City
Browse used city bikes for sale from riders across the UK, along with the parts that go on them. The category covers complete bikes built for commuting and everyday riding — hybrids, Dutch roadsters, folders, cargo and vintage machines — and the components that suit them, from mudguards and racks to hub gears and dynamo lighting. It is aimed at riders covering short daily distances in ordinary clothes rather than training.
What makes a bike a city bike?
An upright riding position, tyres wide enough for potholes and kerbs, and provision for the things a commute needs — mudguard clearance, rack mounts, a chainguard, a stand. Gearing is modest, often a single chainring with a wide cassette or an internal hub, because city riding is stop-start rather than sustained. The defining trade-off is durability over weight: a city bike will be several kilos heavier than a road bike of the same price and will need far less attention for it. Complete bikes are listed under city complete bikes and the parts under city components.
City bike or electric bike for commuting?
The dividing line is distance and terrain. Under about five miles on flat ground, a conventional city bike is lighter, cheaper, needs no charging and has nothing expensive to fail. Beyond that, or on a hilly route, or if you need to arrive without changing clothes, an electric bike does the job better and the extra weight stops mattering. Second-hand, the calculation shifts again — an e-bike carries battery risk that a city bike does not.
How does a city bike differ from a BMX or a kids' bike?
Fit and purpose, mainly. BMX bikes use a 20in wheel, a single gear and a low seat, and are built for tricks and short bursts rather than covering ground. Kids' bikes are sized by wheel diameter rather than frame size, running from 12in through to 26in. A city bike is sized like an adult road or mountain frame and is designed for someone to sit on for half an hour at a time.
What should I check on a used commuter bike?
Commuter bikes do their miles in winter, so corrosion tells you more than mileage. Look at the chain and cassette for rust and hooked teeth, check the rims for a concave brake track if it runs rim brakes, and check for seized bolts on rack and mudguard mounts, which is where road salt gathers. Spin the wheels and rock them side to side for hub bearing play, and check the headset by holding the front brake and rocking the bike. On hub-geared bikes, ride through every gear before buying — a hub that skips or will not select is an expensive fix. On folders, check the hinges and clamps for play and the frame around them for cracks, since that is where the loads concentrate.
How much should I pay for a used city bike?
Well-kept commuters from mainstream makers typically trade at around a third to a half of their original price, and the drop is steepest in the first two years. Age matters less than storage — a bike kept indoors for six years is usually a better buy than a three-year-old that lived under a tarpaulin. Buy new when you want a warranty on a bike you will rely on daily, or when you need a specific frame size that rarely appears used. Buying used makes obvious sense for a bike that will be locked up outside in a city, where a visibly worn bike attracts less attention and a theft costs you less.