Best Sleek Road Bikes Under $2000 for Men & Women In 2024
/A road bike these days is a hefty investment. Post-pandemic, the best road bike for men or women may no longer be possible.
With the pandemic bike boom, people are scrambling to find any road bike not just the “best road bike” as long as the specs check all the right boxes: such as Shimano 105/Ultegra group set, a bike below 10 kg and a carbon frame if we can really score one!
I used to have a hybrid touring bike and have been a recent road bike convert.
At first, I was hesitant and wasn’t sure if the cycling culture was for me but after clocking in some miles and climbing numerous hills, I am now a happy roadie (who is not as competitive as the others on the road)!
I still have my hybrid commute bike for groceries or a coffee-run but the road bike has now been a joy to ride. The bike is lighter, more aerodynamic. The components work more smoothly, reliably with a lot less effort.
Before, I jump into the best road bike options, I like to highlight a couple of things that are worth noting and avoiding especially if you’re making your first purchase or even your second bike purchase.
Things like at what price should you push for when buying a road bike? Should you get a race or endurance bike frame?
Ofcourse, all these require tons of research and are easy to get swayed by opinions, hype, decked out frames and the whole alu vs carbon debate, but here are some thought-starters!
How much should you spend on a good road bike?
The best road bike under 2000
This is the ultimate question! Road bikes come at a variety of different price points these days anywhere from $500 to $10,000 range. Anything beyond $10k, you may start to question how ludicrous this is!
Unless you’re an athlete or someone who has a long history of fetishizing new materials and have access to disposable income, then maybe the price is justified.
In my experience, the best ROI for your bike happens around $1600. But if you add in inflation, the difficulty of getting parts with the onslaught of the pandemic — the best deal you can get could hover around $1900. At that point, you may pay a greater price for smaller incremental improvements.
In short, a $1900 road bike gives you a nice high-end aluminium frame, full carbon fork, Shimano 105 and decent wheels and brakes.
Race vs endurance geometry — how do you decide?
The word “race” scares away most people — I mean if you’re not a competitive or pro-level cyclist, why bother even thinking about it? Race bikes are often made for an aggressive position with lighter components that are meant for speed.
Endurance bikes offer the most comfort, puts less strain on your back and allows you to ride further with more comfort. It also has more options for wider tire clearances should you decide to go bike touring in the future!
Having said that, some racing bikes are not as aggressive and are purpose-built to help you tackle hills, and make you feel lively even if you go through the distance.
I bought the Liv Langma Advanced 2 racing bike and I despise the aero position commonly found in most racing bikes but this felt surprisingly not as aero and had some characteristics of an endurance bike.
Aluminium vs carbon — what’s right for you?
With some custom-made bikes out there offering steel and titanium, most people who have modern bikes often go with aluminium or carbon fiber.
Which is better honestly depends entirely on your budget. You should know that the "carbon vs aluminum" debate can be a tough conclusion to reach as not all frames are created equal, regardless of the material.
While carbon has a slight edge and can last longer, sharper steering, ease vibration better than alloy due to its material properties, it is worth asking yourself if you’re willing to fork out that extra $300.
Perhaps, it is better to also consider how much does your bike weigh - and if you’re ok with aluminium or carbon materials.
Here are the best road bikes under $2000 for men and women in 2022.
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Best Road Bikes Under $2000 for Men & Women
1. Orbea Orca 2024
Pic: JensonUSA
If you’re the type of rider who likes to go the distance and your aiming to get your road bike purely for endurance, the Orbea Orcea Avant has clean specs with the right price point making it the ideal bike purchase if you want to use this bike for long adventures and climbs.
It comes with a Shimano 105 R7100 12-speed drivetrain. The gearing is perfect for all-day Gran Fondos and steep hill climbing.
The Orbea bike is made for effortless riding and has a hydroformed aluminum frame and a carbon fork. This version of Orbea is paired with Vittoria Zafiro V Rigid bead tires that provide a little extra comfort over rough patches of pavement.
The colours come in blue and speed silver. You could say that this is a great beginner road bike with all the right checkboxes needed for your first road bike purchase.
2. Marin Gestalt 2 Bike
Pic: JensonUSA
If you want something sporty yet extremely versatile on the road, the Marin Gestalt 2 bike is the king of dual-modes. It is the perfect road bike for long distance commuters that is capable of conquering multiple trails from pavement to dirt.
While it doesn't have the Shimano 105 group set, the Shimano Tiagra 2x10-speed drivetrain has a wide range of gears that are great for climbing and high-end speed.
If you’re not fussed about getting a carbon bike and still want to take this on some touring rides, the bike has an aluminium frame and easily transforms into a commuter or bike touring bike with its fender and rack mounts. The frame has tire clearance for up to 700 x 35c tires.
3. Trek Domane AL5 Disc
Source: Trek Bikes
Trek bikes have time and again proven to be a reliable brand when it comes to any form of cycling!
The Trek Domane AL5 Gen 4 is a speedy race-worthy bike with all the right specs in place such as Shimano 105 groupset, IsoSpeed Carbon fork that is vibration proof and a sturdy handlebar for honestly more than just one terrain.
It has clearance for wider tyres, disc brakes, mounts for mudguards, a relaxed frame geometry. Trek has added quality parts to this bike that will perform remarkably and last for many years.
The lightweight aluminium frame has fender mounts and a stable endurance geometry built for the speedy cyclist in mind makes it quite the best of both worlds.
A plus point: their tubeless-ready rims and hydraulic disc brakes for stopping power in any conditions.
4. Ribble Endurance AL Disc 105
Source: Ribblecycles
If there’s one classy and stylish bike that you can get for yourself, it is the Ribble Endurance AL disc.
With everyone trying to get their hands on a sleek bike, you won’t have to fight in the market with the other mainstream brands and still score yourself a mean machine with all the high-quality specs.
Ribble has been known for that and has been the longest established bicycle retailers in the world — they do international shipping to the US so you don’t have to worry about logistics.
The Endurance AL Disc 105 combines an ultra-lightweight carbon monocoque frameset and features ultra-smooth, precision shifting with hydraulic disc brakes providing powerful and controlled braking in any conditions.
We’re also talking about quality puncture-proof tyres over here — Mavic's Aksium wheelset fitted with Continental Ultra Sport III tyres are a reliable and durable combination for year-round road riding.
The stylish colour scheme also comes in custom colours from red to blue and yellow makes it quite an attractive bicycle that’s worth every penny!
5. Ribble Endurance 725 Disc - Sport
Source: Ribblecycles
A dynamite in its own right — the Ribble Enduran 725 disc is a marginally affordable option that is on par with some aluminium or carbon bikes out there, eventhough this is a steel bike!
This is a distinctly modern road bike, and I mean look at the colours! Sporty, perfectly good-looking and a great road bike that can alternate as a commuter bike as well.
For this Sport Edition, Ribble has chosen the slick and intuitive shifting of Shimano’s 105 2x11 speed gear system. You get all the benefits of top-tier bike components such as 11-speed shifting and the enhanced braking confidence of hydraulic disc brakes.
Mavic’s ever-reliable Aksium wheelset fitted with Continental tyres round out a complete package.
This is hard to compete with compared to the aluminium and carbon bikes out there.
The Ribble Endurance 105 can be slightly heavy at around 10.88kg, but if you trade that for quality components and overall look and feel, you still get all the benefits of good sturdy-looking bike!
6. Cube Axial WS Pro Women’s 2021 - Road Bike
Source: chain reaction cycle
If you want a no-nonsense bike that does the job and it is built for women, the Cube Axial WS Pro is a great option!
The Cube Axial WS Pro is designed, engineered and optimised with speed and comfort in mind.
It provides a fast, efficient and agile performance and since it features women's specific geometry, this bike is great for friends commute, endless climbing days or even your own training session!
It features a 2x9 drivetrain, disc brakes and Cube RA Aero wheels aboard an Aluminium Superlite frame and Cube CSL Carbon-bladed forks.
It is a great price for that value and you can’t fault with the overall specs for a decent road bike!
7. Giant Contend SL Disc 1 2024
Source: Tredz.co.uk
For the price point, the Giant Contend SL 1 delivers on all fronts and has some serious robust handling making it perfect for your first road bike venture.
It is lightweight, extremely smooth making your rides almost a breeze!
The Giant Contend SL 1 frame is made from lightweight ALUXX SL aluminium and is paired with a full carbon fork. The ride quality is on par with Specialized or even Cannondale CAAD12 bike.
The Giant WheelSystem lets you run tubeless tyres up to 28mm for a smoother ride quality and reduced risk of flats. From the hills to flats, smooth roads or rough, Contend SL does it all.
8. Cube SL Road Bike
Source: Chain reaction cycles
The Cube SL Road bike is an aluminium frame built with high-end components and hydraulic disc brakes priced at the high end rangle of the SL road model.
What you get is a strong and lightweight aluminium frame with a carbon fork, which provides the perfect blend of stiffness and agility at a low weight.
Cube has equipped this versatile bike with flat racing handlebars, a Shimano Ultegra 2x11-Speed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes for the ultimate in comfort, efficiency and all-weather riding performance.
This means you'll benefit from speedy acceleration and swift shifts even if its city riding or countryside landscapes.
My Recommended Road Bikes Built for All Terrain
Beyond these slick and skinny tyres, there’s been a lot of hype and talk about road bikes built for all terrain and higher tyre clearance.
If you’re still unsure about investing in a high-end road bike, and need that go-anywhere kind of bikes with the same drop-bar handles, here are my recommendations that fit under the $2000 price tag:
Priority Apollo Gravel: Built by a small company in NYC that’s all about biking and quality: their products are all about product quality without all the bells and whistles.
This is their only drop bar, internally-geared, belt drive gravel bike that delivers all-road performance and durability from gravel paths to pitted city streets. The signature feature is their rust and grease-free Gates Carbon Drive Belt.A:1R Adventure Road Bike: Designed to tackle longer gravel and multi-surface rides the A:1R is built for explorers and all day adventures. There are 6 different color options of frame and fork in either diamond or step-thru design for you to create and personalize your own ride.
State Bicycle: Black Label - All road - Dark woodland: This bike is all about speed and versatility, especially high performance on and off-road! Make it 2-bikes-in-1 by selecting “both” as your wheel set choice and they’ll actually send you a 2nd pair of wheels, tires, tubes, rotors, and cassettes for easy back-and-forth switching between 700c / 650b.
What about accessories? Here are some cool finds
1. Smith’s French Navy + Rock Salt Helmet
Smith’s top of the line helmets range built for men and women are perfect for shredding weekends and even mid-day rides! They’re versatile, have a proper ventilation system which keeps air flowing and your eyewear fog-free!
The best part are the range of designs that are available from Mediterranean colours, hibiscus to indigo — if you’re on the road for the entire summer and spring, you’ll want to be seen in these colours!
2. Smith’s Persist Helmet
Some helmets look way too outsized, and just ended up dominating how you look on a bike! Smith’s Persist helmets ensure that they don’t look too big and are aligned with your body’s proportions!
The helmet is well-ventilated with 21 optimally placed vents and internal air channels to keep you cool and comfortable. There are a lot of cool darker hues such as dark green or black and even cool bold bright colours like orange!
Get this if you want an affordably priced helmet without sacrificing build and quality!
3. Bobcat sunglasses
These frames are pretty swanky, lightweight and perfect for gravel adventures, road riding and those heavy sunshine days! Smith’s Bobcat sunglasses are for riders who want full coverage with a smaller fit and a lightweight feel.
The hybrid sunglasses offers a google-like coverage minus the weight and the bonus addition of ChromaPop brings out details of the forested trails! Since the lens is interchangeable, you get a bonus clear lens for low-light needs!
