Whether you're looking for your first road bike or planning to upgrade on a tight budget, here are the best bikes for you. The good news is that finding a brilliant entry level road bike that will set you back less than £1,000 is a lot easier than you might think. And you certainly don’t have to worry about being shortchanged – you’ll get an excellent frame, good componentry and bullet-proof wheels.

At this price the frame will most likely be aluminium – carbon fibre or steel are available but pretty rare – but seeing as until surprisingly recently this was the material the bikes used by professional racers was made of, it’s more than up to the job.

Most of our recommended bikes come with a carbon fork, which helps to keep the weight down and, perhaps more importantly, increases comfort on long rides. Wheels are often the biggest compromise on bikes at this price, but you can still find good quality hoops from the likes of Mavic and Fulcrum on sub-£1,000 bikes. Cheap, hard tyres are one of the first things we'd recommend upgrading.

There are hundreds of models to choose from so we’ve selected the road bikes that we feel offer the best value, the best kit and the best frames, and ridden them for hundreds of miles. We'll add to this list during the course of the year if our testing unearths any more bargains.

Our testers are lucky enough to get to ride some of the most technically advanced bikes on the planet, but they’re not snobs and all admit that they’d happily ride sportives, do a bit of light touring, enter races and, of course, ride to work on any of the bikes in this selection.

Last update: January 25, 2012

Giant Defy 1

£999

"Superbly responsive yet fluid ride backed up with an excellent spec for the money"

• Weight: 8.87kg
• Frame: AlUXX Sl grade aluminium
• Fork: carbon
• Groupset: Shimano 105
• Wheels: Giant P-R2

Giant’s Defy has been the dominant bike in this price category for the past few years, but the big bike brand haven’t rested on their laurels, and the all-new 2012 frameset sets new benchmarks for alloy responsiveness and ride quality at this pricepoint.

The complete bike weight of 8.87kg is another big factor in how well the Defy defies gravity, picking up speed immediately and encouragingly in any gear. The relatively short stem, tapered fork/ head tube and big down tube mean you can really brace your shoulders against a gear without feeling like you’re going to tear the front end off.

Click here for a full review of the Giant Defy 1

Ribble Winter Trainer

£669.96

"Quite simply the best value sub‑£750 bike on the market"

• Weight: 10.2 kg
• Frame: 7005 aluminium
• Fork: Deda carbon
• Groupset: Campagnolo Veloce
• Wheels: Campagnolo Khamsin G3

The level of equipment for the price is simply outstanding. Add to this a great quality – if a little dated – aluminium frame and a good Deda fork and you have the perfect winter trainer/ year-round commuter. It’s not a machine to be thrown around and duelled crit style, but it’ll let you put in plenty of miles in reasonable comfort, with flawless performance from the components.

We wouldn’t be tempted to use it for much more than that, but we can’t think of a better value bike for seeing out the winter. When you consider the quality you’re getting for the money, the Ribble simply can’t be beaten.

Click here for a full review of the Ribble Winter Trainer

Civia Prospect

£999

"A weighty beast, but tough, comfortable and very well considered"

• Weight: 12.92kg ((28.48lb)
• Frame: TIG welded 4130 chromoly, adjustable dropouts
• Fork: TIG-welded 4130 unicrown, 11/8in steerer
• Groupset: Shimano Deore/Sora with FSA Tempo cranks
• Wheels: Alex DC19 alloy aero rims, forged alloy loose ball and cone hubs, stainless spokes 32 3-cross

With an unladen weight of 12.92kg (28.48lb), Civia’s Prospect steel commuter machine is nudging towards Clydesdale territory. But provided you factor in a slightly slower speed and keep your expectations for arrival times within reason, it’s none the worse for it.

This is a machine that you could easily replace your car with. Make the Prospect your main means of transport and you could use it for commuting, load it up with your shopping and ride it at the weekend for fun and fitness.

Click here for a full review of the Civia Prospect

Cube Attempt

£999

"Fast, fun and ready  for hard riding – a brilliant first road bike"

• Weight: 8.87kg
• Frame: Superlite aluminium
• Fork: Dedacciai carbon
• Groupset: Shimano 105, Shimano FC-R553 chainset
• Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 7

After the frame it’s the wheels and tyres that have the greatest effect on how a bike rides. So finding Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels and Schwalbe Ultremo tyres on a £999 bike is an unexpected treat. They're both products that wouldn’t look out of place on a bike at twice the price.

Some bikes look great on paper but don't perform out on the road. That's not the case with the Attempt, which has impeccable handling: fast, true and direct; exactly what you want from your first serious road bike. The ride is a little firmer than you might get with a carbon frame, but it’s still pretty comfortable.

Click here for a full review of the Cube Attempt.

Boardman Team Alloy

£999

"Hard to fault; should appeal to racers and distance riders"

• Weight: 8.99kg
• Frame: Triple butted aluminium 
• Fork: Carbon 
• Groupset: Shimano 105, FSA Gossamer chainset
• Wheels: Mavic Aksium Race

Boardman have set the standard over the past few years at this price, and their 2011 Team Alloy looks likely to continue that trend. At first glance the frame appears to be carbon, but in fact the fantastic finish disguises a beautifully smooth-welded aluminium frame. If you closed your eyes when riding it – not something we’d recommend – you’d swear you were on a much more expensive bike.

When it comes to the ride experience there’s actually very little between this and the Cube, with a great balance of performance and comfort, helped by good wheels and tyres and a carbon seatpost. Another very impressive effort from Chris and co.

Moda Rubato

£999

"An excellent out-of-the-box race bike for the money"

• Weight: 8.59kg 
• Frame: TIG-welded double butted aluminium
• Fork: Carbon, aluminium steerer 
• Groupset: Microshift White
• Wheels: American Classic Victory

The Moda Rubato is very much a race bike, with no concessions to versatility or commuting practicality. Look elsewhere (at Moda’s own Bolero, for example) for mudguard eyes or clearance for big tyres. This would be annoying if the Rubato didn’t do such a damn good job of being a budget race bike.

It delivers so much fast and furious fun that it’s easy to forgive what might otherwise be seen as deficiencies. It's massively flickable without being twitchy, and the unusual Microshift gears and single-pivot Barelli brakes help it stand out from the crowd.

Click here for a full review of the Moda Rubato

Verenti Millook

£949.99

"Fantastic value machine that’s ideal for long-distance sportives"

• Weight: 8.37kg
• Frame: Verenti aluminium, carbon stays 
• Fork: Verenti carbon
• Groupset: SRAM Rival, Truvativ Elita chainset
• Wheels: Mavic Aksium

We liked the Millook a lot when it cost £1,200, and now it’s even more of a steal: a bike with a carbon rear end and SRAM’s Rival kit for less than a grand, and it’s one of the lightest in this price range too. The frame certainly feels stiff and efficient, but it’s plenty comfortable too, helped by shock-absorbing bar tape and that carbon rear end.

The longish head tube also makes this more of a machine for long-distance comfort rather than all-out speed, although its low overall weight and the good Mavic wheelset ensures that it’s no slouch when it comes to climbing, and it’s very good on descents too. Another serious contender for our top bike at this price.

KHS Flite 500

£850

"Stunning value for money and decent handling – a steal"

• Weight: 8.99kg 
• Frame: TIG-welded double butted 6061 aluminium with carbon chainstays
• Fork: Carbon, aluminium steerer 
• Groupset: Shimano 105
• Wheels: Mavic CXP 22

Sure, steady, comfortable and with an excellent parts package for the money, the KHS Flite 500 is a great choice for long days in the saddle, sportive riding or just exploring the country lane network. In fact, for the price it might just be the best sportive bike out there.

It’s unusual to find any carbon fibre in a frame at this price, and the Flite 500’s carbon chainstays seem to help reduce a bit of road buzz, helping to keep you feeling fresh and comfortable. The KHS was rock-solid stable on our favourite fast descents, while still being a capable climber.

Click here for a full review of the KHS Flite 500

Specialized Allez Triple

£589

"Ideal first race bike, save for the lowish top gear"

• Weight: 9.92kg 
• Frame: Specialized A1 Premium aluminum
• Fork: Specialized FACT carbon, aluminium steerer 
• Groupset: Shimano 2300
• Wheels: Mavic CXP 22

Unlike many road bikes at this price, the Allez makes precious few attempts at being an all-rounder. Rack mounts? Forget 'em. Clearance for wider tyres? Nope. This is a modestly priced bike with racing aspirations. The handling is taut, faultless and it feels every inch a speed machine when you put your foot down and start cranking on the pedals.

There’s never any sense of your energy being wasted. The flipside is that you can feel a bit more road buzz through the frame than with some other road bikes at this price. Our only criticism is the comparatively low top gear, which seems a strange choice on an otherwise racy bike.

Click here for a full review of the Specialized Allez Triple

Also consider...

The following bikes rated well in our tests but were just shy of making the best list. To read a review, click on the name of the bike.

• Cannondale CAAD8 (£999.99) "Fast and efficient but the ride quality is on the firm side"
• Ghost Race 4900 (£999.99) "Light, fast and responsive, with a good component list"
• Forme Vitesse (£999) "With welcome improvements for 2012, this is a solid, versatile option"
• Rose Pro-Sl 2000 (£899) "Unbelievable value, great kit and a responsive but firm ride"
• Giant Defy 2 (£729) "This is a fantastic frame and fork with good kit for the cash, but weighty wheels hold it back"
• Scott Speedster S55 (£699) "Smooth, really well-balanced yet enjoyably enthusiastic, all-weather all-rounder at a really good price"
• Jamis Ventura Comp (£629.99) "The short and sharp feel won’t suit everyone, but the Jamis is an enthusiastic and enjoyable bargain bike overall"
• Trek 1.1 (£550) "A good looking bike and well put together "
• Giant Defy 4 (£550) "Great package – more than the sum of its parts"

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