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There will always been some disagreement over what people call ‘cheap’ but with the advent of the Cyclescheme and other similar purchase offers, most really serious road bikes kick off around £1000.
We took a quick straw poll in the office and when most of us took the first proper steps towards becoming cyclists, we each spent around £500 on our first bikes.
Some researched their purchase for months, others went straight out to their local bike shop and asked the staff for their advice. But what came out, time and time again, was that number - £500. I
t's here that road bikes begin to look like serious racers: the gear shifters are combined with the brake levers so your hands can stay in one comfy position, the frames are made of lighter materials such as butted aluminium, and perhaps even carbon fibre.
You can pick up a bike for less but often they're heavy, inefficient and will grumble if you really up the mileage. They'll be fine for fair-weather weekend riding, but start training for a sportive and their shortcomings will soon show.
With that in mind, we decided that to us ‘cheap’ road bikes are anything under £1000, but above £500, so (in no particular order) here’s a rundown of our favourite plus a buying guide at the end to help you with sizing, what questions to ask, what accessories to buy and how to go about planning your first big ride.
Here are the six best cheap bikes up to £1000.
Pinnacle Laterite - £420
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A proper road bike for an improper amount of cash. To complain about any rough edges on the Pinnacle seems churlish given its tiny headline price. Based around a compact 6061-T6 heat-treated aluminium frame, its carbon fibre fork cuts weight and boosts shock absorption.
Running a 16-speed Shimano Claris drivetrain, this shunts the gears with an authoritative clunk and provides a moderate range via its compact chainset and 11-28t cassette. With 25c decent Schwalbe Lugano tyres, plus space for mudguards and a rear rack, it’s a great introduction to drop bar riding.
Buy now from Evans Cycles for £420
Triban RC520 - £730
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Part of an updated range offered by European sports warehouse Decathlon, the Triban RC 520 represents incredible value. With a short top tube and upright front end, its frame and carbon fork are designed for endurance.
But it’s the superlative 11-speed Shimano 105 R7000 groupset and hybrid mechanical-hydraulic brake calipers that really set it apart. Backed up by lightweight wheels with cartridge bearings and tubeless-ready tyres, it's also ripe for future upgrading. With a cheaper model, and gravel-spec edition also in the range, both are equally good value.
Read our first ride of the Triban RC 520
Buy now from Decathlon for £729.99
Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 - £800
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Consistently well-reviewed since its launch, the latest version of Canyon’s entry-level racer benefits from a lightweight aluminium frame that weighs only 1,350g, and a total weight of only 8.7kg. Decked out with a complete 10-speed Shimano Tiagra groupset, this provides a huge 11-34t cassette that’s good news for both beginners and big-mountain riders.
Providing excellent power, even the brakes, often the first part to be swapped out, are included. Rolling on Mavic Aksium wheels and Continental Grand Prix SL 25c tyres, it’s very hard to find any weak link in its build kit.
Boardman SLR 8.6 - £550
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Bearing the name of noted British time trialist Chris Boardman, and sold through Halfords stores, this machine has been many riders first proper road bike. They’ll have bagged a good-un too.
With a light frame rolling on decent wheels and tyres, the SLR 8.6 allocates its funds wisely. Its 16-speed Shimano Claris gearing might be basic, but it’s reliable and with its cabling running beneath the bar tape, neat too. With a modicum more pizzazz than you might expect, getting it up to speed is rarely a chore.
Buy now from Halfords for £600
Cannondale CAAD Optimo Sora - £750
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For our money the best looking bike you’ll find for anything like this money. But the Cannondale CAAD Optimo isn’t just pretty, it’s properly racey too. With geometry borrowed from the brand’s dearer bikes, a low front end keeps it purposeful, while a light frame and entirely carbon fork do nothing to sandbag its progress.
Fitted with a Shimano Sora 2x9 drivetrain, a basic crankset and brakes don’t put too much of a dampener on performance, while the contact points and paint are both above average for the price.
Buy now from Evans Cycles for £750
Trek Domane AL 2 - £595
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The Domane serves up speed over distance. Based around a fully-featured 100 Alpha aluminium frame and carbon fork, the Trek mixes stiffness with smooth riding characteristics. With endurance geometry, it rolls on Bontrager tubeless-ready rims and wide 28c tyres, both of which boost the bike’s comfort credentials.
Finished with Shimano Claris R2000 parts, its wide 11-32t 8-speed cassette ensure even the biggest hills won’t stall your progress. Great looking, hidden fender mounts don’t mar its appearance, and while the external cabling might be old-school, it makes servicing easier.
Buy now from Evans Cycles for £595
Cube Attain Pro - £849
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With geometry that balances speed and endurance, Cube’s Attain also manages a low overall weight despite its disc brakes. The foundation of this feat is its lightweight aluminium frame and skinny full-carbon fork.
With features like flat-mount brakes fittings and bolt-through axles, it’s more than worthy of later component upgrades. Not that the stock kit is anything other than excellent.
With Cube’s own disc wheelset and Continental Ultra Sport tyres, the bike is fast to get rolling, while keeping it moving is Shimano’s reliable 9-speed Sora drivetrain.
Pinnacle Arkose R1 - £900
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First released as a gravel bike, this road-going Arkose is a capable endurance machine that can be converted for off-road duties too. Using Shimano’s ace 10-speed Tiagra groupset to provide a huge range of gears, 28c tyres also boost its ability to tackle a range of terrain.
Stable to the point of seeming as if on autopilot, a front bolt-through hub and a robust carbon fork let it plough across bumpy ground. Not quite as nippy as a pure road bike, its ability to take mudguards and racks will appeal to touring riders, while great paint and internal cabling will be welcomed by everyone.
Buy now from Evans Cycles for £900
Getting the perfect fit
Getting the right size is one of the most important aspects of buying a new bike. With a wide range of sizes available, often with small jumps between them (2cm in most cases), it can be a daunting prospect.
Fortunately, a good bike shop should take care of you. A word of warning: be careful when referring to bikes by their frame sizes. Some manufacturers measure things differently, but our handy geometry chart on each bike review should give you a starting point.
The main two things to worry about are saddle height and reach. There are lots of different methods to work out your correct saddle height, but as a general rule, when your foot is at its lowest point your knee should have a 30-degree bend, as that’s the angle that gets your big glute muscles firing.
The reach is something that you need to get a feel for, but if you’ve never ridden a road bike with dropped bars before, this can feel quite stretched and will take some getting used to.
It’s almost always the case that when your saddle is the correct height, you won’t be able to remain sat on it and have your feet flat on the floor. The reality is that you never really have to do this. If you’re nervous about it, plan ahead for your stops so you can pull up at a kerb and rest your foot on that.
Choosing your pedals
A lot of new bikes don’t come with pedals, so your first big decision is whether to go for flat pedals or clipless. Flat pedals may be more versatile (because you can use them wearing regular shoes), but they’re inefficient.
Trainers flex a lot at the sole, so you lose a lot of pedalling power wearing them – it’s like trying to knock in a nail with a rubber hammer.
Clipless pedals (so-called because they replace traditional toeclips and straps) work by binding to a cleat that’s screwed onto the sole of the shoe. The shoes that go with clipless pedals have far stiffer soles to make pedalling more efficient and a lot more comfortable.
There are two distinct patterns of clipless pedal– two-bolt (Shimano SPD), and three-bolt (including Shimano SPD-SL or Look).
Two-bolt cleats are usually recessed into the sole of the shoe to make walking easier – these are favoured by mountain bike riders. Walking is possible in three-bolt cleats, but you may look like a penguin. Also check that your shoes are compatible with your pedals – the shop will be able help with this.
With a little perseverance, once you’ve got the hang of clipless pedals, you’ll be able to release your foot far quicker than you could pull your shoes out of old-fashioned toeclips.
Ask the right questions
Before you go and take a look at what your local bike shop has to offer, it pays to do your research and have a good think about what you want from your purchase. Mudguards and a rack? Rim or disc brakes?
Is the bike going to be used mainly for commuting or leisure riding? There are so many different models to choose from, that if you don’t have a good idea of what you need from it, you’ll likely end up totally bewildered. It also helps the shop, as they know what they can safely recommend, rather than relying purely on guesswork.
Most shops will include a servicing package to help keep your bike in good shape and will probably offer a discount on accessories. If you’d like to swap some parts on the bike straight out the box, ask – but don’t count on the shop doing it free of charge. If it’s an own-brand stem, they might not have one in stock, but things like cassettes or tyres are normally done for the cost difference.
Sale bikes can be great, but don’t compromise on getting the correct size for a groupset upgrade. You’ll be much happier – and faster – on a bike that’s comfortable. Second-hand bikes can be a bargain but are a minefield: unless you know the pitfalls to avoid, we’d recommend steering clear.
Essential extras
When buying a new bike you’ll have to reserve a portion of your budget for essential kit. Luckily, most shops will cut you a deal if you buy these at the same time. Expect to spend about £50 for a decent helmet, and try several makes and models to find the best fit.
Whether you’re planning to ride on your own or with friends, you’ll need enough small tools to be self-sufficient. You will get a puncture at some point, so practice changing an inner tube at home until you’re confident you’ll be able to do it on the road when all your friends are watching (and heckling).
The minimum kit we’d recommend would include a set of tyre levers (Topeak Shuttle levers, £5.99, extrauk.co.uk), two spare inner tubes (around £5 each; ensure you get the correct type – road bikes use Presta valves), a pack of glueless patches (Park Tool Super Patch, £3.49, madison.co.uk), and last but not least, a mini pump (Lezyne Gauge Drive HP, £40, upgradebikes.co.uk).
Some big brands such as Bontrager and Specialized do a kit that includes all these items, and a saddlebag to stow them in. Buy a multitool – look for something that includes 3, 4, and 5mm allen keys (Topeak Mini 20 Pro, £29, extrauk.co.uk). It’s worth getting a bottle cage and a sports bottle, too.
Plan your first ride
Once you’ve got the bike all your kit together, you’ll be keen to get riding, but it pays to spend some time planning your first outing to avoid potential problems that may arise. Twenty miles is a good distance to start with – you don’t want to risk running out of food, water and energy, or discovering a fault in your bike when you’re a long way from home.
If you don’t know the best roads for cycling in your area, the Strava website is useful – it has a great ride-planning tool that makes route suggestions based on their popularity with other cyclists. You can then use the Strava app on your smartphone to navigate, while recording your journey.
This is also a good time to think about how the bike feels. Is the saddle a little low? Get your multitool out and shift it up a little. Short test rides are good for working out any small adjustments like this you need to make.