Bikes

Best Affordable Commuting Bikes

With the cost of fuel sky high at the moment ditching your car, or at least using it less, is a great way to save money. Switching to an affordable commuting bike will not only save money on petrol but cycling to work will keep you fit, and is better for the planet. Around 70% of all trips in the UK are under 5 miles. A distance you can easily cycle in about 25 minutes.

To lessen the up front cost of buying a commuting bike we have a range of different ways you can pay. These include the cycle to work scheme (which saves you at least 26% off the cost of the bike), Klarna Pay in 3, and 0% finance over 6 or 12 months provided by V12 finance. Read more about how you can spread the cost of a bike.

During August and September 2022 we are also throwing in a free Moon light set worth £74.99 on selected commuting bikes.

GT Transeo Sport Hybrid – £450

The Transeo Sport is a super simple hybrid bike. It comes with an aluminium frame and a rigid steel fork. The 700c wheels are the same size fitted on race bikes so are nice and quick on the road, but have wide 40c tyres to soak up bumps and give loads of grip. The Shimano gears and Formula mechanical brakes are not fancy but get the job done.

Orbea Carpe 40 Hybrid Bike – £629

The Carpe is similar in a lot of ways to the GT Transeo but has come key upgrades. Like the Transeo it has an aluminium frame but it also has an aluminium fork which helps make the hole bike lighter (and quicker). It comes with fast 700c wheels but uses slightly skinnier 38c tyres which come with extra puncture protection and reflective sidewalls to make you more visible. The biggest change is the 1 x gearing. Although this gives you less gears than on the Transeo it is a simpler, and lighter, system, so more reliable and easier to use. Overall the Carpe is a lighter and sportier bike than the Transeo, ideal for zipping around town.

Orbea Onna 50 Mountain Bike – £629

Coming in at the same price as the Carpe, the Orbea Onna is a mountain bike which can also double as a commuter. Using a mountain bike for commuting does mean you sacrifice a bit of speed, and have to work slightly harder, but it opens up more paths, is more stable, and can be more comfortable. You can also easily hop up and down kerbs. The Onna comes with fast 29er wheels on most sizes and has hydraulic disc brakes for better stopping in wet weather.

Cannondale Trail 5 Mountain bike – £525

Like the Onna the Trail 5 uses fast 29er wheels and comes with hydraulic disc brakes for great stopping power. It the same kind of super simple 1x gearing as the Orbea Carpe so it’s simple to use and simple to maintain. It is geared for mountain biking though. So if you really want to go fast on flat road sections you may find yourself ‘spinning out’ eventually as you run out of gears to use. On the flipside, getting up the steepest hills should be a breeze.

Whyte Ridgeway Hybrid Bike – £599

The Whyte Ridgeway is a good compromise between mountain bikes like the Onna and Trail and hybrids like the Carpe. It is a hybrid bike with fast 700c wheels and a lightweight frame, but it comes with a suspension fork and grippy tyres so it can handle cycle paths and lumpy roads. Whyte bikes are designed in the UK, with UK weather in mind, so it has all the points you need to attach mudguards and racks.

Trek Domane AL 2 Road Bike – £697

Using a road bike as a commuting bike is not for everyone. To be honest they are not always the best on wet, oil-stained roads. Nor do they like potholes. But for sheer speed and fun a road bike is hard to beat. The Domane AL 2 gets you a light aluminium frame with proper fast road tyres and road gearing so you can cruise along 10 to 15 miles an hour without too much effort, and sprint up to 20 miles an hour plus if you are running late.

Trek FX 3 Equipped Hybrid Bike – £975

If you are going to be commuting by bike a lot you will definitely want some lights. You’ll probably also want mudguards and maybe a luggage rack. This can easily add up to a £100 or more. Trek do a range of EQ, or equipped, bikes that come with all of the accessories already fitted. So, you are ready to go straight away.