Hearing the call of the open road?
If you’ve decided to get into road cycling this year, you may well be eyeing up a brand-new bike. Fancy road bike models that come with all the bells and whistles a professional athlete might need are eye-wateringly expensive, but there are also plenty of affordable entry-level models out there that make the perfect first model for beginners – and we’ve rounded up seven of the best road bikes that come in at under £2,000, with a few great models under £500 too.
Shopping for a new ride? First, think about where you’d like to take your new road bike. If you’ll be cycling to work every day, a simple, commuter-friendly bike will suit you best. If you like the idea of heading off main roads and onto more adventurous trails, a gravel bike with tougher off-road tyres is ideal. Or if you want to work on covering longer distances on roads or even training to tackle your first triathlon, a speedy, sporty model is your best bet.
Whether you’re preparing for a race or just pedalling around the city, there’s an affordable road bike to suit you in our roundup.
How to get the right size bike
Getting the right size frame to suit your body is absolutely crucial when you invest in a road bike – it’s the key to a comfortable ride, mile after mile.
You can choose a female-specific or a unisex bike. Road bikes designed for women tend to offer a range of smaller sizes and are also designed to fit the female form (most women have longer legs and shorter torsos than men). Like with most outdoor kit, the only real way to check a road bike is right for you is to ride it for a few miles – but you can look for other indicators when ordering a new bike.
First, check the manufacturer’s size guidelines – they’ll often advise a certain size according to your height and your inside leg length. When you try out a bike in person, make sure your feet can stand flat on the floor when you’re standing astride the bike, and that the seat and handlebars are adjustable into a position that feels comfortable and natural.
What features to look for
Road bikes usually have ‘drop’ handlebars – these allow you to adjust your hand and body position depending on if you want more comfort or are aiming for speed. Road tyres are speedy and responsive, but less able to tackle rocky or muddy terrain, where they may slip or puncture, so they’re best for tarmac.
Thinner road tyres in sizes up to 28mm are all about speed, while thicker tyres up to 45mm can also hit the dirt on gravel tracks. If you fancy trying a spot of bike touring, look for a bike with bolts and mounting points so that you can add panniers and carry luggage.
Affordable road bikes don’t usually have all the premium technology and materials that bikes aimed at seasoned cyclists carry, but useful features in bikes under £2,000 to look for include disc brakes (usually considered more powerful and weatherproof than rim brakes), and a lightweight frame.
Most entry-level bikes have a steel or an aluminium frame – carbon is lighter and faster, but usually more expensive, although some models combine an aluminium frame with a carbon fork to shed the pounds. Bikes also come with ‘groupsets’ – brake and gear parts designed to work together – you’re most likely to find Shimano components in more affordable road bikes.
Shop the best road bikes under £2,000 below
Specialized Allez
An oldie but a goodie – Specialized’s unisex Allez model has been around for forty years, so it must be doing something right. The newest iteration of the Allez is a comfortable steel and carbon road bike that’s perfect for the brand’s target riders – weekend pedallers, commuters and anyone just getting into road cycling.
First road bikes don’t get better than this – on test, we found the Allez was a great balance of speedy and comfy, sported reliable disc brakes and was tough enough to deal with a little gravel or bike touring on the weekends too.
Buy now £1000.00, Specialized
Liv Langma Advanced Disc Pro 2
Liv Cycling specialises in women’s bikes, so they’re a great place to start if you want a female-specific model or if you’re after a smaller frame than most. With bike frames starting from XXS (from 4’9ft) to L (6ft), there’s a road bike in the range to suit women of all shapes and sizes.
Our pick for under £2,000 is the Langma, a sporty model with disc brakes. The Langma can keep up on bike club rides and is lightweight and speedy up hills but is still enough of an all-rounder to ride anywhere from city streets to country roads.
Buy now £1899.00, Tredz
Ribble Endurance 725 Disc
After a classic road bike to get you started? Lancashire-based brand Ribble has trotted out the Endurance 725 Disc to fit the bill. This is the base model of the Endurance (you can also splash another £400 on the zippy Sport model) - but we think there’s plenty to get started with here for beginners.
While this is a steel bike, it isn’t prohibitively heavy thanks to a carbon fork, and it also features disc brakes. Sizes range from XXS (4’11) to XL (6’3) and you can even have the bike colour customised. A lovely ride to take from the commute to your first weekend road rides.
Buy now £1499.00, Ribble
Bobbin Kingfisher
Cycling to work is a brilliant way to incorporate fitness into your daily routine – and if you’re after a simple and affordable commuter bike for your urban adventures, we rate the Kingfisher.
This no-frills but attractive, retro-looking commuter bike is a unisex design. It may be kind on the bank balance at under £500, but this bike is surprisingly comfortable, with a vegan leather saddle and padded handlebars. Despite its steel frame, it weighs in at under 12kg so you can pick it up if needed. Bobbin calls the Kingfisher their ‘lightweight runaround’, which sums it up in a nutshell.
Buy now £373.00, Bobbin
Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 3
While they price palatably at under £1,000, Trek still packs a lot of good stuff into its Domane model. Disc brakes give confidence in all weathers, the aluminium and carbon frame is lightweight enough not to get in the way of a brisk pedal up hills and the frame feels solid and supportive to ride.
The Domane’s Shimano parts are also easy to replace or upgrade as you progress with road cycling. This is a good-looking bike, too. If you aren’t really sure what you need in a first road bike, you can’t go wrong with Trek’s reliable models.
Buy now £935.00, Trek
Carrera Zelos
A proper road bike for under £500? Look to Carrera’s £385 Zelos. While this is a simple, entry-level steel model, it features a Shimano groupset and disc brakes, plus a very comfy saddle, so it’s ideal for seeing if road cycling is for you without breaking the bank.
You can add a rack for weekend adventuring and you could easily upgrade to some hardier tyres over time, too. A great budget buy.
Buy now £385.00, Halfords
Merida Silex 200
If you’ve got gravel in your sights, Merida’s Silex is a great all-rounder model that can tackle much tougher terrain than most road bikes. Add bottles and racks for bike touring, luggage carrying and bike-packing adventures, ride over uneven terrain with ease and feel confident in all weather thanks to efficient disc brakes.
On test, we found we could clock up the miles comfortably on the Silex, which provided a nice solid ride. If you like the idea of a road and commuter-ready bike with an adventurous side, Merida’s model is a great choice.
Buy now £865.00, Tredz
Verdict
There’s no need for your first road bike to cot the earth – Specialized’s Allez is a great all-rounder, Bobbin’s super-affordable commuter, the Kingfisher, is ideal for biking to work and if you like the idea of trying gravel, Merida’s Silex comes highly recommended.
