The best bikes available for £500 – £750

Following on from our look at the best budget bikes available (£300 or less), we now take a look at what a few hundred pounds more can get you. At these prices you can expect a few extra or improved features which give you a bit more bang for you buck. Lighter aluminium frames with double or triple butted tubes – saving weight and improving ride performance – along with carbon fibre forks are more common. Also most bikes will feature compact chainsets with two or three chainrings, making climbing much easier.

We previously mentioned the B’Twin range from Decathlon in our earlier article (click here), and with an increased budget, the Alur 700 is a great place to start. The bike features an aluminium frame with carbon fibre fork and Shimano 105 gears and brakes. The frame features triple butted tubes, saving weight, and a relaxed geometry that places the handlebars a bit higher and closer to you for extra comfort.

The Cannondale Synapse Alloy 2015 available at Evans Cycles, gives the perfect balance between raw power and ridability. The carbon version has been raced in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but this aluminium framed version is still a great bike. It also features a carbon fork, Shimano Claris groupset and Schwalbe Lugano tyres.

Another bike with a great price is the Peleton Pro from German manufacturer Cube. The bike features a smart looking frame, with double butted aluminium and a carbon fibre fork. It also features a taller head tube raising the handlebar height for a more comfortable ride, along with Shimano Sora triple groupset and Shimano R501 wheels.

When talking about affordable road bikes its hard not to mention Ribble, and the 7005 Audax is a great option for the price. Ribble’s website features a bike builder where you can customise a bike to your own spec or budget. They also have a range of fixed-spec options at really competitive prices and this is one of them. The 7005 comes with a lightweight aluminium race frame and carbon fork but also impressive is the featured Shimano 105 5800 11-speed groupset, which is rare for the price.

Last but not least is the Giant Defy 3. Giant do produce a large range of bikes for both men and women, and the Defy 3 is the second most affordable model in the mens range. It has an aluminium frame with a carbon fibre fork, a Shimano Sora 18-speed drivetrain and comfortable 25mm tyres.

So thats it. There are of course plenty more options available on the market in this price range and we advise you shop around for the best deals on any model you may chose. However don’t forgot if you dip into the secondhand market, although not brand new, you might be able to pick up a bike with a much higher spec, for the same money as these brand new options.