Can £1500 get you all the bike you’ll ever need?
We test six disc, aero, race and all-rounder bikes from the biggest shops and online stores to see whether £1500 can get you all the bike you need
Whatever you’re buying, big chain stores and online retailers, and perhaps one or two ‘real’ shop outlets, can leverage their size and volume of buying to get better deals with suppliers, as well as the savings from a streamlined supply chain, which they can then pass on to you. Some online suppliers also offer extensive custom ‘bike builder’ options to let you dial in your preferred kit and fit details.
The downside is that if you haven’t bought your bike from the shop down the road they might not be so helpful with advice or emergency repairs. Then again, the shop down your road might be an Evans, a Decathlon or Halfords with really good staff.
As for the price point we’ve chosen, £1500 is enough over £1000 to get you significant upgrades when spent wisely. That means a really good carbon frame, carbon aero wheels on an alloy frame or proper aero design on a carbon frame, good quality hydraulic disc brakes rather than cable operated ones, without taking a severe hit on transmission or frame quality. You could also see full 11-speed gearing and powerful rims brakes, maybe even a carbon crank. In short it should be a really enjoyable ready-to-ride package that doesn’t need immediate upgrading, but good enough quality to make improvements worthwhile if you get the funds later.
So which one of these bikes offers the best ride for your money whether you’re a control freak, a cruiser, a circuit racer, a climber, an aero fiend or an all-round rouleur? We’ve spent the last month on the road finding out.