Which bike do you actually need?
Five guides for anyone buying their first proper bike
Most bikes are specialised by two things: the surface you ride on, and how upright you sit. Nearly every difference between bike types comes back to one of those. Once you know which surface you'll be on and how far you're going, the choice narrows quickly.
The main thing is to match the bike to the riding you'll do most weeks, rather than the riding you'd like to imagine doing. Plenty of people buy a road bike for a commute that turns out to include a gravel path and a set of stairs.
| Type | Where it goes | Riding position | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road | Sealed roads only | Low, leaned forward | Distance, speed, fitness |
| Gravel | Road, dirt roads, easy trail | Leaned forward, but less extreme | One bike that does most things |
| Mountain | Trails, rocks, roots, descents | Upright, arms wide | Technical off-road riding |
| Commuter | Roads, bike paths, footpaths | Upright, head up | Short trips in normal clothes |
| Electric | Depends on the model | Depends on the model | Hills, cargo, longer trips |
Electric gets its own row because an e-bike can be any of the other four with a motor added.
The five guides
Electric bikes
Cargo, e-MTB, electric road, city. What the four kinds of e-bike are for, what they cost, and how the law works in Australia.
Read the guide →
Mountain bikes
Suspension, fat tyres, flat bars. Built to be ridden down things. Includes hardtail vs full suspension.
Read the guide →
Road bikes
Drop bars and skinny tyres, built for sealed roads and distance. The fastest way to cover ground under your own power.
Read the guide →
Gravel bikes
A road bike with room for wider tyres and rougher ground. If you can only own one bike, it is probably this one.
Read the guide →
Commuter & city bikes
Upright, practical, ridden in normal clothes. Hybrids, city bikes and folders, for replacing short car trips.
Read the guide →
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Three questions that usually settle it
What is under your wheels? If it is sealed road the whole way, a road bike is the fastest thing you can ride. If any part of the route is dirt, gravel or grass, you want wider tyres, so look at gravel or commuter bikes. If it involves rocks, roots and steep descents, that is mountain bike territory.
How far, and how often? Under about 10km a few times a week, comfort and practicality matter more than speed. You want to ride in normal clothes and not think about it. Once rides get longer, the leaned-forward position starts to earn its keep.
What is stopping you riding more? If the honest answer is hills, a headwind, arriving sweaty, or hauling kids and shopping, then it is worth reading the electric bike guide before you settle on a type. A motor deals with those problems better than a lighter frame will.
What to spend
Roughly, for a new bike from an Australian shop: under $700 is department-store territory, and tends to be heavy with parts that wear out quickly. $700 to $1,500 gets you a decent commuter or an entry-level hardtail. $1,500 to $3,000 is where road, gravel and trail bikes get properly good. Above that you are mostly buying lighter materials and smoother gear, with diminishing returns unless you are racing.
E-bikes sit around $1,000 higher across the board, because the motor and battery are a real chunk of the cost.
Those are list prices. Everything on BikeGrid is discounted stock from local shops, so the practical entry point for each band is lower. Browse the current deals and sort by discount.