When it comes to buying a new road bike, naturally you’re going to want to get the best value for your money; after all, with prices rising and seemingly everything getting more expensive these days, splashing out on a new ride can be a hefty financial decision that’s not to be taken lightly.
At the back end of last year we put together a feature on the best budget bike brands, that piece looking at which of the many manufacturers out there offer quality road bikes at prices that won’t break the bank. It got many of you interested, so we thought we’d have a similar look across the industry but from a slightly different perspective — this time exploring the best value brands.
> Has the cycling industry killed the cheap road bike?
You might ask the very fair question: ‘What’s the difference?’ What we’re after here are the brands that aren’t necessarily just making decent cheaper bikes, but those that offer the most for your money; whether that be by making especially high-quality models for a lower price than some competitors, or through enticing customisation options or added extras that come with a purchase.
Inevitably, plenty of these brands will also offer bikes at the cheaper end of the price scale, but value doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, if you catch our drift. If you’re offering a top-class carbon road bike for multiple thousands of pounds cheaper than the rest then that’s still value, regardless of the headline figure.
As road.cc is UK-based, we’re sticking mostly with brands that have a strong UK presence and/or are at least available to buy in the UK. This list will grow in future updates though, so put your recommendations from around the world in the comments and we’ll consider them for next time…
Pearson
Because: you get a bike fit with your purchase
Perhaps the perfect example to demonstrate the concept of value is London-based Pearson, whose two road bikes are both carbon and can hardly be described as budget or cheap. There’s the aero Shift and the “do-it-all performance” Forge, both models starting at a touch under £4,000 with Shimano 105 Di2 and rising to around the £7,500 mark when built with Shimano Dura-Ace and Ere Genus carbon wheels.
Those prices are largely in line with some bigger-name brands, our tech editor Mat comparing it to those of Trek and Giant in his favourable review of the Forge last year. Where you might find some added value is in Pearson’s service — the brand now giving all online buyers £200 cashback towards a bike fit.
> 7 reasons why your bike doesn’t fit you, and the easiest ways to solve them
That added value means customers can have a professional bike fit at their home or a location of their choice to “ensure their new bike is perfectly tailored for optimal comfort, performance, and efficiency”. Any bar and stem changes recommended during the fitting can then be exchanged free of charge within 30 days. Adding a bike fit into the price of your purchase is certainly a nice touch that we’d love to see more brands offer.
Boardman
Because: sensible, practical builds at affordable prices
Of course value can simply be price and quality-related, one of those manufacturers consistently putting out very good road bikes at attractive prices being Boardman. As recently as last month the brand unveiled a fully updated version of its SLR road bike that’s said to be faster, more comfortable and more versatile than previous.
We were impressed by how the prices do appear to be extremely competitive, with complete bikes starting at £1,400, while the Shimano 105 Di2-equipped model is £2,500, for example.
That value is borne out in the design decision-making process, Boardman’s brand and design manager James Ryan explaining: “A lot of brands fit a one-piece carbon bar and stem. We could fit one and add another £300 to the retail price, but someone might just take it off straight away because the stem section is too long or too short, or the bar’s too wide… A multitude of things.”
Elsewhere, Boardman is one of the brands offering truly entry-level priced bikes so there’s good value across the board here.
Van Rysel
Because: All-singing, all-dancing superbikes for less than the competition
It wouldn’t be a value bike brands piece without mention of Van Rysel, would it? Decathlon’s cycling brand made headlines last year when Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale started using its RCR Pro, supposedly the cheapest in the WorldTour, and available at the sub-£6,000 mark with SRAM Force eTap AXS.
> Coming soon! Van Rysel RCR-F “setting a new standard for aero bikes”… says Van Rysel
No free bike fit here, just a bike that’s won stages at the Giro and Vuelta against much more expensive rivals. There’s value for money across the Van Rysel and Triban range too, so it’s also not just if you want to buy a superbike.
XDS Carbon-Tech
Because: Again, it’s a WorldTour-level bike for less than the competition
Another quick mention for another ‘cheap’ (perhaps cheaper would be a better word) WorldTour road bike, Chinese brand XDS Carbon-Tech’s X-LAB AD9 aero road bike, as used by Astana, now available at £2,553 for the frameset.
> The rise of Chinese cycling brands
Good value? Certainly not cheap but significantly cheaper than many comparable WorldTour framesets, such as Specialized’s S-Works Tarmac SL8 (north of £4,000 depending on where you buy), Giant’s Propel Advanced SL (£3,799), Trek’s Madone (£5,500). For a full bike, with a top-tier groupset and some expensive carbon wheels, that’s still likely to be below the £10,000 mark, perhaps by a decent whack, and again significantly cheaper than many more established brands.
Is value for money and lower prices than established rivals going to be a trend we see more of with the rise of more Chinese cycling brands?
Genesis
Because: bikes that are built to last, lifetime warranty and accessories included on some models
Genesis – the in-house bike brand of Madison, who are one of the UK’S biggest distributors of cycling products – offers a dependable range of steel, titanium, alloy and carbon bikes, but is perhaps best known for its Croix De Fer and Tour De Fer long distance models. The former was gravelling before gravel was even a thing, launching in 2008, and the latter comes ready to go with everything you need for an epic adventure.
Both of these models are impressively affordable (full bikes start at £1,199) and you can even choose between a steel or titanium frameset in the Croix De Fer.
All Tour De Fer models come complete with quality racks, mudguards and dynamo lighing, so you don’t need to purchase these separately if you’re looking for a bike that is capable of taking you around the world. With prices for this steel-framed classic starting at £1,299, it would be difficult to find a complete adventure machine with such reliable kit for less.
What’s more, Madison’s public-facing online bike store, Freewheel, works with hundreds of local bike shops, which should make any warranty claims easier. A lifetime warranty is offered on all steel, aluminium and titanium-framed Genesis bikes.
Canyon
Because: you lot said so + custom paint options
Compared with some of the £10,000+ superbikes, Canyon can offer a competitive deal on competitor models. For example, the top of the range Aeroad CFR with SRAM Red AXS wireless shifting plus Zipp 454 NSW wheels is significantly cheaper than comparative models from Giant, Scott, Trek and others.
Likewise at the more affordable end of the range you can get an Endurance CF 7 with wireless SRAM shifting for a touch over £2,000. When we asked the road.cc readership Canyon was one of the names that kept popping up too, so we’ve chucked it in for that too.
As ubercurmudgeon rightly pointed out in the comments, an earlier version of this article cited a freebie on Canyon’s outlet store, which offers reduced prices on last-season models. In this case it was a free Bike Guard box system, as currently listed on Canyon’s website for £66.95 on its own. In the time it took the author to complete this article, that particular offer disappeared so maybe it’s a lesson in keeping an eye out for those short-term deals and freebies that add value too (and checking your feature’s still up to date before publishing…)
On a more general point, Canyon recently introduced its MyCanyon custom bike programme (currently only available for the Aeroad CFR), something similar to what loads of other brands offer — from Ribble’s BikeBuilder, to Trek’s Project One system, Ridley’s online configurator, and Pinarello’s MyWay system.
> How to customise your road or gravel bike to make it uniquely yours
With the bonus customisation of choosing your paint job, componentry, bar width, stem length and more, you might be able to find value in getting your bike exactly how you want it and not having to change things at extra expense once it’s bought.
Then again, if you have to pay extra for said paint and loads of other brands offer broadly the same thing, is that still added value?
Fairlight Cycles
Because: 10/10-scoring bikes that are hugely versatile, assembled in the UK, small team offering personal service
Another great example of value not meaning cheap, Fairlight’s Strael 2.0 and 3.0 both received 10/10 scores in their road.cc reviews – and with all this British brand’s models being built for adventure with sturdy steel frames and go anywhere geometry, a Fairlight could be the only bike you need, making the sensible asking prices stretch even further.
The Strael is Fairlight’s all-road model, while the Secan is more off-road focused and the Faran 2.5 is for utility riding and versatility. All bikes have been meticulously designed for the job, and you’ll find detailed design notes on Fairlight’s website explaining the build and component choices.
Lead times aren’t on the short side (you’re looking at a six-month wait for some models of the Strael at the time of writing) but Fairlight are transparent about this.
Fairlight recent launched mark 4.0 of its perfect-scoring Strael too. Hopefully it’s not too much better, because we can’t give it 11/10…
Rourke
Because: full custom, handbuilt steel frames at impressive prices
Stoke-on-Trent-based Rourke have offered framesets handbuilt in the UK since the 70s. All their frames and bikes are made to measure, meaning you don’t need to worry about geometry, stem length, saddle position or frame angles, it’s all done for you free of charge. Well, as part of the overall package that will see you buy a bike, but considering most of the frames are sub-£2,000 that still feels like you’re getting plenty for your money.
Ribble
Because: customer service, lots of customisation options
The British brand can certainly compete on the value for money front, offering plenty of bang for your buck. For example, the Allroad SL Enthusiast is a carbon road bike with 12-speed Shimano 105 for well under the £2,000 mark. At £2,299 the Pro version adds electronic shifting via 105 Di2 into the mix.
As we said at the start, it’s not all about just the spec and price though, and Ribble has extra value to be found throughout the buying process — such as the function on its website allowing you to video call a member of the team to find out more or talk through a potential purchase.
The brand also has fairly in-depth customisation options when picking a model, allowing buyers to change the paint job and certain components before purchasing. Obviously, some of these are upgrades that will make your bike more expensive, but if you’d have had to do all that work buying and replacing your preferred saddle or handlebar anyway, perhaps the value comes in having your purchase ready in one, rather than getting a bike you’re 90 per cent happy with but need to make some changes to? At the other end of the scale, Ribble also has an ‘Express Bikes’ service, bikes ready to go in 48 hours.
Your suggestions…
We chucked this one out to you guys on Instagram and Facebook for some reader input. There were plenty of Van Rysel, Boardman and Canyon shouts, as well as quite a few for Giant. Here are some of the other top suggestions:
Kevin Richardson: “Cube has an Ultegra Di2 Attain with 38mm carbon wheels for less than £3,000 which is insane value.”
Yep, that C:62 is a head turner, that’s for sure…
Alan Brenton explained the ‘value’ concept perfectly for this feature’s purposes: “Value is a complex subject. If I won the lottery, I’d be straight on to Feather Cycles for a full custom build. Lots of money but great value. Bang per buck, possibly Decathlon?”
Over on Insta, a certain bike brand was keen to get a mention. Don’t worry guys, you made it…
jaronjames: “After months of research I’ve settled on Basso. Years ago when I worked in a well known London bike chain, Specialized was hands down easiest to sell for their bang for buck value.”
Get your comments down below, who are the best value bike brands?
12 thoughts on “Best value bike brands — who offers the most for your money?”
This article contains some
This article contains some outdated information on Canyon. The “Bike Guard” box isn’t free, it adds £18.99/€19.90 to your order, before delivery is calculated on top of that. I don’t know where you get the “worth £66.95” bit from, it is not as if it is compact enough to be reuasable as a travel box, but if it ever was free it isn’t anymore. And the Canyon Outlet store is not cheaper when ordering from the UK. Replace the “uk” bit in the URL with “ie” or “fr” and you can see that a discount is applied, but something about post-Brexit trading regulations means outlet bikes can actually be more expensive than the same model brand new, when the latter is on a special sale.
I’ve had several Genesis bikes and they all had one flaw: the paint flaked off them far more easily than other brands I’ve owned. But the last one I bought was over ten years ago, so in this case it is my information that could be out-of-date.
ubercurmudgeon wrote:
I’d a 2012 Genesis until recently, and didn’t have that paint issue. It was a sunny Sundays bike, though, so maybe had an easier life than yours.
Wot no Decathlon/ B’Twin?
Wot no Decathlon/ B’Twin?
From the article: “There’s
From the article: “There’s value for money across the Van Rysel and Triban range too, so it’s also not just if you want to buy a superbike.”
Van Rysel is Decathlon; the B
Van Rysel is Decathlon; the B’Twin name is only used for children’s bikes and folders now, Decathlon are using Triban for lower-end road bikes and Van Rysel for the more spiffy ones.
The Triban name is being
The Triban name is being phased out now, all the road bikes will be branded Van Rysel going forward.
I’ve always had great
I’ve always had great experiences with Planet X – my new EC130 is unbelievable value – Force AXS, lifetime guarantee, full carbon finishing kit – just over £3k. Looks absolutely stunning, rides beautifully and is significantly more bike than I’ll ever need. I’ve also got a Pickenflick for cyclocross and it’s a beautiful thing eagerly awaiting it’s 10th CX season.
Handsling. Top level bikes
Handsling. Top level bikes and service and competitively priced.
Cube Attain c62 slt 3000e –
Cube Attain c62 slt 3000e – Ultegra DI2 + carbon frame + perfect carbon wheels)
Cotic everytime unless you
Cotic everytime unless you are after a carbon road racer. UK assembled and some frames made here, steel so bomb proof and great rides , gravel, touring or MTB. A small but great UK brand highly recommended!
Great shout. No one actually
Great shout. No one actually needs a carbon racer…the pro peleton is concerned about going too fast and the consequences of crashes at those speeds, and how many carbon frames do we see snapped in half after crashes! Plus carbon is too likey to end up at the bottom of the ocean whereas the steel will become another bike, if it ever dies.
Well, cube, stevens, FOCUS
Well, cube, stevens, FOCUS (excellent value/money). Giant used to be good (not so sure now annymore) .
I own a ceepo mamba-r wich is exellent value/money ! (But i bought a frame-kit only)..
It all depends on what you expect, does re-sel value count ? Canyon is a good choise. My mates get exellent resel on their s-works