How Good Is An 'Entry Level' Road Bike In 2024? - Trek Domane AL 2 Rim Brake

What are the big brands offering as their "entry level" bikes in 2024?

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[Cade_Media]

apparently it's my bad

also is £750 entry level? let us know your thoughts.

[woozertoo]

Absolutely with you on the “attractiveness while stationary” factor: the more you find your bike appealing, the more you’ll want to hop back on it to log them miles.

[paulgrimshaw]

Finally! A YouTube review of a bike most people could easily afford, ride, service, and park at the shops without fear of losing their life savings.

Bikes like this are the backbones of cycling. And they’re generally getting better everyday by out punching models a few generations ago that cost considerably more when adjusted for inflation.

Any concern over future proofing needs to be balanced against time (a ~10 year life span) and a realistic understanding of servicing.

Cup and cone bearings can easily last 10 years with occasional servicing. Rims for rim brake bikes will be around for a long time to come because they’re easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

One big issue with Treks, however… they come from the factory with very light oil or grease. Job #1 is regreasing everything before daily use,

[marks]

I have this exact bike as my second bike. The geometry is really good done rides of 50 plus miles in the Peak District including big climbs. Changed the standard one piece brake blocks to cartridge ones, put some new Mavic Aksiums on and some Michelin Pro 4 Endurance. I got in for well under 750 in a sale at a LBS. I sometimes choose it over my racier bike for longer rides as the geometry for me is spot on.

[lafargaa]

I bought the version AL 2 Disc version in 2021 for 1290USD. Has served me well for almost 7k km. Went from 94kg to 81kg in 6 months. The first upgrades were carbon handlebars, stem and seatpost (from aliexpress). I jumped into the gravel madness with panaracers SK 38mm. Recently upgraded to hunt gravel race wheelset with schwalbe pro one 32mm road tires and shimano 105 12speed. Can't be happier. It would have been cheaper to buy a nicer version or different bike for the same amount of money spent, but I wouldn't have learned everything I know about mechanics, geometry and bike fitting

[AlbertBuckinghamEllison]

I bought this exact build back in 2021 as a winter training bike. Paid £680. I've travelled with it, ridden relentlessly on Surrey and Hampshire roads on it through winter. It's awesome. I got some alloy Fulcrum Quattro wheels and 28mm tyres on it (Gators in winter) to make it invincible when you don't want to puncture.

The gears are brilliant but the breaks are getting stiff. Make sure you replace cables and clean those tubes after a year of use to optimal performance. The Claris system is a great mechanical chainset but the cable routing on the hood is a bit trickier then an older 105, Ultegra or Dira Ace when it comes to threading in a new cable. You have to remove the bar tape and the cable housing for a clean route. It's agile, comfortable and an ideal training bike or commuter bike. 7/10 long term review.

[martinwarne]

Blendr is Trek’s proprietary mounting system for accessories. I have a Blendr mount for my Garmin on my FX3.

[ChrisGuarraia]

7:37 Blendr is a system on Trek bikes, specifically for where the handlebars attach to the stem, that allow you to mount headunits, lights, etc., without directly holding them to the stem itself.

[lothf]

Is Cube selling in the UK? I think the new Cube Attain 2025 range is the best value for money you can have at the moment.

[MatthewQuinney]

I use that exact bike as my commuter every week. It’s done about 9k miles over the last 3 years and still going strong. It is like triggers broom and I have replaced multiple parts myself and it’s so easy to work on and does the job perfectly. It got me hooked on the sport and I have upgraded from that now but more than happy using it to get too and from work

[tomhuynh]

That fidlock bidon was holding on for dear life

[GTEEMEADOWS]

I picked up a 2022 Domane AL2 Disc on FB marketplace for £300 in excellent condition. Added Hunt carbon wheels, electronic Wheeltop EDS carbon groupset, and GP5000s with TPU tubes. Carbon Seatpost/handlebar & JuinTech hydraulic calipers. It's a fantastic bike, all said and done for under £1300, and it looks amazing! Weighs 9kg for size 58. Great deals to be had secondhand vs paying retail if you're already planning on upgrading it 👍

[michaelhayward]

I like bicycles that have the seat stays meet at the top tube...

[JP-gbcd]

Got this bike second hand on FB marketplace for £200 recently and very happy to see you make a video on it. Can't wait to really take it out on long rides and get some miles in. Currently hooked up to my other recently second hand purchase, zwift hub one.

[c]

In 1996 i paid £750 for a steel framed Paul Donohue 531 frame and fork roadbike kitted out with Shimano 16 speed RX 100. It weighed 22 lb / 9.8 kg. This trek is easily as good a bike. I think its remarkably good value. What people really need is to drop a few kg of bodyfat and train 5 days a week. They would easily keep up with people on £3000 bikes.

[.mm]

my first road bike was trek 1. in 2017, i got i cheap from the shop because the RD hanger is bent, prolly it was a test bike and fell.
i was a bike mechanic at that time so it's a good deal and an easy fix,
i use it mainly for commuting to work, it's a good ride, i have no uncommon issues and i enjoy riding it, i named it candy because its red color, until somebody went to the shop and asking for it, i said it's not for sale, and it's not even his size, but he insisted because he likes the looks of it, but at the end the bike is sold, higher price than when i bought it.
Sometimes i miss it, i was looking for the old pic, but it's all gone. I want to ride it again, a true breed road bike so efficient it sets my PRs on many local segments.
it's fun.

[sethchapman]

Happy to see you highlighting an actual entry level bike. Yeah, with inflation my father's Trek touring bike that cost 400 in '81, and my GT bmx in '84 at 350 would be way more expensive. Now I ride steel frame single speed road with rim brakes and love it. I don't think rim brakes are going anywhere. There will always be a niche market and 2nd hand from Ebay, etc.

[theoceansswitch]

Love these entry level bike videos. Do you have them as a playlist?

[theoceansswitch]

I think rim brake is fine for most bikes. Lighter, cheaper, easier to maintain, and perfectly good enough brake performance unless you're racing, doing alpine descents or don't know how to brake properly in wet conditions.

[Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Im old enough to remember when £750-800 meant that you got a half decent bike equipped with a mish mash of an Tiagra or off-brand and 105 groupset or almost a full if not a full tiagra groupset depending on the bike. Bikes like the older Tribans were very good value for money in those regards. Off-brand cranks/chainrings and brakes but everything else on was quality shimano. You dont even get a 105 or Tiagra with the £1000+ Domane AL 2 Gen 4