List of bicycle types

By function

• Road bicycles are designed for traveling at speed on paved roads.
• Touring bicycles are designed for bicycle touring and long journeys. They are durable and comfortable, capable of transporting baggage, and have a wide gear range.
• * The BXR bike or Sport Touring BMX. features a lightweight BMX bike-sized wheels or wheels; Built-in frames, usually from the BMX racing, minivelos or foldable city/touring bikes. The riders of this touring bike typically carry the loads in backpacks not to lose agility and speed. Also has wide-range gearing from low ratios to very high ratios, driven with big chainrings or special cassettes like Shimano's Capreo; setup typically with 27 to 33 gears or IGHs.
• Randonneur or Audax bicycles are designed for randonnées or brevet rides, and fall in between racing bicycles and those intended for touring in terms of the frame geometry and weight.
• Hybrid bicycles are a compromise between the mountain and racing style bicycles which replaced European-style utility bikes in North America in the early 1990s. They have a light frame, medium gauge wheels, and derailleur gearing, and feature straight or curved-back, touring handlebars for more upright riding.
• * Trekking bike: a hybrid with all the accessories necessary for bicycle touring—mudguards, pannier rack, lights, etc.
• * Commuter: designed specifically for commuting over short or long distances. It typically features derailleur gearing, 700c wheels with fairly light 1.125-inch tires, a carrier rack, full fenders, and a frame with suitable mounting points for attachment of various load-carrying baskets or panniers. It sometimes, though not always, has an enclosed chainguard to allow a rider to pedal the bike in long pants without entangling them in the chain. A well-equipped commuter bike typically features front and rear lights for use in the early morning or late evening hours encountered at the start or end of a business day
• * City bike: optimized for the rough-and-tumble of urban commuting. The city bike differs from the familiar European city bike in its mountain bike heritage, gearing, and strong yet lightweight frame construction. It usually features mountain bike-sized wheels, a more upright seating position, and fairly wide 1.5–1.95-inch heavy belted tires designed to commonly found in the city, such as broken glass. Using a sturdy welded Chromoly or aluminum frame derived from the mountain bike, the city bike is more capable of handling urban hazards such as deep potholes, drainage grates, and jumps off city curbs. City bikes are designed to have reasonably quick, yet solid and predictable handling, and are normally fitted with full fenders for use in all weather conditions. A few city bikes may have enclosed chainguards, while others may be equipped with suspension forks, similar to mountain bikes. City bikes may also come with front and rear lighting systems for use at night or in bad weather.
• * Comfort bike: essentially modern versions of the old roadster and sports roadster bicycle, though modern comfort bikes are often equipped with derailleur rather than hub gearing. They typically have a modified mountain bike frame with a tall head tube to provide an upright riding position, 26-inch wheels, and 1.75 or 1.95-inch smooth or semi-slick tires. Comfort bikes typically incorporate such features as front suspension forks, seat post suspension with wide plush saddles, and drop-center, angled North Road style handlebars designed for easy reach while riding in an upright position.
• Flat bar road bikes are road bikes fitted with mountain bike-style shifters, brake levers, and a flat handlebar. They fit into the continuum between hybrids and road bikes.
• Gravel bicycle is a road bicycle designed for riding on gravel and other rough terrain. It has a more slack geometry and fatter tires than a road bike. It is generally used to tackle more rough terrain than cyclo-cross bicycles. Gravel bicycle frames also use characteristics of both cyclocross and road bikes for better comfort on long rides and the wheel clearance to accommodate rides done in torrential conditions.
• Cyclo-cross bike : A road bicycle frame similar to a racing or sport/touring bicycle, but with more slack geometry, wider rims/tires and cantilever brakes. This bicycle-style was originally intended for racing cyclocross. However, due to their robust design, strong brakes, and more stable geometry, cyclocross bikes are frequently used as commuting, touring.
• Utility bicycles are designed for commuting, shopping and running errands. They employ middle or heavyweight frames and tires and they often have internal hub gearing. To keep the rider clean, they often have full front and rear fenders and chain guards. To make the bike more useful as a commuter vehicle, they are often equipped with a basket. The riding position varies from upright to very upright.
• * Roadster bicycles
• * Dutch bicycles
• * European city bicycles

• Cargo bikes are designed for transporting large or heavy loads. They often have a flat cargo area or large basket and some also have cargo trailers.
• * Porteur bicycles are a kind of cargo bicycle designed for carrying loads on a platform rack attached to the fork.
• * Butcher's Bikes typically have a basket or storage box mounted within a frame on the front of the bike, and would often feature an advertising sign attached within the main triangle of the bicycle frame. Despite the name, these were popular with a wide variety of trades during the first half of the 20th century, particularly in the United Kingdom.
• * Longtail bicycles are a type of bicycle with a longer than usual frame wheelbase at the rear compared to a standard utility bicycle.
• * Boda-boda, also known as a Poda-Poda in some parts of Africa, is a bicycle taxi.
• * Messenger bikes are typically used for urgent deliveries of letters and small packages between businesses in big cities with heavily congested traffic. While any type of bike can be used, messenger bikes are often stripped-down track-style bicycles, with either a fixed or single speed freewheel drivetrains.
• Ice cycles are designed for riding on ice.
• Mountain bicycles are designed for off-road cycling. All-mountain bicycles feature sturdy, highly durable frames and wheels, wide-gauge treaded tires, and cross-wise handlebars to help the rider resist sudden jolts. Some mountain bicycles feature various types of suspension systems, and hydraulic or mechanical-disc brakes. Mountain bicycle gearing is often very wide-ranging, from very low ratios to mid ratios, typically with 9 to 28 gears, although some riders prefer the mechanical simplicity and ease of maintenance of single-speed mountain bikes.
• * 29ers are mountain bikes that are built to use 700C or ISO 622 mm wheels.
• * 27.5 bikes are mountain bikes that are built to use 650B or ISO 584 mm wheels.
• * Downhill bikes are a specialized type of mountain bike with a very strong frame, altered geometry, and long-travel suspension. They are designed for use only on downhill courses.
• * Freeride bicycles in this category usually have very strong frames and dual-suspension with the travel of six inches and up. They tend to have a shorter wheelbase than downhill bikes but otherwise have very similar geometry and components. Whereas downhill racers tend towards strong and light components, extreme freeriders tend not to worry about weight as much as the strength of materials so it can withstand the huge drops and gaps that they typically perform.
• * Fatbikes are mountain bikes with very wide, ≈3.7 in, tires designed for riding on soft surfaces such as snow and sand.
• Military bicycles
• * Swedish military bicycles
• * Swiss army bicycles

• Racing bicycles are designed for speed and the sport of competitive road racing. They have lightweight frames and components with minimal accessories, drop handlebars to allow for a powerful and aerodynamic riding position, narrow high-pressure tires for minimal rolling resistance, and multiple gears. Racing bicycles have a relatively narrow gear range and typically vary from medium to very high ratios, distributed across 18, 20, 27, or 30 gears. The more closely spaced gear ratios allow racers to choose a gear that will enable them to ride at their optimum pedaling cadence for maximum efficiency.
• Time trial bicycles are similar to road bicycles but are differentiated by a more aggressive frame geometry that throws the rider into riding position, sacrificing maneuverability for aerodynamics. They also feature aerodynamic frames, wheels, and handlebars.
• Triathlon bicycles have seatposts that are closer to vertical than the seatposts on road racing bicycles. This enables a greater contribution from hamstring and gluteus muscles. Triathlon bicycles also have specialized handlebars known as triathlon bars or aero bars.
• Track bicycles, intended for indoor or outdoor cycle tracks or velodromes, are exceptionally simple compared with road bikes. They have a single gear ratio, a fixed drivetrain, no brakes, and are minimally adorned with other components that would otherwise be typical for a racing bicycle.
• BMX bikes are designed for stunts, tricks, and racing on dirt BMX tracks. They have a single gear ratio with a freewheel and are built with smaller frames and wheels with wider, treaded tires.
• Cruiser bicycles are heavy framed bicycles designed for comfort, with curved back handlebars, padded seats, and balloon tires. They are also called beach bikes or boulevardiers and are designed for comfortable travel. Cruisers were the bicycle standard in the United States from the 1930s until the 1950s. The traditional cruiser is single-speed with coaster brakes, but modern cruisers come with three to seven speeds. Aluminum frames have recently been used in Cruiser construction, lowering weight. Cruisers typically have minimal gearing and are often available for rental at beaches and parks which feature flat terrain.
• Cycle rickshaws are used to transport passengers for hire.
• Motorized bicycle motorbike, cyclemotor, or vélomoteur is a bicycle with an attached motor and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedaling. Since it always retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. However, for purposes of governmental licensing and registration requirements, the type may be legally defined as a motor vehicle, motorcycle, moped, or a separate class of hybrid vehicle. Powered by a variety of engine types and designs, the motorized bicycle formed the prototype for what would later become the motorcycle.
• Gyroscopic bicycle uses a detachable gyroscope in the front wheel to make it stable and can be easily ridden by a disabled person. The gyroscopic disk can spin several thousand times per minute and has 3 speeds, the fastest rotation for the higher corrective effect of stability.
• An electric bicycle allows the rider the choice of pedaling or 'coasting'; the bicycle being propelled by an electric motor, which is frequently incorporated into the front or rear hub. Some electric bicycles allow these two functions to be carried out simultaneously, and some motors will match the power the rider has contributed through the pedals; this type of e-bike more commonly known as a Pedelec. Electric bicycles primarily use lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries.
• Railbikes ride on rails.
• Firefighter bicycle