What is the best bike you can buy for £1000? GCN Tech Show

Alex Paton and Ollie Bridgewood return to the studio for the latest edition of the GCN Tech Show. This week our dynamic duo have been mulling over an important question: how good are bikes at the £1000 price point?

It’s a question that has implications for every cyclist at some point, specifically beginners. Most new cyclists don’t want to splurge huge sums of money when they’re starting out, but that can be hard to avoid in what is undeniably an expansive market - one where top-end bikes regularly shoot above the five-figure mark.

Even some experienced cyclists are more than happy with a budget bike, with the £1000 mark often acting as the de facto barrier for entry-level bikes.

Luckily, there are plenty of bikes available for £1000 or less and, as Alex and Ollie discuss, that money can go a surprisingly long way. Pickings are a bit slimmer when it comes to brand new bikes, but there is a whole world of opportunities in the second-hand market. Buying a second-hand bike comes with greater risks and requires diligence, but that effort can be rewarded with bikes that cost upwards of £2,000 to £3,000 in the not-too-distant past.

These bikes often feature mid to high-tier groupsets too, which our duo believe provides the value-for-money sweetspot, as they explain with the use of a wine analogy.

But what do you think? Does a £1000 bike provide good value for money and at what price point do the extra features stop being worth it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Hot and spicy tech

Lots of new products have broken cover over the last week, including some that are geared towards the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The world of track cycling tech is always abuzz in the lead up to the Olympics and the beginning of 2024 is no different. We’ve already seen multiple new bikes released, including Dolan’s DF5 which has been designed in collaboration with Aerocoach.

The bike was released at the end of 2023 but has now gained UCI approval.

ParkTool recently unveiled the “ultimate mobile mechanic tool kit” in the form of the BRK-1. It features 100 tools which have been carefully selected to fulfil all of the needs of amateur or professional mechanics.

A new adapter for d-shaped seatposts has also been introduced alongside it. It is compatible with most of ParkTool’s bike stands and, while it won’t steal too many headlines, is a genuinely convenient piece of equipment as d-shaped seatposts continue to grow in popularity.

• Read more: Park Tool expands range with BRK-1 ‘ultimate mobile mechanic tool kit’

It’s been a busy few weeks for Elite Wheels, which became GCN’s wheel sponsor at the end of February.

Now it has released the new Drive Helix wheelsets with their undulating rim profiles and depths. There are three wheelsets in total and each has a shallower front wheel combined with a deeper rear. They’ve been thoroughly aero optimised and are optimised for wider 28mm to 30mm tyres.

Last week, AGU released a new range of undyed clothing and MET has followed a similar path with its White Undyed Limited Edition helmet, which will be available for its top-tier Trenta, Manta and Rivale ranges.

The special edition helmets deliver what MET describes as a “minimal but distinctive” design.

Bike Vault

As always, we’ve had lots of submissions for bike vault this week. Want to see your bike features? Learn how to submit images for bike vault here.

This week we’re kicking things off a little differently with Ollie’s new Pinarello Dogma which - he hasn’t paid us to say this - is seriously nice.

© GCN

Sporting the name of the greatest rider of all time, this Eddy Merckx Lavaredo68 is a super nice bike, as is the background

© GCN

This 1988 Peugeot PH8X Monaco is a rolling piece of history, although it has received some upgrades from its owner, including new paintwork. We think they've done a great job

© GCN

You won't struggle to spot these fetching Trek 1200, although the presentation isn't up to Alex or Ollie's high standards

Keep up to date with the latest tech news in our dedicated tech section on the GCN website.

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