A Capable Road Bike

Requirements

I definitely wanted to get modern tech if it was beneficial for me, and I didn't want to pay for stuff I wasn't going to use. The concept is to ride the bike on paved roads occasionally for recreation (for now, 40 km rides at a speed of about 25 km/h), and I'm also thinking about vacation riding a little bit further with some luggage. So I'm definitely not buying:

• Carbon frames: it's almost a scam in terms of durability, and there's no way to fit a standard bike rack on them.
• Gravel bikes: on paved roads, they just mean extra weight.
• Bikepacking gear: all of it seems questionable to me when I can just use standard panniers.

What I actually want is a road bike with drop handlebars to be able to change my riding position, along with the following features:

• Industrial/sealed bearings
• Through axle, it's just better
• Aluminum frame with mounting points for a standard bike rack
• Disc brakes, as they give tire clearance and are easy to set up
• 32 mm tires by default
• Internal cable routing, as it looks a lot nicer
• Carbon fork, as it's lightweight and absorbs vibrations

If you dig deeper into pricing, you'll find out that the price of a bike is defined by the frame and the derailleur, and most brands use only Shimano or SRAM. Their prices are rather high, so some companies have started using Microshift. It turned out that at least the Microshift Sword is a decent derailleur and better than Claris, an entry-level line from Shimano. I've used it for four months, and all I can say is that it shifts well, although I haven't tested other derailleurs. Since it's relatively new, you won't be able to find used bikes equipped with it. So I ended up buying a new Van Rysel Endurance Rennrad EDR AF Microshift Sword 2x10 for well below the aforementioned €1000.

Pros and cons

Let's get to the pros and cons first, and after that, let's talk about how you can push your costs down even further. So, the pros:

• Satisfies all my requirements
• It's obviously very cheap
• Surprisingly good assembly quality
• Rides well; I actually feel like riding it more
• I didn't need to replace any components other than the saddle

The cons do exist, though:

• The included lights and standard tools suck
• The bike doesn't make me coffee :)

Since we are talking about a road bike, it makes sense to get clipless pedals, so I didn't think twice about choosing Shimano SPD. You quickly find out that shoes for these pedals cost a lot, but Decathlon has a Van Rysel option that is cheap and does the job. Actually, they have SPD-compatible pedals as well, but I didn't think it was worth cutting corners there.

Bike racks can also vary a lot in price, anywhere from €30 to €150. Decathlon saves the day again here by offering reliable, low-cost options. After buying all the gear, I was even able to order good lights using just my bonus points. It doesn't end there: you'll probably need a frame bag for tools, glasses, and clothing (I wear a helmet, by the way), plus a bike lock. When you sum everything up, you can save a fortune with Decathlon – and I'm not even affiliated with them.

That's not all, because Decathlon also offers a variety of payment options, which you don't get when buying a used bike off someone. By the way, Decathlon has a section for used bikes, but I couldn't find any attractive offers there.

Conclusion

I won't lie, though – there are some caveats with modern tech:

• Internal cable routing requires more work when replacing cables
• Through axles are worse if you intend to use a bike trailer
• Front derailer is generally not recommended by some because it tends not to work

Well, I'm quite happy and not thinking about upgrades for now. That's the whole point – to ride rather than look for new stuff to buy. If I had a bigger budget, I would go for an aluminum bike from Rose, or there's a surprisingly affordable carbon frame from Canyon, but I'd need at least €80 for an Orbea bike rack. Those are good options, though, and I'm sure a lot of people are happy with them. The point is that all the tech is essentially the same; geometry and components do make a difference, but not for my use case. The frame fits well, by the way, which is really important, although it feels more relaxed/neutral rather than aggressive. It's a road bike, at the end of the day, not a race bike.

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