page_title: Utility bicycle
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Utility bicycle / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: Gazelle luxurious lady's bike from 1954. Saddle Primus 214 Ladies made by Lepper. Español: Gazelle de lujo para damas de 1954 Nederlands: Gazelle luxe damesfiets uit 1954
context_page_description: A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European City Bike, classic bike or simply city-bike, is a bicycle designed for frequent short, moderately paced rides through relatively flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday riding in normal clothes in a variety of weather conditions. It is therefore a bicycle designed for practical transportation, as opposed to those primarily for recreation and competition, such as touring bicycles, racing bicycles, and mountain bicycles. Utility bicycles are the most common form globally, and comprise the vast majority found in the developing world. City bikes may be individually owned or operated as part of a public bike sharing scheme.
  Generally as they are more suitable for urban environments, they focus more on comfort and practicality instead of speed or efficiency. They normally have a slightly curved, roughly planar aligned and elevated handlebar, providing users an upright sitting position. They have fewer gears and they often are heavier than road bicycles.
context_section_description: 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.
  A traditional type of utility bicycle, the English roadster may weigh as much as 35 to 50 pounds (16 – 23 kg).  Parts such as frames, wheels/rims, and tires are chosen for strength, safety, and durability rather than high performance.  Additionally, utility bikes tend to incorporate fewer technological advances in material design and engineering in comparison to sport bicycles, though there are exceptions.  In particular, the small-tired Moulton portable utility cycles incorporate advanced engineering with relatively light weight.
  
  Most utility bikes feature an upright riding position.  The handlebars are almost always curved back and positioned higher than the saddle so that the rider can operate controls without changing his or her riding posture.  Some people add a child seat or a trailer.  The utility bike's combination of parts, design, and features provide functionality and comfort at the expense of weight, an adequate compromise when used as originally intended (local commuting and short rides).
caption: A vintage Omafiets, the Dutch ladies' bicycle
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "E4200", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "E4200 V1.0", "Image DateTime": "2009:08:08 14:28:35", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "284", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "4084", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3607", "EXIF ExposureTime": "10/369", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "79", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2009:08:08 14:28:35", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2009:08:08 14:28:35", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "39/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2272", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1704", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1054", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Bracket", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "38", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Hard", "EXIF Saturation": "Hard", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}