Introduction
As you reach the £1500 mark you’ll find bikes start to take advantage of the advances of carbon fibre frames, making this material more in reach of those cyclists with a lower budget. You really get a lot for you money in the £1000 to £1500 price range and bikes get a lot lighter which really helps to improve your ride performance. Here are our top picks of road bikes under £1500.
Hewitt Alpine Audax Frameset – £1350
British brand Hewitt’s Alpine Audax is a well-designed steel road bike that is fast and comfortable over long distances. Their bespoke frames are made to order, meaning it can be customised down to the tubeset and built to the precise measurements of each customer.
Hewitt sell the frameset and you can build it up with almost any other bits you want; this requires a lot of attention and commitment so you’ll have to do you research, but that’s all part of the fun. All of the bikes are made in the UK by Andy Robinson in the back of the workshop, knowing who has built your bike is definitely a selling point and they can even send you pictures as it’s being built which you certainly wouldn’t get from even the most expensive off the peg bike.
The Alpine Audax is a perfect year-round road bike; from embarking on a sportive or simply for a light and fast winter riding bike, the Audax is perfectly suited. It’s more of a racing bike than a tourer and offers a very enjoyable ride.
Want to buy this? Click here to visit the retailer.Cannondale CAAD10 SRAM Rival – £1349 (was £1799.99)
Cannondale’s motto is that ‘high performance aluminium is back’ and their CAAD10 bikes can certainly vouch for that. Cannondale are experts at aluminium road bikes and have produced many favourites for those looking for a capable race bike without such a pricey tag.
The CAAD10 features a very efficient power transfer thanks to Cannondale having integrated, the usually exclusive, oversized BB30 brackets into the CAAD10. By pressing bearings directly into the frame, larger bearings and crank axles can be used which, along with the reduced leverage, creates an improved transfer of power. The fork of the bike is fully carbon and has been designed so as to aid shock absorption without increasing the length of the wheelbase.
The CAAD10 offers a very stiff and responsive ride; the handling is razor sharp even when riding out of the saddle or carving through fast turns; but is still comfortable and doesn’t leave you aching after a long ride. Making the CAAD10 perfect whether you want a fast bike you can speed round a circuit on, or a bike to take on an endurance ride.
The perception of carbon bikes always out-ranking an aluminium one may put some off of this bike, but this perception simply isn’t true. The CAAD10 can outperform many of the carbon bikes which it competes against and is a great choice for someone who wants a bike that can do everything from long-distance weekend runs to sportives and racing.
Want to buy this? Click here to visit the retailer.Fuji Sportive 1.1 LE – £1040 (was £1300)
The Fuji Sportive is a quick, solid and reliable bike that offers a comfortable and assured ride from a dependable frame and fork and Shimano’s excellent hydraulic discs.
The frame is hydro-formed, double butted aluminium while the fork is made of carbon and alloy, the head tube gives a fairly upright position making for a comfortable and relaxed ride. The Sportive 1.1 LE is a noticeable upgrade from its predecessor; with bigger tube profiles and chunky bottom bracket giving a stiff and stable ride. The fork is also much better and does not fold under the force from the brake discs.
The brakes are probably the best feature on this bike and a serious upgrade from other Fuji models. The Shimno R685 brakes on this bike are probably the best you can get on a road bike at the moment, and Fuji are giving them away at a price below £1300. They certainly give you confidence when attempting twisty, steep descents, allowing you to slow down little by little.
The Fuji Sportive 1.1 LE is a thoroughly enjoyable ride and is the perfect multi-purpose bike whether being used for sportives, commuting, or even training in the winter. If you’re looking for a quick but solid and reliable road bike, this will certainly tick the boxes.
Summary
For between £1000 and £1500 you expect to get a pretty good road bike. The three reviewed here are up there with the best you can get for this price tag. Check them out and if you buy one of these you won't be disappointed.
*All prices are correct at the time of writing. They may however change if the retailer modifies their prices.