INFLATION BEATERS

Four budget-friendly road bikes battle it out for supremacy

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YOU MAY JUST HAVE NOTICED THAT

we are living through inflationary times, and this is as true in the cycling world as it is just about everywhere else. But there are still bargains to be had out there, and interestingly, price rises have been less severe at the budget end of the market. Our four road bikes are spilt between two with drop bars and a couple with flat bars, but our foursome tops out at a less-thanfearsome £690.

 The bike comes with a Shimano Tournay groupset

01 High street bargain 

The bikes on test start with the drop-bar Zelos from one of Halfords' many in-house brands, Carrera, whose TDF has long been a classic entry route into road cycling. For a modest £375 you will get an aluminium frame and fork, a seven-speed set-up largely from Shimano and even mechanical disc brakes. At over 11kg, it is carrying a little weight, however, but how much will this be felt on our local climbs?

There's a bit of a tangle of brake and gear cables

02 A touch of carbon