Bicycle Types Guide

[HorTs]

Is there a guide to all the bike types there are out there? I had a quick search and haven't come up with anything.

I'm not a bike snob but all the categories of bikes these days can be daunting and somewhat prohibitive.

For example:-

Mountain
Commuter
Urban
Cyclocross
Touring
Audax
Sportive
Road
Time Trail
Single Speed

Some of them are quite self-explanatory but others not so.

Does anyone know of a good guide? Undoubtedly I've an obvious thread.

 

[raindog]

Road
.

This is the only one you need to know about

 

[Peteaud]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-advice-to-newbies.12623/

 

[arallsopp]

This is fairly exhaustive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle_types

 

[Cyclist33]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-advice-to-newbies.12623/

Glaringly incomplete, that, and pretty subjective too. Like any guide, really

OP - Some of your list I would define as types of riding rather than types of bike. I couldn't say which single one of your categories my hybrid falls into. It's definitely not a mountain bike, I don't commute as I live next door to work, it's not "urban" coz the Bad Boy made by the same company fulfils that role, cyclocross no coz no drop handlebar, likewise touring, audax or sportive, though it could be used for all six of the latter, not road as lots of frame clearance and no drop handlebar, although it's got road tyres on, definitely not a TT bike though again I imagine Bradley Wiggins could whoop almost anyone's ass if he were riding it in a time trial. And it's not a single-speed.

So not much help really, but why do you ask your original question anyway? Half of the terms are just marketing. Bikes are bikes, most of them beg steal and borrow from each other. The important question is, what sort of riding do you want to do?

Stu

 

[PpPete]

There is some useful information on this page. It's titled as "Touring & Sportive Tips" but it has a LOT of information about different kinds of bike that might conceivably be used for touring.

 

[byegad]

Upright Trike, Newton and Delta.
Recumbent trike, tadpole and delta.
Recumbent bike, Low-Racer, Mid-Racer, High-Racer
Crank Forward.
I'm sure the brains trust can come up with a few more.

 

[HorTs]

So not much help really, but why do you ask your original question anyway?

I only asked for reference and interest - what sets Audax and Touring bikes apart for example.

 

[mickle]

Street Bikes
Road bikes and Road Racers
Mountain and Off-Road Bikes
Fixed Wheel Bikes
BMX
Electric Cycles
Cargo and Workbikes
Children's Cycles
Tandems
Mobility
Tricycles
Recumbents and Velomobiles
Family
Folders and Portables
Handmade
Fun, Niche and Innovative
Vintage, Classics and Designer Bikes
nb. Some machines fall in to more than one category.

 

[mickle]

I only asked for reference and interest - what sets Audax and Touring bikes apart for example.

An Audax bike sits neatly between a road (race) bike and a full touring bike. With greater frame clearance for wider tyres and mudguards but without the enormous strength and carrying ability of a tourer. They share a common ancestor.

 

[ufkacbln]

Street Bikes
Road bikes and Road Racers
Mountain and Off-Road Bikes
Fixed Wheel Bikes
BMX
Electric Cycles
Cargo and Workbikes
Children's Cycles
Tandems
Mobility
Tricycles
Recumbents and Velomobiles
Family
Folders and Portables
Handmade
Fun, Niche and Innovative
Vintage, Classics and Designer Bikes
nb. Some machines fall in to more than one category.

Such as a recumbent unicycle?

 

[User16625]

Apparently there was a moonbike made by nasa but ive never heard of it.

Edit: Just been reading about velomobiles. Really interesting concept. Would love to have one myself except I would look like a wally, the price and the uphill struggle I imagine you would get. Are their gear ratios comparable to mountain bikes?

 

[black'n'yellow]

Apparently there was a moonbike made by nasa but ive never heard of it.

so you have heard of it..?

 

[ufkacbln]

Apparently there was a moonbike made by nasa but ive never heard of it.

Yertiz!

NASA has found the design of their interest and has decided to fund a prototype of this design. It looks for the possibilities of using the vehicle in low gravity environments due to its contraption property the system exhibits great stability and balance of weight relative to spinning forces.
The wheels are 64 inches apart at the road and cant inwards to only 26 inches apart at the top of their 8-foot diameter. The prototype weighs in at about 200 pounds that can be reduced by the use of lighter materials like carbon fiber etc. The vehicle can race up at an incredible speed of 50 mph and also employs an innovative mechanism to accumulate energy for some extra boost when required.

 

[penguinking9]

No, that doesn't look complicated at all