Utility bicycle

It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday short-distance riding (no more than 5-6 km a day[2][3]) in normal clothes in cold-to-mild weather conditions.

Utility bicycles are the most common form globally,[citation needed] and comprise the vast majority found in the developing world.

They normally have a slightly curved, roughly planar aligned and elevated handlebar, providing users an upright sitting position.

One exception to this was the continued development of substitute propulsion systems for utility bicycles in the form of add-on gasoline engines and transmissions.

Typically, a small one or two-horsepower, two-cycle engine was fitted with a tire roller-drive mechanism that would convert any standard utility roadster into a motorised bicycle.

The motorised utility bicycle or cyclemotor offered greater range, faster commutes, and increased versatility to a large sector of the postwar European consumer market that could not afford expensive automobiles or motorcycles.

Utility bicycles are principally used for short-distance commuting, running errands, shopping, leisure or for transporting goods or merchandise.

Utility bicycles may also be seen in postal service, in war, and for employee transportation inside large workplaces (factories, warehouses, airports, movie studio lots, etc.).

In some countries, entire fleets of utility bicycles may be operated or administered by local or national government agencies as part of a public bike sharing programme.

A few countries, notably China, India, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark and the Flemish Region of Belgium, continue to produce versions of the utility bike.

[citation needed] Utility bicycles often feature a step-through frame so they can be easily mounted, single speed, or with internal hub gearing, and drum brakes to reduce the need for maintenance, mudguards to keep the rider's clothing clean, a chain guard to prevent skirts or loose trousers from being caught in the chain, a skirt guard to prevent a long coat or skirt catching in the rear wheel or brakes, a center stand kickstand so it can be parked easily, and a basket or pannier rack to carry personal possessions or shopping bags.

Additionally, utility bikes tend to incorporate fewer technological advances in material design and engineering in comparison to road bicycles, though there are exceptions.

The handlebars are almost always curved back and positioned higher than the saddle so that the rider can operate controls without changing their riding posture.

The utility bike's combination of parts, design, and features provide functionality and (short-distance) comfort at the expense of weight, an adequate compromise when used as originally intended (local commuting and short rides).

The primary differences are that the continental bicycles tend to have a higher handlebar position for a more upright riding posture, and are more likely to have rod-actuated drum brakes.

A traditional-styled European city bike includes a frame made of low-carbon high-tensile steel, black paint with chromed accessories, an opaque skirtguard, bottle dynamo, simple dynamo-powered lights, and either a single-speed or 3-speed internally geared hub.

Dutch and Danish-made city bikes often include such features as a clear skirt guard, colors other than black, aluminum alloy or chromoly steel frame, front suspension fork, suspension seatpost, Hub dynamo, dynamo lighting with motion-and-darkness detection, magnetic lights, a 7- or 8-speed hub, adjustable kickstand, child seats, and a headlight integrated into the front fork.

Traditional European city bikes are optimized for short-distance, frequent transportation over flat terrain in urban settings.

However, such bikes are also used in hilly Switzerland—although they're an extremely rare sighte there, due to their heavier weight and inefficient geometry—, including Basel and Bern, where 23% and 15% of daily trips are made by bicycle respectively.

To save weight, some hybrid city or commuter bikes do not usually possess many accessories, adding only fenders, a rack, and perhaps a partial chainguard, as well as front and rear lights.

[21] Their smaller bulk and lighter weight often permits them to be carried into offices and residences, an advantage in countries with extremely high rates of bicycle vandalism and theft (even of older or obsolete models with little monetary value).

To deter theft and vandalism, the European city bike has a tougher frame, non-quick-release seat and wheels, and a rear-wheel lock.

To prevent theft or vandalism, it is ideal to bring the bike indoors, but this is not always possible in dense cities with compact living quarters.

A geared hub requires only one shifter rather than two, thus is easier to use than the pair of derailleurs which provide a greater number of speeds to sporting bicycles that need them.

Batavus makes several models of full-featured city bikes that have a NuVinci hub with continuously variable drive ratio.

With most bikes, the bicycle gearing may be scaled up or down as needed, for example by installing a smaller chainring in front and/or larger sprocket in back to facilitate climbing.

This prevents having to reach to physically position a bottle dynamo or consume set-up time; this enables ready, guaranteed lighting regardless of the daylight conditions.

[26] A skirt guard (or coatguard) allows using the bike with normal clothes, for both the main rider and a passenger riding on the back rack.

A skirtguard prevents winter or flowing spring clothing from getting caught in the area where many features converge: the back brake, O-lock, and spokes.

A bell is standard equipment for bikes in Europe, and is required by law in some European countries, such as Denmark, Poland and Germany.