Best bike brands: Bicycle companies we trust

3T

3T offers a range of bikes that are designed a little differently. Its bikes include gravel bikes with varying amounts of tyre clearance and the slick-looking Strada road bike, alongside electric versions. It also sells its own wheels and components.

Argon 18

The Canadian company sells a wide range of road, gravel, time trial, track and electric bikes. It has a large roster of sponsored athletes across all its supported disciplines.

Argonaut

Argonaut is a niche brand that handbuilds all its bikes in Oregon. It will custom build a bike to your exact measurements, but now offers off-the-shelf frames too, lowering the significant wait time for its custom RM3 road and GM3 gravel bikes.

Basso Bikes

Based in the foothills of the Dolomites, Basso has a range of performance road and gravel bikes and electric bikes. It also sells hybrids and even hand-builds steel bikes.

Battaglin

Founded by Giro-Tour double winner, Giovanni Battaglin, the brand specialises in steel bikes with modern features, made in low volumes and guaranteed for a million miles.

Bergamont

Based in Hamburg, Germany, Bergamont is owned by Scott Sports and focuses on hybrid and electric bikes for urban mobility.

BH Bikes

The Portuguese bike brand BH sells a wide range of bikes, from road bikes to MTBs and hybrids, as well as electric bikes.

Bianchi

Bianchi's high spec bikes span all the disciplines from road performance to MTBs and gravel bikes, as well as electric bike models.

BMC

Swiss bike brand BMC makes some of the most advanced road bikes and gravel bikes available. It also sells mountain bikes, hybrids, track bikes and electric versions of its bikes.

Boardman

British brand Boardman was founded by former pro cyclist and hour record holder Chris Boardman. It sells affordable bikes with quality specs across road, gravel, MTB and hybrid categories as well as electric and kids' bikes.

Bottecchia

In 1924, Ottavio Bottecchia was the first Italian to win the Tour de France, leading the race from start to finish. The bike brand that bears his name sells a wide range of bikes and electric bikes across all riding genres.

Brompton

Famed for its fast folding, ultra-compact 16in wheel bikes, Brompton still builds its bikes in the UK, but ships worldwide. Alongside its original steel bikes, it now sells bikes in titanium/carbon and electric bikes too, as well as the G Line 20" folder, all with the original fast fold mechanism.

Cannondale

Cannondale makes a wide range of bikes. Its road and gravel bikes are renowned for their performance and it sells both carbon and alloy models, with its top spec bikes ridden at pro level. It also sells MTBs, hybrids, electric bikes and more.

Canyon

Based in Koblenz, Germany, Canyon sells direct to consumers worldwide, allowing it to offer impressive value. Its top-tier CFR race bikes are among the most affordable pro-level bikes available.

Cervélo

Cervélo specialises in aerodynamic high-performance bikes across a range of disciplines. Its high spec road bikes have been ridden to victory in a multitude of races, including multiple Tours de France. 

Cinelli

With a history in road racing going back as far as 1960, Cinelli now sells a wide range of road, gravel and urban bikes in carbon as well as its signature steel frames, some still hand built in Italy.

Colnago

Another renowned Italian bike brand, Colnago has been making race-winning bikes ever since they were ridden by Eddy Merckx in the 1970s. That continues to the modern day, when its V4Rs is ridden by Tadej Pogačar.

Condor

Condor Cycles still operates out of its shop in Gray's Inn Road in London, where it was founded in 1948. It sells a range of performance steel, alloy and carbon framesets for road and gravel as well as complete Condor bikes.

Cube

Cube Cycles is a German brand that offers a wide range of bikes and electric bikes at competitive prices, as well as parts and clothing. It sponsors a WorldTour road race team as well as an MTB team and individual triathletes. It has a range of electric cargo bikes geared to urban mobility.

Dare

Norwegian brand Dare sells a focussed range of performance carbon fibre road, gravel and tri bikes. Within Europe, it sells direct, but it also sells via retailers in the Asia Pacific region.

Decathlon

Sports supermarket Decathlon sells a wide range of bikes under its Triban, Van Rysel and BTwin brands, among others, all offering high specs for their price. Its offerings span the whole range of bike types from pro-level race bikes to balance bikes for kids, and include electric bikes and cycle clothing as well.

De Rosa

Another Italian brand with a storied past, in its case going back to 1953, De Rosa makes performance road and other bike categories in carbon and titanium as well as the steel frames for which it became famous.

Dolan

Dolan Bikes is based in the UK and sells a range of performance drop bar bikes, including track bikes and tandems. Its frames are made from carbon, aluminium, titanium or steel and it sells bikes directly as well as via its retail showroom in Lancashire.

Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx Bikes bears the name of the most successful pro cyclist of all time. The Belgian brand sells road and gravel bikes including the 525, so named for the number of victories Merckx had in his racing career in the 1960s and 70s.

Enigma

Enigma specialises in titanium frames, but also builds in steel in its factory in Sussex, UK. Its bikes are a mix of performance road, allroad and gravel designs, with features aimed at making full use of titanium's ride qualities and durability.

Enve

Best known for its performance wheels, Enve has branched out to sell a small range of carbon road and gravel bikes as well as high-end components. Its road bikes tend towards the allroad genre, but are still raced at the highest level.

Factor Bikes

Factor Bikes makes a range of high-end road, mountain, gravel and tri bikes in its own factory in Taiwan. It sponsors a number of pro racing teams and equips many of its bikes with its own Black Inc wheels and components.

Fairlight Cycles

Fairlight Cycles sells a small range of well-regarded steel framesets, designed for everyday use and adventure. Based in London, there's a waiting list for its frames, which it can also build up into a full bike to meet your spec requirements.

Fara Cycling

Fara is, like Dare, a Norwegian brand that sells its bikes direct. Its range comprises a road bike, an all-road bike and a gravel bike, with the opportunity to select your own components to suit your needs and pocket before buying. 

Felt Bikes

US brand Felt sells a range of drop bar bikes for road, gravel, cyclocross and track use and well as tri and TT bikes. It's geared towards performance bikes, with aero designs and carbon fibre framesets.

Festka

Festka is a Czech brand making high-performance road and gravel bikes. It offers custom frames as well as off-the-shelf geometry and builds to order.

FiftyOne Bikes

FiftyOne Bikes is an Irish bike brand that hand-builds its road bike and also offers the factory-built Sika road and Assassin gravel bikes. While the Custom road bike is built to your exact geometry, the Sika and Assassin are sold in a range of stock sizes. 

Focus Bikes

Founded by 1992 cyclocross world champion, Mike Kluge, Focus Bikes has a small range of road and gravel bikes. The brand's main focus is now mountain bikes and electric MTBs though.

Fondriest

Named after another top pro from the 1990s, Fondriest is an Italian brand that specialises in road race bikes. It still includes a number of rim brake options in its range.

Fuji

Founded in Japan as long ago as 1899, Fuji is now based in the US and sells a wide range of bike styles from race bikes to MTBs, hybrids, kids' and electric bikes.

Genesis

Genesis is a UK brand which specialises in robust, durable road, allroad, gravel and hybrid bikes. Many are made in steel, although it does sell titanium and alloy framed bikes too. 

Giant

Giant operates across the whole spectrum of bike types and also sells electric bikes. Its Liv brand sells women's bikes and it makes a wide range of components under the Giant and Cadex brand names.

J.Laverack

J.Laverack is a niche UK brand based in Rutland. Its speciality is high-end custom titanium bikes, with frames made in Asia, but built to the rider's specifications and sizing in the UK.

Kinesis

Kinesis is another UK bike brand, in its case based in Sussex. It sells a range of road, adventure and gravel bikes, as well as e-bikes and an MTB frameset. Most are made in alloy, although titanium does feature. The range tends towards the rugged all-road style.

KTM

Austrian brand KTM sells a wide range of bikes and e-bikes, including the Revelator road bike range, MTBs and kids' bikes. It has previously sponsored UCI WorldTour pro teams, but currently focuses on Pro Continental teams, the next tier down.

Lapierre

Lapierre is a French bicycle brand selling a wide range of road, MTB, hybrid and e-bikes. It's over 75 years old and has a long history in racing, having sponsored a number of men's and women's pro teams.

Lauf

Icelandic bike brand Lauf sells a small range of drop bar bikes. Its focus has been on gravel and gravel racing, but it's now branched out to produce a road bike, the Úthald and an MTB, the Elja XC. It's also behind the Lauf lightweight suspension fork, again geared to gravel riding.

Look

Look is an innovator in bikes, being one of the earliest producers of carbon fibre frames. It makes a range of high spec road, gravel, track and tri bikes, and it also sells urban and electric bikes. It's also a big producer of pedals for road, MTB and urban use and sells its own power meters.

Marin

California-based Marin Bikes was one of the original mountain bike brands. MTBs are still the brand's focus, but it's branched out into almost every bike category and e-MTBs. Its drop bar bikes are all-road/gravel oriented and equipped for the bikepacker. 

Mason

Mason Cycles is a UK-based brand, with a niche in custom-equipped Italian-made road, allroad and gravel bikes (and the Raw steel hardtail MTB). Its bikes are designed for four-season capability, with wider tyre clearances and made in aluminium, steel and titanium. 

Merida

Merida is a large Taiwan-based bike manufacturer which, alongside its own bikes, makes bike frames for other brands. It has a wide coverage of different bike and e-bike types and is a long-time sponsor of a pro road racing team. 

Moots

Among the most desirable bikes sold, with a reputation for meticulous attention to detail, Moots makes its road, gravel, MTB and e-bike frames from titanium in its factory in Colorado, USA. Moots' low volume, material quality and desirability are reflected in its bikes' price.

Norco

Canadian brand Norco is most active in mountain bikes and e-MTBs, but it also sells gravel bikes, hybrids and kids' bikes. Its bikes are oriented towards off-road, reflecting the wide range of untracked terrain available near its base in British Colombia. 

Open

Co-founded by Gerard Vroomen, half of the team behind Cervélo, Open is a niche maker of road and gravel bikes. It has just three frames in its current line-up, with tyre clearance ranging from 33mm up to 61mm. 

Orbea

Orbea is a co-operative based in Northern Spain's Basque Country. It sells an extensive range of bikes, from performance road models through to kids' bikes. It was one of the first brands to sell an electric road bike and offers extensive customisation options for many of its models.

Orro

Orro is a Sussex, UK-based bike brand, selling a range of road, gravel and flat bar bikes. It sells through retailers as well as directly from its site and offers its bikes with a wide range of different spec and price levels.

Pashley

Another UK brand, Pashley specialises in traditional steel bike designs with flat bars and leather saddles, although it's added the Roadfinder steel allroad bike, which offers e-bike options. It also sells the Morgan bike, a retro racer, and its range includes tricycles and e-cargo bikes as well.

Passoni

Passoni is an Italian maker of high-end made-to-measure bikes. Its specialism is titanium framesets with highly smoothed welds, although it also sells off-the-shelf bikes with customisable specs.

Pearson

Founded in 1860, Pearson sells carbon road and gravel bikes. Its Forge is designed using its own bike fit data to fit a wide range of road riders, while the Shift is more race-oriented. 

Pinarello

Best known for its high-end Dogma F road race bike and Dogma X endurance road bike, Pinarello also sells lower-priced bikes with its distinctive wavy frame profile. Its range extends to the Grevil gravel bike and the Nytro e-bike. 

Planet X

Planet X sells a wide range of bikes of all genres under its own name as well as a number of other brand names, including Holdsworth and Titus. It's known for providing good value specs at affordable prices, selling direct from its Yorkshire base. 

Quella

UK brand Quella sells a range of affordable steel singlespeed, hub gear and electric flat bar bikes, with custom build options and its own range of components and accessories. 

Raleigh

Once the largest bike company in the world and a Tour de France winner, Raleigh now sells a range of classic hybrid, folding, electric and kids' bikes from its Nottingham base. 

Reilly

A specialist builder in titanium, Reilly has a range of road and gravel bikes and offers spec customisation options on its website. You can buy direct, through dealers, or take a test ride at the brand's Brighton, UK, HQ.

Ribble

Based in Lancashire, Ribble offers a wide range of bikes including road, gravel, hybrid, tri and electric models at competitive prices. Its build-to-order model allows it to provide many customisation options alongside stock builds and it operates four showrooms across the UK where you can view before you buy.  

Ridgeback

Ridgeback is based in the UK, but has dealers worldwide. It sells a range of utility urban hybrid bikes and e-bikes, alongside a couple of steel drop bar touring bikes. It also sells kids' bikes and an e-cargo bike.

Ridley

Ridley is a Belgian bike brand that sells a wide range of performance bikes across the road, gravel, TT and MTB genres. It's perhaps best known for its cyclocross bikes though, which have been a fixture of pro-level CX racing for years.

Rondo

Rondo's specialism is gravel bikes, although it also sells road and aero models with wide tyre clearance. Its bikes include a flip chip in the fork dropouts, which allows you to change the geometry to suit different riding styles.

Rose

Rose is a German direct sales brand which sells a wide range of clothing and components, alongside its own bike range. Bike styles available include road bikes, gravel bikes, MTBs, hybrids and electric bikes.

Rourke

Founded in 1972, Rourke Cycles hand-builds bikes to order and customers' exact specifications in steel in its workshop in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. It has a long record in competition, with wins at the national and world levels.

Scott

Scott Sports covers a wide range of sports, not just cycling, while its bike division sells bikes in all categories including performance road bikes, but also electric bikes, kids' bikes and more. It sells all the accessories you might need from helmets to sunglasses and shoes and a range of Syncros-branded components.

Simplon

Simplon rather flies under the radar, but the Austrian brand makes some fine bikes. These include road and gravel bikes, alongside MTBs, flat bars and electric bikes. Its online configurator allows you to customise the bike's spec to suit your requirements,

Specialized

Specialized is one of the largest bike brands in the world. Its performance bikes are raced at the highest level, but it also sells a wide range or more affordable models. Its range includes electric bikes and it sells a wide variety of accessories and components to finish off your riding set-up.

Stevens

Based in Hamburg, Germany, Stevens sells a full range of bikes and electric bikes. It has a particular presence in cyclocross, with its bikes previously raced by both Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.

Sturdy

Sturdy is another small-scale maker of made-to-measure titanium framesets, in its case across road, TT, gravel and MTB ride styles. It sells a range of custom components to suit, including cranksets, chainrings and jockey wheels, many also made in titanium.

Surly

US brand Surly makes a range of steel bikes which veer towards the off-road/gravel segment, although it also makes tourers and hardtail MTBs. Its bikes tend to have big tyre clearance and a more upright ride position that's good if you're in for the long haul.

Tern

Tern Bikes specialises in folding bikes, but also offers electric folders and a growing range of electric cargo bikes, all with smaller wheels. It sells a wide range of accessories, so that you can kit your bike out for carrying kids, pets or the shopping.

Trek

Trek sells worldwide from its Wisconsin base with a complete range of bikes, as well as electric bikes, clothing and components. Alongside the Trek brand, it also sells Electra e-bikes and Bontrager parts and accessories.

Van Nicholas

Dutch brand Van Nicholas is a titanium bike specialist. Its range stretches from road and gravel bikes to MTBs and touring bikes. Although it doesn't offer custom geometry or specs, there's a wide range of bikes to suit different riders and uses.

Vielo

Vielo is a low-volume UK-based vendor of carbon road and gravel bikes. Its bikes are exclusively 1x and offer wider tyre clearance. You can buy direct or there's a small network of dealers in the UK, the US and worldwide.

Whyte

Whyte is a UK brand that's focused on MTBs, but also sells hybrids and electric bikes. Its bikes are available to buy direct, but it also sells via a network of UK bike dealers.

Wilier

Established in Bassano del Grappa in Italy in 1906, Wilier sells performance road, tri and gravel bikes, as well as mountain bikes and electric versions of many of its range. It has a pro presence both on the road and in MTB and also sponsors top triathletes and gravel racers.