Entry Level Road Bikes

For me an entry level road bike would start at about £350. I would be suspicious of a road bike below £300.

This gets you a basic Aluminium Frame with reasonable gears and you get the feel of a road bike. I use an old Trek 1000 for commuting and the difference between a £400 bike and £1,000 bike is noticeable, but, the difference in speed is not huge. The most important thing is to get a bike that fits. Don’t worry too much about getting ultra lightweight components and carbon fibre gear. You could try to buy a bike second hand, but, it is not without its difficulties; buying from a local shop is recommended for buying an entry level road bike. They are likely to have a good range of choice in this area.

Cheapest Entry Level Road Bikes

GT Series Bikes

GT Series 5 is £499

• 6061 Aluminium frame and carbon fork is an excellent low weight combination
• Shimano 2300 gears
• Vittoria Zaffiro tyres
• GT bikes are very good value. The frames are good standards 6061 Aluminium. They are not so well advertised in the pro-peleton but this helps to make them better value.

Trek 1.2

The current entry level trek road bike. The Trek 1.2 also comes with aluminium frame and carbon fork. Also comes in many sizes from 47cm to 62cm. Shimano Sora STI shifters give it really a high level spec for an entry level bike. RRP is £599.

I ride the last version of Trek (Trek 1000) but this is a significant upgrade with carbon fork and very nice race geometry. Trek sell so many bikes they can afford to reduce costs and offer a substantial amount of extras.

Boardman Race

The Boardman race bikes are another very good brand which has become well established in the  market. I tested a Boardman Team Carbon (which is excellent value at just over £1,200 for a full carbon fibre bike and Shimano 105). If you want a cheaper version, the Boardman Race is at £649. Similar spec to the Trek 1.2.

• Road Bikes around £1,000 at Wiggle
• Advice on buying first road bike
• Road Bikes under £500
• Best Bikes under £1,000
• Focus Road Bikes - some of the best value entry level road bikes
• Dawes Road Bikes
• Giant SCR 4