In this article we highlight some of the best road bikes to consider in 2021 below the $3000 price range. These are the highest quality mid-range endurance bikes, which are ideal for more advanced cyclists who are looking for an update or entry-level riders who are looking to start with a more advanced bike. 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 $2000 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 5 best options to consider for a perfect mid-range endurance road bike below $3,000. To shortlist these 5, 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 mid-range endurance bikes are made of carbon frame and fork, upper-quality groupset, hydraulic disc brakes, and would fall within a $3,000 price range.
High-Level Comparison
If you don’t have time to go through the whole article please see a quick comparison of our TOP 5 choices below:
Wilier GTR Team 2021
$3,000
Carbon Frame
Carbon Fork
22 Speed Shimano Ultegra (upper range) Groupset
Hydraulic Disc
Berria Belador 7 2021
$3,000
Carbon Frame
Carbon Fork
22 Speed Shimano Ultegra (upper range) Groupset
Hydraulic Disc
Cube AXIAL WS C:62 SL 2021
$3,000
Carbon Frame
Carbon Fork
22 Speed Shimano Ultegra (upper range) Groupset
Hydraulic Disc
Scott Contessa Addict 15 Disc 2021
$3,000
Carbon Frame
Carbon Fork
22 Speed Shimano Ultegra (upper range) Groupset
Hydraulic Disc
Cube Attain GTC SL 2021
$2,450
Carbon Frame
Carbon Fork
22 Speed Shimano 105 / Ultegra (upper/mid-range) Groupset
Mechanical Disc
1. Wilier GTR Team 2021
- Price: $3,000
- Frame: Carbon
- Groupset: 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra
- Brakes: Hydraulic Disc
Wilier GTR Team has several models to choose from. For our review, we are focusing on the drivetrain Shimano Ultegra R8020. There is a bit cheaper version of these bikes with pretty much the same specs, but it comes with a flat bar so depending on your needs that might be a better option.
This bike is made of a carbon frame and fork to absorb vibrations and create a comfortable riding experience. Geometry is more relaxed so you sit in a more upright position to fatigue less. It is an extremely lightweight bike as it should be for a bike at this price.
The groupset is a 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra, which falls into a higher bracket category of groupsets. The cassette is 11-30 tooth and the crankset is 50-34 tooth. This bike would be slightly worse at climbing, but it great at acceleration and speed.
The brakes are hydraulic disc Shimano Ultegra BR-R8070, which are very high quality and allow for more control and stopping power in any weather conditions.
The tires are a 25mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro 4. As you can see they are slightly narrower than usually expected, which means the bike is great for racing and speed. On the flip side, you will feel more vibration and bumps on the road. While choosing your bike think about road quality or keep in mind that you might need to change tires to adapt for your biking environment.
2. Berria Belador 7 2021
- Price: $3,000
- Frame: Carbon
- Groupset: 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra
- Brakes: Hydraulic Disc
Berria Belador 7 is a perfect endurance bike with nodes of racing geometry. The stack to reach ratio is slightly lower than the rest of the bikes in this review, which means the bike is made for speed. You will be sitting in a slightly less comfortable position, however, that’s the price for going faster.
This bike is made of a carbon frame and fork to absorb vibrations and create a comfortable riding experience. It is extremely lightweight as it should be for a bike at this price.
The groupset is a 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra, which falls into a higher bracket category of groupsets. The cassette is 11-30 tooth and crankset is 52×36 tooth. This bike is great at acceleration and speed.
The tires are a 28mm Rubino 4 / Tubeless ready / GRAPHENE 2.0. They are slightly wider than Wilier GTR, for example, so you will feel more control and less bumpy on harsher roads. However, keep in mind that tires are easily changeable for your needs.
3. Cube AXIAL WS 2021
- Price: $3,000
- Frame: Carbon
- Groupset: 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra
- Brakes: Hydraulic Disc
Cube AXIAL WS feels and looks likes a aero endurance / race bike. Don’t get me wrong, this is still an endurance bike, however, stack to reach ratio is exactly the same as for Berria Belador 7 and is slightly lower than for the rest of the bikes in this review. Lower stack to reach ratio means that you will be sitting in lower position, which cases less air resistance and allows for higher speed. Even though this is an endurance bike it does have a node of racing looking and feel to it so would be perfect for anyone looking to drive fast and even race.
This bike is made of a carbon frame and fork to absorb vibrations and create a comfortable riding experience. It is extremely lightweight as it should be for a bike at this price.
The groupset is a 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra, which falls into a higher bracket category of groupsets. The cassette is 11-32 tooth and crankset is 50×34 tooth. This bike is slightly better at climbing then, for example, Berria Belador, but would be a bit slower than Berria Belador.
The tires are a 28mm Conti Grand Sport Race SL. They are slightly wider than Wilier GTR, for example, so you will feel more control and less bumpy on harsher roads. However, keep in mind that tires are easily changeable for your needs. Read more about these tires here.
4. Scott Contessa Addict 15 Disc 2021
- Price: $3,000
- Frame: Carbon
- Groupset: 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra
- Brakes: Hydraulic Disc
Cube AXIAL WS feels and looks likes a aero endurance / race bike. Don’t get me wrong, this is still an endurance bike, however, stack to reach ratio is exactly the same as for Berria Belador 7 and is slightly lower than for the rest of the bikes in this review. Lower stack to reach ratio means that you will be sitting in lower position, which cases less air resistance and allows for higher speed. Even though this is an endurance bike it does have a node of racing looking and feel to it so would be perfect for anyone looking to drive fast and even race.
This bike is made of a carbon frame and fork to absorb vibrations and create a comfortable riding experience. It is extremely lightweight as it should be for a bike at this price.
The groupset is a 22 Speed Shimano Ultegra, which falls into a higher bracket category of groupsets. The cassette is 11-32 tooth and crankset is 50×34 tooth. This bike is slightly better at climbing then, for example, Berria Belador, but would be a bit slower than Berria Belador.
The tires are a 28mm Conti Grand Sport Race SL. They are slightly wider than Wilier GTR, for example, so you will feel more control and less bumpy on harsher roads. However, keep in mind that tires are easily changeable for your needs. Read more about these tires here.
5. Cube Attain GTC SL 2021
- Price: $2,450
- Frame: Carbon
- Groupset: 22 Speed Shimano 105 / Ultegra
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc
Cube Attain GTC Race is a sleek looking and a fast endurance road bike. It is perfect for year-round training, group rides, and even occasional racing. If you are looking for a great first bike or looking to update a lower range current one then this is definitely a strong contender.
The bike comes with a carbon frame and 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 groupset is Shimano 105, which ranks in a higher mid-range category. The total number of gears is 22.
To add to the comfort, the bike comes with 28mm tires, which help to absorb more vibrations and give you more control in different weather conditions. Speaking about control, the Cube Attain GTC is equipped with hydraulic disc breaks, which work great in all weather conditions.
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 mid-level endurance bikes out there. Choosing a perfect one would depend on your personal preferences including color, look, and overall components quality for your needs. We would suggest going for a bike that comes with a carbon frame, hydraulic disc brakes, higher gear number, and better groupset so in this case, 2021 Cube Attain GTC Race and 2021 Vitus Zenium CR 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.
