Top Road Bikes Under $1000: Grab More Speed for Less Cash

top road bikes under 1000

Last updated: 5/16/17

If you’re just getting into cycling or looking for an upgrade, you’ll find a slew of bikes to choose from in the $1,000 price range. At this price point you can expect to find bikes with aluminum forks and frames, lower end components and a more upright geometry, designed with comfort in mind.

For the average entry level cyclist, these five top road bikes under $1,000 will provide a solid platform for skill development and allow for future upgrades as your riding progresses.

For the price and versatility, our top pick is the GT Grade Alloy 105.

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Get Fast! 8 Top Carbon Fiber Road Bikes Under $2,000

best road bikes under 2000

If you’re looking for an upgrade or are ready to get serious about investing in a road bike, these top road bikes under $2,000 are a great place to start. This price point hits the sweet spot between entry level road bikes and more serious racing machines.

Drop 2k and you’ll have the pleasure of riding full carbon fiber. You’ll get a taste of a lighter bike that’s more speed and performance oriented. These tend to be solid all-day rides or decent entry level race bikes.

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Is Your Seat a Pain in the Butt? How to Choose the Best Road Bike Saddle

productivemornings

Last updated 2/10/17

If you’ve never struggled to find a comfortable saddle, consider yourself lucky. For most new riders and even seasoned veterans, the struggle to park your butt on a comfortable perch is all too real and can put a serious damper on riding time. Even the best bike saddle can wear out and collapse over time, suddenly turning into a torture chamber.  

Finding the perfect saddle doesn’t have to be a pain in the butt. Just avoid these five common mistakes.

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Bont Vaypor and Vaypor Plus Review

Stiff and light. These two qualities comprise the holy grail of cycling. In a competitive cycling shoe market, Bont claims to rise above the rest for both attributes.

After a solid year of testing the Bont Vaypor road shoes, I’ll take a closer look at how these Bonts hold up to the (stiff) competition, what makes each product in Bont’s cycling line unique, and how to tell if it’s worth trading in your current kicks for a pair of Bonts.

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How to Choose the Best Gravel Bike for Your Next Adventure

best gravel bike

 

A gravel bike may be the most versatile bike on the planet. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go where the pavement ends or where the gravel, ruts and washboards begin, then a gravel bike may be your next n+1. You don’t have to race gravel grinders to enjoy the heck out of these bikes. First things first: What exactly is a gravel bike? And, more importantly, is it actually useful or a clever creation invented to sell more bikes?

Up Front Best Gravel Bikes

  1. Salsa Warbird: Best for Gravel Racing
  2. 3T Exploro: Runner Up for Gravel Racing
  3. Cannondale Slate: Most Comfortable
  4. Trek Checkpoint: Runner Up for Comfortability
  5. Surly Midnight Special: Best for Daily Commuter
  6. Specialized Diverge: Most Capable Gravel Bike
  7. Raleigh Willard: Best Overall
  8. Diamondback Haanjo Tero: Best Budget Friendly
  9. Diamondback Haanjenn Comp: Best Women’s Specific Gravel Grinder

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The Best Bikes for Women (That Aren’t Pink-Colored Men’s Frames!)

Let’s begin by clearing up one common misconception: Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you have to ride a women’s specific design (WSD). If you’re struggling to find a bike that fits, trying a WSD model is a great first step. After all, companies try to design the best bikes for women to address their specific needs like a shorter reach and torso.Read more

Best Cycling Rollers: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

best cycling rollers

 

If you’ve ever struggled to ride in a straight line or nearly swerved off the road reaching into your jersey pocket, then cycling rollers could improve your balance and coordination. Any pro rider will tell you that it’s not necessarily the size of the engine that matters most, but how efficiently you use it. Developing a smooth, efficient pedal stroke will not only teach you how to ride more economically, it’ll also improve your balance and core stability. Not all rollers are created equal. Here’s our roundup of the best cycling rollers to fit the needs of recreational riders and racers.  

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How to Choose the Best Bike Trainer: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

best bike trainer

If you want to turn cycling into a year-round activity, but don’t live in a warm locale, chances are you’ll need an indoor bike trainer. For years cyclists equated training indoors with a cycling death sentence, but then apps like TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest and Zwift transformed these mind numbing indoor miles into an opportunity to ride the world’s best courses and compete against our virtual and real-life cycling friends.

With so many apps and trainers flooding the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What trainers are compatible with which apps and do you need a smart trainer to use Zwift? And what exactly is a smart trainer? From magnetic to direct drive, here’s everything you need to know to get started with an indoor bike trainer.

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Best Cyclocross Bikes Under $1,500

best cyclocross bikes under 1500

Can’t decide between a road bike and a mountain bike? Or maybe you love the idea of riding on dirt roads and gravel, but don’t feel comfortable riding them on a road bike.

Enter the cyclocross bike. In a nutshell, it’s a little rougher and tougher than a road bike, but faster and more fun to ride on the road than a mountain bike. It’s also the perfect commuter.

If you’re looking for the best cyclocross bike under $1,500, here are some of my favorites, including our number one pick, the value-packed Women’s specific Raleigh RXW here.

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