Following the period of dominance of the fixed-gear bike as the image standard for city riding, three new, competing trends are emerging, encompassing city bikes.
City bikes - styling or camouflage?
The first is the styling
of city bikes as long-distance road bikes (i.e., the so-called "Audax" or "Roubaix," after the most famous events in which such bikes are used). Characteristic elements of this trend include the use of a classic frame with shells, possibly high-quality steel, and road components. Fixed fenders and relatively wide tires (for a road bike) are a prime example of this trend. The Cooper Revial 11 from 2014 features a classic Reynolds 853 frame, Campagnolo Athena components, steel fenders, and 28-inch tires. The Revival 11 is a new model in Cooper's top-of-the-line line. The previous version of this line had a single 44/16 gear ratio and was not designed for fenders (starting at around 7,600 PLN online).
Marriage with cyclocross
Another clear trend is
city bikes with disc brakes and a welded steel frame with cyclocross geometry, with a carbon or straight steel fork. An example of this trend is the All-City Macho King Disc. This bike is from an American company that, as its name suggests, specializes in city bikes. It features a Reynolds 853 frame, Sram Force components, Hayes discs, and 38" tires (around $3,500 in the US). In Europe, similar bikes are manufactured by, among others, the British company Genesis. Their 2014 Croix de Fer has a stainless steel Reynolds 931 frame, Shimano 105 components, Hayes mechanical discs, and 35" tires (online price around 10,000 PLN, a "cheaper" version with Reynolds 725 and a Tiagra groupset for around 6,000 PLN).
Alu Hybrid
The third trend is more affordable – "new hybrids," bikes with aluminum frames, rear derailleur only, cantilever brakes, a mountain-style drop top tube, flat handlebars, mudguards, and wide tires. This trend is perfectly illustrated by the Grater 1 from British company Charge, a specialist in flashy city bikes. Charge is best known for the Plug model, which popularized the use of bullhorn handlebars on city bikes in the past. The Grater 1 (online price: approximately 2500 PLN) features Truvativ cranks, a Shimano Altus derailleur, Tektro canti brakes, 32-inch tires, and a Charge Spoon saddle, renowned for its low price and excellent performance. Another good example is the Pinnacle Neon One 2014 (online price: approximately 1800 PLN; Pinnacle is Evans Cycles' own brand, hence the exceptionally reasonable price). It weighs only 9.7 kg, has Prowheel cranks, a Shimano Acera derailleur, Tektro mini-v brakes, and stock 28" tires. It comes without fenders, but you can easily install them. The frame has mounting eyelets. (KN)
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