Riding to work, in our opinion, is by far the best way to get there – and it’s even more affordable with the help of the Ride To Work scheme, as well as Cyclescheme and other tax free bike providers.
10 reasons to cycle to work (in case you need convincing)
Of course, once you’ve established that you can get yourself a fantastic tax free deal, you’ll be looking for a worthy steed to spend your mornings and evenings with.
Remember, you can buy accessories tax free, too – and if you’re buying via Ride To Work, you still get the same up to free accessories with your bike as our non-tax-free customers.
Here’s a look at 10 of the best sub £1000 bikes:
Pinnacle Dolomite Six 2015 Road Bike, £950
Winner of the BikesEtc ‘Best in Test’ award this speedy but comfortable machine beat some tough competition:
A Shimano 105 groupset, internal cable routing and carbon fork to support the heat treated aluminium frame (which is constructed from double and triple butted and flat-welded tubes) really is an all round excellent value package for £950.
When low spoke Shimano WH-RS21 wheels are wearing Continental Ultra-Sport II Folding 25c tyres, you know that pennies aren’t being pinched. This is a bike that is designed to provide value for money and an excellent ride quality.
Geometry is tuned for comfortable riding on UK roads, whilst still having a touch of flighty handling which the performance driven rider will enjoy in a winter hack. If you’ve got a £1000 ride to work voucher, we whole heatedly recommend this option, and using our Free With Bike Offer you can pick up some accessories to go alongside it without paying an extra penny.
HOY Shizuoka 003 2015 hybrid bike, £750
An efficient but comfortable ride, the Shizuoka provides the speed of a road bike and the the rugged durability of a mountain bike – so you’ll be able to use your steed for daily commutes, as well as weekend rides in the park and on gravel towpaths.
A lightweight, triple butted 6061 aluminum frame comes with a carbon-bladed fork and fast rolling 700c wheels with 28c tyres, which are narrow enough to feel speedy, but wide enough for light off-road use.
Hydraulic disc brakes provide you with fast stopping power which won’t be compromised in the wet, and there is clearance for mudguards and space for larger tyres should you want to take your excursions to more rugged roads. A wide cassette and 20 gears mean you should be set if hills are on your route.
Pinnacle Lithium Four 2015 Hybrid Bike - £550
A great all rounder designed to be tough when it needs to, the Lithium has the character of a Pinnacle 29er MTB, with a road-biased format – skinnier tyres and a light frame which will provide a quick and comfortable commuter that can also handle a spin on uncomplicated off-road paths.
The Lithium’s real claim to commuter perfection is the addition of glow in the dark paint, and reflective decals that will support effective front and rear lights to add to visibility.
Front and rear rack and mudguard mounts mean you’re sorted if you need to carry luggage, and low MTB gearing means you’ll be set on the hills whilst hydraulic brakes give you plenty of stopping power.
Pinnacle Arkose Three 2015 Adventure Road Bike – £1000
Adventure road bikes sit in the middle of the scale from ‘sportive’ road bikes (comfortable geometry bikes for road use only) and cyclocross bikes (for racing mixed terrain) – they provide tyre clearance and gearing that is suitable for going off-road, whilst still being fast and comfortable for long days on the road.
Perfect for on and off-road use, Kenda Small Block 8 tyres promise comfort but there is clearance for wider rubber should you desire.
A full carbon fork keeps the weight low on this aluminium frame, and revised fork geometry means off-road hadling is sharp without feeling sluggish on the road. The Shimano 105 groupset features a wide ratio cassette which provides plenty of room for shifting on the hills, with internal cable routing keeping everything neat and tidy.
Fuji Tread 1.1 2015 Adventure Road Bike, £800
The Fuji Tread 1.1 calls itself a “commuter, explorer, road bike rolled into one brilliant bike.” This Adventure Road model can handle a mix of terrain, and comes specced with a Shimano Tiagra groupset that will provide reliable and efficient shifting.
A 12-30 cassette with compact chianset means you won’t run out of gears, and you get a smart and matching Oval finishing kit – with 32c Vera City Wide tyres that will roll quickly on the road whilst managing gravel and more off it.
Terk Link D8 2015 Folding Bike, £500
If you want to ride to the train station, and travel with your two wheeled buddy stowed safely beside you, then a folding bike is for you – and the Tern Link D2 is a great value option.
N-Fold technology is used – in simple terms this means geometry is tweaked to allow the wheel to rotate 180 degrees in folding, resulting in a smaller overall folded bulk that can be compacted in just 10 seconds.
An aluminum frame is teamed with 8 gears and Schwalbe Kojak tyres which feature RaceGuard Puncture Protection.
Tern Eclipse P18 2015 Folding Bike, £980
This is a folding bike designed to provide performance, as well as the ability to curl up into a space beside your desk.
Larger, thus faster rolling, wheels are shod with Schwalbe 507mm slick tyres that promise to feel quick, and 18 gears, controlled by a SRAM X7 double lever means you should be set up to get where you’re going quicker.
Tern worked hard on this model to provide a handlebar that felt strong, even when climbing – not an easy feat with a folding bike, but after testing they eventually came up with the Physis 3D, which having been forged from a single block of aluminum, is strong and stiff, surpassing EN standards by 400%.
Norco Valence A3 2015 Road Bike, £600
Unlike the more rugged Adventure Road and Hybrid bikes above, the Valence is an out- and-out road bike, with an endurance geometry that makes it comfortable over longer distances. A carefully balanced mix of lateral stiffness (which makes a bike feel fast and powerful) and vertical compliance (which limits fatigue from road-buzz and provides comfort) makes for a great commuting machine that will serve you well on longer weekend rides if you so wish.
The Shimano Sora groupset provides a good value set up, that will be reliable as well, and a compact chainset with 11-32 cassette gives plenty of lower gears for hills, as well as scope to really blast the flatter roads. Pennies aren’t saved on the Continental Ultra Sport II tyres – an important element as they provide the first point of contact with the road.
Norco have also provided the Norco Valence A3 Forma 2015 women’s road bike with women’s specific geometry – narrower handlebars, shorter reach and a women’s fit saddle.
Fuji Sportif 1.3 D 2015 Road Bike, £850
The Sportif 1.3 is comfortable enough for long miles and city commutes, where you need to keep your head up at all times, but it’s got a touch of race geometry which will carry an ambitious rider through to the peloton should they so wish.
Disc brakes provide effective braking in the wet, and a A2-SL double-butted aluminium frame, with carbon form will feel light and fast even when terrain ramps up. Ten speed Shimano Tiagra gearing and a wide ratio cassette, with a compact chainset will cater on hilly sportives, if you so wish, and 28c Vittoria tyres will dampen our the creases in uneven roads, but you can always swap these for skinny 23c’s for faster rides come summer.
Matching spec with women’s specific geometry is available in the form of the Fuji Finest 1.1 Disc women’s road bike.
Trek Lexa 2015 Women’s Road Bike, £575
The Lexa range features Trek’s new women’s specific frame geometry – formulated following detailed research, the frame provides a fast, responsive ride which is suited to the average weight distribution of female riders, the handlebars, saddle and cranks all set to match requirements of the average woman.
The Alpha Aluminum frame is supported by a Trek Carbon fork, and Claris groupset keeps the overall package at good value, whilst still promising the reliability you’d always expect from Shimano’s components. Bontrager tyres, in 25c width provide a great balance between speed and cushioning on uneven roads, whilst a compact chainset and 11-28 cassette means plenty of gears are available, but shifting is smoother than that found on wide ratio cassettes, with smaller drops between gears.
Of course ,there are plenty more options – take a look….