In the past, this site hasn't tried to lay down the law. We've taken a fairly wishy-washy middle line, especially when it comes to buying a bike.

Now, however, we're going to be blunt: if you are shopping for your first bike, your everyday bike, your commute-to-work-or-to-the-shops-or-to-school bike, then there is only one choice: a city bicycle.

A city bike must have:
• a reasonably upright riding position
• hub gears (at least five, preferably seven - forget derailleur gears on an everyday bike, you're just asking for big repair bills)
• hub dynamo and standlights (they stay on when you stop pedalling - some even come on automatically in the dark)
• kickstand (preferably attached to rear stay for best stabiity)
• mudguards
• rear rack
• smoothish tyres with some degree of puncture protection
• North Road-style handlebars (ie, not pipe-straight or dropped)
• a comfy saddle and handgrips
• An Axa horseshoe lock and cable (though you will also need a D-lock if you are leaving your bike at the station)
• A security chip for the downtube similar to those offered by Immobilise
• Hex bolts (aka Allen bolts) on wheels and seatpin (rather than quick-release)

You won't need any Lycra, just your everyday clothes!

Unfortunately, the British bike trade being what it is, you may end up hunting around several bike shops. Most Colchester cycle stores will have a city bike or two, but you will have to search between the racks of mountain bikes, the so-called hybrids, the BMXs and the racers. More to the point, when you find them, you won't have a wide range to choose from, and some may be reluctant to order in a bike for you to view without taking a deposit.

You may eventually have to go down to London, to Velorution or to Bikefix, or take pot luck on the internet, to see a selection of such bikes and enable you to choose one that is both right for you and your wallet. So many people we talk to go to the capital to buy city bikes that we think it's about time the Colchester bike trade listened!

We want Colchester cycle shops to dedicate showroom space to a range of good city bikes. Come on guys, lets follow the Dutch and Danes, not fashion! We want people to use their bikes every day, not get a glossy mountain bike that lives in the shed.