Buying a new road bike in 2023 can be approached in a number of different ways. You can buy a road bike from a shop ready built, you could buy a frameset and all the components, so you can really fine tune your build. Or you could buy a bike and then just upgrade it to the point you are happy with where you land. But what's the best way and which way delivers the best value for you, the rider? Sam Gupta and Simon Smythe sit down and discuss their hypothetical road bike builds to figure out the best way for you to purchase a new road bike in 2023.
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00:00 3,000 pounds is a very popular price point
00:03 for people wanting to buy a brand new bike.
00:05 But what is the best way to spend that money?
00:09 I've been joined by Simon,
00:10 and we're gonna have a little chat
00:11 and work out how we would spend
00:13 our hypothetical 3,000 pounds.
00:15 And there's three key ways that you could go about this.
00:18 You could buy a frame set and then build it up.
00:20 You could just buy a bike that is worth 3,000 pounds,
00:24 or you could buy a bike that's worth less than 3,000 pounds
00:27 and then maybe upgrade your way to that price point.
00:31 So Simon, what do you think?
00:33 Where would you start with your hypothetical 3,000 pounds?
00:37 - Well, I thought I'd start with the Allez Sprint,
00:38 the Specialized Allez Sprint, which is a cool bike.
00:42 It's got sort of that kind of appeal,
00:43 that sort of red hook thing going on.
00:45 It kind of asks to be made into a sort of custom build,
00:48 really, in some ways.
00:49 So you can buy the frame set for 1,600 pounds,
00:52 or you can buy the complete bike.
00:54 There's just one complete version of it,
00:55 which is the Specialized Allez Sprint Comp,
00:58 which is 105, and that costs 2,600 pounds.
01:01 - And it's a mechanical 105, then, isn't it?
01:02 - Mechanical 105, yeah.
01:03 So what I thought I'd do was just have a look
01:05 at what you get for your 2,600 pounds,
01:08 and then work out how much money was left over
01:10 if I spec'd it the same way myself.
01:13 Are you getting value for money
01:14 if you buy the complete bike,
01:16 or could you do a better build
01:17 if you just buy the frame set and build it up for yourself?
01:20 So yeah, so it has a 105 disc group set.
01:22 It has DT Swiss R470 rims,
01:26 which are quite sort of basic, really low-end.
01:29 Turbo Pro tires, Power Comp saddle,
01:32 Specialized's own shallow drop bar and Alley stem.
01:36 Super sticky Cush bar tape, which is quite cool, nice.
01:39 I worked out that if you buy all that stuff separately,
01:42 you know, you're looking at the online retailers,
01:43 you're looking at sort of wiggle and chain reaction.
01:45 I got it to come to a little bit less than that,
01:47 building it myself, a little bit less than the 2,600.
01:50 There was actually 60 quid to spare.
01:53 And so if I was doing that for myself,
01:55 that would mean I could upgrade the tires
01:58 to the Turbo Cotton Helen North tires,
02:00 which I do, which are the really nice ones.
02:02 And they have 320 TPI cotton casings,
02:05 and so they're going to really improve the ride
02:07 a lot more over those quite basic Turbo tires.
02:10 So there you go, I've just saved myself 60 quid
02:12 just like that, some really nice tires.
02:14 And they would improve the ride quality,
02:15 and they look really nice as well.
02:17 - And that's still at that 2,600 mark,
02:19 so the build you came up with actually totaled 2,540 pounds.
02:24 - Yes, that's right.
02:25 - Okay, so if 3,000 pounds really was your ceiling,
02:28 you've still potentially got some money to spend.
02:30 What would you do then?
02:31 So in that scenario, I'm guessing you would rather opt
02:34 to build up a frame set?
02:35 - Yeah, I would actually.
02:36 I think with the frame set,
02:38 it's nice to give yourself the option.
02:39 It's nice to shop around.
02:41 I think it's nice to put your own sort of stamp
02:43 on a bike anyway.
02:44 You know, you can choose what you want on it.
02:46 You can make it look better, you can make it ride better.
02:48 You can make it lighter, which is quite a big thing.
02:52 - And I guess a big thing from a bike fit point of view
02:54 as well is that the bars, the stem,
02:57 you can make sure that you buy the right widths
02:59 and correct lengths that suit your own bike fit.
03:02 So from the get-go,
03:04 essentially it's gonna fit you straight away.
03:06 - Exactly that, yeah, yeah.
03:07 I mean, if you've had a recent bike fit,
03:09 I mean, I have, so I've got my measurements right there.
03:12 Whenever I'm sort of building up a bike,
03:13 I can just get the tape measure out,
03:15 and I know what I need.
03:16 And it's a much more time-effective even way
03:20 to do it like that, as well as cost-effective, I would say.
03:24 Okay, Sam, 3,000 pounds, what are you gonna do?
03:29 - Okay, so starting with a frame set build,
03:32 and it actually relates to the bike
03:33 that we've got behind us, this Trek Armada ALR,
03:35 which is actually still very new.
03:37 This bike is offered in two builds,
03:39 a 105 mechanical build and a 105 Di2 build,
03:42 but it is also offered as a frame set.
03:45 So I've taken the frame set,
03:47 and I've gone with a 105 mechanical group set,
03:50 because you can get them online for pretty good money.
03:52 I found one for about 450 pounds, which is pretty good.
03:56 I have then blown a little bit more money on the wheels,
03:59 because I think that's a really good place to spend money.
04:02 I mean, that's advice that is not new at all.
04:04 So I found some Hunt 40 carbon disc wheels for 730 pounds,
04:09 and then to those, I mated some GP 5000 tyres,
04:13 and then I inflated them with some silica sealant,
04:16 because I think the silica sealant is very, very good.
04:19 - It's gonna eat into your budget, isn't it?
04:21 - A little bit, it has a little bit,
04:23 but it's already on sale, and this is the thing,
04:25 if you shop around, you really can find
04:26 some of the really nice stuff for a lot less
04:28 than it was originally marketed at.
04:31 In terms of finishing kit, I've then gone
04:33 for full Pro-Vibe alloy handlebar, stem, and seat post.
04:38 That in itself will have a bit of a weight saving
04:41 over and above the standard finishing kit
04:43 you'd get on the stock bike.
04:45 And then just because I'm a really big fan of it,
04:47 I've gone for the Fizik Argo Tempo saddle,
04:49 and then I've gone for the SuperCaz
04:51 Super Sticky Cush bar tape, because it's my favourite.
04:53 It just feels really nice.
04:55 All of those components, and there are rotors,
04:58 and there is a bottom bracket in there as well,
05:00 that actually came to 2,866 pounds.
05:04 So I am shy, I'm just shy of that 3,000 pound budget.
05:07 Now, if you were to build in a labour cost for building it,
05:11 you could guesstimate something around 300 pounds
05:14 to have that built.
05:15 You would then be at that 3,100 pounds,
05:18 which makes for an interesting comparison,
05:20 because at 3,160 odd pounds,
05:23 you're then basically at the same price
05:25 for the 105 Di2 build of the Émonda.
05:29 So then you're in the realms of,
05:31 okay, would I rather have a 105 mechanical build,
05:35 but have some really nice wheels and tyres,
05:37 and all the right finishing kit,
05:38 or would I rather just spend all of the money
05:42 on a bike that does have Di2?
05:45 Personally, and I think you might be of the same persuasion,
05:49 that actually I'd rather have the mechanical.
05:50 It's still a good groupset,
05:52 and you're gonna get a much better ride feel
05:54 out of the wheels and the tyres,
05:55 and having all of the right finishing kit
05:57 that is the correct size for you.
06:00 - I would absolutely go with that too.
06:01 I think mechanical 105, we know it's really good.
06:03 It really works, it just works.
06:06 Di2 is like a nice to have, but not essential,
06:08 whereas a nice set of wheels,
06:10 they're really gonna improve the ride quality
06:11 and make your bike a lot lighter.
06:13 - Absolutely, I could not agree more.
06:15 And the other thing to bear in mind as well
06:16 is that if, say for example,
06:18 you were very keen to have Di2,
06:20 sure, go out, go and buy a bike with Di2 already fitted,
06:25 because you will be getting a better price
06:26 with that groupset fitted to a stock bike.
06:29 Just bear in mind that if you do want to upgrade things,
06:31 obviously I'd say that maybe it would just have to come
06:33 a little bit later, or just bite the bullet straight away
06:36 and upgrade the wheels instantly,
06:38 but you will obviously plough through that 3,000 pound
06:41 imaginary price bracket we've set ourselves today.
06:44 Now I'm sure plenty of you have been typing up
06:47 some furious comments saying that,
06:49 well, for 3,000 pounds, you could get a carbon bike.
06:52 Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about that.
06:54 So Simon, carbon bike for 3,000 pounds,
06:57 what are you going for?
06:58 - Okay, I'm gonna go for the Dolin Aries,
07:00 the latest Dolin Aries.
07:01 Now I reviewed an earlier version of the Aries in 2015
07:04 when it was the Ann Post-Sean Kelly team bike,
07:07 so I'd be really interested to try this latest Aries,
07:09 and I bet it's a really good bike.
07:10 It looks really, really nice.
07:13 It has the UCI sticker, it's a proper race bike,
07:15 and it looks like really good value as well.
07:17 So for that 3,000 pounds or just over,
07:19 you get a mechanical Ultegra groupset,
07:22 and you get Xerion wheels.
07:24 It looks like a decent build,
07:25 but I think that I could do a better job with the frameset.
07:29 - Okay.
07:30 - Because the frameset itself,
07:31 if you can buy just the frameset,
07:32 and it costs 1,600 pounds,
07:34 which is the same as the Allee Sprint,
07:36 so there you go, so a carbon bike,
07:38 which is the same cost as the Allee Sprint.
07:40 And the complete Allee Sprint costs 2,600 pounds
07:43 with the 105 build, but with the Ultegra build,
07:46 you get Ultegra for 3,000 pounds with that bike.
07:49 So if I was gonna go back to 105,
07:50 I don't mean to complicate it here,
07:52 you could have some extra money for better wheels.
07:54 I think we both think that's the best way
07:56 to improve a bike's ride and its weight.
07:59 And so I would probably spend that extra 400 pounds
08:02 and combine it with the 200 pounds that I'd have saved,
08:04 if you're following, on some of those Hunt 40 wheels,
08:08 which would cost you 700 quid around that,
08:10 just over 700 quid.
08:11 So that very slightly goes over the budget,
08:14 but I think who wouldn't go with that?
08:17 They're really good wheels.
08:19 I think you'd get a really good build there.
08:20 - So actually, in this case,
08:21 so you're definitely saying you would prefer
08:23 to go for the frameset and build it up
08:25 compared to the Ultegra?
08:26 - Yeah, I would go for the frameset.
08:28 I would drop down to 105,
08:29 then I'd have the really nice Hunt wheels.
08:31 I'd be happy with the finishing kit that it comes with,
08:33 which is the Deda Super Zero aluminium bar and stem.
08:37 I've ridden those before and they work fine.
08:39 They're nice, they're lightweight.
08:40 Yeah, absolutely, no problem with those.
08:43 - So those Hunt wheels do ever so slightly blow the budget.
08:45 So if you wanted to stay within that 3,000 pounds,
08:48 is there another option?
08:50 - There is.
08:50 They're a set of Velwheels from Sigma Sport,
08:53 which is Velwheels, their house wheel brand.
08:55 They're carbon with 38 millimetre rims.
08:58 They weigh 1,550 grammes and they would cost you 490 pounds.
09:03 - Not bad.
09:04 - So you'd be in nicely inside
09:05 your 3,000 pound budget with those.
09:07 - Ideal.
09:08 - And they're really good wheels.
09:09 (upbeat music)
09:11 So at the start of the video,
09:13 we determined that there are three basic ways
09:15 that you can go with this.
09:17 The first is to buy a frameset and build it up
09:19 and your budget's 3,000 pounds.
09:21 The second way is to buy the 3,000 pound complete build.
09:25 The third way is to buy a 1,500 pound bike
09:28 and upgrade it with a self-imposed ceiling of 3,000 pounds.
09:32 So let's have a look at that third way, Sam.
09:34 What have you got for us?
09:35 - Well, so I went for an Endurace from Canyon
09:38 and they do an Endurace 7,
09:40 which here in the UK comes in at 1,449 pounds.
09:45 Now, obviously you could upgrade any bike
09:47 that's sub 3,000 pounds.
09:49 It doesn't have to be 1,500 pounds,
09:51 but in this case,
09:52 I thought this was a really good starting point.
09:54 Now it is worth mentioning that of course,
09:56 Canyon is a direct to consumer brand.
09:58 So there will be inherent value there.
10:01 But looking at this bike,
10:02 for me, it made sense to go straight in
10:05 with upgrading the wheels,
10:07 the inflation system and the tyres.
10:09 So I went for the Hunt Carbon 40 rims for 730 pounds,
10:14 pair of Continental GP 5000s,
10:17 and then of course the Silca sealant
10:18 because that is my favourite.
10:20 But then that left me with about 700 pounds to play with.
10:24 And this is where I was then struggling to work out
10:26 where I'd get the most bang for buck.
10:28 Because of course,
10:30 I could spend that money on upgrading the cockpit,
10:33 the seat post and the saddle
10:34 to something that I really like,
10:35 but I don't feel like I'd actually be getting
10:37 too much value for that money.
10:39 So instead,
10:41 while you could spend that money on the finishing kit,
10:44 perhaps actually you could spend that money on a bike fit.
10:47 You could spend that money on a really nice head unit,
10:50 for example, a 1040 Solar.
10:52 You could even spend that money on going away to Mallorca
10:55 for a nice week of riding.
10:56 So it's a tough one to work out
10:58 where you get the most bang for buck.
10:59 And I think that's gonna be down to you guys,
11:01 the viewers to work out where you feel like
11:03 you would get the most amount of value.
11:05 I think for me,
11:07 I think once I'd upgraded those wheels, tyres and sealant,
11:11 I think what I would do is make sure I had a saddle
11:13 that I really, really liked.
11:14 And then I'd use the remaining money on a head unit.
11:17 Now strictly that doesn't fall within the cost
11:20 of a new bike,
11:22 but I do feel like it's a good place to spend money
11:25 and it definitely would help improve
11:27 the overall ride experience.
11:29 The interesting thing here though,
11:30 is when you compare that hypothetical build
11:32 with a three grand bike from Canyon.
11:35 And for example, they have the Enduro Race CF8,
11:38 which is 2,899 pounds.
11:41 And that is a carbon frame bike
11:42 that already comes with a carbon cockpit and seat post.
11:46 You get decent wheels and very good tyres on there,
11:48 the GP5000 STRs.
11:51 - And a very comfy saddle.
11:52 So actually, I think in this instance,
11:55 I may actually opt to go for the carbon version of the bike.
11:59 And I know that you reviewed that bike, Simon,
12:01 and actually you quite liked it.
12:03 - I really liked it.
12:03 I gave it four stars out of five.
12:05 And the only reason why I adopted a star
12:07 was because the wheels were really heavy.
12:09 And in this latest version,
12:11 it has upgraded wheels and upgraded tyres.
12:13 So it's going to be a better bike overall.
12:14 So it's probably heading towards
12:16 the perfect five stars, isn't it?
12:18 - Absolutely.
12:18 I mean, obviously those wheels won't really match
12:21 a set of carbon deep sections.
12:23 They're still not going to have
12:24 the same kind of weight savings,
12:26 but they're potentially good enough
12:27 for the job that's needed.
12:29 And given the value that you get
12:30 with all of the components that are included in that,
12:32 and the fact that it still comes in
12:34 a hundred pounds lower than our 3,000 pound ceiling,
12:37 I think that actually does work out
12:39 to be a pretty good option in this scenario.
12:41 And actually, that is also a lot to be said
12:43 about building up a frame
12:45 compared to upgrading a bike that you already have.
12:48 Because it means that you're not going to have
12:49 wasted components.
12:51 So for example, if I were to take
12:53 that aluminium Endurace build
12:55 and then change the cockpit and the seat post
12:57 and the saddle,
12:58 well then you're left with a whole bunch of components
12:59 that you can do not a lot with.
13:02 And actually, if you try to sell those components,
13:04 there isn't really a market for them
13:06 because they are very bulk standard.
13:08 So just from a wastage point of view
13:10 and just not having kind of clutter building up,
13:12 again, actually then it makes sense
13:14 to kind of go down that building up a frame set route.
13:17 - So overall then,
13:18 we've analysed three very different ways
13:20 of building up a bike for 3,000 pounds.
13:23 Overall, Simon, how would you spend the money?
13:26 - I'm going to go with the frame set.
13:27 You know, I want to build a bike myself.
13:28 I like building bikes.
13:30 I want to choose my own components.
13:32 I want to make it my own individual unique bike that's mine.
13:35 And I want that freedom to choose the components
13:37 that I want to ride.
13:38 So for me, it's going to be the frame set.
13:41 - Absolutely.
13:42 To be honest, I completely agree.
13:43 I love the fact that you can make everything right,
13:46 right from the get go.
13:47 There's no wastage and everything is as you want it.
13:51 The thing to bear in mind,
13:52 the caveat is that if you aren't going to build it,
13:55 then there will of course be a cost
13:56 in getting a mechanic to build that bike for you.
13:59 So that is one thing to bear in mind.
14:01 But at the same time,
14:02 if it means that you never have to upgrade anything
14:04 on that bike later, maybe it is worth doing it
14:06 and getting your bike correct right from the get go.
14:09 Let us know down below, out of the three scenarios,
14:12 how would you spend a hypothetical 3,000 pounds?
14:15 Frame set, stock build, or upgrade a bike that costs less?
14:19 Let us know down below.
14:20 If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,
14:23 subscribe to the channel for more content,
14:24 and we will see you again very soon.
14:26 (upbeat music)
14:29 (whooshing)