If there is such thing as best time of the year to get a new, bike, it is now. With the roads getting dry and dusty, you can clock in those new bike miles easily, and enjoy the longer days without worrying about the bike-cleaning aftermath.
We’re always here to give you the best advice on what bikes are worth considering, so here are five bikes that we’re currently testing. Many of them can tackle various types of terrain, and are priced in or around the £3k mark.
If you cannot wait until reading these reviews, we’ve already reviewed a whole range of bikes of course, so check out our reviews page for those. It’s worth also having a look at our best road bikes buyer’s guide.
Cinelli Superstar Disc Ultegra Dark Night Bike - £3,299
The Superstar Disc is Cinelli's UCI-approved carbon endurance disc bike, built with traditional Italian racing geometry. It’s targeted at riders looking for all-day comfort and the drive to tackle multi-day events and Grand Fondos - but it should not make you sluggish on the odd sprint, either.
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The frame is made of T700 HM carbon fibre and features a unique patented kinked carbon top tube with “Geometry Controlled Deformation technology”. You get flat-mount disc brakes, tyre clearance up to 28mm and internal cable routing for both mechanical and electronic groupsets.
The bike we have in for testing comes with Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting, FSA chainset and Vision Team 30 TLR wheels.
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Moda Stretto - £3,175
This bike will likely be one to be compared to the Cinelli above, as they both have similar specifications and are made for varied everyday riding. The Moda Stretto comes with a full carbon frame, disc brakes, fully integral cable routing and 28mm tyres.
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Our test bike is equipped with Shimano 105 Di2 electronic groupset and Spinergy wheels.
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Giant Defy Advanced 1 - £3,199
Another do-it-all bike in the same price bracket! Giant’s Defy Advanced 1 is the brand’s endurance road bike. Complete with a carbon frame, D-Fuse seatpost and handlebar that absorbs road shocks and vibrations, plus disc brakes, this bike is meant for those long rides.
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The geometry is pretty relaxed, and the Defy has tyre clearance for up to 35mm rubber so you could potentially take it on some gravel, too.
Our test bike comes equipped with a Shimano 105 Di2 12-speed groupset, a Giant P-R2 Disc Wheelset with 22mm inner rim width and completed with finishing kit from Giant.
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Orro Terra Ti GRX800 gravel bike - £3,899.99
We couldn't omit a gravel bike from our selection. Orro’s Terra lineup has been expanded by this titanium version of their gravel machine. If the previous Orro Terra C GRX800 and Orro Terra E Shimano GRX 1x E-bike are anything to go by, we can expect this bike to be well capable both off and on-road.
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This Terra has a full titanium frame made with hydroformed 3.25 titanium with a 6.4 cast bottom bracket shell. It’s built with bikepacking and multi-day riding in mind, and comes with a plethora of mounts, semi-integrated cable routing and full internal dynamo light routing through the fork.
The fork is carbon, and unlike the previous Terras, this one has a T47 threaded bottom bracket. The max tyre clearance is 700c x 44c, or 650b x 47c if you prefer/need smaller hoops.
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Frog 61 kids bike - £450
This 24-inch hybrid Frog 61 kids bike is the ideal multi-purpose geared bike, meant for children from eight to 10 years old. It has a lightweight alloy frame with a low bottom bracket for a stable ride feel, and weighs a nudge over 9kg which makes it easy to manoeuvre.
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In terms of components, you get a quick-release, child-specific saddle, 8-speed gear shifters, Tektro rim brakes and Frog cranks. Kids grow up quick, so you can adjust the handlebar height by 40mm. This means the bike will serve your little ones for longer.
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2 comments
I can see it now - Defy Advanced 4.5 stars. Only con: "stock wheels and tyres are utter bobbins"
Can't quite believe they're shipping a £3k+ bike with Di2 and those absolute boat anchors of wheels.
seems like cracking value though- bought a defy 1 advanced last summer, for when I am back in Northern Ireland (aged parent), and paid 2.5k for a mechancial groupset- i think ultegra from memory