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news
Saracen Avro - riding 1.jpgBeat Brexit price rises, buy a 2016 road bike bargain
In compiling the Bike of the Year Awards articles recently, it became clear that the prices of many 2017 bikes have increased compared to 2016 models. That’s the result of Brexit, of course, and while price increases vary from brand to brand they can be as much as 12% in some cases, which certainly adds a sizeable chunk the price tag of a new road bike.
- Brexit: what does it mean to you and your bike?
There is a way to beat the Brexit price increases, and that’s to act quickly and snap up a 2016 bargain. We’ve had a trawl around some of the best-known retailers and discovered there are some decent bikes still available and some with really quite hefty discounts. In many cases, the frames are identical between the 2016 and 2017 models, save for a different paint job, but we have noticed a few new bikes coming along this model year with a lower level specification compared to the previous year. So not only might you be getting a cheaper bike, you might be getting a better specced one too. It’s really worth shopping around if you are in the mood for a new road bike this year.
Raleigh Militis Team - was £5,000, now £3000
We’ve been a fan of the Raleigh Militis since it was first launched, the carbon fibre road bike catapulted the iconic British bike brand back into the high-end performance road bike market. Two grand off a bike with a carbon frame and wheels and SRAM Red groupset is a bit of a steal.
Charge Plug 3 - was £849.99, now £549.99
Revamped with an aluminium frame and clearance increased for wide tyres, the latest Plug was a hit in its single speed guise in the Commuting Bike of the Year awards. Add some gears and this bike looks a steal if you want a speedy commuter or leisure cycling bike
Saracen Avro 2 2016 - was £2,099.99, now £1,259.99
The British designed carbon fibre road bike from a brand better known for its mountain bikes was well received when road.cc reviewed it, and it ticks a lot of boxes if you want a fast and comfortable road bike
Eastway Zener D2 - was £1,300.00, now £975.00
Eastway was reborn a couple of years ago by online retailer wiggle, and they’ve done a grand job of producing a range of smartly designed and well-specced road bikes, and the Zener D2 is a great option for the cyclist wanting to upgrade from their first road bike. A carbon frame with an endurance geometry will provide comfort and the Shimano 105 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes provides solid control.
Cube Agree C:62 SL - was £2599.00, now £2049.99
If you want a high-end carbon fibre performance road bike shaped by aerodynamics, look no further than this smart Cube Agree. Direct mount brakes, aero profiled tubes, tapered head tube, light carbon frame and, on this model, a Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 groupset. Okay, so Shimano might have just launched a new version of Dura-Ace, but the previous groupset is still a bloody good choice.
GT Grade X 2016 Adventure Road Bike - was £1,499.99, £999.00
GT’s Grade was a hit from the moment it was released a few years ago, and as the adventure category has grown, it has stood the test of time. This model gets the fantastic SRAM Rival 1x11 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes and Clement 33mm tyres.
BMC Granfondo GF02 Tiagra - was £1,499.00, now £1,099.00
If you want a comfortable bike for going the distance, the GranFondo from BMC is a popular option. This model combines a carbon fibre frame and fork with Shimano’s latest, and very good, Tiagra groupset.
Verenti Technique Tiagra - was £650.00, now £494.98
Third place in the road.cc Sub-£1,000 Bike of the Year 2016-17 Awards, the Verenti Technique offers an excellent performance with great handling that doesn’t put a foot wrong whether you’re taking place in a sportive or commuting to work.
Cannondale CAAD12 Disc Frameset - was £699.99, now £419.99
We’ve mainly included complete bikes here, but there are some good frameset deals to be had if you want to go down the route of building your own bike. Cannondale’s aluminium flagship race bike has long been a fave with home mechanics and the excellent disc-equipped version is the good basis for building a bike for the summer.
Eddy Merckx Mourenx 69 - was £3,999, now £2,099.46
There are few bike brands with more race heritage as one bearing the name Merckx on the down tube. The Mourenx 69 though, isn’t designed for racing, it’s an endurance bike built for comfort and distance.
Trek Emonda SL 6 - was £2,100, now £1,500
Trek’s lightest carbon fibre model is the Emonda SL and you can get a sizeable discount off this Ultegra-equipped model. We love the paint job too!
Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc - was £1499, now £1049.99
Redesigned last year, the Cube Attain GTC Pro is a carbon fibre endurance model that is available with disc brakes. This model gets the latest Shimano 105 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes.
Cube Attain Pro - was £699, now £518.99
If you want a cheaper Attain and don’t want disc brakes, this is a good option. It features an aluminium frame with a carbon fibre fork with a solid Shimano Sora groupset and comfortable 25mm tyres. Chain Reaction Cycles has a good range of sizes available, from 47 to 60cm.
Specialized Tarmac Comp Ultegra Di2 - was £2,800, now £2,100
The Specialized Tarmac hasn’t changed for 2017 which means there are some good deals around, such as this Ultegra Di2 model. The only snag is that Sigma Sport only has stock of the 49cm model. Still, a good buy if it fits you.
Cannondale SuperSix Evo Tiagra - was £1,299, now £779.99
Originally conceived as a top-level race bike, the SuperSix Evo has since become much more affordable, making access to the great carbon fibre frame and the excellent performance and handling it offers open to many more people. This Tiagra model is available in a good few sizes including 56, 58 and 60cm.
Focus Cayo Aluminium Disc Tiagra - was £999, now £599
A high-performance bike, the Cayo has long been a popular model in the Germany company’s range, and you can have it with disc brakes too. Fully internal cable routeing on the smooth welded, triple butted aluminium frame, and Shimano’s latest Tiagra 4700 groupset.
Wilier Cento 1 SR Record - was £4,999, now £3,749
Pick up a slice of Italian race bike action at a discounted price, this Wilier Cento 1 SR packs a stylish carbon fibre frame and Campagnolo Record groupset with Shamal Mille wheels.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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12 comments
Fair enough - I missed that... But it was a tad overegged given the frequency.
I like my coffee the same way I like my satire: black and bitter. Also percolated and freetrade. In this case I may have strayed into caustic, but I think it should be rather obvious I was exaggerating for comic effect.
I do think it would be sad if, for example, the bicycles of Orbea, which is part of a federation of worker cooperatives in the Basque region, became uncompetitive with those of Specialized; and if a trade deal begged from Trump were to include trademark terms that made it easier for them to sue bike shops here for using the name 'Roubaix'.
Brexit smexit. I remember the days before we were in the EU. In 5 years we will not care.
What I do care about is not having to buy f**king disc brakes just because I'm being told I need them by er... companies making disk brakes. Zzzzzzzz
Totally get your point about ad-homs. You're not getting my point that handlebarcam has been posting spurious Brexit nonsense on loads of threads since the vote.
Was personally hoping for a TT bargain somewhere...
I remember a time under Labour when the point was in danger of achieving parity with the Euro. What did everyone blame price rises on then?
Let's face it, even if the pound makes an enormous recovery, prices won't go down. Once you've accepted higher prices it's not going the other way until it's end of year clearance time.
Odd thing cycling, as there seems to be a fair few left leaners about but at the same time some of them will be extolling the virtues of stupidly expensive bikes whose production is clearly only possible in a rich capitalist system. What a pickle. Power to the people on £5k bikes.
That's the new left, comrade.
I do everything from hill climbs to ironmans on my n=1, my Flying Pigeon, which I rode back from a Mao speech in China. Looks great with clip-on aero bars.
Don't really see Brexit as a left/right issue personally. Granted it was pushed hardest by the more foamy-mouthed end of the Tory party but plenty of 'lefty' people voted for it and plenty of metropolitan Tories against it.
Besides, come the revolution, everyone will be riding £5k bikes
That's fine with Brexiteers. To them, if you want to spend your money on anything other than British beer and British beef and British fish and British chips and British-built motorcars, then you're a traitorous remoaner. And, for many of the same people, the less bicycles there are on the roads the better.
Ah, bigotry isn't nasty or narrow-minded when it's from a latte leftie?
Fair dos though: this is a Brexit-headlined article. Suggest you fill your boots and stop tantrumming all over other completely unrelated threads. Some of us occasionally want to talk about bikes.
Oh, the irony of accusing someone of bigotry and then labelling them with a derogatory (actually, it's entirely my assumption that it's derogatory, to be fair - for some folk being associated with left-wing politics and milky coffee might be a compliment) moniker...
Out of interest, what should the "(s)ome of us" who "occasionally want to talk about bikes" make of your post? [For completeness: I, personally, do occasionally want to talk about bikes but I recognise that, as an unmoderated internet site, there will often be other topics covered.
Have a look on other less-Brexitty threads if you want to see what I mean about handlebarcam's posts. If you can't be arsed to do that, I suggest being more discerning with your white knighting in future.
<sigh>
I think you're assuming white knighting when I am, in fact, just highlighting the (all-too-common) practice of attacking the person (with a label) rather than their argument, plus the (all-too-common) practice of complaining that this is a cycling site that shouldn't be polluted with non-cycling rubbish (a practice that is, clearly, polluting a cycling site with non-cycling rubbish).
Thanks, though, for suggesting that *I* should do the hard work in generating a justification for your attack. @handlebarcam's offering certainly seemed pretty prejudiced (I'd personally have thought 'bigoted' was a bit strong) but I wasn't contradicting your characterisation of his post - I was highlighting the irony of doing so while engaging in name-calling, as above.
On another, more cycling-related note, some of these bargains are pretty astonishing and if I wasn't approaching S-1 (may already be there) and still 2 months from my bonus actually being paid to me, I'd be loooking seriously at them...