The 5 Best Comfort Bikes 2020 [By Experts]

A good comfort bike provides you with amazingly smooth rides and enables you to go for longer durations and distances without feeling fatigued. They’re a great way to improve the quality of your commute or even increase your exercise intensity.

But what constitutes a comfort bike? And how to choose a good one?

If you’re not sure, and if you’re overwhelmed by the choices and types on the market, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’ve listed the best comfort bikes on the market and compared them to help you narrow down the choices and make a final decision.

Comfort Bikes – Comparison Table

The 5 Best Comfort Bikes for 2020

1 – Sixthreezero Body Ease Women’s Comfort Bicycle

The Sixthreezero Body Ease set the bar for comfort bikes. The saddle comes with suspension, besides the advanced one in the forks.

It’s also considerably wider than average seats, which gives it an extra bit of comfort.

The Body Ease bike comes with an ergonomic handlebar with a soft feeling that keeps your hands comfortable even with elongated rides.

Being a step-thru bike means that the bike sits lower than standard ones, which also enables you to rest your foot on the ground while you’re still in the saddle. Consequently, mounting and dismounting the bike is another aspect of its comfort.

You can get the Body Ease with a 3-speed drivetrain, a 7-speed one, or a 21-speed one –the latter is a top-of-the-line Shimano one.

Bottom Line:

The Sixthreezero Body Ease has top-quality parts, limited lifetime warranty, and provides one of the smoothest and comfortable rides. Although it’s a little pricey, it’s worth it.

2 – Schwinn Suburban Comfort Hybrid Bike

If you ask me, I think the Schwinn Suburban is one of the most comfortable bikes under 500.

Not only is it affordable, but it’s also a great exhibit of the quality of Schwinn’s products. It’s evident that it was designed with comfort in mind, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

The Schwinn Suburban comes with a steel fork frame that gives you durability and stability. Its 7-speed derailleur makes it good enough for taking on some hilly areas as well as providing a smooth ride on flat roads.

All you need is a simple twist of the handgrip extension to control this durable beast.

Moreover, it comes with a cushioned saddle and swept-back handlebars to reduce the strain on your lower back, even after extended periods of riding.

Bottom Line:

The Sixthreezero Body Ease has top-quality parts, limited lifetime warranty, and provides one of the best comfort hybrid bikes, smoothest, and comfortable rides. Although it’s a little pricey, it’s worth it.

3 – Raleigh Bicycles Detour 2 Comfort Hybrid Bike

If you’re looking for a bike that you can ride to relax and cool off, you’ll enjoy what the Raleigh Detour 2 has to offer.

It comes with reliable gears that enable it to take on gentle slopes. It’s also equipped with a vibratory front suspension that works on absorbing shocks and maintaining stability even on bumpy terrains.

Furthermore, its frame is designed to reduce the effect of bumps and shocks even further and minimize tension on major joints to keep your knees alive and kicking, literally.

The suspension doesn’t stop at the fork, but the Raleigh Detour 2 also has a suspension seat post to eliminate vibrations and maximize comfort.

The Raleigh Detour 2 is equipped with 2-inch slick tires that give your ride a cushioned feel.

However, this hybrid comfort bike is a little hard to assemble on your own, so you might need professional help –especially that the instruction manual is not readily available.

Bottom Line:

While the quality of the Schwinn Suburban isn’t the best on the list, it’s still an excellent choice when you consider that it’s a budget-friendly one. It’s safe, durable, and, most importantly, comfortable to ride.

4 – Kent Pomona Men’s Dual-Suspension Comfort Bike

Looking for a bike that looks good and still provides a reliable and convenient ride at an affordable price? Sound tough, but the Pomona gives you just that!

Although it looks like a sports bike, its features make it a good choice for casual riders.

The lightweight aluminum frame is made from dual suspension, so it’s both convenient and durable.

With 7-speed twist shifters, you’ll be able to go up hills effortlessly, and the custom-design cruiser tires work on providing a stable and enjoyable ride with the help of the quick-release seat clamp that’s constructed from foam.

This makes the Northwoods Pomona very effective as absorbing shocks when traversing rougher terrains, so you shouldn’t worry about taking a couple of detours from the paved city streets.

Finally, the Pomona comes with ergo fit steel handlebars with twist shifters to provide you with maximum control over your ride.

Bottom Line:

The Pomona comes with a high-quality leather saddle that makes it both comfortable and protects it from dirt, water, and all sorts of damage.

Its full suspension makes it even more comfortable to ride but without breaking the bank. However, you shouldn’t be expecting top-notch quality.

5 – Sixthreezero Ride in The Park

The Sixthreezero is a great city bike that features a lightweight aluminum frame for easy handling.

It’s available in three gearing options, 3, 7, and 21. All three are equipped with quality twist shifters, whether a Shimano internal hub or an external one, to make riding it a breeze and facilitate gear changes while in motion.

It also has a low step-over frame that makes it easy to mount and dismount while the front and rear hand brakes provide more than enough stopping power when you need to make an emergency stop.

The fact that it can suit a variety of heights ranging from five feet to six feet and two inches means that it’s also a great choice for a comfort bike for men.

Moreover, the Sixthreezero Ride in the Park comes with a brown synthetic leather comfort saddle and handgrips that match. They look great and provide a cushioned ride to keep your hands steady on the handlebars.

It also comes with double-walled rims, 700x32C wheels to maximize cushioning and round out the comfort features of this bike.

Bottom Line:

Designed to maintain an upright position for the rider, the Ride in the Park is one of the most comfortable bicycles for seniors and anyone with lower back issues.

However, there’s a little effort that you’ll have to put into assembling this bike, even if it’s 85% assembled on arrival.

How is a Comfort Bike Different from Regular Ones?

As the name indicates, a comfort bike is one that is easy and comfortable to ride for extended periods of time without feeling fatigued or discomfort.

This is because it employs a set of features, including a comfortable, padded seat, a design that maintains a good posture for the rider, and it’s easy to mount, dismount, and maneuver.

Comfort bikes should come with a frame designed for comfort and provide an upright riding position to cause less strain on the back.

Moreover, these bikes usually have plush suspension to ease bumps as well as seats with springs, gel, and foam to provide the most comfort.

Finally, their tires are usually high-air volume ones to make the ride further yet smoother.

How to Choose a Comfort Bike?

It’s natural that you’ll look for the features you’d seek on any regular bike, however, you’re going to give a little extra focus to how comfortable the bike feels to ride.

You should ask yourself if you’re looking for something of more durability or affordability, something to ride on smooth or rough terrain, and whether you prefer a more practical design or something with extra gadgets.

Suspension

Suspension systems work on absorbing impacts from bumps, ruts, and cracks that are bound to be on the road. This is to ensure a comfortable ride and enable the rider to maintain control over the bike.

Generally, the rougher the terrain you’re going to ride through, the more you should seek a solid and effective suspension system.

However, if you’re certain you’re going to ride through paved paths only, you can skip this one as suspension slightly reduces the effectiveness of pedaling and adds some extra weight to the bike.

Suspension seat-posts are an incredible way to reduce vibrations and impact that would usually travel to your seat and lower back. If your favorite bike doesn’t have a suspension seat-post, you can always buy one separately.

Gears

The number of gears on your bike indicates the kind of ride you’ll be able to tackle. If your ride is mostly flat, you can go with a bike that has fewer gears. However, if you plan on riding rolling or hilly terrain, you should stick with higher gears.

Comfort bikes usually have smooth gearing that allows you to switch from one gear to the next seamlessly.

Bikes with 8-speed gearing are ideal for neighborhood rides or riding on bike lanes. If you’re going to go through hills and such, then you’re better off with a 14- to 30-speed gearing.

Brakes

A comfort bike should allow you to hit the brakes and stop the bike with as little hand effort as possible. Any bike comes with brakes that suit the riding it was designed for.

For example, linear-pull ones are powerful and suitable for all-round riding. Whether you’re going to stroll around in the neighborhood, commute to work, or ride in lousy weather conditions, it’ll suit you just fine.

On the other hand, hub brakes are more suitable for smoother rides that don’t require rigorous effort. They’re designed for durability and are low maintenance, unlike those used for tough stopping power.

Seats

The seat of a comfort bike should combine ergonomics, materials, and features to make it as comfortable and supportive as it can be.

They’re usually designed in anatomical shapes, cutouts to reduce pressure on soft tissue, flexible frames, cushioning springs, and gel padding. Some seats combine all of these features!

Final Thoughts

While the choices I’ve mentioned above are the best comfort bikes you’ll find without a doubt, there are some that shine in more areas than others.

Take, for example, the Sixthreezero Body Ease. It combines speed, comfort, and durability. In terms of design and performance, it lacks nothing at all. However, it can be a little expensive for some.

If you’re looking for a more affordable yet reliable option, I’d recommend you opt for the Schwinn Suburban hybrid bike.