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Best Road Bikes Under 1000

Best Road Bikes Under 1000 – Top Value Road Bikes Reviews 2016

Are you looking for the best road bikes under 1000, 2000? What is a good quality road bike without wasting your money?

I know that answering these questions is not easy. So I have created a list of top value road bikes after researching and testing for many days.

The 3 Best Road Bikes Under 1000:

Product

Image

Frame

Editor's Rating

Kestrel Talon Tri-Shimano 105 Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber

Schwinn Men’s Phocus 1600

(Editor's Choice)

Schwinn Men’s Phocus 1600 Drop Bar

Carbon Fiber

Vilano Aluminum Road Bike 21 Speed Shimano

Vilano Aluminum Road Bike 21 Speed Shimano

Aluminum


Top Road Bikes Under 1000 Reviews

Kestrel Talon Tri-Shimano 105 Carbon Fiber Road Bike 2

As a triathlon road bike, Kestrel Talon Tri-Shimano 105 Carbon Fiber Road Bike offers unmatched durability and comfort. It’s super light carbon, apart from giving you a weight advantage, requires less maintenance compared to other road bikes.

There is a wider range of sizes and each size offers unique features of strength and quality. It means, for taller and heavier people, the tire quality and frame material is sturdier, while, for smaller people, it will be lighter in weight.

Pros:

  • Well, compared to the features you’re getting and the lifetime warranty, spending small expense is not bad.
  • If you’re serious about racing sport, this Kestrel Talon 105 is a profitable investment.

Cons:

  • The bike comes without a manual, and you have to visit the local bike shop to assemble it.
  • Plus, you have to purchase a pair of pedals as this bike doesn’t offer any.

Schwinn Men’s Phocus 1600 Drop Bar Road Bike 2

For those looking for a low budget road bike, they should go for Schwinn Men’s Phocus 1600 Road Bike. The road bike offers the perfect sports riding position, giving straight stretches to your body and helps regain the perfect shape.

If you’re concerned about the material, take a look at its carbon fiber fork that’s hardly possible with other similar road bikes. The fork makes the front extremely light, so you don’t have to put extra pressure on your shoulders and forearms while climbing and making sharp turns. It comes with a limited lifetime frame warranty, which other similar models don’t offer.

Pros:

  • The bike features 14-speed derailleur giving you more options. Plus, its alloy caliper brake ensures safety on sharp turns.
  • With lifetime frame warranty, extra light fork, and all branded components, this road bike makes it one step closer to becoming your next road bike.

Cons:

  • You may have a problem with flat tires or “grinding noise” in cranks if you miss necessary care and assembling instructions

Vilano Aluminum Road Bike 21 Speed Shimano 2

With Shimano derailleur (front and rear), alloy caliper brake, Urban Comfort saddle, KMC chain and Shimano mounted shifters, Vilano Aluminum Road Bike offers a combination of bike-store-quality components to make it a safe purchase.

Unlike other road bikes, this model features double walled CNC alloy rims for better and durable wheels. It means the road bike can withstand wears of rough and tough road surfaces. Considering an extra pair of pedals and an integrated headset, you’d save more with this purchase. Other bikes don’t offer a couple of pedals.

Most entry-level road bikes may not offer you the professional feel and riding experience because they’re so heavy. Unlike them, Vilano Aluminum 21 Speed Road Bike features an ultra light frame made of 6061 double butted aluminum, giving just the feel, speed and comfort beyond your expectations.

Pros:

  • Purchasing Vilano Aluminum 21 Speed Road Bike would be a wise and best road bike for beginners who have just entered, or who want to start road biking.

Cons:

  • Although, aluminum frame of this road bike offers a lightweight, it’s not as durable as carbon fiber material used in other similar models.
  • The bike may be cheap, but it’s always good to have extra security with frame warranty, which it doesn’t provide.

Types of Road Bikes

There are different types of road bikes available in the market. They are unique because of thin tires that are designed to ride them fast. Some of these types are mentioned below:

Types of Road Bike

  • Racing Bicycles: they have smooth tires with drop handlers. They are mostly used in competition. The tires of these bikes are lighter compared to other bikes.
  • Cyclocross Bikes: you can ride this bike on smooth pavements as well as rough surfaces. The tires of these bikes are comparatively wider.
  • Touring Bikes: If you’ve planned a , these bikes are tailor-made for long-distance riding. They consist of mounting tools and more relaxed frame design to help riders sit in upright position.
  • Triathlon Bicycles: The handlebars of these bikes have an aerodynamic design that allow you to crouch forward and reduce wind resistance.
  • Flat-Bar Bikes: they have light-weight frames and narrow tires to help you ride on any kind of surface.
  • Fixed-Gear Bikes: they are also known as fixies. They can be used for bicycle racing. They have a single gear and very simple structure as well.

Major Advantages of Using Top Rated Road Bikes Under 1000

There are many advantages of riding road bikes and they can be used for different purposes. People ride road bikes for transportation, healthcare, past-time and more. Some noteworthy advantages of road bikes are mentioned as under:

  1. Cheap TransportationRoad Bike icon

Road bikes are quite common in developed countries of Europe, Americas, and South East Asia. People find them more feasible and convenient for short distances. If you want to reach your office on time, get a road bike. If you need a safe and cheap way to go to school or college regularly, buy a road bike.

They are not only cheap, but they are also way better than another transportation method. Road bikes require minimal maintenance and there is no fuel cost involved. You can easily save $500 per month in fuel consumption if you make a habit of riding a road bike to work, shopping and other activities.

  1. Time Saving

You may think that the road bike takes longer to reach your destination. Think about the high traffic situation, during business hours. No matter how fast you drive, if you’re stuck in traffic, the duration spent in long queues can easily eat your precious time. A road bike, due to its sleek and smart construction will help you avoid heavy traffic and reach your destination quickly.

  1. Maintenance

When it comes to maintenance, road bikes can be maintained with minimal effort. It does not need an expert mechanic. You can adjust the brakes, gears, chain and handlebars using wrench or screwdrivers. Road bikes have sleek tires that can be replaced and repaired with simple tools included in the package.

  1. For Fitness

    Road bike for fitness

    Image source: Pinterest.com

One of the best benefits a bike can give is better health and long-lasting fitness. There’s no better way of losing weight than doing a physical activity. The more work you can perform by maintaining your breath, the better will be your health. In fact, bike-riding is considered as the second best option of maintaining fitness, after swimming.

All you need is a road bike that offers maximum comfort. You can get back in shape if you keep riding a road bike regularly. Here are few good health benefits of riding a road bike.

  • If you make a habit of riding a bike for 20 to 30 minutes daily, you’ll get deep sleep and keep away from insomnia.
  • Research has shown that exercise reduces signs of aging and speeds up healing process and cycling is a way to keep all the body parts moving. So, you’ll look younger for long if you make a habit of using road bikes.
  • According to health experts, cycling helps improve digestion and excretion process. In this way, the immune system of the body works smoothly.
  • Scientist tested the results of cycling on human health and found out that it improves cardio-respiratory fitness and increases mental strength by 15% and more.
  • You can easily beat illness and diseases if you cycle 5 days a week. So, go and get a best road bikes under 1000 for yourself!
  1. Other Advantages of Using Road Bikes

  • You can take long-distance rides with ease, because of the lightweight design of the bike.
  • You can ride the bike on any surface, from smooth to rough. The tires have a less rolling resistance which helps riders to apply less force and cycle smoothly.
  • With speed controlling features offered by best road bike under 500, you can set different speeds according to your liking.
  • There is a less risk of the flat tire as the tires of road bikes are quite narrow. It is so light that you can even carry it anywhere you want.

How To Buy A Best Road BikesHow to buy a best Road Bikes

You cannot wait for the right time to buy your road bikes. There’s no point buying expensive ones since quite a few entry-level bikes are available and cheap in the market. You have to decide how much you’re willing to pay for the best road bike. So, here are few essential steps that will show you how you can make the best purchase.

  1. Research for best road bikes under 1000

You have a budget in mind, maybe $1000. Now, you can research more purposefully and find different options within your range. While you can always walk into the nearest bike store and get the road bike you’re saving money for months. But, you road bike is an investment that can go wrong too.

Why? If you don’t research about the size, material durability and budget, you can easily lose your money on something that wasn’t made for you. Road bikes have specific aerodynamics and they are tailor-made for different people with different riding styles and body size.

So, take your time and do some research before buying a road bike.

  1. Pay attention to the frame material

Different kinds of bikes, from cheap to expensive are available in the market. The cost of the bike largely depends upon the frame material used in their manufacturing. Here are few most common frame materials used for manufacturing road bikes:

  • Aluminum has been very common among bike riders. The frame material builds a lightweight and stiff road bikes.
  • Steel was arguably the dominating frame material for road bikes until 1980’s. Custom bikes and touring bikes are still made of steel, but the material is relatively heavier than aluminum.
  • Titanium has the best of both the frame mentioned above materials; as durable as steel and as light as aluminum. However, titanium bikes are very expensive and the material takes a lot of effort to manufacture a bike.
  • Carbon fiber has been the dominating frame material, used in almost every type of road bike. It used to be very expensive in past, but not anymore. You can find the best road bikes under $1000 that are made of carbon fiber.
  1. Choose the Perfect Size

This part of buying a bike is high important since it can affect you in the long run, especially when you’re buying one for the first time. It’s better to get professional advice as to what size of bike suits you. Even if you’re getting a cheap bike that’s not according to your size, don’t buy it.

Manufacturers of road bikes offer different sizes ranging from 3 to 10 with a small difference in measurements. Before buying a bike, take a look at the size chart available on manufacturer’s website, to find which size suits you.

  1. Make Sure it Fits

The bike should fit your riding style. You may want to visit a bike fitting shop and fit your bike according to your size. Your back stretch, leg length, arm length, wrist position, saddle position and other small details will be taken to fit the bike.

  1. Bike Components

You should know about the bike components and their assembling as well. Different manufacturers have different parts, and they are used specifically for particular road bikes. Among component manufacturer’s Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM are the prominent ones.

  1. Chain set

The chain set for the road bike comes with chain rings of several different sizes. For entry-level bikes, you’ll get 50 and 34-tooth chain rings. There are three kinds of chainrings; compact, triple and standard.

  1. The Wheels

While searching for the best road bike under 1500 dollars, make sure you have the wheels on the top priority list. Wheels are the most expensive parts of the road bike, so if you made the wrong choice, you have to bear high replacement cost.


Tips & Tricks When Buying a Best Road Bike Under 2000

Here are 4 useful tips to help you find the perfect road bike within 1000 dollars.

1) Buy From Trusted StoreTips & Tricks When Buying a Road Bike

Refer trusted stores, professional bike mechanics know the dynamics of road bikes, so, you can find a lot of good options with them too.

Either ways, the road bikes you’ll get will be safer and better functioned. Plus, you can refer to the local manufacturer if you need to replace bike accessories.

2) Choose Top Road Bike Brands:

There are some top affordable road bikes brands that you can refer as:

  • Vilano
  • Schwinn
  • GMC
  • Kestrel
  • Giordan…

3) Decide Your Purpose

Bikes are not sold because of their designs, people buy them for a particular purpose. There are so many models, and each different from another, based on the use. So, better decide why you need a road bike and how would you be riding it

4) Take a Test-ride

It’s good to ride a few bikes before finally deciding to buy the right bike for you. In this way, you can avoid extra expenses with respect to sizing and fitting.

5) Let the Staff Choose the Right Size

You can also avoid these issues if you ask the staff to help you find the right road bike for you. Most of them are so experienced that they can predict what kind of bike would suit you, even before you take one for a test-ride.


How to Size a Road Bike

Even the best road bike deal won’t help a little bit if the bike doesn’t fit. You cannot raise the seat sky-high and hope to get all answers. Positioning of the bike is critical for you. Because you have to put your weight and the bike does the balancing for you. You cannot ride comfortably if the seat is high and your hands are beneath your butts. Here are few things to remember while sizing a road bike.

  1. Choose the appropriate frame size; either C-C or C-T
  2. Measure your inseam by standing against the wall in a normal position with feet separated at a certain distance. Now measure the distance from your butts to your feet. Then calculate frame size by multiplying the result with the constant for each frame
  3. Calculate your maximum reach to find out how far you can easily stretch over the handlebars from your seat. Measure the distance from your files to your neck and add your arm’s length.

These calculations will help you adjust the seat height so that you can pedal easily ride the bike smoothly.

In this video, you can find out more:


How To Fit A Road Bike

Before you move ahead reading how you can fit a road bike, it is important to know what important parts are required to be provided. There are five points on the bicycle where your hands, pelvis, and feet are in contact with it. So, fitting a bike requires you to adjust each of the following:

For Pelvis

  • Saddle selection is crucial for the pelvis.
  • Then you have to decide whether a level saddle gives you the best position or you need a saddle tilt.
  • The next thing is, adjusting the saddle height to give you the most comfortable position to ride.
  • The fitter also considers the saddle fore/aft position by determining KOPS (knee over pedal spindle).

For Hands

  • Handlebar positioning is vital to give you the perfect stretch from the seat through to the handle. Make sure you have can grip the handle and apply brakes without putting too much stress.
  • You need to find the handlebar that offers you the perfect feel and grip while riding your road bike. You can try narrow and wide bars.
  • The next thing is to choose the handlebar with comfortable reach and drop.
  • Adjust/rotate the handlebar until you get the perfect wrist position that doesn’t take the excessive

For Legs

You need to adjust and the following:

  • Crank Length
  • The food/pedal connection
  • Cleat position for fore/aft
  • Side-to-side cleat position
  • Cleat tilt
  • Cleat rotation

These must be adjusted according to the leg length


How to Use / Maintain a Road Bike

You should know how to use the road bike in a better way. There are 10 easy steps to maintain a road bike which do not take too much of your time as well. They are mentioned below:

How to Maintain a Road Bike

Image source: Pinterest.com

  1. Clean your road bike regularly. It will help you find any damage or small issue.
  2. Keep both tires inflated on a regular basis. Tires lose air when they’re exposed to the sun. So, don’t take any chances, especially when you’re out for a long 1-hour ride.
  3. Check brake pads from time to time. If you see worn pads, replace them with new ones. That’s quite cheap.
  4. Don’t leave squeaky brakes. That means either brake are dirty or the wheel rims are not cleaned properly.
  5. If the brakes are saggy, tighten them.
  6. You may also think about getting professional service once in a while
  7. Always have a bike-specific lubricant with you. There’s no rule how you can use the oil. The only rule is to use it sparingly where the metal is in contact with the metal. Lubrication will keep your bike long lasting.
  8. Check if the wheels of your road bike work correctly. If they wobble, they need “truing”. You can check the wheels by turning the bike upside down and spinning the wheels.
  9. The saddle is paramount in cycling because it allows you to stretch and get to the perfect cycling position. Take your time and adjust the saddle according to your cycling style.
  10. To avoid the bike oil make your hands dirty, use gloves.

FAQ:

Q.1: What are the best purposes of the road bikes?

Q.2: Why do all road bikes have such narrow tires?

Q.3: What is the purpose of drop bars in a road bike?

Q.4: What is the reason behind the narrow seat of the road bike?

Q.5: Do the road bikes get flat more often?

Q.6: Are all road bikes expensive? Why?

Q.7: How can we measure the road bikes?

Q.8: How should I determine the right size of a road bike for myself?

Conclusion

Road bikes are handy for transportation, fitness, and adventure. They may be expensive, but they offer far better advantages that any other machine can yield to your health. In fact, there are a few best road bikes under 1000 that you can purchase from local stores or manufacturer’s websites.

However, before buying the best road bike, you need to determine the size, fit, quality of frame material and tires. You need to understand the aerodynamics of the bike and your own physical features to choose the right road bike. With this guide, it’s sure that you have read each and every detail related to buying and maintaining a road bike.

About the Author Nick Soros

Hi, I'm Nick Soros. I have been an cycling enthusiast from 2006. Ezroadbike.com is my personal blog where I share my pedaling experience. No matter you are a new cyclist or skillful one, you would find useful topics in my site. Have a great cycling...