Best Bike for Rail Trails: 5 Models Reviewed in 2021
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Looking for the best bike for rail trails? Then you must be a nature-loving adrenaline junkie with a thing for good bicycles.
The great thing about this type of bike is that it’s designed not only for rough trails but it makes for comfortable leisurely riding as well.
As such, it’s the best bike for city and trail riding because they’re built tough from the strongest and most functional materials. That’s why you can handle mountain trails and paved trails with equal ease.
This makes the trail bike one of the most versatile types of bike around and you’ll just love the way it rides when climbing.
We tested numerous of these bicycles and found the ideal one for smooth descents and challenging climbs alike.
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Best Bicycle for Trail Riding
If you’re still reading, then get ready to find the best bike for city and trail riding for your needs.
The following bicycles were put to the test by our team and the following are based on our experience with them.
1. Schwinn Discover Hybrid Bike
The Schwinn Discover is arguably the best bike for trail riding as it offers a variety of features that make it so much easier for anyone to tackle rail trails.
It’s made from the best Schwinn components, including their own suspension fork and alloy crank as well as a modifiable stem. When paired with the back sweep handlebar, these make for the most comfortable ride of your life.
This bicycle is perfect for the daily commute as well and it’s suitable for both men and women, as you can see from the title. It even comes with an attachment for a kid carrier so you can bring one of your kids with you on your ride.
This multi-purpose bike comes highly recommended for casual bike riders and novices alike and it comes in two main styles.
2. Sixthreezero 26-Inch Single Speed EVRYjourney
The EVRYjourney Bicycle is one of the best bikes for trail riding because it’s a jack of all trades. As the name implies, it’s for “every journey”. This women’s bike sports a beautiful and elegant frame with a high gloss chrome finish and a glistening A-frame.
It’s one of the most comfortable bikes that you’ll ever ride, thanks to the design of the seat and the bike itself. This helps to prevent cramping on those long-distance rides and the feet rest smoothly against the pedal as you’re sitting on the bike seat.
What makes this bike particularly suitable for women is the fact that it’s nice and lightweight. This means that it’s easy to store and yet it can easily handle rough terrain for long distances.
However, because it’s a single-speed bike, note that it’ll work just as well as cruiser bikes when going to the beach, cycling around the neighborhood, or grabbing some groceries. You may also use it to go to work, as it comes in convenient 3-speed and 7-speed models that are just perfect for all applications.
Of course, if you want to tackle longer and more serious trails with more obstacles and a rougher surface, then you should seriously consider the 21-speed model so you can enjoy long-distance, uphill and demanding trails with relative ease.
3. Schwinn Siro Comfort Hybrid Bikes
The Schwinn Siro is the best bike for street and trail hence it’s referred to as a hybrid bicycle. It offers the best of both worlds, giving you the ability to use it both for physical fitness activities and leisurely rides around the neighborhood.
It comes with a lot of useful features too, such as extra speeds that make it easier to climb uphill, and it allows for a more upright riding position.
This sporty daily commuter is designed for both men and women and its features make it a cross between a road and mountain bicycles. It allows you to shift between 21 different speeds and adjust it according to the terrain or your mood.
It’s also made well from long-lasting materials and engineering ingenuity. Overall, the Schwinn Siro is great for beginners, anyone who’s on a tight budget, or anyone who just wants a durable and reliable bike for their daily commute.
4. Schwinn Cruiser Bike Wayfarer
Next up in our search for the best bike for rail trails we’ve got the relaxed yet sturdy Schwinn Wayfarer.
It’s perfect for anyone that lives next to a nice trail and wants to be able to explore it every day without running or walking. This is basically an exercise bike for outdoor enthusiasts and as such it has all the elements of style, comfort, and adaptability.
It’s designed to handle all types of different commuters with their various riding styles, and you’ll find that it works just as well for paved trails as it does for street riding.
You’ll find that it’s very easy to shift this bicycle between different gears and it’s super easy to use overall due to the fact that it comes pre-assembled. We would also recommend it for beginners because of how affordable it is, but that’s not to say that it’s not suitable for experienced cyclists too, because the ones we spoke to said that they loved it.
Notable features on this bike include its high quality 700c tires with deep tread and a lightweight design that makes it easy for the bike to handle different types of terrain and weather conditions.
Taken together, all of these factors make this the best bike for riding paved trails. It’s budget-friendly, lightweight, reliable, fast, and can handle the rigor of daily riding.
5. Schwinn Suburban Sport Comfort Hybrid Bike
In the end, we have what many have called the best bike for paved trails.
As the name implies, the Schwinn Suburban sports comfort hybrid bike is made for leisurely riding around the neighborhood, especially if you live in the suburbs.
It’s comfortable yet functional, offering a bevy of useful features that make for a truly smooth ride.
The best part about this bike is just how well-made and elegant it is. It has all the makings of a daily in our opinion.
How to Pick the Best Bike for Rail Trails
If you’re serious about finding and buying the best bike for rail trails, then make sure to keep in mind the following:
Frame
When it comes to finding the best bicycle for trail riding, you want to make sure that it’s made from the most durable and stylish materials around.
Alloy is the most popular because it’s cheap, whereas carbon is more expensive but more durable and long-lasting.
Both materials are great for making bikes, don’t get us wrong. But, your budget will play a huge role in the one that you choose.
Components
When it comes to components, it all comes down to the type of bike that you’ve chosen. An enduro bike will require durable components and the same goes for an XC bike.
Trail bikes, on the other hand, offer the best of both worlds so the types of components that you prioritize will depend on your riding style and the types of trails that you’re expecting to come across.
You can always customize things like brakes, tires, and wheels to make your bike more durable. But if you’re planning to cruise around the beach then you’ll most likely prioritize lightweight components.
Design
There’s no denying that the design of mountain bikes has changed over time. They used to be higher than they are and they’re certainly longer than they’ve ever been.
This is all thanks to better capabilities that are made possible by better wheel and suspension technology as well as innovative fork offsets.
A lot of them sport seat angles of between 74 and 75 degrees while their head angles go from 65 and 68 degrees.
This translates to a very different type of ride depending on the specific bike’s unique geometry. Of course, it’s always a good idea to shop around and find a bike whose geometry suits your particular riding style.
The good news is that most bike shops have demo days where they allow customers to test out their bikes for free.
Travel
Travel has become something of a moving target in the biking world, with endure bikes tapping out at 150mm while your average XC bike can handle 100mm of travel and more.
Trail bikes in particular have a travel range of about 120mm to 160mm while their forks are usually longer than their rear shocks by up to 10mm of length.
A lot of modern trail bikes also feature added front travel which makes it easier to go downhill on the bike and you can rest assured that the chain stays won’t go anywhere thanks to the shorter backstroke.
Now, it’s not every day that you’ll come across a hardtail trail bike but there are still a few available on the market.
The great thing about these bikes is that they’re affordable and have a simple frame design with wheels and tires that typically measure 27.5 inches and more and forks that range from 130 to 150mm.
Wheel Size
Wheel size is another matter of contention in biking circles.
The great thing about trail bikes is that they allow you to take both wheels sizes however if you’re specific about the type of ride that you want to enjoy then you’ll want to pick a side.
The 27.5-inch wheels come recommended for anyone that wants a more agile ride while a 29er is great for speed and rollover.
Larger wheel sizes are all the rage right now with most manufacturers which means that most frames that come with larger wheels are already compatible with both your 29er and a 27.5-inch wheel.
Conclusion
So, what’s the verdict? What’s the best bike for rail trails? Well, it’s the Schwinn Discover Hybrid Bike for Men and Women, of course!
This bike is well-made from aluminum, it features a handy alloy crank and suspension fork, both from Schwinn and it comes with the ability to shift between 21 different speeds.
We were quite impressed with its Promax linear-pull brakes and it comes with fenders to keep your legs clean when riding through dirt trails or inclement weather.
James Mattis
James is a passionate bicyclist who has done about every kind of biking there is. He loves the wind in his hair, the sun over his shoulder and maybe even the bugs in his teeth. No, just kidding about that last item. He isn’t crazy about road burns, either, but acknowledges that to have the good there is the occasional tumble. James feels that his bike is the place where he can unwind, leave troubles alongside the road, meet new people, go new places, and live the life of adventure that he loves. He is ready to share the ride with you.
