If you’re in the market for a new high-end bike, regardless of your biking style, type, or level of expertise, you should select the best brands for your body type, budget, and experience. You’ll also need to know what kind of bike ride you want.
We’ve chosen the best biking brands in the world that have a solid name in the industry and provide excellent customer service, especially in the post-COVID era.
Selecting the Best Biking Brands in 2023
There are several factors to consider when determining the best bike brands globally. Some of the most important factors to consider are innovation, quality consistency, and who places riders at the top of podiums.
With that said, a quiet revolution is taking place in the biking world. Millions of busy Moms, stressed college students, and middle-aged people simply trying to lose weight have a need that must be met.
Often, these rankings focus on the high-intensity world of road cycling or the ultra-cool world of mountain biking. Still, this review attempts to account for the other 98% of riders who require high-quality bikes at an affordable price.
According to the research, many companies may face a drop in bicycle demand, while others may escape unscathed and perform well in this post-COVID ERA.
Regardless, ranking the best biking brands is a step in the research process. If you genuinely want to find the best biking brands for your needs, choose the bike type that interests you the most and carefully read the bike reviews to find your match.
Best Biking Brands in 2023
#1. Trek
Trek began in a barn in 1976, and the company has since become a global brand. They appeared to have done well since then, considering Lance Armstrong rode a Trek 5500 to his first Tour de France victory in 1999. Almost all of his subsequent achievements came on the backs of Trek bikes. Trek established its Advanced Concepts Group in 1998, a group of engineers and technicians devoted to advancing bike technology. With all that intelligence built into Trek bikes, it’s easy to see why so many cyclists regard this as the best bike brand in the world.
#2. Specialized
Specialized was the first manufacturer to introduce a mass-produced mountain bike to the world, the Stumpjumper. They are built by riders for riders, with the motto “If you ride, we’re for you.”
When the brand noticed children struggling to focus in school, they began supporting the Outride program, which promotes better health (and thus concentration) through cycling. It appears that Specialized is to blame for introducing mountain biking to entire generations of children… and we appreciate it.
#3. Cannondale
Surprisingly, the Cannondale biking brand may have first gained international attention not for their bicycles but for The Bugger, the first bicycle trailer to hit the market. That isn’t to say they don’t now produce world-class rides. The company’s first bicycle was released in the early 1980s, and they were among the first to start making carbon frames in 2004. Cannondale bikes, including podium finishes, have regularly appeared at the Tour de France since then. They’re even making inroads into the e-bike market, designing electric rides to compete with the best electric scooters.
#4. Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a niche biking brand focusing solely on building mountain bikes. Since its humble beginnings in a garage in Santa Cruz, California, in 1993, the brand has maintained a laser-sharp focus on the mountain bike market. Santa Cruz bikes aren’t for everyone, particularly downhill beginners, but if you enjoy the rush of hurling yourself down the side of a mountain on two sturdy wheels, you should check out this bike brand.
#5. Scott
Scott came to their world-class range of bikes via a skiing pole, believe it or not. Engineer Ed Scott founded the sports company in 1958 to manufacture aluminium ski poles, and it has been innovating ever since. Scott introduced the first complete suspension mountain bike to the market in 1992, and the G-Zero, the lightest full-suspension mountain bike, set the standard for mountain rides in 1998. The brand is still expanding and innovating, adding road, gravel, cyclocross, hybrid, and children’s bikes to their lineup.
#6. Giant Bicycles
Giant, founded in 1973, is the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, producing over 6.6 million bikes (as of 2014). They’re not precisely targeting niche markets, as expected from a brand with those numbers. Giant makes bicycles for nearly every type of rider, built to last. And because they move so many bikes, Giant is able to offer bikes at low prices, bringing more people into the biking habit around the world.
#7. Rad Power
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Rad Power Bikes is that the company is making a genuine effort to make the various classes of e-bikes affordable so that everyone can benefit from them. Rad Power Bikes (a brand we’ve previously reviewed) had humble beginnings 15 or so years ago in founder Mike Radenabugh’s parents’ garage, where he tinkered with electronic components on his bicycle. Now, the company creates e-bikes for a wide range of riders.
#8. Marin Bikes
Marin County, California, is known for its rolling foothills and difficult slopes, making it an ideal location for the birth of a bike company like Marin Bikes. While the rocky climbs of California naturally inspired Marin Bikes to begin with mountain bikes, they’ve since expanded into making roadworthy fitness and transit bikes, as well as a line of bicycles durable enough to withstand the tough love of children.
#9. Ride1Up Bikes
Ride1Up Bikes, founded in 2019, had previously appeared on our pages when we did a deep dive into their most prominent bike models. Since then, our opinion of them has only grown. The brand creates some of the most stylish e-bikes on the market today, looking just as good as an Unagi scooter or your favourite electric motorcycle. Furthermore, Ride1Up manufactures a variety of e-bikes for different riders (commuters, all-terrain, etc.) and bikes for beginners.
#10. Kona Bikes
The company, founded in 1988 in Vancouver, BC, is still owned by the two friends who founded it. Kona Bikes is most well-known for the toughness of its freeride mountain bikes, which are made of titanium, aluminium, steel, or carbon fibre (they introduced carbon fibre frames to the market in 2011). They now produce a wide range of bikes, including mountain bikes and commuter, electric, road, and cyclocross models, which are sold in over 60 countries worldwide.
#11. Lectric bicycles
Lectric eBikes is known for its cool-looking foldable electric bicycles. These bikes are engineering marvels: they’re foldable and electric (the XPremium Black model has a range of more than 100 miles), and Lectric managed to make them look cool as well.
#12. Canyon
With victories at the Tour de France, Enduro World Series, and Ironman Kona World Championships, Canyon has become a global brand that creates cutting-edge designs for the world’s top riders in every cycling discipline.
Canyon’s business model is to build the best bikes for the best riders and then sell those bikes to the general public. Canyons are the least expensive high-end bikes. You can order one and have it delivered to your home or office. Bikes can be assembled in under 30 minutes, and all necessary tools are included. White glove delivery and bike fitting are also available, and once you commit, you can pay with flexible financing.
#13. Ibis Bikes
Ibis is a small, engineering-focused brand that strives to build high-quality bikes that will last a lifetime, are easy to maintain, and offer incredible pedaling efficiency and downhill performance thanks to the brand’s DW-link suspension.
Wide mountain bike rims and carbon fiber in full-suspension mountain bikes were popularized by the Santa Cruz, California-based company. With the Ripmo, it pushed for modern geometry, and with the Traction Tune, it pushed for a lighter suspension tune. It is about to launch a model that will drastically reduce the amount of power used in bicycle manufacturing, as well as carbon waste and shipping impact. The company is actively working to achieve carbon neutrality.
Roxy Lo, Ibis’ head industrial designer and co-owner, created some of the first bikes designed for lighter riders. She also spearheaded the design and construction of small-frame bikes with the same features as larger-frame bikes. Ibis has recently focused on affordability, bringing their innovations and performance to a broader audience.
#14. Niner Bikes
Niner Bikes is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, and was co-founded in 2005 by Chris Sugai, an early proponent of the then-nascent but now ubiquitous 29-inch mountain bike wheel. These bikes had developed its signature CVA (Constantly Varying Arc) 29-inch wheel-specific full-suspension system by 2009, and the company had launched two full-suspension 29er mountain bike models.
Sugai shifted his focus to gravel bikes in 2012. The RLT (Road Less Traveled) series quickly became a fan favourite among drop-bar riders looking for off-road adventures. Niner debuted the MCR 9 RDO (Magic Carpet Ride) in 2019, the world’s first full-suspension gravel bike.
Niner has always taken a lighthearted approach to cycling and outdoor pursuits, catering to cyclists of all abilities. This bottle cap-friendly head tube cap is Exhibit A. Niner, a long-time supporter of IMBA, People for Bikes, and local advocacy groups, believes strongly in the importance of community, inclusion, and equal access to public lands for all.
#15. Pivot Cycles
Chris Cocalis of Pivot Cycles has been building bikes since 1988. He’s also created technologies such as Super Boost Plus, which component manufacturers and other biking brands have adopted. Pivot Cycles’ founder and owner, Cocalis, has spent more than a decade perfecting and elevating the science of carbon frames, earning him the moniker “King of Carbon.”
Pivot’s Ride Tune philosophy gives each rider a customized feel on a stock bike. Pivot’s team handcrafts, prototypes, and tests each bike in Arizona, using the highest-quality carbon, unique hollow-core moulding and layups, elegant chassis design, progressive geometry, and cutting-edge engineering.
Cocalis has staffed Pivot with people who share his desire to push technical design in the pursuit of performance — while also having fun. Engineers, designers, athletes, industry veterans, and storytellers continue to assist him in realizing his vision.
#16. The REEB Cycles
Bikes have always been as much a part of Oskar Blues Brewery’s culture as beer. When founder Dale Katechis’s bike was stolen in 2011, he wanted a new one made by hand in the United States. As a result, he established REEB Cycles, a small custom bike manufacturer based in Lyons, Colorado.
REEB’s employees are obsessed with two wheels and committed to progression on the trail and in the fabrication shop housed in the 100-year-old barn where Dale’s Pale Ale was first brewed. In its tenth year, REEB’s product line has expanded from single steel speeds to hardtail mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and made-in-America full-suspension mountain bikes. Customers can customize any model with component specs, paint, and custom geometry for a one-of-a-kind ride.
Riders are welcome to stop in for a demo, sip a brew, and talk shop out the back door. If you’re lucky, trials rider and REEB employee Jeff Lenosky will be there to demonstrate what REEB bikes are capable of.
#17. Scott Sports
Scott Sports, named after Ed Scott of Sun Valley, Idaho, who invented the first tapered aluminium ski pole, has led ski, moto, and cycling since 1958. The Swiss company created the first aero bars, which Greg Lemond used to win the Tour de France in 1989, and the first road bike frame weighing less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
Scott has always been driven by innovation, technology, and design. Its Twinloc suspension has been used to win numerous cross-country World Cup races and is used across the entire line of full-suspension bikes. Scott was the first manufacturer to use internal cable routing for electronic and mechanical shifting.
Scott strives to make bikes and gear for every cyclist, in addition to pushing the boundaries of bicycle technology. Technology, design, innovation, and materials filter down to make each Scott bike the best in class.
#18. Yeti Bikes
Yeti’s racers were the backbone of its product development efforts long before mountain biking was considered an industry. Since Yeti’s inception in 1985, their desire to reach the top of the podium has driven everything they do, which is why every bike bears the company tagline, ‘Ride Driven, Race Bred.’
Things really took off a decade ago when the company created Switch Infinity, which elevated suspension technology to new heights. It’s a translating pivot that switches direction as the bike travels. It provides a tailored anti-squat curve while allowing the leverage ratio to be tuned independently, which other systems can’t physically do. That means that whether racer Ritchie Rude hammers a Yeti SB150 down a course at full throttle or you take it out on your local trails, the suspension is plush and infinite. Combining that with exceptional engineering on every bicycle won’t find another bike that rides uphill and downhill like a Yeti.
What is the most popular bicycle in the UK?
A whopping 2.4 million online searches are conducted for “mountain bikes” every year in the UK. This indicates that mountain bikes are the most popular type of bicycle in the UK. Road bikes are the second most sought-after type, with approximately 707,000 inquiries conducted each year. With an annual search volume of an average of 506,000, hybrid bicycles have the lowest level of interest among the various types of bikes.
Best Biking Brands: Related Articles
- KIA LOGO: Why Did Kia Change Their Logo? (+ Free Tips)
- BEST MOTORCYCLE BRANDS: Top 21 Brands in the World for Beginners & Pros
- MOUNTAIN BIKE BRANDS: 17 Best Picks & Detailed 2023 Reviews
- Bill Of Materials (B O M): Meaning, Example, & Best Software Option
Best Biking Brands; References
