What are the best budget bike brands? Road bikes that won't break the bank from Boardman, Triban, Planet X, Rose, Cube + more

There's no getting away from the fact cycling can be expensive. Bikes have, like many things in life, become increasingly pricey in recent years. A top-of-the-range road bike equipped with the latest groupsets and wheels is likely to set you back as much as a cheap new car.

With that said, there are still plenty of manufacturers making high-quality bikes you'll love riding that are available at a more wallet-friendly price point. Plus, with advancing component technology meaning extremely capable brakes and drivetrains are trickling down to cheaper models, buying cheap doesn't mean you won't end up with a really quite impressive bike.

> You’ve got £500 to spend on a bike: what would you buy? 

It's worth pointing out now before we delve any deeper that, as a UK-based road cycling website, this feature is going to be centred around drop bar road bikes that are available in Britain, although we couldn't resist chucking in a few international options at reasonable prices.

Also, while we have reviewed plenty of these and will share a link for further reading where applicable, we haven't tested every single bike here, so it's not so much buying advice as a handy round-up of brands that offer budget options. With that said, they all mainly use parts that we have used and can vouch for. You'll be seeing plenty of entry-level Shimano groupsets, for example.

From strong endurance-focused options designed to munch the miles or make commuting comfortable, through to the cheapest carbon offerings the industry has to offer. We're thinking more of the brands consistently providing budget-friendly bikes, not necessarily just those with heavy discounts on at the minute (although obviously we're not going to say no to some extra savings if offered).

Of course, you could save some cash and shop second-hand. There are bargains to be had if you're prepared to trawl the internet, travel to a pick-up location, check things over thoroughly and likely give everything a spruce up.

> Your complete guide to buying a second-hand bike — know where to buy, what to look for and avoid getting scammed with these top tips

Enough waffling, on with the budget bike brands. Just for fun, we've also noted the least and most expensive drop bar road bike each brand offers at the time of writing...

Triban

It wouldn't be a budget bikes feature without a visit to Decathlon, the French sporting goods retailer having taken the cycling industry by storm with its high-value options, notably under the Triban and Van Rysel banners (more on the latter shortly).

Triban represents Decathlon's entry-level offering and will generally see you have your pick of an extremely capable range of road, gravel and commuting bikes for less than £500.

Previous iterations of the RC120 and RC520 received strong reviews when we had them in for test. These offer value that's hard to ignore at a truly entry-level price. Aluminium frame with carbon fork, Shimano Tourney or Sora groupset, mechanical disc brakes and a comfort-oriented endurance geometry is pretty much what to expect here, although at closer to £1,000 the RC520 is specced with Shimano 105.

Least expensive: Triban RC100 (£249.99)
Most expensive: Triban Titanium Frame GRVL 900 (£2,999.99)

Van Rysel

Another Decathlon in-house brand, that became one of the talking points of the spring when the Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale pro team was riding Van Rysel bikes to victory, seemingly on a weekly basis.

A step up from the Triban models mentioned earlier, Van Rysel is proud of its ability to punch above its weight when it comes to price, those top spec RCR Pros being ridden to WorldTour victory costing £9,000 depending on build, less than some of the other bikes used by professional teams.

Of course, £5,000 is hardly a budget bike, although Van Rysel has that covered too, its fully carbon NCR CF priced south of £1,500 and coming with 10-speed Shimano Tiagra, space for 35mm tyres, and hydraulic disc brakes. Upgrade to the £2,000 price point and it comes with 12-speed 105. Stu tested the SRAM Apex version (priced at £2,099) and found it an "impressive value for money race bike with all-rounder qualities including good tyre clearances and an electronic groupset".

Least expensive: Van Rysel Women's RC120 (£349.99)
Most expensive: Van Rysel RCR Pro Replica Dura-Ace Di2 Decathlon AG2R Team (£9,000)

Ribble

British manufacturer Ribble has plenty of road bikes at affordable prices, most notably in the form of its endurance range.

Its Endurance AL Disc and CGR AL all-road commuter/gravel/British winter road bike are sub-£1,300 models, while the budget carbon offerings come in the form of its R872 Disc and Allroad SL, the latter measuring up similarly to Van Rysel's NCR CF (£1,699 for Tiagra 10-speed with Mavic Aksium wheels or £1,999 with 105 12-speed).

> Best road bikes under £1000 2024 — start riding on the road and cycling to work for less

Least expensive: Ribble CGR AL (£1,099)
Most expensive: Ribble Ultra SL R (from £8,999)

Planet X

Allroad is the buzzword at Planet X too, another British brand with versatile endurance road/gravel/commuting bikes for significantly less than £2,000. The London Road with 12-speed SRAM Apex XPLR, aluminium frame, carbon fork, and 38mm tyre clearance starts just under £1,300, rising by £200 with Apex AXS.

Planet X also owns Holdsworth, whose carbon road bikes start at £1,899.99.

Least expensive: Planet X London Road SRAM Apex 1 Disc Road Bike (£699.99)
Most expensive: Holdsworth Helm Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Titanium (£5,499.99)

Boardman

Did someone say rim brakes? After the Triban models, Boardman has the next cheapest bikes on this list (so far). The SLR 8.6 — which we gave four stars when reviewed this summer —) and women's edition are priced at £650 and, you guessed it, stick with Shimano Claris and rim brakes around an aluminium frame, wide range of gears, and space for 28mm tyres.

> Best road bikes under £1000

At £875 comes Boardman's SLR 8.8 Disc, which swaps out those rim brakes for mechanical discs and 10-speed Shimano Tiagra, while the carbon SLR 8.9 starts from £1,200.

> Is now the best time ever to buy a bike? What cycling industry turbulence and deep discounting could mean for you

Least expensive: Boardman SLR 8.6 & SLR 8.6 Women's (£650)
Most expensive: Boardman SLR 9.6 Disc (£3,950)

Polygon

Indonesia-based manufacturer Polygon takes things up a notch, its Strattos S2 aluminium, Claris-equipped "all rounder" $569 (£440); three further Strattos models available, rising to the top-priced S4D at £925 with Tiagra.

The brand also does its S7D, a UCI-approved carbon frame with Shimano 105 for £1,230.

Least expensive: Polygon Strattos S2 ($569/£440)
Most expensive: Polygon Helios A9X C60 ($7,499/£5,780)

Rose

Another brand with reasonably priced bikes (if you can get you hands on them) is German manufacturer Rose. We say 'if you can get your hands on them' because, since Brexit, they've stopped shipping to the UK. Joy.

Anyway, for those still able to order, Rose has its Blend, an aluminium road bike with 10-speed Tiagra and in-house wheelset. You'll get change from £1,000 for that, although admittedly not even enough to buy a mid-ride coffee.

Least expensive: Rose Reveal AL & Blend (€1,199/£999.50)
Most expensive: Rose Xlite Unltd Kittel Edition (€8,999/£7,500)

Cube

While you might not think of Cube as a budget bike brand, it's hard to deny that there are some affordable options in its range too. The Attain Pro starts at budget-friendly €899 (£750) and stacks up similarly to many of the other aluminium options in this list — think entry-level Shimano groupset, in this case Claris, but all the comforts and positive features you're likely to see on an endurance road bike of this price in 2024: carbon fork, space for wider tyres up to 32mm, plus a wide range of gears. At the £1,000 mark Cube has the Attain Race which adds Tiagra.

Definitely not budget but we couldn't let the moment pass without mentioning Cube's new Attain C:62 SLT with Ultegra Di2, quite possibly the best value road bike of the decade at just £2,500. Not budget, but top spec on a budget perhaps.

Least expensive: Cube Attain Pro (€899/£750)
Most expensive: Cube Litening Air C:68X SLT (€7,499/£6,250)

Giant

The big brands may well have plenty of options that cost as much as a car, but there are also budget options too. For example, Giant's rim brake Contend is generally priced around the £800 mark but can be picked up much cheaper in the sales. You're probably starting to see a theme here, entry-level road bikes are actually pretty good these days — reliable components, tyre clearance, mudguard mounts, and a comfortable design that's easy to upgrade around. I say all that having bikepacked one of these 700km up to Scotland this summer. The stock tyres came straight off, but otherwise absolutely fine for the price. 

Yes, it's got rim brakes, but when compared with mechanical discs you're probably not missing out on much by having rim brakes anyway. 

On the flat bar side of things, Giant also offers its Escape at £399, significantly less than its least expensive drop bar bike.

Least expensive: Giant Contend 2 (£703)
Most expensive: Giant Propel Advanced SL (£11,999)

Liv

Giant's sister brand Liv, dedicated to options specifically designed for women, offers similar entry-level options, the drop bar Avail equipped with Shimano's Sora groupset and coming in under £1,000. The Avail 2, with 8-speed Claris, is even cheaper (a price made even more attractive by the fact Liv has slashed it further to £549). 

The brand also has flat bar options, the Alight and the Thrive starting below £500 and offering "a versatile flat-bar road bike perfect for commuting".

Least expensive: Liv Avail 2 (£549)
Most expensive: EnvivLiv Advanced SL (£11,999)

Trek

Trek has its Domane AL2 for £750, a rim brake road bike, Claris groupset, Bontrager wheels and 28mm tyre clearance. For £300 more comes the fourth generation of the same model, which has Tektro mechanical disc brakes and consequently offers a more versatile riding experience, allowing 38mm tyres to be fitted without mudguards or 35mm with mudguards.

Least expensive: Trek Domane AL2 (£750)
Most expensive: Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS Gen 7 (£14,550)

Specialized

Specialized? In a budget bike brands feature? We won't spend too long here, but Spesh does have a £1,000 road bike in the Allez, offering a very similar entry-level experience to many of the bikes mentioned earlier: Claris, mechanical disc brakes, decently wide tyre clearance, carbon fork, a wide range of gears, mudguard and rack mounts etc. 

Least expensive: Specialized Allez (£1,000)
Most expensive: Specialized Tarmac SW LTD TDF (£14,500)

Which of these bikes would you go for, or is there an alternative we haven't mentioned? Let us know in the comments as always.