The cost of bicycles has gone up significantly since the pandemic began because this form of solo sport is a great way to stay in shape, get fresh air, and avoid crowded social gatherings.
Supply and demand made bikes more valuable. That’s great for manufacturers and retailers, but it’s different for customers. How much do bicycles cost?
On average, a used bicycle will cost between $200 to $400, and a brand-new bicycle will cost between $500 to $1,000, primarily based on the bike’s style, quality, and materials. Generic kid’s bikes start around $75, while adult bikes start at $200 to $300 for cheap cruisers, road bikes, and mountain bikes. Most good quality bikes are over $1000.
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Table of Contents
Average Price Of Bicycle In USA
Although there are thousands of models of bicycles available today, the more expensive models tend to be custom, or only sold in one place and made to order.
It turns out there are many more inexpensive bikes on the market than you might expect. This brings the overall average price of bicycles down quite a bit but doesn’t change the categories.
So, an inexpensive bike is still under $700 or $800, with a mid-level cycle going for $700 to $3,000 and the high-end bikes usually closer to $8,000 or $10,000.
Bike Prices Comparison Chart
Type | Name & Size | Manufacturer | Retailer #1 | Retailer #2 |
Kids | Disney Princess Bike: 12-16 inch | Huffy | Amazon: $239.99 | Walmart: $94-265.47 |
Kids | Star Wars Mandalorian: 16 inch | Huffy | Amazon: $84 | Walmart: $98 |
BMX | Grudge: 26 inch | Mongoose | Amazon: $260 | Walmart: $228 |
BMX | Type B Positive: 20 inch | Fiend | Source BMX: $599.99-$750 | Dans Comp: $599.99 |
MTB | Temissor: 29 inch | Mongoose | Tractor Supply Company: $379.99 | Academy Sports+Outdoors: $349.99 |
MTB | 2012 Talon 2: 29 inch | Giant | Bicycle Warehouse: $735 | Epic Cycles: $739 |
Cruiser | Nel Lusso: 26 inch | Huffy | Walmart: $216.81 | eCrater: $329.99 |
Cruiser | Bayside: 26 inch | Kent | RocShop: $334.80 | eCrater: $219.99 |
Touring | Men’s Touring 7 Speed: Size Not Specified | EVRYJourney | Sixthreezero: $656.99 | Walmart: $766.49 |
Touring | Nicasso: Size Not Specified | Marin | The Bike Connection: $1089.99 | Cardinal Bike Shop: $1089.99 |
Road | Volare 1200: Size Multiple Available | Schwinn | OJCommerce: $431.47 | Tractor Supply Company: $559.10 |
How Much Does The Average Bike Cost
The average bike costs anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to over ten thousand.
The difference has to do with the build quality, which is often tied to the materials and weight of the bike and its longevity.
An inexpensive, mass-produced cruiser or road bike is usually about as cost-effective as it gets, while custom, ultralight, one-of-a-kind, racing road bikes with artist paint jobs cost $10,000 to $40,000 or more.
How Much Does A Road Bike Cost
You can get a budget road bike for around $200. However, a mid-range, good-quality road bike will run $500 to $1,000, and the best quality road bikes cost several thousand dollars.
Road bikes are used for endurance and racing, so making frames out of the lightest weight and most high-tech materials puts this style at the top of bicycle costs.
How Much Does A Mountain Bike Cost
Moderate quality mountain bikes cost $400 to $800, while less is considered cheap. Once you get to a thousand dollars, the bike probably has some custom or extremely high-end parts.
Since MTBs take a beating, they need to be extremely durable, but they also go uphill, so they need to keep the weight down to a reasonable level.
That means using better alloys and lightweight metals that cost more to manufacture.
How Much Does A BMX Bike Cost
BMX bikes are famous for their small size, but they are tough. A hyper-durable BMX is made to race on dirt tracks or do wild stunts.
These specialized bikes cost $500 to $3,000 for the mid to high-end. You don’t want a cheap BMX because it probably can’t handle the pressure.
The smaller size frames and tires on these bikes mean adult models are often mistaken for children’s bikes, but it also helps keep the cost low and the functionality high.
Additionally, because BMX is made for easy pat swapping, the prefabricated bikes tend to be less expensive. Manufacturers spend less on things like brakes because riders often remove them.
Truly high-end BMX bikes with the best parts and frames are only for pro-riders with an impressive budget, though many riders have ‘built’ or moderately custom bikes.
As Cycle Seven points out, “A titanium BMX bike frame has an average cost of $1,900.00 today. This isn’t a typical material that most BMX bikers invest in.”
How Much Does A Beach Cruiser Bike Cost
Beach cruisers are a casual style of bike. They have large wide wheels and heavy frames because they’re meant for leisure rides in the sand.
Most beach cruisers cost $200 to $700. Unlike other styles, you won’t often find a cheap or costly version of these bikes.
How Much Does A Touring Bike Cost
Touring bikes are the hardest to define. A few companies make touring specific bikes, but this style is still largely DIY and often a hybrid of multiple parts from different bikes that come together to create an ideal long-range bike for one specific rider.
Mid-range prefab touring bikes are $800 to $1,200, while the high-end models can run $4,000 to $5,000 range and come with recumbent seats, panniers, and racks for equipment and other features.
Touring is a style where a cheap model is usually best avoided. You should spend at least $800 on a decent model.
Otherwise, you’re risking a ride where cheap parts break down when you’re dozens or even hundreds of miles from home and often far from a bike shop.
How Much Does A Kids Bike Cost
Kids’ bikes range from micro-mini size up to the small end of adult sizes. Moreover, they come in many styles, which means they have a wide price range as well.
On average, a child’s bicycle will run anywhere from $75 to $400. The lower price results from the smaller size and the fact that kids’ bikes tend to have fewer gears, making them cheaper to manufacture.
How Much Do Electric Bicycles Cost
A low-end electric bicycle is $500 or $600. Mid-range for this style is more like a thousand dollars, and the high-end electric bikes go for $2,000 to $5,000 easy.
Custom fitted engines and powerful but compact batteries, plus the need for more durable frames and brakes, push prices up on this style.
How Much Do Trek Bikes Cost
Tre bikes are known for being incredibly high-quality bikes that last. The low end for these bicycles is around $450.
Meanwhile, the best Treks cost over $12,000, so the mid-range is well over $2,000 for these bikes, but it’s often worth the expense for a bicycle that will still be functional in a decade or two.
How Much Do Professional Bicycles Cost
Professional bicycles, built for the pros, start at $10,000 and go up in price from there.
Custom paint jobs are expensive but making a cycle more aerodynamic or lighter is the real challenge.
Expect it to cost a $1,000 or more for every pound you want to take off your frame.
How Much Do Olympic Bicycles Cost
Olympic bicycles have to be available to the public, but the companies that make them don’t have to keep their costs down.
You should expect to spend at least $11,000 if you want a proper Olympic bike. If you have a particular model in mind, like one ridden by a medal winner, the cost can easily be twice that much.
How Much Are Bikes At Walmart
Walmart is a ‘big box’ store that deals in mass quantities of middle to low-quality products.
Since they order things in truly massive bulk, this company also gets a decent discount. An average bicycle at Walmart runs $200 to $500.
How Much Do Bikes Cost At Target
Target bikes and Walmart bikes are close to comparable. Target is considered slightly more high-quality overall, but their bicycle selection is very similar, and the prices are often the same.
Like Walmart, this company orders thousands or tens of thousands of items at a time and gets deep discounts.
How Much Do Bikes Cost At Pawn Shops
Pawnshops tend to charge $50 to $400 for bicycles. The actual cost is sometimes negotiable (within reason) and always based on the owner’s knowledge of the bike’s value.
You can sometimes get an excellent deal, but then again, some bikes are priced barely less than they’d cost if you bought them new.
How Much Do Bikes Cost In The Netherlands
A used or low-quality bike in the Netherlands will run you around fifty to a hundred-fifty euros, or roughly $50 to $165.
Most decent quality bikes cost two hundred to five hundred euros depending on quality. That’s currently about $225 to $550.
Cycling in the Netherlands is pervasive and very safe. In fact, according to Cycle Helmets, “Although the Netherlands is probably the safest country in the world for cycling, helmet wearing among Dutch cyclists is rare. It has been estimated that only about 0.5 percent of cyclists in the Netherlands are helmeted.”
How Much Do Bikes Cost In Japan
Bikes in Japan tend to be very reasonably priced. Bicycles are ubiquitous, and Japan is near China, which manufactures most of the world’s bikes and bike parts.
You should expect to pay six to sixty thousand yen for a decent bike. That’s $51 and change to just over $511 in the US.
How Much Do Bikes Cost At Goodwill
Goodwill prices vary slightly by region. However, the overall savings go with the uncertain quality. You can pick up a bike at Goodwill for $10 to $50, sometimes less.
However, there’s no guarantee it will be functional or good quality since all Goodwill sells are secondhand donated items. Sometimes you get lucky, but it’s very hit and miss.
Final Thoughts
From the bargain-budget bikes you can pick up at thrift shops, pawnshops, and big-box stores to the entirely handmade, high-tech, and high art, you can get a bike for any budget.
You can get an okay bicycle for a couple of hundred dollars. With savvy shopping and a little luck, that low price tag will still get you a great bike that lasts and is easy to repair.
A mid-range cycle should run you $1,000 to $3,000 on average regardless of the type. However, for pros, a high-end race bike will set you back at least $8,000 to $10,000.
Fortunately, there’s a bike for any budget if you shop around, and now you know what to expect.