A Comparison of The Best Sub $500 Road Bikes On The Market
Written by John Wren|
Volare 1200 or Merax. Shop finish. SENA lid. Kryptonite Mini-7. Hoods you can live in.
Key takeaways
- Size and stand-over.
- Shop finishes the box.
- Lid and U-lock.
- No trainer with a first road bike.
A road bike under $500 that you will still ride is a sized 700c a shop finished, brakes that still stop, and a lid — not a carbon catalog you will crash. The short answer: buy a Schwinn Volare 1200 or a Merax if the ticket is the constraint, pay a shop to finish the 20 percent that arrived unbuilt, and lock the frame.
Short version. Beginner road bikes is the long fit. Under $1,000 if the other Saturday is already a longer ticket. Pair with a lock. Check live prices.
This page is the mailbox 700c. A custom build is a later shop. This is Volare 1200, Merax, a lid, a U-lock. A trainer stays on the trainer page.
Pay a shop to finish what the box started
Cables stretch. Brakes need a real pull. Do: a safety check. Don’t: a driveway cone as the first stop. Owning a bike is the habit page. A tune after week one.
Volare 1200 is the live name a shop has seen
The Schwinn Volare 1200 is the live 700c we named. Confirm size and stand-over. Check live prices.
Do: live in the hoods for a week. Don’t: a 61 cm because a friend is tall. Fit is the lecture. If the hoods were a costume, you wanted a hybrid.
Merax if the ticket is already the constraint
The Merax 21-speed 700c aluminum is the live mailbox bike we named. Budget the assembly. Check live prices.
Do: a shop finish. Don’t: a first group ride in traffic you have not practiced. A first number is a later Saturday.
A lid and a lock are the bike you still have
The SENA road lid is the live helmet we named. The Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7 is the live U-lock we named. Check live prices.
Do: buckle and lock every time. Don’t: a cable as the only lock at a café. The lock page is the long lecture.
| Want | Honest tool |
|---|---|
| A name a shop has seen | Volare 1200, sized |
| A tighter ticket | Merax plus assembly |
| A head | A lid you buckle |
| A café | A U-lock, not a hope |
A shop finish is the first ride. Check live prices.
A sized 700c, a shop, a lid, a lock
That is the under-$500 road bike. Check live prices. Come home with the same headset.
A box is not a bike until a shop says so
Cables stretch. Brakes need a real pull. Under $500. The bike. A tune.
The Volare 1200 we named still wants stand-over you can flat-foot. Check live prices. A first road bike.
The Merax we named still wants assembly in the budget. Check live prices. Under $1,000 if the other Saturday is already a longer ticket.
If the hoods were a costume, you wanted a hybrid
Live in them for a week. A first road bike. The bike.
The SENA lid we named still wants a buckle. The Kryptonite Mini-7 we named still wants a café. Check live prices. A lock.
A trainer stays on A trainer. Not this page.
A first group ride is a later Saturday
A first race if the number is already the job. This page is still the mailbox 700c. Leave some gas.
Do: an empty lot. Don’t: a downtown sprint as week one. Under $500.
The computer if the bar is already the job. Charge at the house.
Lock so the next ride can start
The Mini-7 we named still wants a click. Check live prices. A lock. The bike.
Wipe the chain. Then the bin. A tune.
Last line: carbon catalog you will crash is not a $500 bike. A sized 700c a shop finished is. Leave some gas.
The driveway stop is the class. Then the first mile.
Do: a cone in the driveway. Don’t: a first stop in traffic. Under $500. A first road bike.
Check live prices on Volare 1200, Merax, SENA, Mini-7. A lock.
A trainer if the other Saturday is already rain. This page is still the bike.
A weekday shop check is the bike you still have
The Volare 1200 we named still wants stand-over. Check live prices. Under $500. A first road bike.
The Merax we named still wants assembly in the budget. Check live prices. A tune. The bike.
The SENA and Mini-7 we named still want a buckle and a click. Check live prices. A lock.
A week in the hoods
If they were a costume, you wanted a hybrid. A first road bike. Under $1,000.
A trainer stays on A trainer. Not this page.
A first race is a later Saturday. Leave some gas.
An empty lot is the class
Do: a cone. Don’t: a downtown sprint as week one. Under $500. The bike.
The computer if the bar is already the job.
Check live prices. A lock. A tune.
A sized 700c, a shop, a lid, a lock
That is the under-$500 road bike. Check live prices. Under $500. A first road bike. A lock.
Last line: carbon you will crash is not a $500 bike. Leave some gas.
A trainer. This page is still the bike.
Write the under-$500 road bike card before you leave the house
Say the kit out loud: Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7. If a guest tries to add a seventh job, sit. That is a successful Saturday. Under $500 A first road bike The bike.
Do: the same pocket every time. Don’t: a scavenger hunt at dark. Check live prices. A lock A tune.
A cancel you already wrote is a cancel you will still take. A trainer Leave some gas. Lightning, a flood stage, a fire letter — pavement.
The five-minute leave after the under-$500 road bike
Coil so the next day can start. Empty the granola. Mice eat webbing and foam. Dry the bag. Then the bin. Check live prices on the kit you named: Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7.
Do: look at the strap, the lockout, the buckle, the charge. Don’t: a damp trunk and a March surprise. Under $500 The bike.
Tell someone the place and the hour. A quiet hour is a search. A first road bike Leave some gas. Come home and say you are moving again.
Guests will try to rewrite the under-$500 road bike as a dare
A shared job can be a short loop and a known kit. A dare into a hole you cannot see the exit of is not a date. Kids out of the bite. The photo waits until the buckle check. A trainer A lock.
Check live prices. Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7 is still the honest pile. A tune Under $500. One classroom. New water or new wind or a new tool — not all three.
A first road bike if the other Saturday is already the sibling page. This page is still the under-$500 road bike. That is enough.
Last line on the under-$500 road bike
Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7. Check live prices. The bike Leave some gas A trainer.
Last line: a catalog dare is not the day. A card you wrote is. Wear the lamp on the walk. Come home wanting Thursday.
Under $500 A first road bike A tune. The next door can wait until this kit is still in the same bin.
Hoods you hate are a hybrid you wanted
A week in the drops will tell you. Under $500. A first road bike. The bike.
Do: stand-over you can still flat-foot. Don’t: a 61 cm because a friend is tall. Check live prices on the Volare 1200 and the Merax.
The Mini-7 we named still wants a café click. Check live prices. A lock. A tune. Leave some gas.
Repeat the under-$500 road bike card out loud
Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7. If a guest adds a seventh job, sit. Under $500 A first road bike The bike.
Do: the same pocket. Don’t: a scavenger hunt at dark. Check live prices. A lock A tune.
A trainer Leave some gas. A cancel you already wrote is still a cancel.
The same bin after the under-$500 road bike
Dry the kit. Empty the granola. Mice eat webbing. Check live prices: Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7.
Do: look at the strap and the buckle. Don’t: a damp trunk. Under $500 The bike.
Tell someone the place and the hour. A first road bike Leave some gas.
A dare is not a under-$500 road bike
A short loop and a known kit is a date. A hole you cannot see the exit of is not. A trainer A lock.
Check live prices. Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7 is still the pile. A tune Under $500. One classroom.
A first road bike if the other Saturday is already the sibling. This page is still the under-$500 road bike.
Write the under-$500 road bike clock
Dark, wind, a ban, a freeze — pavement. Leave some gas A trainer. Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7.
Do: the card at the house. Don’t: a pin from 2014. Check live prices. The bike A lock.
Under $500 A tune. Come home wanting Thursday.
Last line on the under-$500 road bike
Volare 1200 or Merax, shop finish, SENA lid, Mini-7. Check live prices. The bike Leave some gas A trainer.
A catalog dare is not the day. A card you wrote is. Under $500 A first road bike.
A tune. The next door can wait until this kit is still in the same bin.
Say the under-$500 road bike once more before you leave
Volare 1200 or Merax, shop, lid, Mini-7. That is the pile. Under $500 A first road bike The bike.
Check live prices. A lock A tune. The same pocket every time.
A trainer Leave some gas. Sit if the seventh job shows up.
Dry the under-$500 road bike kit before the bin
Mice eat webbing and foam. Empty the granola. Volare 1200 or Merax, shop, lid, Mini-7. Check live prices.
Under $500 The bike. A damp trunk is a March surprise.
A first road bike Leave some gas. Tell someone you are moving again.
That is enough under-$500 road bike
Volare 1200 or Merax, shop, lid, Mini-7. A tune Under $500. One classroom.
A first road bike A lock. The sibling page can wait.
A trainer Leave some gas. Come home wanting Thursday. That is enough.
Also in the magazine
Keep going with beginner road bikes, under $1,000, a lock, and owning a bike. Check live prices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best road bike under $500?
A sized 700c a shop finished — Schwinn Volare 1200 if you want a name a shop has seen, Merax if the ticket is the constraint.
Will it arrive ready to ride?
No. Pay a shop to finish the 20 percent. Cables stretch. Brakes need a real pull.
What size?
Stand-over you can still flat-foot. A friend’s 61 cm is not your size.
Do I need a helmet?
Yes. SENA-class lid. Buckle every time.
What lock?
Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7. A cable alone at a café is a hope.
Should I buy a trainer with it?
No. Trainers live on the indoor-trainer guide, not with a first road bike.