Worth for your money
Worth for your money
Choosing a new racing bike isn’t easy. There are a huge number of factors which govern whether or not we find particular bikes attractive—or not. It’s a very personal thing. And we haven’t even mentioned price yet. If budget is one of your constraints then there are certainly fewer bike to choose from, but having said that, there is still a wide range of decent machines to choose from. We picked out the best models you can get your hands on for under €1,000 in the Low Countries.
Giant
Contend SL 2 Disc
Disc brakes appear to have officially arrived on mainstream racing bikes nowadays. Several of the new models, including the more budget-oriented ones, have this newer and better braking system. Not only that, but this Giant is fitted with hydraulic disc brakes. This system, which has migrated from the motorcycle industry, generally brakes more accurately and gently than cable-controlled disc brakes. The latter system is more commonly found on budget-range bikes. The Giant Contend SL2 Disc is also equipped with the compact gearing set-up of the Shimano Tiagra series. This is one of Shimano’s lower-end component groups, but it’s excellent for a beginner. Are you already convinced that cycling is your sport? Then you might be advised to begin with the Shimano 105 component group. But if you are just starting out, then this aluminium bike from Giant is a perfect first racer.
Sensa
Romagna SLE 105
Sensa is an interesting brand for cyclists in the Low Countries who want a good bike for a decent price. This Dutch company scores high in the price-quality stakes, compared with many of its competitors—the Sensa Romagna SLE 105 is one of the few bikes for under €1,000 that is fitted with the Shimano 105 component group. This groupset includes rim brakes, which means that the disc-brake trend hasn’t yet arrived on this Sensa model. Apart from that, the bike has everything you would expect on a racer in this price range. The frame is aluminium, with a carbon fibre front fork. The standard wheels are a little on the heavy side, but that’s not really an issue in the Netherlands, at least. And if you have to climb hills at some point, you get a harder training session with heavier wheels. All-in-all an attractive bike for an attractive price!
Trek
Emonda ALR 4
Admit it: it’s a great conversation-starter to be able to tell people your brand new racing bike is a real Trek! You ride the same brand of bike ridden by Bauke Mollema. We’ve also seen other big names from the past riding Trek bikes: Alberto Contador, Andy and Frank Schleck, Jens Voigt and Fabian Cancellara, to name but a few. It’s true, professional teams have sworn by this brand for years. The advantage of this is that new developments born in the professional peloton are often also found on the more economical models of its range.
This Trek has a lightweight aluminium frame, and a carbon fibre front fork. The Emonda features a Shimano Tiagra component group, similar to the Giant Contend (but with rim brakes, rather than discs). While a lot of racing bikes these days have cables hidden in the frame, Trek has chosen fully external cable routing for this model. While this may look slightly less slick, it will certainly not affect the performance. This bike’s frame geometry is quite racey (this means a relatively short wheelbase and steep angles more for speed than comfort), so if you fancy entering your first local race, this could be the ideal first racing bike for you!
Bulls
Desert Falcon 2017
The Bulls Desert Falcon 2017 (sic) is a bike that earns a worthy place on this list due to primarily to its parts. The bike is fitted with the Shimano Ultegra component group. For readers who are not familiar with the various component group rankings: Ultegra lies above Shimano 105! This means a more expensive component group, which will last a very long time and is tried and tested. This is a fundamental difference to the other models, but it is a difference which will only be noticeable over time, or while on a longer ride in the mountains, for example. And you won’t find many bikes priced under €1,000 with this option, considering that the recommended retail price for the Shimano Ultegra Groupset on its own is €999! If you’re only planning short rides at the weekend, then Shimano Tiagra or 105 is fine.
For the rest, this bike has everything else one would expect from a bike in this price class. The aluminium frame has classic, softer angles, which makes it an ideal touring bike. The front fork is carbon fibre. The brakes are traditional rim-type. Rim brakes are not as hip as disc brakes, but not as heavy, either… This model has Mavic Aksium wheels. Weighing in at 8.5kg in total, this is a classic first aluminium racing bike. Fitted with Ultegra!
Are you interested in what you should look out for when buying a new bike? Read: Buying your first new racing bicycle? Here are some things to consider
Choosing a new racing bike isn’t easy. There are a huge number of factors which govern whether or not we find particular bikes attractive—or not. It’s a very personal thing. And we haven’t even mentioned price yet. If budget is one of your constraints then there are certainly fewer bike to choose from, but having said that, there is still a wide range of decent machines to choose from. We picked out the best models you can get your hands on for under €1,000 in the Low Countries.