Gearing up for a sportive or two this summer? If you're after a new bike (or know someone who is) then check out this selection of 2016 bikes available at a reduced price. Yes, you read that correctly – many of the current season bikes are now on sale or discounted, which means you can get a bang-up-to-date road bike with some of the latest technology for a fraction of the full-price. Not bad, huh?
If you aren't sure how to choose the best road bike for you, our buyer's guide can certainly help point you in the right direction and alert you to what you need to look out for. And of course there's still plenty of time to get your training done, get some more miles in your legs and – let's face it – just get out there riding in the sunshine. Bliss!
- 9 training tips for a long-distance sportive
- 11 barnstorming training tips for sportives
- 21 top tips for first-time sportive riders
Colnago AC-R (105 – 2016) £2,300 £1,380
There's nearly a grand off the price of this Colnago AC-R road bike, which comes with a carbon frame and forks and a 105 11spd drivetrain, finished with Deda handlebars, Selle Italia X1 saddle, Colnago's Artemis CW28 wheelset and Vittoria Zafiro tyres.
De Rosa King XS (Ultegra – 2016) £3900 £2,535
There's more than £1,000 off this carbon framed bike from De Rosa. It features internal cable routing, a Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and a Fulcrum Racing 4 wheelset plus Continental Ultra Sport tyres and 3T finishing kit. You're getting a whole lot of race-ready steed for your money at this price.
Avanti Giro AR C1 (2016) £2,200 £1,320
If you fancy a bike with disc brakes, then the carbon-framed Avanti Giro AR C 1 is one to check out, coming as it does with Shimano's excellent hydraulic stoppers. A Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain provides quality shifting and a good range of gears, and the package is completed with a Shimano RX31 wheelset with Kenda Kwik Trax tyres – making this bike capable enough to take on cyclocross as well as road riding.
Bianchi B4P Sempre (Ultegra – 2016) £1,995 £1,396.50
The B4P Sempre from Bianchi is towards the upper end of the Italian brand's range, and although this model comes with a standard Shimano Ultegra drivetrain, there's routing in place for Di2 so if you want to upgrade to electronic shifting in the future, you can. This is all based around a carbon monocoque frame and carbon fork, and completed with a Fulcrum Racing 7 wheelset, Selle San Marco Era saddle and Reparto Corse finishing kit.
BMC Teammachine ALR01 Sora 2016 £899 £719
With an alloy frame based around the race-proven geometry of the BMC SLR Teammachine, the ALR features a carbon fork and Shimano Sora drivetrain. Wheels and rubber are Shimano WH-R501 and Continental Ultra Sport 2, and the finishing kit includes BMC stem, bars and seatpost plus Selle Royal Sirio saddle.
Eastway Zener D3 (Tiagra – 2016) £1,000 £800
Looks aren't everything, but we can't help but like the vibrant colours of the Eastay Zener D3. The raw black carbon finish of the frame and forks look great with that splash of red, don't you think? The bike is fitted with TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes and a Shimano Tiagra groupset, plus Shimano RX05 and Ritchey finishing kit. There's enough clearance to allow you to fit wider 30c tyres.
