Yeah no kidding... I have a 2017 BMC Teammachine ALR01 with 105 CS-5800. I paid $1100 new (35% off the $1600 MSRP). It's a lovely ride and plenty fast and comfortable. And I'll ride it at least another 5 years. I could spend another $600 on some Fulcrum wheels if I felt like saving 500g or so... but I have NYC rent to pay and 2 kids to feed. We're not all rich weight weenie bike enthusiasts.
Back in the earlier years of 2000's, an Colnago c40 w dura ace costs u$d 5.500 (that were the top of line premium bike). Now you don't even achieve a mid range bike.
Considering that: 1. high level alluminium frames are around 1.3 kgs 2. so called "entry level" carbon frames are around 1.0 kgs For 1500 or less bucks you can get an alluminium bike with rim brakes that have pretty much the same weight and performance of a now "so called" entry level carbon bike. For peak performance then if you want to save some more grams you can leave the mobile phone at home, that will spare other 150/200 grams :-D
I think at £2799 the Canyon Endurace CF SL 8 with full mechanical Ultegra disc groupset, one-piece carbon bar and stem, plus a power meter is surely the best value bike out there at the moment... If only you could actually buy one!
Still insane that bikes under £5k are touted as good value (appreciating that some of the bikes in this vid are well below that...). Its such a shame that such a great sport is becoming so economically exclusive. It just shows how grossly inflated the costs have become in cycling. I'd love to know what the profit margins are of the big brands. I suspect bike manufacturers are mugging us all off and the majority of the cycling press are their willing shills. Back to facebook market place it is 🙂
Thing is, you don't need all the bells and whistles being offered by the top end bikes that are aimed at Pros. At least 90% of the performance and comfort of a bike comes from the user. An aluminium frame with mechanical shifting and alloy wheels is fine for most people. Alternatively you can get some great value in the 2nd hand market, which is also better for the planet.
Fully agree but this is also why the UCI has imposed a minimum bike weight. We would see GBP 100k bikes otherwise. However, when a see that a GBP 2000 bike that has a “only” a Shimano Tiagra, it is quite obvious that it is not the right time to buy a new bike. I also compared my 4Y old BMC with disk Ultegra & Di2 with current equivalent and it’s just ridiculous how much prices have gone up.
@donpatisson a few weeks ago I bought a used Boardman CX / Gravel bike in great condition- full carbon frame, Di2 Ultegra, disc brakes, clearance for 40m tyres. All for only £1,000.
Good video. Another direction to take is finding second hand bargains. I bought a very new\unused entry-level Giant Defy without wheels and: 1.Kit it out with Ultegra\Dura-Ace spare parts I had from previous upgrades 2.Bought 45mm deep carbon rims from Light Bicycle 3.Fitted Pirelli Cinturato´s 35mm tires Result= 1 under 2500€ and 7.9Kg training\light-gravel bike.
This! I saved €3k on a one-year-old mint condition SL7 - which clearly still wasn’t cheap by any standards - and wouldn’t swap it for anything out there in that price bracket, much as I enjoy all the bike porn on David’s channel and elsewhere. I’ve also gone down the route, where the frames are the same from the cheapest to the most expensive model, of getting the cheapest build and upgrading the drivetrain, wheels and cockpit over time. In both cases, the industry is not getting my € for their top end models, which hopefully means they will bring the price down to tempt me to get the top one, and that should being the others down as well. Well done on your Giant Defy build by the way!
@@onenotesolo256 Thank you! I really might do a "bike check" on UA-cam because I believe there are alot of rarely-used carbon bikes waiting of a smart cyclist in need. I met two private sellers before making a decision and all the frames I saw where a bit dirty but in really top condition. A very few paint chips in the usual spots but clearly unused! Cheers!
My old £1500 rim brake TCR is all the bike I'd ever need. I can't see that a more expensive bike making my rides more enjoyable or significantly faster.
I have an £800 road allu frame with 105, and a carbon frame gravel for £750 (planet X) My car is £2500! My late father who was a Surrey time trial champion in the 50's and 60's used to say of lightweeight kit (campag in those days) "when you are so good, that having that stuff will make any difference, they will be giving it to you for free"
I would put Cube Agree in the mix. You get everything for less money. If you go for top spec for a little more then 5k you get Dura ace DI2 with carbon everything.
Best sub 5k road bikes you can buy are late 2000s top of the line bikes used. Picked up a full carbon Madone 5.5 with dura ace everything, fresh full service, and a brand new carbon wheelset for $800 the other day *because it was literally cheaper than buying a good road wheel and tire set for my gravel bike.* It's still a crazy capable bike, and I get to enjoy the novelty of riding what they were riding in the Tour in the Armstrong era
Very nice presentation. Nice to see that there are reasonably priced bikes that are worth riding. Of course, I also have a suggestion: Basso Astra. Take a look.
Davis another great video and review. Curious why you would not consider more endurance geometry bikes versus the race focus. Caldonia, Endurace, Defy, etc. Good value and more of what everyday riders can fit into.
In 2017 I bought my Giant advanced 2 with 105 5800 only cost 1700 dollars in 2019 I bought the ultegra 8000 mechanic sistem I install the new group set and still running like new beautiful bike
For the TCR we normally recommend the advances 2 because of the 11 speed 105. More easy to upgrade individual components like rear derailleur to ultegra is the most common without having to upgrade the shifters ….
Could you elaborate? I own a tcr adv 2 disc 2021. Is there a real benefit to upgrade the derailleur? I was thinking wheels and maybe handlebar next spring. Thank you
@@RixnoAsteres I believe the better benefit/gain for your money would be to upgrade wheels, tires and work on the engine. Switching derailleur from 105 to Ultegra is a waste of money. Now I would consider upgrading the crank if it came stock w/ the knock-off Shimano crank to ultegra or 105 crank.
@@RixnoAsteres It depends on your preference…. Normally customers wait until they experience a wearing out situation before replacing, so for example if you bend a derailleur from a fall you would fit a ultegra instead of 105…. if you have a Tiagra group set which is 10 speed and want to upgrade to ultegra 11 speed then you need to replace everything all at once derailleur, shifters and crankset and everything …. But if you start with 105 11 speed you can do one component at a time …
Got a tcr advanced pro 2 disc recently with 105 setup and god damn that bike is brilliant for only $3800-$4600 AUD depending on dealer / sales. Huge step up over 2nd hand Facebook AL 2011 bike I’d had for previous 2 years.
Wow... In 2015 I bought a TCR Advanced Pro 1 with full Ultegra for $3850. That's an insane price increase such that the lower end model now costs the same.
Excessive pricing often sees people hanging on to what they have and they just update parts as required. Probably not a bad thing for the environment too.
Thoughtful choices, well presented. Another approach would be to go with a high quality aluminum frame, like the Cannondale CAAD 13. One could get the 105 version for $2000 and buy some pretty excellent wheels for $1000. I thought your own Fairlight Strael might get a shoutout. Obviously, not a race bike like most of the others you picked, but seems to be a great all around option at a (relatively) moderate price.
Great advice! That's exactly how I do it, I ordered a Allez Sprint frame and gonna set it up with an "old" 105 R7000 (as long as it's still available) and put Zipp 303 S on it.
My Canyon Ultimate CF SL8 I bought for $2,700 weighs 7.02kg and has basically carbon everything but the wheels were alloy dt swiss. I got a bargain on lightweight carbon wheels brand new for $367 bringing the total of my bike to $3,067 and I am more aero and lighter than dudes with $8k+ bikes I race against.
Why is the Cube so overlooked? I never see them in videos like this but they offer massive value for money and the bikes are absolutely great. Very high specs for comparably low prices. The Cube Agree C:62 Race is a beast of a bike with an Ultegra Di2 for 3500 euros.
Can you go over why these bikes are demanding these high prices? Are they actually making serious sales? Which bike companies make the most money and why? Although though these new bikes maybe made of exotic materials or aerodynamic, the bike technology is truly not advance technology. A car from 15 years ago has more technology than the latest bikes.
I thinking all UA-camrs lost their mind, bicycle are way too overpriced, like you said there is not enough technology or anything to justify it, even with current prices for shipping prices are way to high, all they want do now is convince people it is normal, it is all they can do to still making money on reviewing bicycles, not to mention quality control bicycles going through is low, in my last three bicycles something was not right, Trek, Giant and now Orbea, one thing was good in them is lifetime warranty. PS. heard problems people have with ORBEA support in USA, I living in Poland and all parts had to be ship from Spain, whole process taking to much time, it makes me sad when I thinking about people living in USA that had to going thru this.
People are buying, so the pricing matches. When people stop buying, the prices will go down. That's called economics, probably learned that in high school, or should have.
I just bought last year’s Teammachine SLR01 from BMC, which was discounted. Because I buy it from Germany and live in Switzerland, I profit from the strong Franc and get the difference between German and Swiss VAT back. It’s all about finding the nice bargains.
A good selection of bikes, I think people have been spoilt for too long now with things like Di2. I'm an old bloke now who was brought up riding steel frames with friction gears. It's amazing how much the technology has changed and how nice even the lower price bikes are.
Interesting list, David. I have 2 of the bikes you mentioned, 2019 Canyon CF SL (Ultegra mech) and 2021 Giant TCR ADV PC2 (105 mech). I paid less than $5,000 dollars combined for both of them. Let's just say I'm having a lot fun for cheap. 😎
@@8paolo96 The Canyon is what I ride most of the time, especially with groups flat elevation. I bought the TCR for my climbing bike. Any ride with 2000+ ft elevation, I go with Giant it has compact groupset, Canyon 52/36.
With 3999€ I bought a Canyon Cf Sl endurace with group ultegra Di2 12v, carbon handlebar areo. I think it's a better deal than the ones listed in the video.
That's like saying no cars should cost more than $30k or no house should cost more than $100k. Says who? It's supply and demand. People are obviously lining up and buying them. There's a reason there are no bikes in any size left, even well north of five figures. People are buying them.
I got the Giant TCR advanced 3 as my first road bike and I just love it! Plan to upgrade sets as I go along. Tiagra groupset is sufficient to start with :)
It surly is....But 2000 pounds is way too expensive for a bike with a tiagra group. I bought a tcr advanced 1 Rim brake with a ultegra group 2 years ago for about 2200...
@@Chris-xn8yd Couldnt justify paying another £250 for an extra gear on the 105's or an extra £500 for the Ultegra. Quite frankly I wouldnt know the difference. Plus that was 2 years ago now Advanced 1 with Ultegra is £2500.
I drive my car $5,500 car ~40 miles per week, with an occasional 100-mile trip to visit family or the closest major city, so I don't need anything fancy. I ride my bikes roughly three times that many miles every week, but a bicycle is a much less complex and far less versatile device than a car; it has no business costing as much as a car.
And also bought lightweight 60mm aerowheels from a small local company which are better than Zipp 404s in the windtunnel and only slightly heavier but also only cost 1050 euros. That brings my bike to a total of 4,85k euros (with vat 5k) and its pretty solid, 7,6 kilos, aerodynamic wheels and frame, electronic groupset, no visible cables and really stiff bike. I think its the best you could buy at the moment while almost nothing is available. (For 5k)
I just spent £160 on a mint 2nd hand steel road bike, it has decent shimano gears and shifts superbly. It’s a bit heavy but a lovely ride & great for fitness, I don’t race so speed is irrelevant.
Nice informative presentation. Would be great if you were to consider doing a 'winter bike' special - low cost (say sub 2500, easy self maintenance (i.e. rim brakes / mechanical GS) and with mudguard clearance).
I think 4k is the most anyone ever needs to spend on a bike if there is no world class elite competition in your schedule. even a 4k bike, could win a grand tour stage, so yeah.
Good video as usual. Re your tubeless ready comments: I recently bought a tubeless ready Trek Domane from the local Trek store. I had it converted from tubeless to inner tube before I picked it up - I'm not interested in fussing with messy sealant. The Trek store told me that the majority of road bikes they sell are similarly converted. So Trek, by shipping tubeless ready to the store, is wasting a lot of people's time.
'Tubeless ready' means that the rims are taped *ready* for tubeless however Trek (and every other brand as I understand) ship bikes with tubes (to avoid sealant leaks etc during shipping). The onus is on the shop to setup tubeless if requested. Effectively the shop either did nothing or converted back to tubes. I hope they didn't charge you for the pleasure.
@@mikebrewer1346 Thanks for the clarification. I think you are mostly likely correct about the bike being shipped with inner tubes, as the invoice lists 2 "no charge" inner tubes. (And there was no charge for the "conversion".)
What about the orro venturi currently being picked up for as little as £1500 with shimano 105 12 speed 28mm vision 30 wheels hydraulic brakes and 28mm continental tyres?
Remember the days when £1500 would buy you a decent 105-equipped road bike? That wasn't that long ago. I bought a Canyon Endurace AL with 105 for under a grand less than 10yrs ago! This is profiteering plain and simple, likewise all the 'upgrades' like discs, 1x, and integrated cabling (which is undoubtedly the worst 'innovation' in non-pro cycling). Cervelo Soloist, 105, good value at £3500. Listen to yourself David!
I just bought a Cube Agree SLX 2023, full carbon, Scram force, carbon wheels, 7.8kg for 4.300€. The wheels and scram group by themself cost more than the complete bike.
Polygon Helios A8X carbon bike with Ultegra Di2 12 speed and 50mm carbon wheelset.... Price USD$4699. There are a lot more bike under 5k with Ultegra 12 speed Di2.
ja where the prices go at the moment this must be considered worth the money, but i dont see that value going up much higher with bikes over 10 grand now - here we have now lots of "non-bikers" riding on very expensive bikes fully geared up once a week, usually Sundays...
Honestly at the 2,000-4,000 price point buildings road bike is much more affordable and better then entry level bikes with cheap groupsets or missing out on quality wheels for what I feel is very expensive for what you are getting. Could this be the fault of disc breaks making prices higher and companies forced to make cuts on cheap parts. Canyon seems more and more tempting but I want to support local businesses but it’s hard when 3,000 gets a good quality road bike. I’ve been looking and canyon endurance 8 which is a seems to be a great at 1,900 US dollars but the canyon CF SL seems like a great deal as well
Love these bikes, especially the TCR! Prices these last few years really are staggering though. Looking at the latest Specialized range, the tarmac is £9000 and that's not even the S-works model. Where will it end? Abolishing the upper limit of the cycle to work scheme may have been a factor?
What kind of insanity is it that we're looking at these amazing bargain bikes between 3 and 5K? I have a 4 year old Pinarello Gan with Ultegra Di2 that I put together new for about 3K.. The median salary in the UK is about 25K so spending almost a quarter of your salary on a bike is supposed to be a bargain?
@@adrianc6534 According to who? A massive percentage of the top (and middle and bottom) cyclists in the UK are from Yorkshire, not exactly an area known for it's high income..
Hi, i recently bought a trek emonda sl carbon bike. Is this a mid range bike? It cost just under 3,000. It says entry level carbon trek, but guess that is not relevant as there surely are far more cheaper trek models making mine mid range?
@@sbccbc7471 sure it is the least expensive carbon trek, but from what i have checked out, it sits as a mid range bikes as there are many cheaper trek bikes starting way cheaper
How 3500 quids is supposed to be ok for many of us? The cycling industry is loosing so much by making sure people that would be interested in this sport won’t because of the price tag! Crazy
Something like the TCR advance or its aluminum cousin - are plenty that MOST road cyclist should need - unless you are racing, trying to do crits ... which MANY of you are not. Then this is MORE than you ever need for long days and miles of endurance road cycling. The outrageous price of some bike plays to the vanity of most roadies though. Bike Manufacturers have most brainwashed ... Got to be super aero, got to have deep section wheels, gotta have ultegra or dura-ace (Force or Red are just as guilty) or electronic shifting - they see the pro peloton and think THEY have to have all that expensive, high-cost, kit. It's BS. NO - you don't need any of that to have a decent bike you can ride, go decently fast and have a WAY more reasonable price on. The pros don't PAY for that stuff folks !! That saying "if you need Dura Ace then you shouldn't need to buy it" applies. Look, I'm guilty too , I have an all-road bike, I love mostly gravel (and endurance road riding). I have a titanium bike that all -told is over $6,000 in bit -by -bit upgrades (but no electronic shifting - 2x11 GRX 810). But that is money I put in over the past 4 years or so. I didn't walk up to a store and shell out $5,000 - 10,000 ... for a bike. Yikes. NO - you don't need any of that to have a decent bike you can ride, go decently fast and have a WAY more reasonable price on. I am glad to see you showcase a more reasonable selection of bikes for us "mere mortals" to enjoy.
6:30 " pretty good value for money " for an 4k Euro/Dolar bike, not even with full 105 mech., neither aero nor light. I unsubscribed... You can buy for 3400 Euro an Aeroad cf sl 7 with Aero wheels, aero frameset and full 105. It is even under 8 Kilo.
500 GBP difference between the frame set and the 105 spec Cervelo!?!?! If you know how to operate a wrench, you sell the 105 groupset and get a higher spec one virtually for free on this bike.
Great overview. I got here after your bikes for £2,000. I opted for a Vitus Vitesse so good to see them getting a mention. Other great bang for your buck bikes are Boardman
Our sport is becoming golf. People on these kinds of bikes are passengers not riders which is very sad. Like maany I ride MTB as well and it's even worse in that sport. All I will say is cycling is in a great place regarding participation and covergae, mayb this is the price we pay. It does hurt to to new people to the sport being taken for a ride though. It's ok stick itt on finance.🙄
![Ep 34 [ENG] - Cervelo Soloist 2022/2023 Full Review](/img/n.gif)
The cleverest thing the bike industry did was convince people that sub 5k was affordable
Yeah no kidding... I have a 2017 BMC Teammachine ALR01 with 105 CS-5800. I paid $1100 new (35% off the $1600 MSRP). It's a lovely ride and plenty fast and comfortable. And I'll ride it at least another 5 years. I could spend another $600 on some Fulcrum wheels if I felt like saving 500g or so... but I have NYC rent to pay and 2 kids to feed. We're not all rich weight weenie bike enthusiasts.
Lol. True.
Back in the earlier years of 2000's, an Colnago c40 w dura ace costs u$d 5.500 (that were the top of line premium bike). Now you don't even achieve a mid range bike.
@@franciscodebastos No shit, Francisco. You nailed it.
Considering that:
1. high level alluminium frames are around 1.3 kgs
2. so called "entry level" carbon frames are around 1.0 kgs
For 1500 or less bucks you can get an alluminium bike with rim brakes that have pretty much the same weight and performance of a now "so called" entry level carbon bike.
For peak performance then if you want to save some more grams you can leave the mobile phone at home, that will spare other 150/200 grams :-D
I think at £2799 the Canyon Endurace CF SL 8 with full mechanical Ultegra disc groupset, one-piece carbon bar and stem, plus a power meter is surely the best value bike out there at the moment... If only you could actually buy one!
Still insane that bikes under £5k are touted as good value (appreciating that some of the bikes in this vid are well below that...). Its such a shame that such a great sport is becoming so economically exclusive. It just shows how grossly inflated the costs have become in cycling. I'd love to know what the profit margins are of the big brands. I suspect bike manufacturers are mugging us all off and the majority of the cycling press are their willing shills. Back to facebook market place it is 🙂
Thing is, you don't need all the bells and whistles being offered by the top end bikes that are aimed at Pros. At least 90% of the performance and comfort of a bike comes from the user. An aluminium frame with mechanical shifting and alloy wheels is fine for most people. Alternatively you can get some great value in the 2nd hand market, which is also better for the planet.
Everything is inflated at the moment. My weekly shopping at Tesco is around 30%-50% more than last year.
Fully agree but this is also why the UCI has imposed a minimum bike weight. We would see GBP 100k bikes otherwise. However, when a see that a GBP 2000 bike that has a “only” a Shimano Tiagra, it is quite obvious that it is not the right time to buy a new bike. I also compared my 4Y old BMC with disk Ultegra & Di2 with current equivalent and it’s just ridiculous how much prices have gone up.
@donpatisson a few weeks ago I bought a used Boardman CX / Gravel bike in great condition- full carbon frame, Di2 Ultegra, disc brakes, clearance for 40m tyres. All for only £1,000.
@@neilfox9540 It’s a steal! Anytime over a new bike 4x this price! Congrats
Good video. Another direction to take is finding second hand bargains.
I bought a very new\unused entry-level Giant Defy without wheels and:
1.Kit it out with Ultegra\Dura-Ace spare parts I had from previous upgrades
2.Bought 45mm deep carbon rims from Light Bicycle
3.Fitted Pirelli Cinturato´s 35mm tires
Result= 1 under 2500€ and 7.9Kg training\light-gravel bike.
This! I saved €3k on a one-year-old mint condition SL7 - which clearly still wasn’t cheap by any standards - and wouldn’t swap it for anything out there in that price bracket, much as I enjoy all the bike porn on David’s channel and elsewhere.
I’ve also gone down the route, where the frames are the same from the cheapest to the most expensive model, of getting the cheapest build and upgrading the drivetrain, wheels and cockpit over time.
In both cases, the industry is not getting my € for their top end models, which hopefully means they will bring the price down to tempt me to get the top one, and that should being the others down as well.
Well done on your Giant Defy build by the way!
@@onenotesolo256 Thank you! I really might do a "bike check" on UA-cam because I believe there are alot of rarely-used carbon bikes waiting of a smart cyclist in need. I met two private sellers before making a decision and all the frames I saw where a bit dirty but in really top condition. A very few paint chips in the usual spots but clearly unused! Cheers!
Excelente ideia, João! Boas pedaladas.
My old £1500 rim brake TCR is all the bike I'd ever need. I can't see that a more expensive bike making my rides more enjoyable or significantly faster.
absolutely brilliant bikes, agree
Probably better than the current TCR, more than 2000 pounds for tiagra and crappy wheels is insane.
I have an £800 road allu frame with 105, and a carbon frame gravel for £750 (planet X) My car is £2500! My late father who was a Surrey time trial champion in the 50's and 60's used to say of lightweeight kit (campag in those days) "when you are so good, that having that stuff will make any difference, they will be giving it to you for free"
That’s a brilliant quote
I would put Cube Agree in the mix. You get everything for less money. If you go for top spec for a little more then 5k you get Dura ace DI2 with carbon everything.
Bought the agree c62 slt 3 y ago for 3k. Works well since that.
Cube warranty is dogshit
Best sub 5k road bikes you can buy are late 2000s top of the line bikes used. Picked up a full carbon Madone 5.5 with dura ace everything, fresh full service, and a brand new carbon wheelset for $800 the other day *because it was literally cheaper than buying a good road wheel and tire set for my gravel bike.* It's still a crazy capable bike, and I get to enjoy the novelty of riding what they were riding in the Tour in the Armstrong era
Rose makes pretty solid bikes. They can included too, with internal cable routing even for mechanical Ultegra.
Sadly, Rose won't ship to the UK anymore. Yet another Brexit bonus!
A bike from the Orro venturi range would have been a good addition to the list. Seems to be the best value I can find online!
Agreed, my Orro Venturi STC 105 Di2 is fabulous to ride and is quite reasonably priced for what you get.
Very nice presentation. Nice to see that there are reasonably priced bikes that are worth riding. Of course, I also have a suggestion: Basso Astra. Take a look.
...or...Basso Venta...
Davis another great video and review. Curious why you would not consider more endurance geometry bikes versus the race focus. Caldonia, Endurace, Defy, etc. Good value and more of what everyday riders can fit into.
Great to see Vitus getting some love. Vitus Vitesse Evo could be in part 2 of this video series. Allez Sport or Allez Sprint too maybe? 🤞
In 2017 I bought my Giant advanced 2 with 105 5800 only cost 1700 dollars in 2019 I bought the ultegra 8000 mechanic sistem I install the new group set and still running like new beautiful bike
For the TCR we normally recommend the advances 2 because of the 11 speed 105. More easy to upgrade individual components like rear derailleur to ultegra is the most common without having to upgrade the shifters ….
Excellent point.
Could you elaborate? I own a tcr adv 2 disc 2021. Is there a real benefit to upgrade the derailleur? I was thinking wheels and maybe handlebar next spring. Thank you
@@RixnoAsteres I believe the better benefit/gain for your money would be to upgrade wheels, tires and work on the engine. Switching derailleur from 105 to Ultegra is a waste of money. Now I would consider upgrading the crank if it came stock w/ the knock-off Shimano crank to ultegra or 105 crank.
@@RixnoAsteres It depends on your preference…. Normally customers wait until they experience a wearing out situation before replacing, so for example if you bend a derailleur from a fall you would fit a ultegra instead of 105…. if you have a Tiagra group set which is 10 speed and want to upgrade to ultegra 11 speed then you need to replace everything all at once derailleur, shifters and crankset and everything …. But if you start with 105 11 speed you can do one component at a time …
@@RixnoAsteres Other than having way more OSPW options, that's probably just about it.
Boardman ADV 9.0 all season/gravel bike is also worth a look at, especially at as it's under £2k with grx 600 and carbon frame.
Got a tcr advanced pro 2 disc recently with 105 setup and god damn that bike is brilliant for only $3800-$4600 AUD depending on dealer / sales. Huge step up over 2nd hand Facebook AL 2011 bike I’d had for previous 2 years.
Wow... In 2015 I bought a TCR Advanced Pro 1 with full Ultegra for $3850. That's an insane price increase such that the lower end model now costs the same.
Modern TCRs are better… so there’s that.
Excessive pricing often sees people hanging on to what they have and they just update parts as required. Probably not a bad thing for the environment too.
Road bike pricing has gone absolutely crazy and videos like this help to normalise this insanity.
I felt like I was taking crazy pills reading that title lol
most cycling media are just industry shills, there is no incentive to give bad or middling reviews as they wont ever get sent review samples.
@Theallweather Biker where is that on the channel I can't see it ? Also Orro is small fry compared to Giant or BMC
People are dropping $50,000 on cars just fine @Theallweather Biker
Thoughtful choices, well presented. Another approach would be to go with a high quality aluminum frame, like the Cannondale CAAD 13. One could get the 105 version for $2000 and buy some pretty excellent wheels for $1000. I thought your own Fairlight Strael might get a shoutout. Obviously, not a race bike like most of the others you picked, but seems to be a great all around option at a (relatively) moderate price.
Great advice! That's exactly how I do it, I ordered a Allez Sprint frame and gonna set it up with an "old" 105 R7000 (as long as it's still available) and put Zipp 303 S on it.
My cad 12 with rim brakes is still kicking. Don't need disc brakes and I can squeeze in a 28mm. Not a bad way to go
Shame you did not include the Orro Venturi. Brilliant bike, really quick and great value.
My Canyon Ultimate CF SL8 I bought for $2,700 weighs 7.02kg and has basically carbon everything but the wheels were alloy dt swiss. I got a bargain on lightweight carbon wheels brand new for $367 bringing the total of my bike to $3,067 and I am more aero and lighter than dudes with $8k+ bikes I race against.
Why is the Cube so overlooked? I never see them in videos like this but they offer massive value for money and the bikes are absolutely great. Very high specs for comparably low prices.
The Cube Agree C:62 Race is a beast of a bike with an Ultegra Di2 for 3500 euros.
Cube Agree c:62 Pro. Amazing bike with SRAM Rival Axs etap for €3000 euro. What more could you want....
Wow how prices have changed a couple of years ago the rim brake version of the tcr tiagra would cost around a grand 😳
Can you go over why these bikes are demanding these high prices? Are they actually making serious sales? Which bike companies make the most money and why? Although though these new bikes maybe made of exotic materials or aerodynamic, the bike technology is truly not advance technology. A car from 15 years ago has more technology than the latest bikes.
I thinking all UA-camrs lost their mind, bicycle are way too overpriced, like you said there is not enough technology or anything to justify it, even with current prices for shipping prices are way to high, all they want do now is convince people it is normal, it is all they can do to still making money on reviewing bicycles, not to mention quality control bicycles going through is low, in my last three bicycles something was not right, Trek, Giant and now Orbea, one thing was good in them is lifetime warranty.
PS. heard problems people have with ORBEA support in USA, I living in Poland and all parts had to be ship from Spain, whole process taking to much time, it makes me sad when I thinking about people living in USA that had to going thru this.
There is no justification which is why you will never see a video like that from anybody on UA-cam
People are buying, so the pricing matches. When people stop buying, the prices will go down.
That's called economics, probably learned that in high school, or should have.
I just bought last year’s Teammachine SLR01 from BMC, which was discounted. Because I buy it from Germany and live in Switzerland, I profit from the strong Franc and get the difference between German and Swiss VAT back. It’s all about finding the nice bargains.
A good selection of bikes, I think people have been spoilt for too long now with things like Di2. I'm an old bloke now who was brought up riding steel frames with friction gears. It's amazing how much the technology has changed and how nice even the lower price bikes are.
I think rim brake bikes of 2019 back offered just as much technology, were lighter and thus performed better
@@cadumgarcia And you are free to think that. It's not true though.
Thanks for the review, would put Cube in the mix as well, great quality of the money.
Thanks for selecting me.
The Vitus aero ultegra bike is very interesting.
You can get a ultegra di2 aero bike from Ribble for less than 5k easy…
Interesting list, David. I have 2 of the bikes you mentioned, 2019 Canyon CF SL (Ultegra mech) and 2021 Giant TCR ADV PC2 (105 mech). I paid less than $5,000 dollars combined for both of them. Let's just say I'm having a lot fun for cheap. 😎
which of the two do you prefer?
@@8paolo96 The Canyon is what I ride most of the time, especially with groups flat elevation. I bought the TCR for my climbing bike. Any ride with 2000+ ft elevation, I go with Giant it has compact groupset, Canyon 52/36.
Off topic, but does anyone know what bike is at 0:06. Love the look of it, but can't figure out what bike it is.
With 3999€ I bought a Canyon Cf Sl endurace with group ultegra Di2 12v, carbon handlebar areo.
I think it's a better deal than the ones listed in the video.
You are right! He just called a 4k Cervello with 105 mech.( not even full 105) a good value for money :D
Try the Best under 2500.. no bikes should cost more than 5000… period
Have you watched the video? It starts with a Giant Advanced disc 3 for 2099 pounds.
@@l.d.t.6327 yes.. all should be under 2500… not 5000…
@@l.d.t.6327 Yes, but a $250 Walmart bike also fits the category of
You know what? I totally agree. Why should a bike cost more than a motor bike? But I get it. Large overhead costs and smaller but loyal customer base.
That's like saying no cars should cost more than $30k or no house should cost more than $100k. Says who? It's supply and demand. People are obviously lining up and buying them. There's a reason there are no bikes in any size left, even well north of five figures. People are buying them.
I got the Giant TCR advanced 3 as my first road bike and I just love it! Plan to upgrade sets as I go along. Tiagra groupset is sufficient to start with :)
It surly is....But 2000 pounds is way too expensive for a bike with a tiagra group.
I bought a tcr advanced 1 Rim brake with a ultegra group 2 years ago for about 2200...
@@Chris-xn8yd Couldnt justify paying another £250 for an extra gear on the 105's or an extra £500 for the Ultegra. Quite frankly I wouldnt know the difference. Plus that was 2 years ago now Advanced 1 with Ultegra is £2500.
So for me just starting to think about getting my first road bike, this one is a good pick?
@@michaelbonnen9791 Buy second hand if you want to save money.
I drive my car $5,500 car ~40 miles per week, with an occasional 100-mile trip to visit family or the closest major city, so I don't need anything fancy. I ride my bikes roughly three times that many miles every week, but a bicycle is a much less complex and far less versatile device than a car; it has no business costing as much as a car.
I agree with you. Having a bike that costs more than my car just does not make sense to me.
I thought it was normal to own a bike that cost more than your car?
@@davidarthur Must be the new normal, right? I´ve been riding road bikes for the last 41 years, and I can´t get used to these prices.....😅
@@davidarthur No, that's just the tripe YT'ers trot out when hyping expensive bikes to the masses.
@@davidarthur It seems humor isn't recognizable any longer
Got the Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7 eTap, no visible cables and sram rival eTap, also aerohandlebar and lighter than the normal CF SL 7 for 3,8k Euros
And also bought lightweight 60mm aerowheels from a small local company which are better than Zipp 404s in the windtunnel and only slightly heavier but also only cost 1050 euros. That brings my bike to a total of 4,85k euros (with vat 5k) and its pretty solid, 7,6 kilos, aerodynamic wheels and frame, electronic groupset, no visible cables and really stiff bike. I think its the best you could buy at the moment while almost nothing is available. (For 5k)
I just spent £160 on a mint 2nd hand steel road bike, it has decent shimano gears and shifts superbly. It’s a bit heavy but a lovely ride & great for fitness, I don’t race so speed is irrelevant.
Pinarello Paris is a superb bit of kit for £3250. Dogma DNA and a decent group set. Add a set of carbon wheels and it’s a real contender.
What about Ribble bikes…they’re really good value
If I was going for a new bike id go for the Cube agree..less than 3000 euros..im happy with mechanical groupset..
Worth pointing out that if you're buying a £2,699 Canyon you'll be an extra ~£540 Import Duty/VAT into the UK. Glad I bought my Canyon pre Brexit!
Another example of the great Brexit dividend 😢
This isn’t true. The price shown on the website includes import duty.
@@ondene5748 It is now, never used to be included.
In Canada the Cervelo Caledonia with 105 mec retails for under CAD $5000. If I could only find one...
Nice informative presentation. Would be great if you were to consider doing a 'winter bike' special - low cost (say sub 2500, easy self maintenance (i.e. rim brakes / mechanical GS) and with mudguard clearance).
Tiagra for £2100 🥴
105 mechanical for £3,500! 😂
@@BikeLife154 In 2014 I bought a 105 Synapse for £875 🤣
£3200 for a Cervelo which doesn’t even include full 105! It’s got the super heavy generic shimano crank. Absolute insanity.
I think 4k is the most anyone ever needs to spend on a bike if there is no world class elite competition in your schedule. even a 4k bike, could win a grand tour stage, so yeah.
Good video as usual. Re your tubeless ready comments: I recently bought a tubeless ready Trek Domane from the local Trek store. I had it converted from tubeless to inner tube before I picked it up - I'm not interested in fussing with messy sealant. The Trek store told me that the majority of road bikes they sell are similarly converted. So Trek, by shipping tubeless ready to the store, is wasting a lot of people's time.
'Tubeless ready' means that the rims are taped *ready* for tubeless however Trek (and every other brand as I understand) ship bikes with tubes (to avoid sealant leaks etc during shipping). The onus is on the shop to setup tubeless if requested. Effectively the shop either did nothing or converted back to tubes. I hope they didn't charge you for the pleasure.
@@mikebrewer1346 Thanks for the clarification. I think you are mostly likely correct about the bike being shipped with inner tubes, as the invoice lists 2 "no charge" inner tubes. (And there was no charge for the "conversion".)
The Giant TCR isn't available w/ Tiagra in the U.S. A Giant TCR Advanced 2 is $2900 U.S dollars Disc brake or Rim Brake for $2500 U.S dollars
What about the orro venturi currently being picked up for as little as £1500 with shimano 105 12 speed 28mm vision 30 wheels hydraulic brakes and 28mm continental tyres?
Curious, why no Cannondale?
Save them for the next video I reckon
Please could you do this for Gravel, great video thanks 🍻
Will do Ollie
@@davidarthur or even just endurance, none-race geometry bikes for the average rider.
Remember the days when £1500 would buy you a decent 105-equipped road bike? That wasn't that long ago. I bought a Canyon Endurace AL with 105 for under a grand less than 10yrs ago! This is profiteering plain and simple, likewise all the 'upgrades' like discs, 1x, and integrated cabling (which is undoubtedly the worst 'innovation' in non-pro cycling). Cervelo Soloist, 105, good value at £3500. Listen to yourself David!
Any reason the Soloist is less expensive than the R5 or S5, or does this just give us insight into the markup on those bikes?
Because the soloist is more comparable to the R3/S3 class than the 5.
Dave test the soloist please
I currently have the giant propel advanced disc 2 is that great?? It has a shimano 105 groupset on it
I just bought a Cube Agree SLX 2023, full carbon, Scram force, carbon wheels, 7.8kg for 4.300€. The wheels and scram group by themself cost more than the complete bike.
Their is a plethora of bikes under 5 grand. One of the best value would have to be Merida Reacto, Scultura and Scultura Endurance!
I reckon you get more value for money (sub £2000) with a high quality aluminium frame.
In Australia, we got Merida. Nice bike and good value.
Polygon Helios A8X carbon bike with Ultegra Di2 12 speed and 50mm carbon wheelset.... Price USD$4699.
There are a lot more bike under 5k with Ultegra 12 speed Di2.
What do you think aero savings from a soloist to a tcr would be about?
ja where the prices go at the moment this must be considered worth the money, but i dont see that value going up much higher with bikes over 10 grand now - here we have now lots of "non-bikers" riding on very expensive bikes fully geared up once a week, usually Sundays...
Honestly at the 2,000-4,000 price point buildings road bike is much more affordable and better then entry level bikes with cheap groupsets or missing out on quality wheels for what I feel is very expensive for what you are getting. Could this be the fault of disc breaks making prices higher and companies forced to make cuts on cheap parts. Canyon seems more and more tempting but I want to support local businesses but it’s hard when 3,000 gets a good quality road bike. I’ve been looking and canyon endurance 8 which is a seems to be a great at 1,900 US dollars but the canyon CF SL seems like a great deal as well
Orbea Orca M30/40. 👌
Good choices just purchased a giant defy 1 a great bike for less than £2500.
Love these bikes, especially the TCR! Prices these last few years really are staggering though. Looking at the latest Specialized range, the tarmac is £9000 and that's not even the S-works model. Where will it end? Abolishing the upper limit of the cycle to work scheme may have been a factor?
What about giant propel ?
What kind of insanity is it that we're looking at these amazing bargain bikes between 3 and 5K? I have a 4 year old Pinarello Gan with Ultegra Di2 that I put together new for about 3K.. The median salary in the UK is about 25K so spending almost a quarter of your salary on a bike is supposed to be a bargain?
Cycling for sport is a white collar activity. Most serious recreational cyclists are making much more than 25k.
@@adrianc6534 According to who? A massive percentage of the top (and middle and bottom) cyclists in the UK are from Yorkshire, not exactly an area known for it's high income..
Great list. What about Polygon bikes?
Hi, i recently bought a trek emonda sl carbon bike. Is this a mid range bike? It cost just under 3,000.
It says entry level carbon trek, but guess that is not relevant as there surely are far more cheaper trek models making mine mid range?
More or less yes, that's pretty much Trek's least expensive carbon road bike.
@@sbccbc7471 sure it is the least expensive carbon trek, but from what i have checked out, it sits as a mid range bikes as there are many cheaper trek bikes starting way cheaper
I'm gonna buy a soloist or 795 blade frame and do my ultimate build
How 3500 quids is supposed to be ok for many of us? The cycling industry is loosing so much by making sure people that would be interested in this sport won’t because of the price tag! Crazy
Gurnigel Pass west side @ 9:44 :)
thanks!👍 Basso Venta...?🤔
3500 euro for a 105 mechanical groupset carbon race bike, we're screwed guys.
Something like the TCR advance or its aluminum cousin - are plenty that MOST road cyclist should need - unless you are racing, trying to do crits ...
which MANY of you are not. Then this is MORE than you ever need for long days and miles of endurance road cycling.
The outrageous price of some bike plays to the vanity of most roadies though. Bike Manufacturers have most brainwashed ...
Got to be super aero, got to have deep section wheels, gotta have ultegra or dura-ace (Force or Red are just as guilty) or electronic shifting -
they see the pro peloton and think THEY have to have all that expensive, high-cost, kit. It's BS.
NO - you don't need any of that to have a decent bike you can ride, go decently fast and have a WAY more reasonable price on.
The pros don't PAY for that stuff folks !! That saying "if you need Dura Ace then you shouldn't need to buy it" applies.
Look, I'm guilty too , I have an all-road bike, I love mostly gravel (and endurance road riding).
I have a titanium bike that all -told is over $6,000 in bit -by -bit upgrades (but no electronic shifting - 2x11 GRX 810).
But that is money I put in over the past 4 years or so. I didn't walk up to a store and shell out $5,000 - 10,000 ... for a bike. Yikes.
NO - you don't need any of that to have a decent bike you can ride, go decently fast and have a WAY more reasonable price on.
I am glad to see you showcase a more reasonable selection of bikes for us "mere mortals" to enjoy.
Superior bikes offer amazing value considering the equipment. Not many reviews around which is a shame.
Good luck trying to buy a canyon never any in stock.
I'm still a strong believer in 2nd hand Facebook Marketplace finds from a guy who upgrades his bike every couple of years!
I just can't trust buying online not getting fooled by hidden use/damage or stolen bikes
I think you should start looking into high value for money brands like Polygon.
6:30 " pretty good value for money " for an 4k Euro/Dolar bike, not even with full 105 mech., neither aero nor light. I unsubscribed...
You can buy for 3400 Euro an Aeroad cf sl 7 with Aero wheels, aero frameset and full 105. It is even under 8 Kilo.
I like to tart up a cheap frameset with Dura Ace, carbon wheels, the works 👍
Nice job 👊🏼
I think a great video would be budget friendly bikes from brands that aren't so highly marketed, like the Vitus you presented here.
500 GBP difference between the frame set and the 105 spec Cervelo!?!?! If you know how to operate a wrench, you sell the 105 groupset and get a higher spec one virtually for free on this bike.
What about your Yoeleo R12 against these bikes?
Great overview. I got here after your bikes for £2,000. I opted for a Vitus Vitesse so good to see them getting a mention. Other great bang for your buck bikes are Boardman
And don’t we know that there was probably a giant model that was closer to your upper price range figure which would blow the others away
Bought a 2008 Cervelo Soloist for $1k and upgraded it for about $1k and have a great bike in hand! Just like cars, don't buy new!!
Thank you !
Our sport is becoming golf. People on these kinds of bikes are passengers not riders which is very sad. Like maany I ride MTB as well and it's even worse in that sport. All I will say is cycling is in a great place regarding participation and covergae, mayb this is the price we pay. It does hurt to to new people to the sport being taken for a ride though. It's ok stick itt on finance.🙄
A list of good value bikes without a Cube, Rose or Merida?
I miss the german brand Stevens. They make fantastic bikes for good prices in my opinion.
Bring back direct mount brakes..lighter and cheaper and perfect for most leisure cyclists..
i sold my tcr adv pro 2 disc 2021 it wasn't good for me
Giant has the press in bottom bracket what I don't like
Wasn't DA banging on about affordable bikes the other week being in the 5 k Range? Who's the new pay cheque from this week, let's find out folks.
Any love for Ribble bikes?
Since when a 2k bike it's affordable or cheap? This industry has gone crazy