrower tyres, they also are better able to absorb bumps and potholes and provide greater comfort.

A good starting point is to look for a tyre that is at least 35mm wide, although you can get tyres that are up to 60mm wide on some machines, although they tend to be better for off-road use and may slow you down on tarmac due to higher rolling resistance. 

Upright position for comfort and better view in and around traffic

A more upright position puts less pressure on your hands, as your weight is transferred to your sit bones instead. It can be more comfortable to be more upright if you have a backpack, as when you are bent over with a backpack it can be quite unstable and flop from side to side.

Another benefit of a more upright position is that it provides you with a better view of the traffic, helping you to safely navigate around the cars on your commute.

Flat handlebars for control, comfort and price point

With flat handlebars the shifting and braking are straightforward, which is especially useful if you are not used to a road bike set up.

There is the added benefit that the brakes and shifters are significantly cheaper for flat handlebars than the integrated brakes and shifters of road bikes. This keeps down the initial cost of these bikes and saves you money on any future repairs.

Wide range of gears

Gears are the way that your pedal strokes are converted into efficient forward motion. Given that there is a relatively narrow range of cadences that are comfortable to ride in (70-100rpm), but the speeds that we commonly travel at can range from 10kph to 60kph, it’s important to have a large range of gears so that we can ride at our preferred cadence, whatever the speed.

But absolute range is not the only consideration. Small and even gaps between the gears help us to fine-tune the gear we are riding in and prevent us from being stuck between two gears, one too big and one too small.

A triple crankset with an 8 speed cassette, for example, provides an affordable way of getting enough absolute range whilst still having acceptable jumps between the gears. While a double with a wide range 10 speed cassette is pricier, it is also lighter weight and provides a similar range with similar jumps to the 3x8.

If you are only riding on the flat and not carrying heavier loads, you will be able to do with a smaller range of gears, which will simplify riding and maintenance and save a little weight.

Disc brakes for controlled and reliable braking

Disc brakes provide greater power than rims brakes, and the price of this increase in braking performance is dropping all the time—so we are seeing far more hybrid bikes at all price points coming with disc brakes. Where disc brakes particularly excel is stopping in the wet. This is an important aspect for a hybrid that is being used for commuting as it is likely going to be needed in all weather conditions.

Hydraulic disc brakes also provide better modulation and have a significantly lighter lever action, so they are far easier to use than other braking mechanisms and they're a sealed system so there should be less maintenance needed.

Rugged tyres for fewer punctures

The last thing you want to be doing when commuting or on a leisurely cycle is to be having to change an inner tube. Although the more rugged tyres don’t roll as fast and are a little heavier, these are small trade-offs for the inconvenience of a puncture.

Many hybrid bikes are now coming with tubeless ready wheels and tyres, which help to lower the risk of being stopped by a puncture.

High spoke count for robust wheels

If you want to carry heavy loads, a high spoke count will help with that as less tension is put through each of the spokes, leading to a more robust, durable wheel.

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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.

Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.

For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas. 

She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection. 

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Best lightweight electric bikes 2024: E-bike power without the heft

The best lightweight electric bikes offer an advantage without the added weight of some e-bikes

Best hybrid overall

Best hybrid for commuting.

• Easiest to carry

Best folder for commuters

• Best for gravel
• Best for road
• Best for custom spec
• How to choose

Quick list 1. Best hybrid overall 2. Best hybrid for commuting 3. Best folder for easy carrying 4. Best folder for commuters 5. Best for gravel 6. Best for road 7. Best for custom spec Everything you need to know

The best lightweight electric bikes will give you a ride that's not too dissimilar to a non-assisted bike but with an added electrical power boost. 

You can find lightweight e-bikes across all categories. Although many of the best folding electric bikes and hybrid electric bikes for commuting don't prioritise low weight, there are options available that are easier to carry and give you a more sporty ride.

Turn to electric road bikes and the best, lightweight e-bikes can approach the weight of many of the best road bikes , so they will often look and ride similarly. That's usually achieved by using carbon fibre for the bike frame and fitting compact, lightweight motor and battery systems inside. As you'll read in our buyer's guide at the bottom of this page, this has advantages and disadvantages.

Chief among the minuses is higher prices from the more expensive materials and components used and the more limited assistance offered than some of the best electric bikes .

But in return, you'll get an e-bike that feels more sprightly and climbs and accelerates better, and that's a lot easier to carry if you need to move it around.

That applies particularly to drop-bar road e-bikes , but the same is true of some flat-bar hybrid e-bikes. Options are fewer for lightweight folding electric bikes , as the need for a robust folding mechanism tends to reduce the opportunity to reduce the frame's weight and makes folding e-bikes costly.

We've covered options here for lightweight electric hybrids, lightweight folding e-bikes and lightweight road e-bikes in the guide below. Lower down the page is our buyer's guide with some advice on how to choose. 

Best lightweight electric bikes: Quick list

The LeMond Prolog's carbon frame and fork give it a low weight, making for fast progress through the city.

Read more below

The SL in the name indicates Specialized's lightweight motor, which is paired with a large battery.

The Hummingbird's weight is lower than many road e-bikes, but so is its 50km claimed range.

The Brompton Electric isn't super light, but you can remove the battery pack. The P line drops the weight by a kilo.

The Specialized Future Shock headset provides front end damping for a smoother ride.

In the US, the Trek Domane+ SLR is limited at 28mph, making for speedy rides.

Best lightweight electric bikes

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Recent updates

There are more and more lightweight electric bikes available and older models are superseded. We checked this guide in April 2024, when all the bikes below were still current models.

1. LeMond Prolog

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Top-of-the-line, lightweight, and carbon fibre. Those words commonly refer to the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line race-focused road bike. Instead, they describe a city bike from Tour de France winner Greg Lemond. It's an integrated everything flat bar bike, that is perfect for city living. 

It's easy to carry up a flight of stairs, looks amazing, and rides in a way that might make you think you haven't turned on the electric assist. That is until you turn off the electric assist and realise how much it was actually doing. 

Read more about what we thought of the LeMond Bicycles Prolog e-bike in our review.

2. Specialized Turbo Vado SL 5.0

Our expert review:

Specialized's e-bikes fall into its 4x You and 2x You categories, with the Turbo Vado SL in the latter. That's because Specialized uses its lighter weight, less powerful SL 1.1 motor in the Turbo Vado SL. There's still a claimed 130km range though thanks to the relatively high battery capacity and you can add a range extender for an extra 64km between charges.

The 5.0 spec comes either without lights, mudguards and a rack or as an EQ version which adds these - and a little extra weight. Both bikes get Specialized's FutureShock 1.5 suspension headset with 20mm of travel to the handlebars.

You can read our first ride impressions of the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 5.0 here.

Best folding e-bike for easy carrying

3. Hummingbird Electric 2.0

For light weight in a folding bike, the Hummingbird Gen 2.0 bike takes the prize. Made of carbon fibre with a trussed rear section and kitted out with lightweight components it undercuts even the best road e-bikes at 10.4kg. The rear hub motor helps with ride quality and handling too. 

Of course, compromises have to be made to hit this weight and the Hummingbird doesn't fold quite as small as the Brompton Electric, it has a more limited range, you only get one gear and it does carry a high retail price. 

4. Brompton Electric C Line Urban

At over 15kg and with a steel frame, the Brompton Electric C Line Urban folder may not really fit the "lightweight" bill, but its iconic folding mechanism makes it a great option for the commuter. The battery pack unclips from the front of the bike, allowing you to carry it over your shoulder as a separate 2.3kg package and dropping the bike weight somewhat.

If you want to reduce the weight, Brompton has also added the Electric P Line to its range, which it reckons shaves around 1kg off the bike's weight by using a titanium rear frame and lighter components.

Our full review of the Brompton Electric C Line Urban folding bike covers all the attributes of ownership.

Best drop-bar e-bike for mixed terrain

5. Specialized Turbo Creo 2

When you think about the category of high-end, lightweight electric bikes you have to include this Specialized entry. The S-Works Turbo Creo SL only launched a few years ago, but that's a long time ago for an e-bike and the Turbo Creo 2 upgrades performance. It's more gravel-oriented than its predecessor, with 47mm tyres on carbon DT Swiss wheels.

The motor system is a custom unit unique to Specialized. It features a 320Wh integrated battery and there's also a 160Wh range extender available. Move over to the traditional bike components and you will find electronic SRAM AXS, plenty of carbon fibre, and the Specialized Future Shock suspension stem system. 

Best drop-bar e-bike for the road

6. Trek Domane+ SLR

The combination of a Trek Domane endurance bike design in Trek's highest spec carbon plus the TQ electric drivetrain makes this bike a two-in-one endurance monster. Every time you ride it you can take advantage of Trek Isospeed at the rear of the bike, which means extra movement in the seatpost for a road-smoothing suspension effect. 

If you decide to really stretch out the miles, the lightweight frame and TQ system mean the bike is easy to pedal without any electric assist. If you want more range, you can plug in the optional 150Wh range extender, although you'll lose a water bottle cage. 

The Domane+ SLR is available in road-going 2x and gravel-oriented 1x specs, to tackle whatever terrain you prefer and in the US, it's a Class 3 e-bike and limited at 28mph.

Best drop-bar e-bike for custom spec

7. Ribble Endurance SL e Pro

Ribble offers its Endurance SL e in four starting build levels. Of course, as with all Ribble bikes, you can get in and customise from there but those four starting places represent a wide range of pricing. 

The top-of-the-line gets Dura-Ace and all the components to match that level, while this Pro build includes Ultegra and Mavic carbon wheels. But down at the bottom is where things get really interesting. You get the same top-of-the-line frame and low-weight motor system but it comes with the very dependable Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical shifting. It also comes with an excellent price for a top-calibre bike.

Best lightweight e-bikes: Everything you need to know

How are lightweight e-bikes made lighter.

Many electric bikes have an alloy frame and they'll often have a heavy, high-capacity battery and a high-torque motor system.

In many cases, a lightweight electric bike will start off with a carbon fibre frame, which will be lighter than alloy. It will usually pair with a less powerful motor system. Most electric bike motors will produce 250 watts, but what's important is the torque output. That can vary between around 30Nm up to 60Nm for a lightweight e-bike. 

There may be some overlap with heavier models, but the output range for non-lightweight e-bikes will typically spread from around 50Nm up to 90Nm.

A heavier bike with a higher-powered motor will draw more juice from the e-bike's battery, so that will itself usually need to be heavier. A lightweight e-bike will usually have a smaller-capacity battery. This might limit the range, depending on where and how you ride. 

But if the motor is speed-limited to 25kph, many riders will be exceeding this speed on the flat and the motor will only be called into use to any extent on climbs, extending the available range.

Many lightweight electric bike systems, like those from Specialized, Mahle and TQ allow you to add a range extender battery if you need more range. These usually fit into a bottle cage and plug into the internal battery's charging socket. They can add around 50 per cent to the e-bike's range, although you do lose the option to carry a second water bottle and you are adding extra weight to your lightweight e-bike.

Is there any drawback to a lightweight e-bike?

With most things in life, optimising for one feature means other features get left behind. When it comes to non-electric bikes that usually plays out as a choice between aero optimisation or lightweight. But what about electric bikes? Is there a trade-off for going lightweight?

The answer is both a yes and a no. It all depends on how you look at things. If you are expecting an American-style, Class 3 e-bike with a big battery and huge torque you won't find it. As long as you set expectations that what's possible is light assist and a smaller battery then there's no real drawback to going light.

No performance drawback doesn't completely mean no drawbacks at all though. The one big trade-off when you go lightweight is price. When it comes to bikes, powered or not, if you want a light bike, it's gonna be more expensive. Electric bikes aren't immune from this same equation.

Do lightweight e-bikes ride differently to heavier models?

Lightweight electric bikes are a distinct flavour of electric bikes. They have a unique ride feel to them and as long as you understand what you can expect you won't have any surprises.

There are some electric bikes that speed along at up to 28mph with very little rider input. These types of bikes are common in the American market. European law makes them difficult to own but they also make more sense in expansive American cities. The distances travelled are longer and there's more mixing with auto traffic. It makes sense in this context to travel at higher speeds. 

You won't find anything like that in the ultralight market, with the exception of the Trek Domane+ SLR. Bikes of this style feel more like a traditional bike with the wind constantly at your back. With the Mahle motor system, you can even set it to add assistance based on heart rate. It's a much more sport-focused design that makes it easy to forget you even have electric assist.

How do you charge a lightweight e-bike?

Another thing to consider if you're looking for the best lightweight electric bike for you is how you charge it. Many lightweight e-bikes have batteries built into the frame's down tube. This makes the e-bike look less porky but means that the battery needs to be charged in situ . 

That in turn means that you need somewhere to store the electric bike that's near a power supply, whereas with a removable battery system, you can take your battery to the wall socket. 

There are exceptions to this generalisation. The Fazua system has a removable battery in the down tube, while range extender batteries can be taken elsewhere to charge.

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Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx

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Hybrid Bikes

Best Hybrid Bikes for Women: 7 Great All-Rounders

By Charlotte Broughton

Updated Oct 13, 2023

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Selecting a hybrid bicycle can be tricky when there’s so much range on the market. We aim to make that search a little easier to help you make a well-advised choice.

We have a selection of the best ladies’ hybrid bikes and a rundown of the features and prices to make comparing easier.

Whatever your budget or needs, we’ll help you find a hybrid best for you.

Best Hybrid Bikes for Women

In no particular order, our 7 best women’s hybrid bikes:

Best Budget Women’s Hybrid

Decathlon Hybrid Bike RIVERSIDE 120 Low Frame

A bargain buy with a step-through frame for easy mounting and dismounting.

Best Commuter Women’s Hyrbid

Specialized Sirrus X 2.0 Step-Through

Comfort, style, and versatility: the perfect commuting bike all for under £600.

Best Versatile Women’s Hybrid

Trek FX 3 Disc Women’s

Non-step-through aluminum hybrid for women who want to go fast.

Best 21 -Speed Women’s Hybrid

Retorospec Atlas Fitness Hybrid Bike

Easy on the wallet and with 21-speeds it’s easy to ride too.

Best Lightweight Women’s Hybrid

Boardman HYB 8.8 Womens Hybrid Bike

Lightweight and award-winning, a bike you’ll love from the off.

Best Vintage Women’s Hybrid

Public Bikes C9 ALUMINUM

Transporting you back in time with this quirky vintage vibe.

Best Suspension Women’s Hybrid

Cannondale Quick CX Women’s 3

Heightened comfort and versatility with help from suspension forks.

Why Hybrid Bikes Are Great All-Rounders

Hybrid bikes make the perfect all round bicycle because they are more robust than a road bike but equally have capacities and the comfort given by a conventional mountain bike.

Not only that but a lot of hybrid bikes on the market also have wide tyres for comfort and stability. As well as front suspension forks. The addition of both features allows for the hybrids to ride on a range of terrain.

This is choice and versatility is what makes them so popular, especially with female riders. One bike can be both a fabulous commuter and a weekend mode of transport. A hybrid really is the do-it-all.

Well priced and versatile, what’s not to love?

Should You Buy a Hybrid Bicycle?

When it comes down to if you should buy a hybrid bicycle , only you will know for sure. But if you want versatile and well-priced: yes, you should.

A hybrid is often more reliable and much easier to maintain than other bikes. This is because the components are often basic and straightforward in design. Therefore it’s also less likely to go wrong: there’s less to go wrong.

Likewise, if you don’t have a huge budget but want a bike, a hybrid is great. With regards to e-bikes and road bikes, you can get so much more for your money. For example, all of our selections are under £1000.

Additionally, a hybrid is great for both leisure usage and commuting. Two birds with one stone. Not to mention, one bike for everything is more space efficient when it comes to storage.

Best Women’s Hybrid Bike

Below is our pick of the best women-specific hybrid bikes, no matter the budget, style, or height of the rider : we’ve got your back with some of the lightest women’s hybrid bikes on the market.

1. Decathlon Hybrid Bike RIVERSIDE 120 Low Frame

Prices are approximate

Available at Decathlon, this hybrid is a great option for those on a tighter budget. At only £249.99, it’s a really great buy for those wanting a reliable step-through hybrid bike that can be used for both leisure riding or commuting. With the step-through design allowing for easy mounting and dismounting at traffic lights or in an emergency. There’s also nothing complex componentry wise with this hybrid, making it easy to maintain as well.

• Great price.
• Easy to maintain.
• Step-through design.
• Does not have disc brakes.

2. Specialized Sirrus X 2.0 Step-Through

A really great option for those wanting a reliable commute, this 8-speed Specialized comes from the very popular Sirrus hybrid range. With rigid forks and a step-through style frame, with a modern look, this bike does not compromise on style. The frame is also made from high quality aluminium to ensure a comfortable ride yet keeping the bike lightweight: making manourvering easy. Therefore if you are looking for the perfect commuter, look no further.

• Looks great.
• Fitted with hydraulic disc brakes.
• Step-through frame.
• Only 8-speed.

3. Trek FX 3 Disc Women’s

This Trek women’s hybrid is a brilliant option if you want versatility. The not having a step-through design may put some off but the performance and ride quality has earned it many great reviews. Fitted with a carbon fork to improve the ride quality, this bike also benefits from hydraulic disc brakes to ensure ample stopping power. Allowing you to feel safe while whizzing along the city or out in the countryside on the road.

• Hydraulic disc brakes.
• Carbon fork.
• Not being step through won’t suit everyone.

4. Retorospec Atlas Fitness Hybrid Bike – Step Through 21 Speed

The US based brand Retrospec are known for their love of the outdoors and making that accessible to others. With thanks to the Atlas Step Through hybrid bike, the price is certainly making riding outside accessible. Coming in at a very impressive $379.99 RRP. Not only that but this bike also benefits from a range of 21 gears (hence the name). Allowing you to ride up steep hills and zoom along flats. A really great option for anyone wanting a well priced bike with a wide range of gears.

• 21-Speed allows great range.
• Very well priced.
• Step-through.
• Based only in US.

5. Boardman HYB 8.8 Womens Hybrid Bike

A lot of the bikes listed will still be very lightweight, but this women’s hybrid from British brand, Boardman, has been noted for its impressive weight. Allowing for easy handling when riding. The HYB 8.8 is made from aluminium but has been fitted with a full carbon front fork to help keep weight down and to improve upon the quality of the ride. Hydraulic disc brakes are also on this bike allowing for greater stopping power: great for when riding in busy areas or on shared bike paths.

• Lightweight.
• Only available in the UK.

6. Public Bikes C9 ALUMINUM

If like many of us, you want a fun and quirky hybrid bike to match your vintage style then we have just the bike for you. The C9 is a beautiful classy looking step through hybrid. From the brown saddle and grips, to the lovely crisp chrome components, it really does look the part. Not only that but the two colourway options are a total dream: cream or slate blue. The more upright style coupled with the step-through design also makes it a great option for shorter riders.

• 9-speeds is more than enough.
• Made of aluminum.
• Based in the US.
• No disc brakes.

7. Cannondale Quick CX Women’s 3

Fitted with 63mm travel front suspension fork with a manual lock out, this Cannondale is the perfect hybrid option for those who love adventuring onto more rougher terrain. Although it’s not a very large amount of travel it’s definitely enough suspension for what a hybrid can handle in terms of off-road trails. This suspension will also offer more comfort to obstacles found in cities such as curbs. The frame is made of aluminium to help keep the weight down. Gearing wise, the hybrid is 16-speed. Allowing you to ride comfortably on-road or off-road.

• Suspension fork (with manual lock out).
• Great for tame off-road.
• Disc brakes.

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