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There’s a familiar rhythm to the cycling industry: new bikes arrive, last year’s models become much more affordable, summer clothing gets discounted and retailers begin clearing stock ahead of autumn and winter.
That makes August and September a particularly good time to go bargain hunting. The biggest savings aren’t on the newest products – but in many cases, the differences between an outgoing model and its replacement are small. And that’s the point of this article: you don’t necessarily need to buy the latest bike or kit to get the best cycling gear for your money.
With 2027 bikes beginning to roll out, there are plenty of 2026 models still sitting in warehouses and shops – and the same clearance cycle is happening across clothing and several other sectors of the market.
Here are some of the bargains worth looking at now.
Clearance jerseys
Clothing is an obvious area where you can make savings as brands and retailers look to sell summer clothing before the cooler autumn weather comes along – and if the last 4.5 billion years of history are anything to go by, that’s going to happen soon.
You’re absolutely right; aside from turbo sessions, you might not use cycling shorts and lightweight jerseys much over the coming month. But come next summer – when prices will have gone up again – you’ll be glad you did a bit of judicious purchasing. The deepest discounts generally come with the least size/colour availability, but look around and you’ll find something you like.
Rapha, for instance, has loads of tempting offers on summer kit.
Rapha Men’s Core Cycling Jersey (Image Credit: Rapha)
The classic Men’s Core Jersey that was once £89 is now £44, and the Men’s Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey that was £145 is now £72.
There are similar savings on women’s summer clothing, like the Women’s Pro Team Training Jersey for £62 rather than £125. It’s available in limited colours, but that’s often the case with sale items. 
It’s a similar deal over at Castelli. You can get an Espresso 2 Jersey for £94.50 rather than £135, or a women’s Premio Evo W Jersey (above) for £138 rather than £230.
Sportful is also running a summer sale right now with lots of clothing 30%, 40% and even 50% off.
The Sportful Light 2 Jersey that was £80 is now £54, for example, and it’s available in various sizes and colours.
There are various jerseys in Altura’s summer sale too, including the Airstream that we called: “A nicely executed, versatile summer jersey at an appealing price.”
That was when it was £40. It’s £32 now. You can’t go wrong at that price.
> Read our Altura Airstream Men’s Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey review
Among the big retailers, Sigma Sports is particularly worth browsing: its current clothing sale includes discounted jerseys, bib shorts, jackets, base layers and socks, with limited-stock deals across premium brands.
A MAAP Women’s Void Pro Race Short Sleeve Jersey is £120-£135 (depending on colour) rather than £190, for instance
Over at Tredz, an Alé Colour Block Pragma Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey (above, available in various colours) is £62.99 instead of £95..
It’s always a good time to buy shorts
Shorts are worth buying at this time of year, whether you want them for indoor training, teaming up with knee/legwarmers for the off-season, or squirrelling away for next spring.
Although Castelli still has the black version of its Espresso 2 bibshorts at £185, you can get the Dark Grey version for £138.75.
When we reviewed these earlier in the year, we called these: “Excellent bib shorts with a superb pad and a great, compressive fit.”
It’s Castelli’s top-end Progetto X2 Air Seamless pad, and it is incredibly comfortable.
> Read our Castelli Espresso 2 Men’s Bibshort review
Castelli’s Superleggera bibshort also got a great 9/10 review and a place in road.cc Recommends earlier this year.
“Lovely lightweight summer shorts with a great pad,” we said. It’s that Progetto X2 Air Seamless pad again.
> Check out our Castelli Superleggera Bibshorts review
The Superleggera bibshorts were priced at £225 when we reviewed them, but they’re £157.50 now.
Rapha’s Men’s Pro Team Bib Shorts that were £250 are now £162, and you can get Women’s Classic Bib Shorts (above, all sizes) for £100 rather than £200.
Santini has a sale too, with many jerseys and shorts 30-40% off RRP. The RT2 bib shorts are down by 40%, but they’re not available in the most popular medium and large sizes. Outside of those, though, you’re looking at £90.
Sportful’s Supergiara 2 W women’s shorts were £175 but they are now £105, while Café du Cycliste’s Marinette Bib Shorts cost from £168 at Sigma Sports, compared with an RRP of £225.
Cut-price helmets
There are a lot of discounted helmets out there at the moment. Outgoing models and colours are usually among the best clearance buys.
POC is currently running a summer sale with up to 50% off clothing and helmets. The Ventral Air Mips helmet is down from £240 to £144 or even £132 in certain colours.
Giro also has a summer sale covering clothing and helmets. Its Helios Spherical helmet is down from £249.99 to £174.99 in a couple of colours, and the Syntax is reduced from £99.99 to £69.99, although colours and sizes are limited. That’s a great helmet, as George Hill found out when here reviewed it on road.cc.
> Read our Giro Helios Spherical review
Shoe savings
Shoes are highly seasonal because brands refresh colours and ranges regularly. That means discontinued models can be heavily reduced during late summer, although sizes are often accessible – and a discounted shoe isn’t a bargain if it doesn’t fit right.
Sigma Sports currently has Specialized Torch 1.0 road cycling shoes at £79 rather than £99 if you’re happy with the black version rather than white or ‘Fiery Red’.
2024 Quoc M3 Air – side 2.jpg (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
Quoc has its M3 Air shoes in most sizes for £224, a 30% saving from the £320 RRP, and its white Escape Road Lace shoes are down from £148 to £98.
> Read our Quoc M3 Air road cycling shoes review
Cheaper lights, believe it or not
August isn’t necessarily the best time to get bargain bike lights because we’re just about to enter peak buying season, but many retailers are clearing older generations and slower-moving colours/models, so there are some decent buys to be had.
Lezyne Micro Drive 800+ & KTV Drive+ lightset (Image Credit: Lezyne)
Tredz has the Lezyne Zecto Drive 200+ Rear Light down from £40 to £18.99, for example, while Sigma Sports has the £78 Lezyne Micro Drive 800+ & KTV Drive+ Light Set (above) for £55.30.
Over at Cycles UK, a Knog Blinder Pro 900 Rechargeable Front Bike Light is £59.99, 25% lower than its £79.99 RRP.
Marked down indoor trainers
Although many people use indoor trainers year-round, peak buying season is October to December. The best overall buying window is summer, although August and September can be a good time to buy previous-generation models when new ones are launched.
2023 Wahoo Kickr Move Smart Trainer 2.jpg (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
Tredz has the Wahoo KICKR Move Smart Trainer down to £899.99, for instance.
It also has the Tacx Neo 2T for £749.99 rather than the RRP of £859.99 and the Elite Rivo FE-C Mag Trainer with Wi-Fi (Includes Zwift Cog and Click) reduced from £499.99 to £399.99.
Bargain bikes
2027 bike ranges are rolling out already, and that means there are plenty of bargains to be had on 2026 bikes that have yet to be sold.
For instance, if you go to Giant’s website, you’ll see the 2027 Defy Advanced-Ui2 priced at £3,999.
You can also buy the 2026 TCR Advanced 0 reduced from £3,299 to £2,639.
To save you doing the arithmetic, that’s the 2026 bike is priced £1,360 lower than the 2027 one.
What’s the difference between those two models? Well, Giant hasn’t updated the TCR since early 2024 (marketed as the 2025 models), so the framesets are identical. The Giant SLR 2 40 Carbon Disc wheels are the same across the two models, as are the Giant Gavia Course 0 tubeless tyres, albeit in different widths. The Giant Approach saddles are identical, and the same goes for the handlebar and stem.
The only real difference is the groupset: the 2026 Giant TCR Advanced 0 is built up with Shimano 105 Di2 while the 2027 Defy Advanced-Ui2 uses next-level-up Shimano Ultegra Di2. Okay, Ultegra Di2 is a touch lighter and has slightly more performance-oriented components, but the shifting is identical and, of course, you’re saving yourself a whopping £1,360.
2026 Giant TCR Advanced SL 0 (Image Credit: Giant)
Giant’s 2026 TCR Advanced SL 0 (above) in a SRAM Red build is down from £10,499 to £8,399, and the Defy Advanced SL 0 is reduced from £9,499 to £7,599. If you’re happy to step back to a 2025 model, a TCR Advanced SL 0 DA is down from £11,999 to £7,199 and a Defy Advanced SL 0 is £7,999 rather than the initial RRP of £11,499.
Where bike brands have updated frameset designs, you’ll often find big savings on the older stock too.
For example, Specialized introduced an S-Works Tarmac SL9 earlier this summer which, it says, is 4 watts faster than its Tarmac SL8 at 45km/h (28mph). You probably don’t do a great deal of your riding at 45km/h; at lower speeds the difference will be even less.
> “The fastest road bike ever made”: Specialized unveils the S-Works Tarmac SL9
A 2027 Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 equipped with a SRAM Red AXS groupset and Roval Rapide CLX III wheels is priced at £11,999. That’s a pro-level bike.
Nip along to the Specialized Concept Store and you can get an S-Works Tarmac SL8, with the same SRAM Red AXS groupset and the previous-version Roval Rapide CLX II wheels for £8,999. Okay, sizes are limited, but that’s a £3,000 saving. It’s certainly worth looking around to look for big savings.
Anything we’ve missed? Drop your suggestions in the comments.
