Its 2010 and new bikes are popping up all over the place. Everyone is looking for a decent road bike for less than a grand (£1000) but, there are some great bikes out there for less than £800, and these aren’t last years off casts either, they are brand spankers. Here’s three of the best, in my opinion…
Specialized Allez Elite 2010
check out the 2010 version of the Allez Elite from Specialized – it weighs in at 9.48kg which is not too bad for a bike this cheap. The frame is aluminium and has a smooth weld compact design. It’s only got a Tiagra gearset which is Shimano’s 2nd lowest range. But it will be OK, anything above Sora is OK in my opinion. If you do go for this bike, you’ll probably want to upgrade your wheels at some point down the line.
Kiron MTL-Blade
The Kiron MTL Blade Road Bike is aimed at the enthusiast road rider who is looking for a premium Easton frame finished with top quality components.
The Kiron MTL Blade is designed by the folks over at wiggle. Last year they produced the incredible Kiron Scandium which was raved about in all the reviews. This year they seem to be getting better and better with the beautiful Kiron MTL-Blade. Check it out…
Make no mistake, these bikes will sell out fast – they are individually handbuilt and make excellent use of extremely high quality components. The forks are carbon and made by Easton. The frame is extremely light as it uses Easton Ultralight tubing, which also makes it a very stiff and responsive bike. The whole bike weighs in at just 8.84kg! To top it off you get a Shimano 105 gear set which is their entry level racing gearset (one above Tiagra, one below Ultegra). This bike should be £1000 but its currently selling for just £799.99!!! If I had a spare £800 I would buy it, simple as that.
Trek 1.5 compact 2010 road bike
You can’t go wrong with a Trek, especially if you’re an entry level rider. They are well built, highly regarded and pretty stylish. The Trek 1.5 compact doesn’t disappoint in all these departments. It costs just £774.99 (at time of writing) which is a real bargain for a brand new Trek with a decent frame. It has a Tiagra gearset with an SRam cassette. And all the usual Bontrager finishing kit. Here’s a picture…
Conclusion
For me, the Kiron wins hands down, but that's not because the others are lacking. It has such a nice frame and fork combo that upgrading the bike with other components will be a delight. Check out my article on wheel upgrades which features Easton wheels heavily – which would match this bike perfectly.
But whatever you choose there are now quite a few lovely bikes knocking around for less than £800. It seems that £800 is the new £1000.
Share your thoughts and experiences – have you just bought a bike for this sort of money? Or are you looking and deciding?
Happy cycling everyone.