In this article we highlight some of the best road bikes to consider in 2021 below the $1,250 price range. These are great mid-entry-level endurance bikes, which are ideal for commuting, road, and even in some cases gravel riding and would be ideal for beginner cyclists. We also have a few other articles for different price ranges in case you would want to consider those as well:
Top Endurance Bikes Under $1000 to Consider in 2021
Introduction
Choosing a perfect bike is usually quite overwhelming since there are so many options and factors to consider. Even after days of researching and comparing you still will have some doubts. We try to reduce this anxiety and save your time by doing extensive research for you and shortlisting bikes that are, in our opinion, the best quality within your budget.
In this article we highlight 4 best options to consider for a perfect entry-level endurance road bike below $1,250. To shortlist these, we researched more than 50 road bikes of various brands. In our opinion, these are the best bikes to consider. We chose them based on price, frame and fork material, groupset quality, and brakes. In general great entry-level bikes are made of an aluminum frame, carbon fork, entry-level groupset, disc or rim brakes and would fall within a $1,250 price tag.
High-Level Comparison
If you don’t have time to go through the whole article please see a quick comparison of our TOP 4 choices below:
Cube Attain Race 2021
$1,250
Aluminum Frame
Carbon Fork
20 Speed Shimano Tiagra (high entry range) Groupset
Mechanical Disc
Scott Speedster 20 Disc 2021
$1,200
Aluminum Frame
Carbon Fork
20 Speed Shimano Tiagra (high entry range) Groupset
Mechanical Disc
Giant Contend AR 3 2021
$1,150
Aluminum Frame
Carbon Fork
18 Speed Shimano Sora (mid entry range) Groupset
Mechanical Disc
Trek Domane AL 2 Disc 2021
$1,180
Aluminum Frame
Carbon Fork
18 Speed Shimano Sora (mid entry range) Groupset
Mechanical Disc
1. Cube Attain Race 2021
- Price: $1,250
- Frame: Aluminum
- Groupset: 20 Speed Shimano Tiagra
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc
Cube Attain Race Race is a sleek looking and fast endurance road bike. It is perfect for year-round training, group rides, and even occasional racing. If you are looking for a great entry-level road bike then this is definitely a strong contender.
The bike comes with an aluminum frame and carbon fork, which ensures reduced shock and vibration and creates a more comfortable and easier ride. Like any endurance bike, the geometry is more relaxed in comparison to race bikes, so you can enjoy longer journeys with less pressure on your shoulders and neck. The frame is built to accommodate internal cable routing and consists of dual bottle mounts. There are no mounts for mudguards so you will need to consider clip-on in case there is such need.
The groupset is a 20 speed Shimano Tiagra, which ranks higher in the entry category. With 20 gears you will have more flexibility and versatility when it comes to climbing and road cycling in general.
Cube is equipped with flat-mount mechanical disc brakes for higher stopping power and control in various weather conditions. The tires are 28mm Conti Ultra Sport 3, which are built for speed. Overall, this is a great bike in case your budget allows as you will be getting a better groupset and more riding versatility in comparison to most bikes in our review.
2. Scott Speedster 20 Disc 2021
- Price: $1,200
- Frame: Aluminum
- Groupset: 20 Speed Shimano Tiagra
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc
In terms of components and overall quality, Scott Speedster is very similar to Cube Attain Race. It is perfect for year-round training, group rides, and commuting. The bike comes with an aluminum frame and carbon fork, which ensures reduced shock and vibration and creates a more comfortable and easier ride. The frame is built to accommodate internal cable routing and consists of dual bottle mounts and one mount for the rear mudguard, which is different from Cube.
The groupset is a 20 speed Shimano Tiagra, which ranks higher in the entry category. With 20 gears you will have more flexibility and versatility when it comes to climbing and road cycling in general. If we compare it to Cube, there is a slight difference in a cassette. The Speedster comes with an 11-32 tooth cassette so it will be slightly worse than Cube in climbing.
Scott Speedster is equipped with flat-mount mechanical disc brakes for better stopping power and control in various weather conditions. The tires are 32mm Schwalbe Lugano, which are slightly wider in comparison to Cube Attain. This means you will have more control and absorption on rough roads but might lack slightly in speed. Overall, Scott Speedster 20 is a great first entry-level bike that also looks quite cool!
3. Giant Contend AR 3 2021
- Price: $1,150
- Frame: Aluminum
- Groupset: 18 Speed Shimano Sora
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc
Giant produces one of the highest quality bikes out there, so no wonder Contend AR 3 made it to our list. The bike comes with an aluminum frame and carbon fork for better vibration absorption and smoother rides. Giant highlights the handling capabilities of this bike and promises more comfort and confidence on turns and various curves. The D-fuse technology seatpost absorbs vibrations and allows for an even longer and more comfortable ride.
The groupset is an 18 Speed Shimano Sora, which is considered to be a mid-range entry-level groupset.
To give even more control and comfort Giant Contend AR 4 was equipped with mechanical disc brakes. The tire clearance on the frame allows for up to 38mm tires so you can swap for wider ones in case you plan to ride on gravel or want even more control. By default, the bike comes with 32mm all condition road tires with extra puncture protection. Read more about the tires here.
4. Trek Domane AL 2 Disc 2021
- Price: $1,180
- Frame: Aluminum
- Groupset: 18 Speed Shimano Sora
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc
Trek Domane AL 2 is a great first road bike because of its comfortable riding, lightness, and stability. It comes with an aluminum frame and a carbon fork for more vibration absorption. The frame is built with internal cable routing and is DuoTrap S compatible so you can track your riding performance. In addition, the frame comes with mounts for mudguards, water bottles, and rack, which is great for any type of riding.
The groupset is an 18 Speed Shimano Sora, which is considered to be at the mid-entry-level. The bike is equipped with flat mount mechanical disc brakes for more stopping power and control in any weather conditions.
The tires are entry-level 32mm Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite. Overall, this is a great entry-level bike so we had to include it in our review.
Conclusion
We know that choosing a perfect bike is hard so we try to help by narrowing down your choice with our reviews and comparisons. This review focused on highlighting the best entry-level endurance bikes out there. Choosing a perfect one would depend on your personal preferences including color and overall components quality. We would suggest going for a bike that comes with disc brakes, higher gear number, and better groupset so in this case 2021 Cube Attain Race and Scott Speedster 20 would be our suggestion. You also might have some specific preferences based on the look and your riding needs so in the end the choice is yours and we can only provide our opinion.
Thanks for reading our review. Stay active and healthy!
Why should you trust us?
In order to feature and review any products on our website we do extensive research, read user feedback, carefully review forum threads, look at search trends, brand popularity, try to actually use and test as many products as possible ourselves, and evaluate other factors depending on the product category. By doing extensive research and incorporating it with our own experience we are able to shortlist only a handful of products out of thousands of options.
We want to bring value to our readers and help them find answers to questions and buy the most appropriate cycling products. Brands and cycling professionals always try to innovate and improve to get the best possible outcome. Unfortunately, innovations and product improvements these days result only in marginal gains, but the price increase for these gains is not equally proportional. In economics, this behavior is defined as “diminishing returns”. Knowing this we focus on featuring the best value for the money products that are affordable, but at the same time have a lot to offer. We don’t want our visitors to overspend on something they will not benefit from.
