Bike finder: Which lightweight step-through bike should I buy?

Lightweight step-through

For: Brigitte Ascher, aged 68, from London.
Bike needs: A lightweight (no more than 10kg) step-through bike that allows a fairly upright posture and has good enough gears to get up Highgate Hill in London. The bike is simply for moving around the local area. No requirement for basket or any luggage rack.
Must have: Step-through frame, be light, good gears for hills.
Must not: be heavy.
Budget: £1,000.

Hannah Collingridge

Many of the step-through bikes available currently are e-bikes, which are way over budget and weight, or favour style over substance; the phrase ‘instantly Instagrammable’ does not inspire confidence in the quality of the ride. Betterbuilt bikes such as those from Gazelle (gazellebikes.com) often come with a weight way above your requirements. 

You can find step-through hybrids, such as the Raleigh Pioneer Trail (£475, raleigh.co.uk), that meet the gearing and frame requirements. The Pioneer trail has a 3×7 drivetrain with a bottom gear of 28/34. But it’s still significantly over the desired weight at 15kg. You could save some weight by removing its rack and kickstand. 

Specialized does some very practical-looking offerings within the Sirrus X range. There are two step-through designs worth considering. The Sirrus X 1.0 Step-Through (£575, specialized.com) has 1×7 gearing (a mix of Shimano, Microshift and Prowheel) with a 40t chainring and a 12−40t cassette. Brakes are mechanical Tektros and the tyres are 42−622, which should allow for comfort on and off road. While mudguards aren’t included, there are fittings on the frame and fork. Specialized claims a weight of 11.95 kg. 

The next model up, the Sirrus X 2.0 Step-Through (£675) has 1×8 Microshift gearing (40t chainring, 11−42 cassette) and hydraulic brakes but is marginally heavier at 12.08 kg.

Specialized Sirrus X 1.0 Step-Through £575

Dan Joyce

If you’d asked this a few years ago, I’d have recommended one of the Islabikes Icons range – probably the Janis, which I reviewed in the Feb/Mar 2019 issue. At £1,199.99 it was over your budget but ticked all your other boxes, notably weight: 9.2kg, not including pedals, and under 10kg with them. If you’re very lucky you may find one secondhand. 

In terms of new bikes, the trapeze-frame version of Cube’s Nulane Pro (£999, cube.eu) meets all your requirements bar weight: it’s 11kg. It’s lighter than most of its rivals as it has a full-carbon fork as well as an aluminium frame. Its 2×10 Shimano Cues gearing has a 30/39 bottom ratio that should cope with any hill in London, while its 40mm tubeless-ready tyres will handle tracks as well as roads. I think the slightly higher weight is a worthwhile tradeoff for its other advantages. 

However, there is a lighter option: the Temple Cycles Step Through Lightweight (£973 at time of writing, templecycles.com). Although this is a steel bike with some heavier components, such as quill stem, it’s just 10.2kg. It uses sidepull brakes instead of heavier discs, and these 73mm-drop Tektro R369 callipers will clear mudguards (if you fit them) as well as 32mm tyres. Its 1×9 drivetrain also saves some weight. However, bottom gear is only 39/36. The 130BCD chainset won’t take a chainring smaller than 38, so the fix would be a 110BCD chainset such as the Spa Cycles TD-2 Stronglight Dural Single Chainset (£41). Choose a 34−tooth chainring and 165mm cranks.

Temple Cycles Step Through Lightweight £973

First published in Cycle magazine, June/July 25 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.