Best road bikes under £2000 2023 — affordable bikes for road cycling and beyond that combine performance and value

The Ribble R872 Disc is a carbon-fibre road bike that's built to a sportive-friendly geometry and it offers a much higher performance than you'd expect. Plus, there's the bonus that you can tweak the spec to suit your taste and budget.

Our reviewer Mat said: “The feature that surprised me most about the Ribble R872 Disc's ride is the front end stiffness. In this respect it feels like a bike costing way more than this. Haul on the alloy handlebar and everything is absolutely rock solid. You might not pull out your best Mark Cavendish sprint all that often but you'll appreciate the rigidity when climbing out of the saddle and also when cornering hard – you can really chuck this bike through the bends.”

Ribble offers the R872 in Shimano Tiagra (£1,299), Shimano 105 (£1,699) and Shimano 105 Di2 (£2,499) builds. You can alter the spec of any of them. For example, you could take the standard Shimano 105 mechanical build and upgrade from Mavic Aksium wheels to Mavic Ksyrium 30s, taking the price up to £1,949, or you could swap the alloy handlebar for a cabon model for £120, depending on your taste and budget.

Specialized’s Allez Sport is a lot of fun thanks to a geometry that flatters your skills and an aluminium alloy frame that isn’t at all harsh. The Allez bikes might not be as affordable as they once were but they’re still highly upgradable – ideal for beginners looking to progress.

Specialized follows the standard Allez formula here: a high-quality aluminium frame, carbon-fibre fork and decent components.

The latest model offers an involving ride while being quick and involving enough for winter training or the commute.

The Allez is very well-behaved, feeling balanced and easy to control, which allows you to push on quickly, carving your way through corners and down hills. It also feels planted so it doesn’t get unsettled by dodgy road surfaces. All of this is great for riders who aren’t especially confident.

The Shimano Tiagra groupset shifts well, even under load, and the hydraulic disc brakes provide confident control in all weather. The mudguard mounts could come in useful too, especially if you’re riding in the UK.

Giant has two families of endurance bikes: the Defy series with carbon-fibre frames and disc brakes throughout the range, and the Contend bikes with aluminium frames and a choice of discs or rim brakes. This is the top model in the Contend road family (although there's a more expensive Contend AR 1 designed for all-road riding). It has Shimano's excellent-value 105 11-speed transmission – with mechanical rather than electronic shifting – and Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes. It's a high-quality aluminium road bike that's relatively light, comfortable and well priced. It's not really a racer, but offers a lively, positive ride, with crisp handling.

Tester Rob concluded: “It has the feel of a quick bike, and decent performance potential, with even more composed handling and versatility, which makes perfect sense in today's market. For the price, the Contend SL 1 Disc is a great buy, with a thoroughly sound package that isn't crying out for immediate upgrades. It's a bike you could happily enjoy as it comes, but a future handlebar and wheel swap would make a brilliant bike really sing.”

Ribble's CGR AL Shimano 105 is a massively versatile bike for everything from gravel bashing to cyclocross and commuting on the road, and it’s superb value too.

Cross, Gravel, Road, that's what the CGR initials stand for on Ribble's all-rounder. A disc brake-equipped, mudguard-shod 'do a bit of everything' machine that makes a lot of sense for the rider who doesn't always want to stick to the tarmac. Thankfully, this jack of all trades is no master of none.

The aluminium frame is well made with flattened welds, there are 12mm through axles at either end with flat mount disc brakes, loads of guard, cage and rack mounts and the paint job is smooth and smart. This bike gives off the vibe of being a much more expensive machine than it is. 

The CGR starts at £899 with Shimano Tiagra; going up to £1,399 get you a Shimano 105 groupset and Mavic Aksium wheels.

If you plan to mix a bit of gravel or a 'cross race in alongside regular commuting, then this Shimano 105 build is superb – and if you plan to vary it more towards one aspect than another, then Ribble has you covered with so many custom build options it's quite possible to lose a lot of time speccing up the bike exactly as you want it.

The Tifosi Rostra Disc Hydraulic Tiagra fills the gap between the road bike and gravel bike markets, “the perfect all-season bike that is capable of handling year-round British weather”, according to Tifosi. Reviewer Stu found it a pleasing bike to ride, and versatile enough to take on a range of surfaces.

The knobbly tyres might make you might think the aluminium Rostra is a gravel bike, but it isn’t. The geometry is very much road-inspired, with a slightly steeper front end than you’d find on a gravel bike and a shorter wheelbase.

The Rostra can take a maximum tyre size of 35mm which adds to the versatility. This makes it an excellent choice for the roadie who wants the option of venturing off-road without the expense of buying a dedicated gravel bike.

You also have the option of running full mudguards, a rear rack and three bottle cages, the one on the top of the down tube having three bolt positions to enable you to move your cage to fit a large frame bag, for instance.

This is a very good road bike at this price point for all kinds of riding, and it offers a great balance of speed and comfort.

In a relatively small pool of female-focused gravel bikes, the Liv Devote 1 delivers a fun and sporty but confidence-inspiring ride, on tarmac or trail.

Tester Lara writes: “Straight away, I noticed how stable and planted it feels, both on the road and off, with the geometry and lower bottom bracket position placing me firmly within the cockpit for maximum control and confidence.

“Climbing is an absolute pleasure, and even on a fairly tricky off-road climb, it gave no twitchiness in terms of handling or issues with front wheel lift at all. It actually climbs better than my hardtail mountain bike!

“There are no issues with flex or lack of power transfer – the ride is sprightly and fun. The steering is responsive without being twitchy, and it corners well. Descending is also confidence-inspiring.”