New directions for bikes include extensions, batteries, aerodynamics

Where bikes are heading: a look at the trends

Bicycle technology doesn’t stand still.

Bike makers keep tinkering to give us a smoother, more convenient, more stylish ride: bikes long enough to carry another passenger and groceries. Bikes with batteries so you don’t have to break a sweat. Aerodynamic bikes with little wind resistance.

“In the bike world, there have always been a bunch of trends going on at once,” said Loren Mooney, editor-in-chief of Bicycling magazine. “It’s because a bike is such a multipurpose tool. It’s a toy. It’s a piece of exercise equipment. It’s a mode of transportation. And so really it’s very common to have many trends at once.”

Some bike trends on the horizon:

STYLISH UTILITY BIKE: The biggest trend is casual city riding, said Mooney, “where the person doesn’t look like a spandex-clad cyclist, but rather like a normal person. And his or her bike looks like a cool, often retro object of design and casual fun — maybe it even has a basket.”

Take the Globe Live, a lightweight utility bike that has “a lot of sophisticated technology” in a retro package, she said. Hence the $1,550 price tag. It has multiple speeds, a belt drive instead of a chain drive (which means no grease on your legs), and disc brakes. The retro features are the thin tubes, old European-style handlebars and the basket on the front.

“It’s definitely for someone who lives in an area where they take a lot of short trips; they want to haul some stuff, but someone who has excess cash,” said Mooney. “This is a style statement.”

FITNESS BIKES: An evolution from the hybrid bike — a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, which was “too cumbersome for true fitness riding,” said Mooney. (Fitness bikes are sometimes referred to as flat-bar road bikes.)

Mooney said hybrids were too slow and too upright for riding on roads and recreational paths, and were not rugged enough for riding on dirt trails.

“It’s much faster than a mountain bike, so you still get a little bit of a speed thrill, but it’s not like driving a Ferrari,” she said.

A fitness bike is for someone who is getting into cycling to lose weight or get in shape but doesn’t want to be Lance Armstrong, she said. Maybe someone who wants to take her spinning class outside.

Popular models include the Jamis Allegro Series and the Specialized Sirrus.

PEDAL-ASSIST ELECTRIC BIKES: A bike with a boost. Pedal-assist bikes combine battery power with pedaling so you can ride farther and faster without getting as tired.

It’s an ideal bike for someone who rides for transportation, as opposed to fitness, and when the distance is far, the terrain difficult or the rider short on endurance.

Giant’s Twist Freedom DX, which costs about $2,000, has a maximum speed of 18 mph. It can travel up to 75 miles per charge and takes four hours to charge. You plug it into a regular wall outlet.

The harder you pedal the more the motor kicks in, as if sensing you are in a rush, said Andrew Juskaitis of manufacturer Giant Bicycle, Inc., in Newbury Park, Calif.

ECO DESIGN BIKES: Bike manufacturers are coming out with eco-friendly bikes. For example, Trek’s Belleville and Atwood models have grips on the handlebars, a saddle and a steel frame that all can be recycled. The bikes also come with front and rear lights that are generated by pedaling, not batteries, said Trek spokesman Sam Foos.

“It’s a more upright style with a wider saddle, so it’s more comfortable, to encourage people to use their bike more often,” he said.

FOLDING BIKES: These have been around for years but the technology is getting better. Traditional folding bikes, which have small wheels, were better for folding than riding, said David Montague, owner of Montague Bicycles in Cambridge, Mass. The company introduced SwissBike TX earlier this year, a full-size bike that folds in half.

“It really rides very nicely and you can throw it on a bus, or in the trunk of a cab,” said Montague. “When you get to your office, it fits underneath your desk. … The whole folding system takes about 10 seconds.”

XTRACYCLE: a kit that makes a bike 15 inches longer so you can carry a passenger, groceries, books. Some people use it to carry camping gear, said Nate Byerley, president of Xtracycle, in Oakland, Calif. He said he knows a home inspector who uses his Xtracycle to carry equipment including a 10-foot ladder.

“Competitive cycling has been traditionally dominated by men,” he said. “And what we’re finding is when you start offering a product that’s about day-to-day living and carrying groceries, you’re offering a product that speaks to moms and dads.”

Xtracycle also has complete bike models.

AERODYMANIC ROAD BIKES (High-End): Bikes are already very light, but they can be made faster with aerodynamics, said Mooney. On these road bikes, the down tube and seat tube are shaped to reduce drag. Examples include Ridley Noah, which the company claims is the fastest bike on the planet, Cervelo S3 and Felt A2.

The speed comes at a price. A complete Ridley Noah starts at around $5,000. (The frame is $3,450.)

“This is for someone who has a lot of money to spend, someone who is very serious about cycling who maybe wants to race, and is looking for every advantage,” said Mooney.