Best women’s hybrid bikes: Town bikes designed for women
The best women’s hybrid bikes are designed to do almost anything you want them to, whether you’re planning to cycle to work or go on leisurely weekend rides. They offer simplicity, function and fun while covering the entire pricing spectrum so there’s something for everyone.
As the name suggests, these bikes borrow aspects of road and mountain bikes to deliver a ride that feels comfortable and can handle most weather and road conditions. It’s for this reason that hybrid bikes often make the best commuter bikes.
We recommend the Cannondale Quick if you’re looking for comfort, speed and agility, but read on for all our top picks of the best women’s hybrid bikes you can buy today. If you’re not sure how to choose, skip down to our rundown of key things to know when shopping for the best women’s hybrid bikes.
Quick list
The Quick does what it says on the tin, and really puts the ‘fun’ in ‘functional’. It’s lightweight and speedy.
Read more below
3. Specialized Sirrus X 2.0
Nippy and nimble, a great choice for those who want a responsive ride made to be ridden year-round.
Read more below
5. Boardman HYB 8.8 Women’s Hybrid Bike
An all-rounder which offers high specs for a decent price and women-specific contact points.
Read more below
6. Cube Touring EXC Urban Bike
A tourer designed for urban riding with great accessories for year-round all-weather riding.
Read more below
Last updated on 13th of August 2025
Updated the guide to ensure all the products are still current and available, with any out-of-date products being removed and replaced. Guide information sections were refreshed and updated along with images and layout. The FAQ section was updated to offer more information about owning and riding a hybrid bike.
Best women’s hybrid bikes
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Best for a fast ride
Buy it if
✅ You want a lightweight and responsive ride: The aluminium frame is stiff yet smooth, making it fast and comfortable for commuting or fitness.
✅ You want smart commuting features: Pre-installed speed sensors and a built-in smartphone mount make tracking rides and navigation easy.
Don’t buy if
❌ Comfort is your top priority: It comes with a unisex saddle and does not have women-specific contact points.
If you’re looking for something that will both get you around town and help you build your fitness, the women’s model of the Cannondale Quick is a great place to start. Taking many of its design cues from road bikes, this flat-bar fitness-focused speed machine puts the ‘fun’ in functional and does exactly what it says on the tin.
Reviewer Mildred found the aluminium frame to be lightweight and stiff, delivering a smooth and comfortable ride while allowing you to accelerate quickly. If you’re constantly sleeping through your alarm and rushing to work, this bike could help you shave a bit of time off that commute.
The Quick offers pretty good value for money, delivering high performance, pre-installed speed sensors for easy app compatibility, an integrated SP-Connect mount on the stem for a smartphone dashboard, and a beautiful emerald green metallic paint job to boot.
To keep the price down, Cannondale opts for a mixed array of branded drivetrain components, including Shimano, Prowheel and Sunrace, but the end result is still an efficient, fun and zippy ride with precise handling that’s sure to boost your confidence (if you need it).
Find out more in our Cannondale Quick Women’s 3 review.
Best for women-specific geometry
Buy it if
✅ You want women-specific geometry: This is a bike specifically targeted at women and the frame measurements reflect this.
✅ You want comfort and traction: Wide tyres offer excellent comfort and handling on terrain.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You are a tall rider: Liv’s geometry does not cater to taller riders.
❌ You have a long torso: Liv’s geometry does not cater to those with long torsos and you are better off going for a unisex model.
Liv Cycling makes its bikes for women, by women, and so it is the obvious brand to check out if you’re looking for a women-specific model. Its 3F Design Philosophy draws upon women’s body dimensions data to tailor bikes for the perfect fit, form and function. It blends urban style with road bike agility, thanks to its lightweight design and stable, confident ride quality. Of course, all bodies are different, so it won’t suit everyone’s proportions. If you have a shorter reach and slightly longer legs than your upper half, you’ll most likely love the way Livs fit. However, if you’ve got a longer torso and reach, you might find the Liv geometry a little cramped.
The Liv Alight DD Disc is the most up-to-date version of its flagship aluminium hybrid bike, ideal for commuting or casual spinning around town. The 2×8 speed Shimano Altus drivetrain with 11/34T cassette and 46/30T chainrings provides a very nice wide range of gears with a very low gear to help you get up the most challenging hills in your area. With all the necessary mounts to add racks and mudguards, it is suitable for carrying luggage and riding year-round in wet conditions.
The bike comes stock with 38mm wide puncture-resistant tyres, but the frame can accommodate up to 42mm tyre width, so if you’re riding in all weather (or even taking in some off-road trails), throwing on some thicker rubber will help you maintain traction and boost your confidence.
Best for a responsive ride
Buy it if
✅ You want a responsive and nimble ride: The Sirrus offers a fast and nippy experience.
✅ Practicality is important: Internal cable routing, mudguard and rack mounts, and hydraulic disc brakes make it ready for all-weather commuting.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want women-specific geometry: Specialized does not offer gendered bike models, instead offers a wide range of sizes.
Specialized notably moved away from gendered bike models a few years back, and instead introduced a wide array of sizes to cater for as many people as possible.
The unisex Sirrus 2.0 is designed to be a practical but speedy and fun way to get around town on two wheels. Its sporty looks tell you all you need to know: this bike is nippy and nimble, making it a great choice for those who like to tear up the streets (or are often running late!).
The A1 alloy frame is sturdy and forgiving on bumpy roads, and the dropped seat stay design adds some flex and comfort. The cables are routed internally for a neat finish, while mounts for mudguards and racks make it possible to turn the Sirrus into a year-round functional workhorse. The stock 42mm tyres should also help smooth out the ride and feel super plush on even the worst road surfaces.
Stopping power comes in the form of hydraulic disc brakes, helping you modulate your braking regardless of the weather. Finally, the 1×8 MicroSHIFT drivetrain shifts reliably and smoothly and while there are fewer gears than some other options on this list, it means it’s much simpler to handle and is still a capable climber.
Best for low maintenance
Buy if
✅ You want low maintenance: Single-speed requires little maintenance, so if you ride in bad weather and want to keep maintenance to a minimum, single-speed is a great option.
✅ You want a bike for fitness: Offers a challenge on hills, plus you can choose from single-speed or fixie, thanks to the flip-flop hub.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want a relaxed ride: If your route isn’t flat, you will need to put in some effort.
❌ You want more tech: It’s a very simple setup, which might not satisfy those into their gear.
If you live in a flat area (or love a challenge), then another low-maintenance way to go is to opt for a single-speed bike, which literally has one gear. This takes away all the fuss of shifting up and down gears to match the gradient you’re on and puts all the focus back into simply pedalling and getting out of the saddle to climb.
With the flip-flop hub, you can also turn the rear wheel around to convert it into a fixed-gear bike for even more of a challenge. The Fuji Declaration is designed to make cycling fun and challenging, particularly when your city is flat as a pancake and needs a bit of spicing up. It’s certainly great if you’re on a budget as well.
For some, this may not make it the best commuter option (especially if there are no showers at the other end), but it is a fantastic way to get fit quickly, and riding single-speed or fixed can be super fun and challenging.
Best value for money
Buy if
✅ You want comfort: The bike features women-specific contact points and a saddle.
✅ You want value for money: Good spec for the price, including a carbon fork, hydraulic brakes and durable tyres.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want more gears: The 1×10 gearing might not be enough.
❌ You want a budget option: While the Boardman offers good value for the spec, it isn’t the cheapest option.
Bearing the name of Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, this women’s hybrid offers superb value for money and is pretty easy on the eyes as well. Many of its design cues are borrowed from the brand’s higher-tiered SLR road range, including a carbon fork, which not only reduces the overall weight of the bike but also helps to soak up the buzz from the road.
With 1×10 Shimano Deore gearing, combined with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, the Boardman HYB 8.8 is a reliable and versatile bike that provides hassle-free riding. As an added bonus, the stock tyres are 35mm wide Schwalbe Citizens, which feature Kevlar puncture protection. These should keep you riding for longer all year round, while mounts for mudguards and racks help make it even more versatile and great value for money.
The contact points have been chosen with women’s comfort in mind, including soft-touch ergonomic grips that work well for smaller hands, and Boardman’s own women’s saddle design.
Best for an all-rounder
Buy it if
✅ You want an all-weather year-round bike: Comes fully equipped with mudguards, rack, kickstand, and dynamo lights for year-round use.
✅ You want versatile gearing: The triple chainset provides a huge range for varied terrain.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want a lightweight bike: It’s on the heavy side, the Suspension fork adds bulk and complexity that some riders may not want.
❌ Speed and agility are important: Being heavy means it isn’t nimble to ride.
Technically, this belongs on the list of the best touring bikes, but when you’re looking at do-it-all hybrids, a tourer is worth considering. We recognise that a huge number of women carry out a lot of unpaid labour, from childcare to running errands, so you don’t need to travel the world to get the most out of this workhorse.
The Cube Touring EXC is designed for urban riding and comes readily fitted with all the accessories you could possibly need for a year-round all-weather commuter, shopper and do-everything-er. From mudguards and a rear rack to a kickstand and dynamo-fed lighting, there’s hardly anything you’ll need to add.
Being a technical tourer, the Touring EXC comes with the now rather untrendy (but still incredibly practical) triple chainset, offering an enormous range of gears to deal with even the most undulating journeys. The short-travel Suntour suspension fork allows for extra comfort and features a lockout if you want to make it rigid.
Best for comfort
Buy if
✅ Comfort is a top priority: Wide 40mm tyres can help absorb bumps in the road.
✅ You want step-through geometry: The low top tube makes it easy to get on and off the bike.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want speed: The Transeo isn’t made for zipping around.
❌ You want a fitness style bike: This is an entry-level bike which won’t put you through your paces.
If you’re looking for something simple and comfortable, this entry-level urban bike from the GT Transeo range has a sloping step-through frame to make mounting and dismounting as easy and convenient as possible. This can be especially handy for anyone who has limited mobility, especially in the hips.
It’s designed for comfort, with nice wide 40mm tyres to cushion bumpy road surfaces, as well as ‘floating’ seat stays, which add flexibility to the rear of the bike below the saddle. This acts as a kind of suspension below the point where your weight is supported, to help absorb shocks in the road and keep you comfortable for longer.
The Shimano Tourney drivetrain and mechanical disc brakes are basic, but at this price point, they provide good value for money. Similar to the Cube Touring above, the GT Transeo comes with a triple chainset and seven gears at the back, so there’s ample range to get you up your local hills while also maintaining speed on the flat, for an efficient ride that won’t break the bank.
Best for data
Buy if
✅ Comfort is a top priority: The bike’s geometry, wide tyres, quilted saddle and ribbed grips all make for a comfortable ride.
✅ You want to track your data: It comes with an integrated smartphone stem mount and a speed sensor.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want speed: The tyres have a fairly high rolling resistance so riding can feel sluggish.
With its slightly retro look and paintwork, the Cannondale Treadwell 3 is a women’s sports hybrid that brings fun and style into the daily run-around. It brings together several traits across the cycling spectrum into one well-thought-out package.
It’s an especially good option if you’re someone who loves to track your ride data and have connectivity wherever you go. With its integrated stem mount, it’s easier than ever to connect your smartphone to your cockpit and load up the free Cannondale App. Use this as a dashboard so you can see your speed, and the distance you’ve covered and gather other ride data to monitor your fitness progress. Better than that, it’s a great way to help navigate your journeys when you’re travelling somewhere new.
Our reviewer, Mildred, found the Treadwell to be a really enjoyable and comfortable cruiser about town, and she particularly appreciated the plush, thick tyres, the comfortable cruising position provided by the BMX-inspired handlebars, and the quilted saddle and ribbed grips that keep everything plush and comfy.
For more details, check out our Cannondale Treadwell 3 review.
Best for leisure
Buy if
✅ You want value for money: Good spec for the price.
✅ You want to add racks and a mudguard: The bike has mounts for multiple accessories.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want a bike with personality: The Crossway comes in a dull, beige colour.
The Crossway is made for cruising in comfort, with wide tyres, and its steep, sloping top tube provides plenty of standover height, making it easy to get on and off the bike.
It also has a front suspension fork, which not only helps absorb the impact from bumps on the road but also means you could easily ride on your local off-road paths too.
The 2 x 10 Shimano groupset offers plenty of gears for riding up hills and the hydraulic disc brakes add to the bike’s decent spec for the price.
While the ‘champagne’ colour, aka beige, isn’t exactly striking or pleasing on the eye, this is a bike which puts practicality and comfort over aesthetics.
This is a great option for commuting and running errands as the Crossway has mounts for mudguards, racks and a kickstand.
Best conversation-starter
Buy if
✅ You want to be noticed: This is a striking bike, and we think it looks great whether riding around town or going off-road on a little bit of gravel.
✅ You want comfort: The plush tyres, steel frame, and flexible handlebars are geared towards a supple ride.
Don’t buy if
❌ You want a lightweight bike: The bike is heavy and cumbersome to lift.
❌ You want speed: Given its weight and components, this is neither a nimble or a fast ride.
Whether you like to stand out with something completely different or just want the most comfortable ride possible, the Marin Larkspur is an interesting choice. Visually, it’s striking, with its mixte-inspired step-thru frame, wide and swept-back flat handlebars, and incredibly chunky 27.5 x 2.35in tyres.
Reviewer Mildred currently rides one of these around Bristol, with all its hills, and takes full advantage of the massive cassette and low gearing. Everything about the bike screams ‘supple’, from the super plush GPVee tyres to the CroMo steel frame and fork, and the flexible alloy Sweeper bars. If you want comfort, this is a goer.
Another super interesting feature is the inclusion of a short-travel dropper post. Why have a dropper on a town bike, you may ask? Simple. Whether you’re a little wobbly while coming to a stop or just like to have a well-earned rest whenever possible, dropping the saddle at a red light means you can land with both feet flat on the ground.
Despite its looks, the Larkspur is very versatile and can go off-road if you want it to, or you can do what Mildred did: attach a basket to the front and take it on the grocery run.
How to choose
There are a few things to think about when choosing the best women’s hybrid bike for your needs. Here, we’ll run through some key considerations.
Which features should you look for?
There are a lot of choices you could make when choosing a bike. For example, flat handlebars or drop bars? Disc brakes or rim brakes? Mechanical or hydraulic?
Handlebars
All the bikes listed here have flat bars. Hybrids generally have flat bars, and drop bars are usually reserved for the best road bikes and the best gravel bikes. Flat bars put you in an upright seated position, which is often the most comfortable and helps you to both see better in traffic and be more visible.
Disc brakes
With the exception of the Fuji Declaration, all the bikes listed here have disc brakes. That’s because disc brakes are arguably the most effective at modulating speed and bringing you to a halt safely in unsafe riding conditions. There are, of course, the purists who prefer rim brakes, but for a commuter, shopper, or general go-about-town-er, disc brakes are the safest and most practical option.
You will find a mixture of hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes, and the key difference here comes down to price. Hydraulic disc brakes are the most effective, but they’re more expensive. Cable-operated (mechanical) disc brakes do just as good a job for most people, are cheaper, and are easier to maintain.
What gearing do you need?
If you live somewhere flat, you may not need too many gears, and could perhaps get away with a single-speed bike. If your rides are hilly, you’ll want more gears and enough range to climb hills comfortably, so look for more speeds and gear range.
The amount of gears you need is specific to you. Generally, modern bikes nowadays come with 1x or 2x gearing, which refers to the number of chainrings at the front. However, there are still some 3x (triple chainsets) still kicking about, and they definitely serve a practical purpose, offering the widest range of gears possible.
What mounts and accessories do you need to fit?
If you plan to commute year-round, you’ll probably want mudguards, while if you want to carry luggage, a rack will be more comfortable than a backpack. Make sure you can fit these, if needed.
Some hybrids come fully equipped with these, often including lights and a kickstand, which can save you spending a chunk of cash on extras on top of the cost of the bike.
What kind of tyres do you need?
Wider tyres will make your ride more comfortable and can be run at lower pressure. More tread is handy if you plan to ride off-road. Too wide and too grippy and they can slow you down though, so choose a bike with tyres appropriate to where you want to ride.
Women’s hybrid bikes: Frequently Asked Questions
What hybrid bike is best for me?
The key is knowing what you want to use the bike for and deciding which qualities are the most important to you.
For example, do you need to carry a lot with you, or can you get away with a minimal setup and travelling light? If you need lots of accessories, like racks, mudguards, kickstands and lights, you might want to opt for something that’s ready to roll with everything pre-installed. Or, depending on where you live and what the landscape is like, you may need to prioritise practical gearing and braking over everything else.
If you know you will be riding exclusively on roads, you should look at rigid-frame hybrids (which don’t have suspension) that take 700c wheels. If you think you are going to be riding up hills, you should look at hybrids that are lighter in weight, perhaps with a carbon fork. However, if you are planning to carry heavy loads on your bike, want to fit panniers for carrying luggage, or have a bike seat for a child, then you might want to prioritise a sturdier frame (which is likely to mean a heavier bike).
If you want to explore away from the tarmac, on less well-maintained roads, gravel or rutted farm tracks, there are hybrid bikes that come with suitable gearing, bigger tyres or front suspension that will make these types of journeys more enjoyable. However, if your main goal is to ride off-road, you may also want to look at bikes that are designed specifically for this purpose, such as the best entry-level gravel bikes or mountain bikes.
Do I need a women’s bike?
This is always a contentious issue for many, because no two bodies are the same, regardless of gender. Some women, particularly those on the shorter side with less reach, will likely benefit from a women’s specific bike like those built by Liv. Liv is the only all women’s bike brand that builds its frames from the ground up using only female body dimensions data.
However, not all women fit into this category. If you’re taller and have a longer reach, then you’re likely to feel a bit cramped on Liv’s bikes, and probably want to opt for a unisex fit with female-specific contact points, such as the saddle and grips.
For women’s specific models, you can expect the contact points, namely the saddle and handlebars, to be spec’d specifically for women’s anatomies.
Some of the bikes in this list are designed to be unisex, making them suitable for both women and men to ride. In these instances, you may wish to swap out the stock saddle with one that you personally find more comfortable if it doesn’t feel right for you.
Whether or not you need a women’s bike is debatable and personal to you. We’ve gone into a lot more detail on this in our feature, Can women ride men’s bikes? So be sure to head there next if you’re not sure what’s right for you.
Really, the short answer is the best bike for you is the one that fits.
What size bike do I need?
Whether you’re new to cycling or have struggled in the past with an ill-fitting bike, you’ll want to get the right size. We’ve got a comprehensive bike size guide that goes into a lot of detail to help you get the right fit.
Is a hybrid bike good for beginners?
Hybrid bikes are a great option for beginners who are making their first foray into cycling. If you want to cycle mainly on the road, the dropped bars of a road bike might seem a bit intimidating – especially if you grew up riding bikes with flat bars.
Hybrids also tend to offer a more relaxed, upright riding position, so while you might not get as much performance out of a road-oriented hybrid, it can be safer and would be a more gradual introduction to the discipline of road cycling.
The versatility of hybrids also means that you could buy a bike that gives you the opportunity to venture off-road while still being more suitable for the tarmac than, say, a mountain bike. If you are not sure what type of cycling discipline you are going to end up enjoying more, it gives you an opportunity to experiment without having to buy a specialist bike straight away.
Can I ride a hybrid bike on trails?
Many hybrid bikes will be suitable for some trail riding but it depends on the particular focus of the bike. Some hybrids are very road-oriented, with stiff frames and thin tyres, and are better described as ‘flat-bar road bikes’, and will be no more suited to trails than a regular road bike.
But the majority will be designed to take wider tyres and have more compliant frames to help soak up the bumps and vibrations that come with straying off the road. Some, such as the Ribble Hybrid Trail AL in this guide, come with front suspension and a gearing range that makes them ideally suited to trails. There’s a balance to strike though; the more suited a bike is for trails, the less well it will perform on the road.
Also, if you are looking to regularly ride more aggressive, technical trails, you would be much better off looking at a bike specific to the discipline, such as the best entry-level gravel bikes or best budget mountain bikes.
What are the disadvantages of hybrid bikes?
Hybrid bikes make great all-rounders, but if you’re looking for a faster ride, many may not be among the best choices. Hybrid bikes tend to be heavy and have wide tyres with a tread, so they may not be as fast as a women’s road bike.
In addition, the upright ride position may be comfortable, but you’ll have more air resistance than on a road bike with lower handlebars and a more racy position.
Hybrid bikes may have simpler gearing than a women’s road bike too, so you may have fewer gear ratios to choose from and less high range to go fast and low range to tackle hills.
Are hybrids good for everyday use?
Hybrid bikes are a great option for everyday use, as they tend to be robust and comfortable, plus it’s easy to fit a rack and panniers or other bags to carry stuff.
But many hybrid bikes are sold without mudguards, so if you’re aiming to ride year-round, these can be a good investment. A quality set of bike lights is vital for winter riding too.
How we test
You’ll see from the above and from our detailed reviews that we’ll call in bikes and expect to ride them over a variety of terrain and in all weather, usually over several months, to get a clear understanding of their capabilities and limits. We’ll also weigh them and compare their specs to the alternatives, to see how they stack up and if they offer value for money.
Since we review a wide range of bikes, we know what to look for and which components are likely to be durable and effective.
Behind our overall assessment, we’ll keep a detailed score sheet for each bike across a number of factors, as documented in more detail in our guide to how we test.
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