The amount of choice these days can be very overwhelming. Hopefully the following will help you!
Which activity do I want to do? This question is the biggest challenge in the purchasing decision. To simplify the complex process, we want to take a structured approach to all the helpful steps here. In the following, we aim to make your search easier with good, high-quality yet affordable options. Our top picks in the categories:
The first question that should be clarified is as follows:
Table of Contents
Then it's best to use this type of bike:
• Tackle every conceivable task and obstacle with a high-quality all-rounder (at a reasonable price)
• Cruise comfortably with a city bike
• Doing sport ...
... off-road
... be fast on the road
... fast on gravel and road
... at home
Peloton (1900$)
• Commuting
• Comfortably transport loads, children or similar
• Covering long distances
• Still experience nature easily with illness / disability / or in old age
• Enjoying shared experiences
Once you have decided on a type of bike, there are other factors to consider:
| Body size | Frame size |
| 4,7 - 5 ft 1,45 - 1,55 m | XS |
| 5 - 5,7 ft 1,55 - 1,75 m | S/M |
| 5,7 - 6,4 ft 1,75 - 1,95 m | L/XL |
If you are between 2 sizes, you should choose the larger option to be more comfortable on the road.
(Our suggestions above consider all the following details)
• The price of the bike should not be too cheap and not too expensive. If prices are below 300 euros / 330 dollars, compromises have usually been made in the construction and quality of the product! For e-bikes, this limit is raised to approx. 1500 euros / 1640 dollars. If you are not put off by prices above 3000 euros / 3300 dollars, you should also take care here, as components usually do not improve and the price-performance ratio is no longer good.
• The weight should never exceed 16 kilograms/35 pounds (e-bikes have a limit of up to 25 kilograms/55 pounds)
• A bike with suspension is generally more comfortable, but be careful! Cheap components are usually fitted, even on very expensive bikes. Stay away from front suspensions with steel springs!
< cheap / better >
• Make sure you have sufficient lighting; nowadays nobody should have to bother with plug-in lamps.
• Steel frames are no longer recommended as they are too heavy. Nowadays, aluminum is the better alternative and carbon would be even better. The weld seams of an aluminum frame and steel frames should look flawless, otherwise the stability of the bike under high loads is at risk. This small detail also says a lot about the general quality of workmanship.
Good manufacturers also think about the design of the future, so you should always look out for prefabricated extension points, for example for bottle cages, mudguards and pannier racks.The best example of this is our long-distance bike:
< cheap / better >
• Tires from a well-known brand such as Maxxis, Schwalbe or Dunlop are recommended. In addition, the tread pattern should be appropriate for the use; the more you ride on the road, the flatter the tread should be, and vice versa for mountain bikes.
< street / off road >
• The same applies to the rims. The lighter the better. To make the ride more comfortable, they should also be very wide, exactly the opposite for road bikes.
• If there is a lot of plastic, please keep your hands off it!
• As mentioned above, suspension plays a major role when it comes to riding comfort. Stay away from front suspensions with steel springs! Instead, look for oil-air suspensions from well-known quality brands. (for example Fox or Rockshox)
< cheap / better >
• The braking system can be regarded as the most important safety aspect just before collisions and in emergency situations. A hydraulic disc brake is always superior to a V-brake and a distinction can even be made between single-piston and multi-piston disc brakes, which provide even more power (recommended for mountain bikes).
< weak
< strong
< the best
Nowadays, non-hydraulic/cable-operated systems are no longer standard and should be avoided as far as possible.
For older people, a coaster brake is usually the most common way to brake. This is still usually found on bicycles for older people.
• To increase comfort, the contact points with the bike are one of the most important points. All controls should be ergonomic and easy to reach, which means that brake levers and gearshifters should not be too large if you have small hands, for example. There is usually a quick solution for this - every manufacturer usually offers smaller grips on request, or there are often adjustment options on the brake levers.
We like to cite our top pick as the best example:
• The saddle must be individually adjusted, as each person has a different pelvic structure (strongly dependent on gender).
• In the bicycle market, it is common for bicycles to be sold without pedals and you only notice this when the goods arrive at home. If pedals are included in the purchase, they are usually very cheap and beware! They are also very dangerous versions that are very easy to slip on, increasing the risk of injury.
(cheap and dangerous)
We recommend as a good all-rounder:
• The tires should not be neglected if you want to have a good experience. Make sure the tread is suitable for the intended use. The more you ride off-road, the rougher and coarser it should be. If you want to make a compromise because you often ride on the road but also occasionally ride in fields and forests, a combination is recommended:
As a commuter in the city, the safety aspect is often important. Here, for example, a run-flat or even hard foam tires may be an option. Mountain bikers should consider converting to tubeless, which has many advantages and, above all, means never having to look for holes in the tube again.
< solid / tubeless >
• To ride your road bike as fast as possible, the bearings in the axles and bottom bracket should be of good quality. Ceramic bearings are recommended. For mountain bikes and long-distance bikes, high-quality bearings and axles should be installed so that hopefully no damage occurs in the wrong situations.
A rule of thumb applies to many offers: If the manufacturer explicitly mentions these features in a listing in their advertisement, then the worst material should not usually be installed.
• A seat post is of greater importance in mountain biking. Imagine having to adjust the saddle by hand every time just before going downhill, it usually hurts and is quite hard and cumbersome. This is why so-called dropper posts have been developed, which do the work with the help of a switch. All the mountain bikes listed above have this feature, for example.
• There are several schifting systems on the market. Generally speaking: Hub gears require less maintenance, but cannot be used for heavy off-road riding and are significantly more expensive. On the other hand, normal cassette gears are more prone to faults, yet more robust off-road and easier to repair, and therefore cheaper. Ultimately, it makes more sense to use a cassette gear system for mountain bikes and a hub gear system is recommended for bikes used on flat roads.
The gears and chain are usually made of cheap parts that won't last long or at least won't be very robust.
Pay attention to the following detail:
< cheap / better >
As an alternative, the often much more expensive variant with belt drive should be listed here.
• Does the manufacturer offer suitable racks, lights, mudguards and perhaps even travel bags? The bike should be of good quality. If lights and pannier racks are already integrated into the frame, you can generally expect these components to last longer.
• Always inflate tires (once a month) and replace them (if the tread is badly worn)
• Oil the chain frequently! (at least once a month with regular use)
• Change brake pads (approx. once a year with regular use)
• Adjust the gearshift (over time, the gearshift mechanism in the gearshift lever can become slightly misaligned, this must be counteracted approx. once a year)
The general rule here is: If you look after your bike regularly, you'll save the most money in the end!
