How to choose a road bike by price

Best road bikes under £750 / $750

Getting into road riding needn’t cost you a fortune. Even just £350/$350 will buy you a bike that will get you started with the world of road riding, although spending even slightly more will get you a significantly better bike.

Our full buyer’s guide to the best cheap road bikes is a great place to start, and we’ve got tips for second-hand bike buyers, too.

Best road bikes under £1,000 / $1,000

The best road bikes under £1,000 are a great place to start if you have a bit more cash and are new to cycling, or if you’re unsure how much riding you’re going to be doing.

Best road bikes under £2,000 / $2,000

The pro-level superbikes that fall into the price range beyond this bracket are truly amazing and it’s easy to be tempted by them.

But don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on one without remortgaging your house because the best road bikes under £2,000 still bring you into great bike territory.

Best road bikes under £3,000 / $3,000

This sort of price range used to be the sole preserve of the dedicated race bike. But the profile of this section of the market has changed and the best road bikes under £3,000 are now just as likely to be sportive/endurance models.

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Road bike buyer’s guide

What kind of road bike should I buy?

Road bikes fall into two general broad categories: race and endurance.

Race bikes put the rider’s torso in a lower, more aerodynamic position and typically have more aggressive geometry for quick handling.

Endurance road bikes put the rider in a more upright position and the frame angles are a little more relaxed for confidence-inducing stability and long-distance comfort. These are sometimes also known as sportive bikes.

All-road bikes are becoming a burgeoning category and largely mimic an endurance bike but offer larger tyre clearances, although not quite to the extent of gravel bikes.

In either category, you should expect to pay between £500/$500 and £1,000/$1,000 for a high-quality, entry-level machine that will give years of trouble-free service.

The best way to learn the difference between the two is to ride both, either through test rides at an event or a shop, or by borrowing a bike from a friend.

Niche sub-categories

Underneath these two broad categories are more niche categories, tailored to more specific demands.

There are two main sub-categories of race bikes. Aero bikes will provide out-and-out speed. The best climbing bikes prioritise low weights over aerodynamics.

The best winter road bikes tend to fall into the endurance category and you could make a case for the best touring bikes to be in this category, too.

A growing category of road bikes is electric road bikes, which have motors to help assist you on your ride.

What are road bike frames made from?

One of the main differences between road bikes will be the material used to make the frame.

Many of the most expensive road bikes will be made from carbon fibre, because it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing brands to create lightweight and efficient bikes.

The best aluminium road bikes can offer a ride experience and a similar level of performance to carbon road bikes but are generally more affordable, due to aluminium being a cheaper material. They do tend to be heavier, though, but not always by that much.

Many of the most affordable road bikes are made from aluminium.

The best steel road bikes offer classy and classic looks, and many riders say this frame material gives a ride quality like no other, absorbing bumps in the road while providing a ‘zingy’ ride feel.

The best titanium road bikes are often a large investment due to the difficulty of working the material. But, like steel, they are desirable for their unique feel, appealing looks and their exclusivity.

Road bike groupsets explained

Road bike gearing has evolved considerably. Most road bike drivetrains now have two chainrings and between nine and 12 cogs – or now, even 13 – in the rear.

Shimano and SRAM are, by far, the most common drivetrain brands, although you will find Campagnolo, Microshift and FSA components out there too.

In general, endurance bikes have smaller gears, meaning it’s easier to get up hills, while race bikes have larger gears for higher top-end speed.

Bigger chainrings mean more outright speed (and effort), and smaller chainrings – dubbed compact – mean less effort.

Some road bikes use 1x drivetrains, which omit a front derailleur and have a wider cassette range, although this is more popular on gravel bikes.

For a detailed breakdown of the options, see our buyer’s guide to road bike groupsets.

Rim brakes or disc brakes?

For decades, road bikes used caliper rim brakes, where blocks of rubber squeezed against the rims.

Now, however, the majority of mid-range and high-end road bikes come equipped with disc brakes, which have been used on mountain bikes for many years.

The disc brakes vs. rim brakes debate is endless but, in short, discs offer superior braking in wet weather, but are heavier and slightly more hassle to maintain.

Rim brakes are still common on more affordable bikes, and they remain a perfectly viable option for many riders.

Note that the majority of rim brake bikes cannot be converted to discs and vice versa, so once you’ve made your choice, you’re committed to it.

Aluminium or carbon fibre wheels?

With few exceptions, road bikes will come with 700c wheels with either aluminium or carbon fibre rims.

Aluminium rims come as standard on many road bikes, particularly at the lower end of the price spectrum, because they are relatively cheap to produce.

Carbon rims are becoming increasingly common on new, complete bikes. Wheels with carbon rims can be even lighter than those with aluminium rims. They can be more aerodynamic too, because the high strength-to-weight ratio of the material means manufacturers can create ‘deep-section’ rim profiles that aren’t prohibitively heavy.

If you have a rim brake bike, the rim material itself takes the brunt of the braking force. This makes aluminium rims a popular choice because when the rim eventually wears down through use, it’s cheaper to replace aluminium rims than carbon rims.

Aluminium rims also provide a better braking surface than carbon rims in wet conditions, so many riders will fit aluminium rims to their bike in winter, saving their wheels with carbon rims – if they have them – for summer.

The growing popularity of disc brakes has made much of the debate between aluminium and carbon rims redundant, however. Because disc brakes bind with a metal rotor attached to the wheel rather than the rim itself, riders can now opt for carbon rims regardless of weather conditions or season.

What tyres will my road bike come with?

Most road bikes come with slick or very lightly treaded tyres.

While extremely narrow tyres used to be commonplace, it’s become more common to spec wider tyres on road bikes in recent years. Race bikes are often fitted with 25mm-wide tyres, while endurance bikes come with 28mm or even 32mm tyres.

Regardless of the width, all of these tyres will roll fast and the wider tyres give you a little more cushioning (and speed over rougher road surfaces) in exchange for a little more weight.

The best road bike tyres will offer a combination of speed (low rolling resistance), grip and puncture resistance.

Tyres are one of the easiest things to change and one of the best bike upgrades. So you don’t need to worry much about what the bike comes with. That said, if you are keen on maximising the comfort of your bike, make sure the frame has clearance for wider tyres.

Again, race bikes that favour aerodynamics will typically skew towards skinny tyres, while the endurance bikes that deliver comfort will generally have plump rubber.

If you’re unsure how to pump up your tyres or how to change your tyres, check out our comprehensive guides.

How to get the correct road bike size

Bike fit is critical. A budget road bike that fits you like a glove will feel and handle much better than an ill-fitting superbike.

While most brands have bike fit charts on their websites, it’s vital to just go and sit on the thing if you are new to cycling.

Once you learn what fit works for you, you can shop using the charts; in the meantime, try bikes as you would shoes.

Once you have selected the right size frame – which any good bike shop can help you with – you then need to get your bike’s saddle height correct and adjust the handlebar height for comfortable riding. Again, a professional fit at a good shop is invaluable here.

Most good shops will work with you to fine-tune other elements of your fit too, such as the distance to the handlebar, the angle of the handlebar and even the feel of the saddle.

Just try a few until you find something comfortable – many saddle manufacturers will also offer demo services via their dealers.

Note that saddle preference is highly personal; there’s no universal right answer here. The best road bike saddles will be supportive while allowing sufficient blood flow in your delicate areas, and won’t get in the way of pedalling.

Many saddles are considered unisex, but some of the best women’s road bike saddles have features specifically tailored to female anatomy.

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