When I think of road bikes under $1000 nice thoughts do not pop into my mind. I think of heavy frames and cheap parts that don’t work very well. I think about bartape that tatters to soon and wheels that come out of true.

The fact is that it’s actually quite hard to take all the elements that go into a well made $1500 road bike and manage cut the price by over 50%. Just like most things in this world, with bikes, you typically get what you pay for.

That’s why the GT 5 series came as a total surprise. When I saw the $700 I scoffed. When I saw the “off brand” shifters I cringed. But then I built it and road it around.

To my total surprise I was not riding a super heavy, sluggish bike with poorly working parts. I would have guessed this bike would have been close to 30 pounds. Turns out it’s closer to 20. The hydroformed aluminum frame and carbon fork give a pleasant ride. Those “off brand” shifters… well they work just fine.

Is this bike a $2000 CAAD10 with Shimano Ultegra parts? Of course it’s not. But it works.

Not everyone looking to get into road riding or even road racing wants to spend two grand to try out a sport. I get that. When I started riding I had a used steel Raleigh with mis matched parts because I was a broke college student. Is $700 cheap? I guess it depends on who you ask. But if you throw some clipless pedals and a bit better tires on this bike and pick up some shoes and a helmet and you will have a total set up that will still cost less than a thousand and will give you an affordable way into this beautiful… but often pricey sport.