Best road bikes under £2,500

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The £1,500 to £2,500 price bracket encompasses a range of road bikes from all-day endurance machines to disc-equipped adventure bikes and even aero road bikes.

The bike reviews below were all featured in Cycling Plus magazine's annual Bike of the Year mega test. As the bikes featured here were longlisted, then shortlisted for the title of Bike of the Year, all are high performing, high scoring machines. In fact, out of the 35 bikes on test, five were deserving of top marks.

Here we take a look at that final top-five shoot-out – all spectacular bikes deserving of your cash, but each with a slightly different character, spec or ride quality.

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Designed to take on the cobbled classics, BMC's GF01 is the Swiss brand's compliant all-day riding machine, but it was the disc version that really impressed our testers.

“The BMC smooths surfaces with hollow, oversized chainstays that kick up towards the dropouts [and] slender vibration-absorbing seatstays. When the roads get twisty, its racing heritage shines through. It basically goes where you point it – no dramas. Fat tyres, wide wheels and excellent disc brakes induce masses of confidence on descents.â€

• Highs: Wonderful road manners, fantastic fun everywhere
• Lows: Nothing major, bar we’d want to start upgrading it
• Buy if: You want a bike that shows brilliant handling, excellent comfort and can handle plenty of the rough stuff

Read the full BMC GF01 Disc review

• Highs: Wonderful ride, fast, smooth, and brilliant all rounder
• Lows: Aggressive ride position and not as high-spec as some
• Buy if: You want to conquer climbs, speed along the flat, fly round corners, glide over potholes – and look the business at the same time

• Highs: Unique, smooth, fast and capable
• Lows: Some may not like its individual looks
• Buy if: You want genre-busting bike that’s a blast to ride

• Highs: Sublimely smooth chassis, and loads of fun to ride
• Lows: Like plenty of its rivals the 5.2 deserves better wheels
• Buy if: You want a truly comfortable speed machine that’s unfazed by bad roads

• Highs: Smooth and fast, with quality kit and an attractive price
• Lows: Who wants a tall spacer on their steerer?
• Buy if: You want one of the best endurance bikes ever created, with the bonus of hydraulic braking

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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