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Best road bikes under £1000 2024 — start riding on the road and cycling to work for lessBest road bikes under £1000

Best road bikes under £1000 2024 — start riding on the road and cycling to work for less

Here are some of the best road bikes you can still pick up for under that magic £1,000 price point, so you can get out without breaking the bank
by Jack Sexty
UPDATED Tue, May 23, 2023 17:53

First Published May 23, 2023

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Got around a grand to spend on a road bike, but not sure what to look for? You're in luck, because we've done the hard work for you and tested loads of the best road bikes under £1,000 over the years to give you a selection of our favourites all in one place.


Despite the events of recent years including pandemic-related supply chain issues and inflation, there is still a pretty healthy variety of road bikes to choose from around and up to £1,000. You can't really get brand new road bikes with carbon fibre frames at this price point any more unless you buy second hand, but you will still find entry-level race bikes, touring-style bikes and budget gravel-style bikes that take bigger tyres, made with materials that can be produced for cheaper such as aluminium and steel. 

You can narrow your options by coming up with a list of features you want from your new road bike. Do you want to fit mudguards? Look for bikes with extra clearance that will accommodate your tyres and mudguards, and preferably come with eyelets for full-length guards. Do you want extra stopping power? Go for a bike with disc brakes rather than rim brakes. Prefer a lighter bike? At this price point, a racing-style road bike with increasingly rare rim brakes might be a good idea to save some weight, because sub-£1k bike frames will be heavier than more expensive ones. 

While a grand is still a lot of money to spend on anything, a bike towards the top end of this price bracket will likely provide you with many thousands of miles of cycling joy. There is very little in the road bike market you can get for close to £500 or under nowadays, so we'd recommend spending around £1,000 (ideally more, but we would say that) to get the best bike for your buck. Many employers also now offer cycle to work schemes, where you take a salary sacrifice to pay for your new bike in instalments and get it (technically on loan) at a discounted rate.

> How to save money on a bike with the Cycle to Work scheme

You might have noticed that one or two of our selections don't have a sub-£1,000 recommended retail price, but we've included some bikes that were under £1,000 when we reviewed them or can be found for under £1,000 with discounts at some retailers. Pickings are slimmer at this price point nowadays, so we want to recommend you the most bike for your money!

If you still want a bit more info before browsing our choices and picking your new road bike, head on down to our Q+A section where we answer some FAQs about road bikes under £1,000. Without further ado... 

The best road bikes under £1,000

Triban RC 520 Disc Road Bike

Triban RC 520 Disc Road Bike

9
Best road bike under £1,000 overall
Buy now for £849.99 from Decathlon
Awesome value
Practicality
Competent and easy handling
Relaxed geometry won't be to all tastes
Not hugely responsive

Its friendliness, versatility and high-quality spec make the Triban RC520 our overall best road bike under £1,000. The only thing it won't readily turn its hand to is road racing because of the relaxed geometry and 10.4kg weight. 

Built around Decathlon's comfort-orientated 6061 aluminium frame, the RC 520 gives you most of a Shimano 105 R7000 11-speed groupset (with a Prowheel crank and bottom bracket) and TRP HY/RD disc brake calipers, the latter being a more powerful hybrid version of a mechanical disc brake but not quite full hydraulic. The Triban RC 520 also has tubeless-ready wheels and Decathlon's own Resist+ 28mm tyres. It's a super-steady, confident ride and excellent value for money.

Our reviewer noted that the super-tall head tube and compact top tube mean the bike sits you quite upright, so the geometry is definitely on the more relaxed side and not ideal for those looking to get into serious racing. For the rest of us though, the Triban RC 520 is still our pick of the sub-£1k bunch for its unbeatable value and familiar, easy ride that will appeal to commuters and weekend warriors alike. 

Read our review:
Triban RC 520 Disc Road Bike
Specialized Allez 2022

Specialized Allez E5 2022

8
Best road bike under £1,000 for budding racers
Buy now for £799 from Tredz
Excellent ride quality from the alloy frame
Claris offers quality shifting
Fork doesn't have much mudguard/tyre clearance

The Specialized Allez is a bona fide classic, and until very recently was the only road bike in the Specialized range costing under the magic £1,000 mark... that's now no longer the case, because the new Allez starts at £1,100, meaning you'll now need over a grand to buy a brand new Specialized road bike. At the time of writing, though, the previous rim brake-equipped model is still in stock at various retailers at considerably less than £1k, and is still a damn fine bike according to our reviewers!  

The outgoing entry-level Allez (not to be confused with the Allez Sprint or brand new Allez) has an aluminium frame, carbon fork, 8-speed Shimano Claris shifting and neutral handling that is not too aggressive nor slouchy either. Although we've recommended the Allez for budding racers, it does also come with mudguard mounts which makes it ideal for commuting and mucky winter rides. 

The weight is comfortably under 10kg, impressive at this price point. Tyre clearance isn't huge at 28mm, but you get 26mm tyres with the bike which is wide enough to provide a less tooth-rattling ride than days when super skinny rubber was all the rage. 

Overall, the 2022 Allez is a much better bike than any spec list or set of scales will have you believe. With the introduction of the new Allez we're not sure how much longer you'll be able to buy this version; but if you manage to nab one before they disappear and want an affordable way into road riding with a view to being competitive, the older Allez will serve you very well - as it has countless other cyclists - as their first 'proper' bike. 

Read our review:
Read our review of the Specialized Allez 2020
Boardman SLR 8.8

Boardman SLR 8.8

8
Best endurance road bike under £1,000
Buy now for £700 from Halfords
Great value for money
Decent spec list
Easy-to-control handling
A bit weighty

If the Triban takes our best value award overall, then the Boardman SLR 8.8 is a close runner-up. 10-speed Shimano Tiagra components and disc brakes are very welcome at this price point, and the ride from the 6061 aluminium frame and carbon fork ain't bad either. 

With things like triple butting and slender tube profiles where it matters, the SLR 8.8 gives a great ride feel. It's firm, and as stiff as it needs to be, while taking the edge off the high-frequency buzz coming up from the surface of the road. It makes the Boardman feel like a much more expensive bike when you're riding it.

Like many entry-level road bikes the SLR 8.8 a little weighty at 10.4kg for a medium on our scales, but the great spec and ride feel more makes up for this when you're paying well under a grand.  

Read our review:
Boardman SLR 8.8
Merida Scultura Disc 200

Merida Scultura Disc 200

8
Best road bike under £1,000 to keep and upgrade
Buy now for £990 from Start Fitness
Excellent ride quality from the frame
Easy-to-live-with handling
Average brakes, limited tyre clearance, feels weighty

This is the most affordable disc brake-equipped Scultura on offer from Merida, and our review praised the excellent alloy frame with a comfortable, all-day ride quality. Admittedly it is over £1,000 at the retail asking price nowadays, but we've included it because you still can get it for less with various retailers. 

With Shimano Sora 9-speed shifting, you get a good spread of gears to help you on hills and the mechanical disc brakes provide plenty of stopping power while being easy to adjust. The Scultura Disc 200 frame has a very enjoyable ride feel with no harshness or irritating amounts of road buzz coming through to your contact points, according to our reviewer. It's fitted with 25mm tyres, but there is clearance for 28mm tyres if you want to make the ride even more comfortable. 

While we'd recommend a wheel and brake upgrade when you've got to grips with it, the Scultura Disc 200 is a great entry into road riding. 

Read our review:
Merida Scultura Disc 200
Giant Contend AR 4

Giant Contend AR 3

8
Best road bike under £1,000 for tubeless tyre fans
Buy now for £899 from Tredz
All-day geometry
Clean cable integration
Tubeless wheels and tyres
Basic spec

The Contend is Giant's all-round road bike option, in between the endurance-focussed Defy and the racier TCR. While our most recent review was of a higher-specced Contend, we've recommended this version as the geometry is very similar, and a lot of the tech remains such as tubeless-ready wheels and tyres out of the box and Giant's D-Fuse seatpost and handlebar system to tame lumps and bumps on the road. 

As we (and Giant) have said already, this bike is all about all-round comfort, which means you get super plush 32mm tyres and Giant's bump-taming tech at the seatpost and handlebar. You can see the D-shape at the seatpost, and the idea is to dampen vibration which should result in a smooth, compliant ride. 

Add in mechanical disc brakes and 8-speed Shimano Claris shifting, and you have a very capable bike for the money indeed. It can even take up to 38mm tyres if you want to venture slightly off-road. 

Read our review of the Giant Contend SL 1 Disc: 
Giant Contend SL 1 Disc
Triban RC520 Women’s Disc Road Bike

Triban RC520 Women’s Disc Road Bike

9
Best women's road bike under £1,000
Buy now for £749.99 from Decathlon
Outstanding value for money
Versatile
Heavy
Needs a little patience if fitting guards

For our best women's road bike under £1,000, it's difficult not to again recommend the Triban RC520. 

Our reviewer was pleasantly surprised by the RC520, despite it being a couple of kilos heavier than her race bikes. There is plenty of low gearing to help on hills, and the bike rolls along flats and down hills very nicely indeed.  She writes: "When I got it out on the road, though, I was genuinely surprised. It rolls along really well once up to speed, and getting it there isn't as arduous as you might expect, with gearing to help on the hills. Finishing kit is pretty much the same as the men's version, with Shimano 105 mechanical shifters and 28mm tyres. 

Overall, this bike is incredibly versatile, offers a comfortable ride on our increasingly rough roads and is quite simply serious value for money. If you're looking for a bike that can handle the daily commute as well as take on some gravel trails and a bit of touring, the Triban will be right up your street; just be aware that it's not really a racing machine.

Read our review:
Triban RC520 Women’s Disc Road Bike
Cannondale Synapse Disc Sora

Cannondale Synapse Disc Sora

8
Best-looking road bike under £1,000
Buy now for £879 from Evans Cycles
Great mix of stiffness and comfort, decent package for the money
Heavy wheels
Brakes not the best

While the bike and spec has remained the same, Cannondale's branding has had a bit of a makeover since we reviewed the Synapse Disc Sora a few years back, and we think it looks better than ever with classy, understated looks. What's more, it would make a very dependable first road bike for any cyclist getting into the sport, or an experienced one looking for something dependable for year-round riding and commuting. 

Our reviewer reckons Cannondale has nailed it on comfort here, with the oversized tubes dampening most vibrations. Tyre clearance is generous and 28mm tyres come attached to the bike, and shifting is taken care of by 9-speed Shimano Sora. 

As is the case with a lot of bikes at this price point, the mechanical brakes aren't as powerful as hydraulic ones you'd get if you spent a bit more than a grand, and it's not super light; although as our reviewer noted the wheels this entry-level Synapse comes with are heavy, so you could upgrade them later and drop a bit of heft from the overall package. 

Go for the Synapse if you want something plenty stiff enough and comfortable for not a huge amount of money. 

Read our review:
Cannondale Synapse Disc Sora
Vitus Razor Disc Claris

Vitus Razor Disc Road Bike (Claris)

8
Another versatile sub-£1000 road bike with full mudguard mounts
Buy now for £594.99 from Chain Reaction Cycles
Great ride quality
Balanced geometry gives confidence
Full mudguard mounts
Mudguard stays will need tweaking to fit
Tyres are a bit 'dead' feeling

This versatile and affordable aluminium road bike picked up a road.cc Recommends award, and for good reason: it's an extremely capable machine with a high-quality frameset that's ripe for upgrades. 

Vitus bikes always impress on value, and that's still the case here. The frame and fork feel like they could hold their own on a bike twice the price, according to our reviewer, and while it doesn't look like anything special, take it for a spin it you'll be very impressed with the ride quality. 

As the name suggests you get 8-speed Shimano Claris shifting on the Razor, plus basic but perfectly useable in-house finishing kit from Vitus including the saddle and handlebars. If you're looking to get into road riding and want a bike that can grow with you in terms of ability and performance, then the Vitus Razor is a very decent choice. 

Read our review:
Vitus Razor Disc Claris
Cube Attain

Cube Attain

7
Another very affordable, comfort-orientated road bike under £1000
Buy now for £719 from Hargroves Cycles
Great ride quality
Full Shimano Claris groupset
Neutral handling is perfect for beginners
Wide ranging cassette gives some big jumps between gears

Based around a comfortable aluminium alloy frame and carbon fork, the Cube Attain is an enjoyable bike to ride at speed or just cruising along, making it ideal for those just beginning their adventures in the world of road cycling. A competitive weight and impressive finishing kit go some way towards justifying the price tag, but there are cheaper options out there.

Our reviewer said the alloy frame is very comfortable to ride, with very little harshness or road buzz resonating through your hands like aluminium frames of yesteryear. Long rides shouldn't lead to discomfort or fatigue, and the finishing kit is more than passable at this price point. 

You can get this bike with 9-speed Shimano Sora shifting for around £1,000 too, which we'd recommend if you can stretch your budget further. 

Read our review:
Cube Attain
Liv Avail AR 4

Liv Avail AR 4

7
Best women's road bike for training rides
Buy now for £849.99 from Tredz
All the mounts
Tubeless-ready wheels
Good tyre clearance
Price
Frustrating 8-speed Claris
Not blue like the AR 3...

The Liv Avail AR 4 is a good all-rounder that is very versatile, comfortable and affordable, and the frame is eminently upgradable.

It's not the most exciting ride according to our reviewer, but that's a good thing because it never takes you by surprise, instead providing a dependable ride that those getting into road riding will appreciate. The 10.77kg weight in a size small means the AR 4 isn't the nippiest bike ever, but nor is it slow and ponderous. The aluminium frame and 32mm tyres make it comfortable and pacy enough on the road, yet lends itself well to off-road adventures. 

Read our review:
Liv Avail AR 4
Genesis CDA 30 2021

Genesis CDA 30

7
Best road bike under £1,000 for mixed terrain adventures
Buy now for £989 from Hargroves Cycles
Loads of mounting points for accessories
Good tyre clearance
Low gear ratios
Heavy
Braking is poor

Ok, so the CDA from British brand Genesis is technically a gravel bike... but it will serve you very well on the road or off it as a commuter and is very much a 'do-everything' bike, so if you want something super versatile for under £1,000 it's well worth your consideration. 

Inspired by the steel-framed Genesis Croix de Fer, our reviewer thought this bike rode like a steel frame too with a lively, fun ride quality, even the though the main frame triangle is alloy (you do get the same steel fork as the Croix de Fer, though). You get 10-speed Shimano GRX shifting with a wide-ranging cassette to tackle gradients, and while the mechanical disc brakes aren't super powerful they're acceptable at this price point. 

At 11.6kg this is not a bike for the mountains and will feel a bit slouchy compared to the sportier bikes in this list; but if you want to cruise along, stick mudguards and mount stuff to it for commutes and/or adventures on tarmac and beyond then the CDA 30 is a very sensible choice. 

Read our review:
Genesis CDA 30
Trek Domane AL 2

Trek Domane AL 2

8
Best road bike under £1,000 with pro-level pedigree
Buy now for £679 from Evans Cycles
Carbon fork with Trek's IsoSpeed tech
Balanced endurance geometry
Less braking power from mechanical disc brakes

This entry-level version of the Domane is a direct descendant of the carbon version used by WorldTour pros. Of course you're getting much less top-end tech and the frame is aluminium rather than carbon, but the geometry and some of the tech trickles down such as Trek's IsoSpeed carbon fork that is said to dampen vibrations. 

A quintessential all-rounder, the Domane now has plenty of tyre clearance so you can use it on dirt roads and crumbling back lanes, and you're getting a very good frame for the money that will outlive the components it comes with, so you can upgrade later. 

The Domane AL 2 has through-axle wheels, clearance for 32mm tyres with mudguards, and handy features like Trek's Blendr-compatible stem that makes it easier to add accessories like lights and computers.

Read our review of the carbon-framed Domane SL Disc:
Trek Domane SL Disc frameset

Best road bikes under £1000: how to choose and what you need to know

faq-icon
What frame, components and equipment will I get on road bikes under £1,000?

On road bikes under £1,000, the frame will almost always be aluminium. There's nothing wrong with alloy nowadays, and the reason it's the budget frame material of choice is because it's cheaper to mass-produce. The casual cyclist won't notice the difference, but more experienced riders might perceive aluminium to feel a little harsher; but modern alloy frames always ride pretty well if they're put together well. 

Most of the best road bikes under £1,000 use groupsets — the collective term for a bike's gears, brakes and controls — mainly or entirely based on components from Japanese company Shimano, and sometimes other brands such as Tektro or Microshift. Most feature either the cheaper Sora and Tiagra or occasionally the more expensive 105*, which means you will get at least an 8-speed cassette, usually with two chainrings at the front. So you have 16 shift options in total on an 8-speed bike with a double chainset, if you catch our drift. 

You'll usually get a compact (50/34) double ring chainset paired with a wide-raging cassette at the back, which is appropriate for beginners who will likely need lower gears to get up hills. 

You should also expect to see a smattering of parts from Italian/Taiwanese component maker FSA or another brand that isn't Shimano on your sub-£1k road bike. Instead of speccing their bikes entirely from Shimano parts, many bike manufacturers will look to save a bit of money by fitting a cheaper crankset from a different brand. That isn't necessarily a negative, as brands like FSA have a very good reputation for quality and performance.

Disc brakes are now very common in this price range. They provide better stopping in the wet, and make it much easier for a frame to accommodate tyres fatter than 25mm. They also mean the braking is unaffected by the rim being a bit out of true, and you never need worry about your rims wearing out. Those disc brakes will pretty much always be mechanical, though, as hydraulic disc brakes usually appear on more expensive road bikes. There are still some road bikes available with rim brakes, although most new ones do now come with disc brakes. 

You can also expect to see some own brand wheels and other bits of finishing kit like the saddle in this price range. Again that isn't necessarily a negative. Bike manufacturers fit own brand components to their bikes right the way through their price ranges and they're often just as good as name-brand parts from third-party manufacturers.

If you value comfort, then look for a bike with at least 28mm tyres, or even bigger, rather than 25mm, as they offer a bit more cushioning and are no slower than narrower tyres anyway.

* It's all change here as Shimano's lower end components will soon all be renamed Shimano CUES, and technically Shimano 105 is now a 12-speed, electronic groupset; although the older 11-speed, mechanical 105 is still widely available!

faq-icon
Can I get a carbon fibre road bike for under £1,000?

Unfortunately - and especially after the pandemic and rampant inflation - it's no longer possible to get a brand-spanking new road bike with a carbon frame from a UK/European retailer for under £1,000. Carbon costs more than aluminium, so to sell a carbon fibre bike under £1,000 it would have to use a lower-grade component set, and the bike would almost certainly have to be a vendor's own brand. Up until around 2020 there were still a couple of bikes from Boardman and Ribble that fit the bill, but those models are now over £1,150.

In theory a company like Halfords could hang a Shimano Sora groupset on a carbon fibre frame and sell it for just under £1,000 (the 2019 Carrera Virago was exactly that, in fact, but it's no longer available) but otherwise, you'll have to buy second-hand if you want carbon for under a grand. If you're just getting into road cycling and have a sub-£1k budget then we'd strongly suggest sticking with something new(ish) and alloy, because there's nothing wrong with these bikes; but if you insist and want to buy a used bike, make sure you're clued up and check out our guide to buying a second hand bike first. 

faq-icon
If I have exactly £1,000 to spend, how much of it should I spend on the bike?

Just because you've got a thousand pounds to spend that doesn't mean you have to spend it all on the bike. For a bit less you can still get one of the best road bikes under £1,000 but have some cash left for some choice upgrades or some extra kit. It's all about finding the right bike for your riding needs and your riding budget.

If in a hypothetical scenario where you had exactly £1,000 to spend, you probably want to hold back at least £200 of that for cycling kit like bib shorts, a jersey and cycling shoes, plus tools and accessories such as a pump and bike lights. A helmet might be a good idea, and it's also said that you should spend up to 10% of the cost of your bike on a bike lock, so be sure to budget for one of those unless you're leaving your pride and joy in a very secure place overnight. 

As we mentioned in the intro, if you use a cycle to work scheme you'll save at least 25% on the bike and you can also add kit and accessories onto the bill, so those things could pay for themselves anyway. 

faq-icon
Tell me more about the frames on road bikes under £1,000?

As this round-up shows, virtually all bikes at this price feature aluminium frames. The latest generation of aluminium bikes offer a fantastic combination of performance and value. It's a cliché because it's true that when it comes to bangs per buck performance you can't beat an aluminium bike. It's a very good material for bike frames, both light and stiff, two very desirable features in a bike frame. Modern aluminium frames are also comfortable too — gone are the days when you would expect a harsh ride from an aluminium bike.

Look for a frame with double, or triple, butted tubes, as these are lighter and offer slightly better ride performance than non-butted plain gauge tubes. Most bikes here feature weight saving and vibration-reducing carbon fibre forks.

Another point to consider is if you want to fit mudguards to your bike. Some bikes here will feature concealed mudguard eyelets so you can easily add mudguards, which can be invaluable for winter riding and daily commuting.

faq-icon
Buying your first road bike?

Hopefully after reaching the end of this guide, you're definitely sold on buying your first road bike! If you still need more convincing and/or more advice, luckily we have a handy extra in-depth guide packed with useful advice to steer you towards choosing the right bike for you, with information on frame materials, components, wheels, groupsets, sizing and fit. Read it here, then go out and enjoy your new bike... 

> How to buy your first road bike — everything you need to know

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Jack Sexty

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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1 comments

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cyclisto | 10 months ago
3 likes

Nice article, real world choices, not the 5 digit silly stuff we sometimes see. I do find Cannondale uglier than the Triban but looks are different for each of us.

Just a note, the Vitus links show flatbar bikes.