You don’t have to spend a fortune to get your hands on a great bike. The best road bikes under £1,000 are a great place to start if you’re new to cycling or if you're unsure how much riding you’re actually going to be doing.
- Best road bike: how to choose the right one for you
- Best bike: what type of bike should I buy?
- Best road bikes under £2,000
There are a few things to bear in mind before you splash your cash on one, however. And perhaps the most important is that they’re not dyed-in-the-wool race bikes.
Although they look like race bikes and are perfectly capable of being raced on, they lack the more extreme touches of the machines that are uncompromisingly geared towards competition. Instead, a sub-£1K bike is intended as a beginner’s tool, a bike to introduce new riders to road cycling.
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What does that mean, exactly? Well, for a start the bikes’ frames will have more relaxed geometry — they’ll have a shorter reach so you won’t be stretched so far forwards, and thanks to a longer head tube and more elevated bars, a higher front-end so you won’t be so low. In other words, you’ll be sitting in a more upright position than you would on a dedicated race bike, which is good for comfort but is helpful for getting new riders used to controlling a twitchy road bike and build their confidence.
The bikes also won’t be as stiff, won’t be as light and, typically, won’t feature as much carbon fibre as a full-on race bike. All of which are compromises made with the construction and material in order to bring the bike in at a price below £1,000. For the most part, bikes in this price range will be made of metal, usually an aluminium alloy.
Think of a sub-£1K bike as a jack of all trades but master of none. They can accomplish almost all tasks, but don’t excel in any specific area. As long as you’re riding on the tarmac, they’ll do whatever you need them to, whether it’s adding a bit of pace to your commute, dipping your toe into the waters of racing, taking on a sportive, touring or simply riding for fun at the weekends.
Boardman Team Carbon (16)
- Budget blaster with a great chassis at its heart
- Responsive and exciting ride at a great price
- Slightly woolly feeling brakes and narrow rims and tyres
- Price: £999
Eastway Emitter R4
- Great value in a cycle-to-work-scheme-friendly package
- Full carbon frame and fork
- Rapid and responsive ride
Specialized Allez E5 Sport
- Wide rims and tyres make for a smooth and swift ride
- Plenty of bite and feel from budget brakes
- Shimano Sora nine-speed gearing
Pinnacle Dolomite 5
- Shimano BR-R758 hydraulic disc brakes
- T6-6061 aluminium frame
- Clearance for 28mm tyres and mudguard/rack mounts
Saracen Hack 2
- Rugged, road-based all-rounder
- Mudguard and rear rack mounts
- Agile and involving handling
- Price: £999.99
Giant Defy 3
- Confidence-inspiring position for beginners
- Comfortable ride quality
- Versatile enough for weekend riding and week-day commuting
Cannondale CAAD8 Sora 7
- Quality aluminium frame
- Stiff, racey-feeling ride quality
- Impressive shifting from the Shimano Sora drivetrain
Calibre Rivelin
- Well constructed aluminium frame
- Comfortable ride position
- A £300 bike with a carbon fork
B'Twin Triban 540
- 10-speed Shimano 105 groupset
- Mavic Aksium wheels
- Butted 6061-aluminium frame
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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