Image via Complex Original
For those new to the bicycling experience, a thousand dollars might seem like a lot of money. Well, it isn't. In a world where a mere saddle (never a seat) can run upwards of $450 and a racing wheelset can set you back nearly three grand, all of a sudden $1,000 for a complete bike seems downright reasonable. To make things easier, we narrowed it down to some of the best choices across multiple categories. Check out The 10 Best Bikes Under $1,000 Right Now.
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Raleigh Tripper
MSRP: $900
Forget the best bikes under $1,000, the Raleigh Tripper might be one of the best bikes available now at any price. The $900 Tripper is essentially a flat-bar cyclocross bike, only with fat 32c street tires, disc brakes, and an internally-geared three-speed hub. A steel frame and fork ensures a smooth ride, and the drab coloration gives it a proper urban feel.
Fuji Bikes Feather
MSRP: $580
We can debate endlessly on whether the fixed-gear "trend" is over, but that time would be better spent actually riding a bike. The Fuji Feather comes in a variety of colors (including this Mets-friendly take), and is equipped with basic, dependable, proven parts - like sealed 36-hole hubs and an honest-to-goodness threaded headset.
Cannondale Bad Boy 9
MSRP: $730
It's more or less impossible to go wrong with flat black. The Cannondale Bad Boy series may stick to traditional derailleur shifting rather than the de riguer internally geared rear hub, but it more than makes up for it in pure menace. If budget is less of a concern, the $1,100 Bad Boy 9 features Cannondale's signature Lefty single-legged fork for extra style points.
Linus Bikes Gaston 5
MSRP: $770
The Gaston 5 may look like a racing bike from a century ago, but it takes advantage of modern technology, namely with a five-speed internally geared Sturmey Archer hub. (Then again, Sturmey Archer isn't exactly new to this, as they made their first three-speed hub in 1936.) The single downtube shifter is a nice, elegant touch, as is the leather bar tape.
Bianchi Campione
MSRP: $830
Bianchi has been making bikes for an awfully long time—since 1885, in fact—and nothing is quite as quintessentially Bianchi as a steel-framed road bike. The Campione may be a far cry from current Tour models, but it's a lot like the bikes the giants of the road were using 30 years ago, right down to the downtube shifters, steel fork and skinwall tires. If only it came in Celeste.
Fairdale Weekender
MSRP: $850
We've written about the Weekender before, and for good reason. The swept-back riser bars and nine speeds make for a comfortable ride, while the disc brakes provide supreme stopping power in all conditions. And with $150 of the theoretical budget remaining, there's plenty left over for fenders and racks.
Strada Customs Fixie
MSRP: $450
Not only is the Strada a great deal, it's available in virtually any color combination you can come up with. They also have a massive new retail space in NYC, which means you can check out the bikes in person before you buy online. There's also a $950 "pro model" in swoopy aluminum, but the basic steel fixie is the real deal.
Trek 1.2
MSRP: $990
The sole "modern" road bike on this list, the Trek 1.2 barely squeaks under the thousand-dollar cutoff. But you get a lot for your money, from an Alpha aluminum frame and a carbon fork to Shimano gearing. Plus, the Trek name, which still has some cache on the road.
GT Bicycles Meatball
MSRP: $780
The GT Meatball is truly the best of both worlds. It looks like a traditional urban fixed gear, what with the matte paint job, riser bars, fat 35c tires and complete lack of levers and cables. But there's magic in the rear hub. A coaster brake allows for non-panic stops, and an internal automatic two-speed allows for easier hills and a smoother cadence at high speeds. The ultimate city hauler.
Globe Work 3
MSRP: $830
The Globe Work 3 is not sexy. The Globe Work 3 will not get you laid. You will not proudly lock it up in front of your local hipster bar with a u-lock you casually tug free from your carefully worn-in $300 selvage denim. What the Globe Work 3 is, is solid, no-nonsense urban transportation that will get you where you need to go in any conditions. And sometimes that's all you need.
