Comfort Bikes

Naturally, we believe all bikes should be comfortable for their riders. However, some bikes are marketed as comfort bikes to a particular segment of the bike buying public. I believe that designers of these bikes have in mind a more casual rider, for whom the bike is largely a vehicle for occasional recreation, and not so much for daily commuting. It is assumed that such a person would not ride a bike unless it could be made supremely comfortable.

I use this generalization with some caution, because it is not mine. At Rapid Transit, we have many years of experience fitting cyclists to bicycles, and we find that very often commuters choose comfort bikes for their daily transportation. Comfort bikes offer an upright sitting position that many riders find, well, comfortable, because it takes the strain off the neck, shoulders, back, and eases the pressure off the groin area. With the head-up position, the rider may also enjoy a better view of surrounding traffic.

Here are some features typically found on a comfort bike:

Comfort bikes originally morphed from mountain bikes, and, like them, often come equipped with 26" wheels. However, comfort hybrids are also widely available, and offer very similar features, except they come with larger and narrower 700c wheels.

Rapid Transit has always advocated the use of recumbent bikes as the epitome of cycling comfort. However, both we and recumbent manufacturers realize that, at least for now, recumbents appeal to a relatively small cycling minority. Nevertheless, several years ago, a couple of recumbent makers (notably Rans Recumbents, and the now defunct Advanced Transportation Products) figured out that they could adapt the feet-forward position of a recumbent to a more upright bike, and possibly attract a wider following. They met with mixed success.

However, Electra Bikes, a successful manufacturer of cruiser bikes, picked up the idea and ran with it, creating a line of very comfortable and user-friendly flat-foot bikes. (Actually, I can't be certain if Electra designers did not come up with this idea on their own, but the recumbent companies were there first.)

Initially marketed under their Townie brand (in itself an indication that comfort bikes were being thought off as worthy commuters), but now expanded to include some of their cruisers, kids' bikes and the Amsterdam line, flat-foot bikes allow the rider seated on the bike to pedal with the feet slightly forward, providing good leg extension, while being able to plant the other foot flat on the ground.