Choosing a bike is never an easy endeavor. Choosing the best one is even harder but fortunately you don’t have to choose the best bike; you only have to choose the best bike for you.
This starts with knowing a little bit about the bikes you’re looking for as well as what type of riding you’re looking to do. The best combination for a beginner bike is one that does everything you need it to while not being too costly. There are a few features to look for on a bike as well as a number of good resources to use to find the best bike for you.
Check out the best road bikes under $1000 at the bottom!
What Type of Riding
The first thing in choosing a beginner road bike is making sure the bike that you’re looking for fits well with the type of riding you’re looking to do. There are three main categories in terms of road bikes. They are your all-around bikes, comfort bikes, and touring bikes.
All-Rounder Road Bike
The all-around bikes can be used primarily for everything from a casual ride to racing, climbing or even riding on rough roads.
Comfort Road Bike
Comfort bikes are still road bikes but extra features are added to improve comfort such as a more upright geometry, softer seat stays, and maybe a softer saddle.
Touring Road Bike
A touring bike is made for long distance travel and is equipped to easily handle fenders and racks.
Match the type of riding that you’re looking to do and then begin to look at individual parts of the bike.
Features to Look For
Every bike is going to have a selling point. You need to look at the parts that make your bike a good bike along with everything that goes with it. What makes a good well-rounded bike isn’t a good part here or there but rather a whole bike that works well together.
Frame Material
The frame should be the first part of the bike you look at. There are four main materials in which frames are constructed: carbon fiber vs aluminum vs steel vs titanium. For a beginner bike, aluminum is the best bang for the buck because of its lightness as well as durability without the fragility and added cost of carbon fiber. Steel bikes can give a good ride, as they’re not too stiff, but they can be heavy and are a bit dated. Carbon bikes are becoming much cheaper but for a beginner bike they are a bit overkill as you don’t need the performance advantages of weight nor the detailed feel of how it rides. It’s easy to spot which frame types are which with a little practice and if you don’t know, ask.
Components
After finding the frame that suits you, you will want to look at the components it comes with. Typically on entry level road bikes they are going to come with a triple crankset, maybe a double, and eight to 10 gears in the back. The eight gears will increase up to eleven as you go up in line with eleven being the tip-top.
The two main brands of components that are descent, even at their lower end, are Shimano and Sram. Both of these then have upgrade capabilities which gives you a variety of options down the line. The best way to see how each level feels is to test ride them and then compare them to a model both up and down from it.
Wheels
With a beginner road bike, the wheels that come with the bike are typically going to be what you take home with the bike as it’s difficult to swap out wheelsets at a shop or on an online distributor. Things to look for though are the spoke count in both the front and back as well as the weight of the wheel. Entry level road bikes generally have a bit heavier of wheels that are also durable. These are a great starting point and can be upgraded down the road.
Things to Upgrade
With buying any new bike one thing to keep in mind is that pretty much everything is upgradeable. Purchasing a bike that may not have the latest and greatest parts but is in your price range is a great starting point. You didn’t spend too much money but you now have a bike that you can ride and see how you like.
Typically the areas that people try to improve upon are weight and functionality. The easiest and cheapest way to drop weight is in the wheels. A lighter and more aerodynamic wheelset can be purchased at a fairly reasonable price new or used. For functionality, upgrading the shifters and derailleurs will give you crisper and more exact shifting as well as saving a little bit of weight although it won’t be much compared to a wheelset.
Other small things that can be upgraded to save weight are the seat post and saddle as well as the handle bar and stem. After that it is probably going to be cheaper to buy a complete new bike at the next level up as buying frames on their own tend to be quite expensive compared to a complete bike but if you can find a good used one it can be a great upgrade option.
Where to Find the Best Bike for You
Today there are seemingly endless resources to find a great beginner road bikes. Your best resource is your local bike shop. They will not only let you see and feel the bike in person but also ride it. This is a great way to find what you’re looking for. Buying from a local shop also gives you a great long term relationship with the people who are going to keep your bike maintained and rolling. They will also make sure that you are getting the right bike for you.
Unfortunately with buying online, bikes can be purchased more cheaply than your typical shop. You’re not going to be able to see the bike nor get to test ride it but if price is your tipping point it’s better than no bike at all. Typically any of the big name brands can only be bought through a shop but with a quick search you can find a number of retailers selling new and used entry level road bikes.
You have to do extra homework however in making sure the company is well known and used as well as that their bike is built with enough quality that it’s not going to fall apart a week later. Typically you get what you pay for so spending a bit extra at your local shop will save you money in the long run from not having to upgrade or fix parts so quick.
Finding the best beginner road bike for you can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for and what steps to take but when you do it can be an exciting venture. Buying a bike is an investment in yourself and wellbeing so finding the best bike for you is only going to allow you to get more out of your investment. And as you upgrade there are always others just getting into the sport and looking for a bike like the one you’re trying to get rid of which can then go toward your new purchase. Another great resource is to ask other beginner riders what they are riding and how they like it. Using these tips and the resources you have will get you on a great beginner road bike in no time.
Check out which bikes we think are The Best Road Bikes Under $1000!
