Inflation has hit the cycle industry perhaps as hard as any sector over the last few years. It’s been difficult for bike manufacturers to source bikes and components and there have often been significant price increases when they have been available.
But despite the gloomy financial news, you can still buy a wide range of bikes from Tredz for under £1,000 that are ideal for the commute, with over 150 flat bar hybrid bike models from over 15 brands available immediately. Tredz also sells nearly new bikes, so you might find a bargain on a commuter in your size.
Tredz has some great finance deals too, allowing you to spread the cost of your purchase, including zero per cent interest deals or the option to spread your payments over up to 48 months. Headline figures include a Specialized Sirrus hybrid bike with finance from just £1.16 a day over 12 months, while you can get your hands on a Brompton folding bike from just £2.18 a day spread over 18 months.
(Image credit: Tredz)
You can save even more by using Tredz’s Cycle To Work options, using salary sacrifice to reduce your tax and National Insurance payments. Depending on your tax band, there are savings of between 33 and 43 per cent on the cost of your bike and any other equipment you need. There’s no longer a £1,000 upper limit on the amount you can spend under the scheme. Tredz lays out the whole process really clearly on its Cycle To Work page.
When you consider how much you could save on the cost of public transport or using a car to get to work, it’s a no-brainer. Plus there are all the health and wellbeing benefits of an active commute that cycling brings. Take a look at Tredz’s guide to the health benefits of cycling to work, one of its extensive series of guides to commuting by bike.
Six top bike picks for commuting on a budget
Tredz has a huge range of bikes, components, clothing and accessories in stock. Here are our five top picks for bikes available now for under £1,000 to get your active commute started, plus a sixth electric bike option that’s just over £1,000.
Specialized Sirrus 1.0 hybrid bike £425
(Image credit: Tredz)
A great entry-level commuting bike from Specialized, the Sirrus has a lightweight alloy frame, a comfortable ride position and a 2x7 speed drivetrain, with robust, reliable components that can withstand the rigours of the daily commute and cables routed internally to keep them out of harm’s way. You can add mudguards and a rack for versatile commuting duties.
The Giant Escape 3 gives you plenty of gear range with its triple chainset and 7-speed Shimano Tourney gearing. Giant is the largest bike maker in the world and its expertise shows in the high quality alloy frame, robust alloy wheels and puncture resistant 38mm Giant tyres.
More than just about any other brand, Boardman has worked to keep its prices in check. Case in point, the URB 8.6. For £575, it’s a sporty urban commuter with a low maintenance three speed Shimano Nexus hub gear, a lightweight aluminium frame and fork and hydraulic disc brakes.
Gravel bikes are hugely popular for their versatility, sporty ride and go-anywhere abilities. The women’s ADV 8.6 comes with a carbon fork and lots of space for wide tyres to add comfort on rough road surfaces. There’s a 2x9 speed Shimano Sora groupset and disc brakes for consistent stopping power. The ADV 8.6 is so popular that although Tredz has the women’s model in stock, it’s currently sold out of the men’s.
The Specialized Allez gets great reviews for its ride quality and it’s a perfect bike for fast road commuting. It mixes an alloy frame with an all-carbon fork for comfort and uses Shimano’s reliable Claris 2x8 speed gearing. It comes with mounts for a rack and mudguards, so you can set it up to ride in all weathers.
Okay, so it’s not under the £1,000 threshold, but the Pendleton Somerby is a great electric bike option that will give you up to 50 miles range on a charge. It comes with mudguards, a rear rack and a kickstand, so it’s all set up for all-weather commuting and the relaxed style and step-through frame make the commute comfortable too.
Tredz is a great place to buy a bike online, with friendly, expert help and support available by phone from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 8:30am to 12:30pm Saturday. You can contact Tredz by live chat every day from 9am to 10pm (from 10am on Sundays) and there are Tredz stores in Cardiff and Swansea.
Tredz offers free delivery and an easy online credit application process. There’s loads of advice, reviews and guidance on its site as well.
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Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.
