Presenter Challenge: What’s the best bike we can buy for under £2,000?
We bought three second hand bikes and put them head-to-head through a series of challenges to find out which was the best
Danny Walter
Head of Editorial Production
If you were given £2,000 to spend on a bike - what would you go for? Something brand new or would you be savvy and look for a second-hand bargain?
When that question was posed to our presenters Si Richardson, Alex Paton and guest presenter Mark Threlfall from Global Triathlon Network, they were all in agreement that a second-hand bike was the only option. With the aid of Buycyle, a dedicated online marketplace for buying and selling bikes we found three beauties that fell within budget and were up for the challenge.
In this video we see how they got on, but first let’s check out the bikes and the challenge ahead.
Alex Paton: Cannondale SuperSix Evo – £1,765
© GCN
Alex Paton's Cannondale SuperSix Evo weighed an impressive 6.9kg
Alex went for this striking blue Cannondale SuperSix Evo. It has a carbon frame, top spec ENVE wheels, a Shimano Ultegra groupset and premium parts throughout. Safe to say he was pretty chuffed with his purchase that came in well below budget – although he did think the colour was a little more lurid than the image he saw online.
Bike specification
Year: 2019
Model: SuperSix Evo
Manufacturer: Cannondale
Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra 11s
Cassette: Dura-Ace 11-30
Crankset: FSA SL-Light (50/34, 175mm)
Handlebars: Cannondale-Lenker
Saddle: SQ-lab 611 Sattel
Wheels: ENVE carbon
Tyres: Continental 5000
Tyre Width: 25mm
Si Richardson: Trek Émonda SL6 –£1,940
© GCN
The others said his choice was 'too safe' but Si believes he's picked the best weapon for the job
Si went for the safer, some might say 'more boring' option of this Trek Émonda. It's a neat bike with wider tyres, newer tech and is an all round more practical choice. How will it fair in the the challenges though?
Bike specification
Year: 2022
Model: Émonda SL6
Manufacturer: Trek
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 11s
Crankset: 52-36
Mark Threlfall: Vitus Chrono TT – £1,325
© GCN
GTN's Mark Threlfall has made the smart choice with this Vitus Chrono TT. Or has he?
Mark went against the grain a little, although true to his triathlon heritage, as he opted for this TT bike from Vitus. It should undoubtedly be fast but how will it hold up against the others in the other challenges we have in store?
Bike specification
Year: 2020
Model: Chrono TT
Manufacturer: Vitus
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 2x11 speed
Brakes: KCNC
Wheels: Profile Design 58 twentyfour
The challenge
So those are the bikes. What about the challenges the guys will be undertaking? Speed will be of the essence as they will start off by facing a mass start (well, a start of three) race up the iconic Cheddar Gorge climb in the South West of England, followed by a 7km time trial. To round things off they'll have a posing competition outside of a cafe and find out what people think of the bikes.
Who do you think will win? Watch the video at the top of the page now to find out.
For more challenge features be sure to check out our dedicated section on the GCN Website. And don't forget to let us know what you think of the bikes in the comments below this article.
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