Specialized has today announced that it is recalling all Venge ViAS bikes from the 2016 model year, which is the rim brake version and does not include the recently-launched disc-brake version. Both S-Works and Pro models are affected, as are all replacement warranty frames, whether they were sold as an individual frameset or as part of a complete bike.

The problem relates to the rear wheel, with a statement reading: 'Specialized has received isolated reports from the field of the rear wheel coming out of the rear dropouts, which can cause fractures in the rear triangle. When this happens, there is a risk of injury as a rider may lose control and fall.'

Specialized has advised its affected customers that they stop using their bike immediately and bring it to an authorised Specialized retailer for a free installation of a new derailleur hanger. The new hanger is said to prevent the rear wheel from coming our of the dropouts, and the retailer will also do a free inspection of the rear triangle. 

For queries, it has advised contacting a dealer, or Specialized rider care (ridercare@specialized.com)

The Equilibrium 10 is a steel-framed all-rounder that Genesis describes as the ‘quintessential four-season road bike’. It sports a double-butted chromoly frame, carbon fork, and has the capability to run full-length mudguards. Relaxed geometry should allow it to cover big miles in comfort. Our only beef before we’d even ridden the bike was the fear of getting something this beautiful dirty on grubby wintry back-roads – it looks great in photos, but is really quite something in the flesh. Will it ride as well as it looks? Let’s find out…

Frameset 

The Equilibrium’s frameset is constructed from double-butted chromoly steel. It’s decidedly beautiful, pleasantly springy to ride and the welds are up there with the best we’ve seen on any steel bike. Rounded profile tubes lend this bike a traditional air, which for us is a bonus. The carbon fork deals with vibrations well, while a lengthy wheelbase give this bike a stable footing on any road. There are mounts for mudguards and racks – we’d run this bike with guards as a matter of course, as the front and rear mech cables are externally routed, right in the line of fire. The Equilibrium’s geometry is comparatively slack, with a 72.1° head angle combining with a sizeable, 50mm fork offset, to give a stable and confidence-inspiring ride.

Groupset 

Mostly Shimano Tiagra components, which is dependable and durable kit. Being a 10-speed set-up does give a bigger jump between the gears of its 12-28 cassette, but that doesn’t affect it adversely over other bikes we’ve tested here. The brakes are from Promax, and their overall performance is predictable and assured. 

Finishing kit 

Genesis’ own-brand finishing kit is workaday alloy stuff but that’s just what you need on a bike to take on the worst of our weather. Sitting on a 27.2mm alloy seatpost is a Genesis Road Comfort saddle, which is spot-on for winter, striking a balance between support and comfort.

Wheels 

Genesis has prioritised reliability over performance, with 28-spoke Jalco rims on smooth Joytech hubs that will allow you to forget about maintenance and get on with riding. The gumwall Clement Strada tyres add a touch of real class, standing out from the crowd, and they roll well too, giving plenty of dry grip, while puncture resistance is provided by a belt running through the tyre. They do get grubby very quickly, though.

The ride

We reckon the expression ‘steel is real’ is a little tired now. Steel is heavy, end of, but our initial impression of the Equilibrium as we descend into our test loop is of how planted the bike is at speed, yet how cooperative it is, too. When the road rises, the smooth ride continues with an out of the saddle acceleration, and blow us down, the steel-framed Genesis loves it!

The ride quality here is much better than you might reasonably expect for less than £1,000 (OK, it’s only a penny less, but we’ll overlook that for now). Vibration is kept at bay by a frame that’s inherently able to soak up most of what the pitted roads throw at it, and a feeling of gliding over the tarmac is aided by 25c tyres running 90psi. On climbs, the Genesis acquits itself well, displaying good stiffness and a willingness to attack. This we see as a bonus, as it’d be the last thing on our minds on a slimy Sunday morning ride in November. Where the bike excels is in the confidence it instils – the brakes are effective, easily modulated, and the frame geometry is near perfect for the business of covering miles in comfort. The 10-speed Tiagra set-up operates smoothly, highlighting the trickle-down of shifting technology from the upper reaches of Shimano’s groupset range, and we never felt like the bike was lacking a gear. It’s no featherweight, but considering the size of our test bike, its 9.82kg all-up bulk is respectable. And considering you’ve a 34x28 gear to rely upon for climbing, you’ve every chance of maintaining forward momentum to the summit of most climbs the UK can throw at you. 

Stability is the Equilibrium’s calling card, thanks to the long wheelbase. Steering is nowhere near as ponderous as you might expect, though, with the wide bars giving leverage to cant it into turns with great confidence. Think of this bike as an agile shark, gently gliding through the deep until it spots its prey, rather than the humpbacked whale its geometry suggests. Carving a series of flowing downhill corners is where this bike will give you the biggest thrills. There’s response when you need it, an ability to reply quickly to big-power inputs, and a huge impression of everything just gelling. If you’re following a training plan this winter to prepare for some sportives early next year, you’ll no doubt have some ‘endurance’ rides on your plan – exactly what this bike was made for. Those 25c gumwall tyres aren’t all-show-and-no-go, either – they soak up ripples in the road, and the chevron tread pattern on a sizeable contact patch lends ample cornering confidence. They mimic race tyres in their appearance, but also offer good puncture resistant, with no problems throughout testing. 

Geometry

Spec

With the summer season of cycling at an end, we shudder at the prospect of long nights and the prospect of being bombarded with Christmas adverts and pants weather for the next three months. However, we do have one thing to look forward to and that’s all the shiny new bikes that get showcased around this time of year ahead of next season. So we’ve rummaged through the lot to bring you a stunning selection of the ones that we think will prove to be some of the best bikes of 2017. 

Specialized Roubaix Elite

The much-loved Roubaix has had a complete redesign with the Californian company going totally rad in the process. Gone are the Zertz inserts in the seatstays and fork, in comes FutureShock tech, which adds suspension to the handlebars. Using small springs inside the headset, it offers up to 20mm of travel when you’re bouncing over uneven surfaces – useful if your hands are taking a battering all day on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, that 20mm could be the difference between finishing the ride and sitting on the side of the road weeping. By neatly fitting the miniature suspension in the headset, the bike’s beautiful lines aren’t disrupted. Unlike those RockShox-equipped Team Z bikes used by Greg LeMond and co back in the 1991 Roubaix, which is the last time we can remember suspension being used in pro road racing. Models range from the handsome entry-level Elite shown to the eTap-equipped S-Works for the pros. Read our first ride review here.

£1,900, specialized.com

BMC Roadmachine RM01

The Swiss giant has jumped on the ‘all-road’ bandwagon with the Roadmachine. Using disc brakes and larger tyre clearance, BMC is promising a bike that can do it all – i.e. handle descents and climbs with aplomb, while still being comfortable and versatile enough to take on any terrain. To use BMC’s own lingo, this new offering is  part of its ‘one bike collection’ – a three-bike range that goes from this the full-carbon, Dura-Ace equipped RM01 to the alloy-framed RM03. The RM01 uses BMC’s Tuned Compliance Concept and so promises stiffness where you need it and compliance (ie flexing) where you don’t. The neat ‘Dual-Stack’ system also allows you to choose between a racier lower front end or a more spine-friendly higher set-up. It comes in cool colours, too, like mint green or burnt orange and black. 

£5,799, evanscycles.com

Rose Xeon CW-3100

Much like its German compatriot Canyon, online retailer Rose knows how to make a bike that is simple and affordable while also ready to race right out of the box. The proof is this CW-3100, a stunning Ultegra-equipped aero road bike – which is also available as a disc-brake model. The designers weren’t scared to get the paint pots out either – as well as this black option, there’s a lime green version promised which also sounds cool. Its aero profiling and integrated seatpost clamp finish off a daring-looking bike. We doff our cycling caps to you, Rose.

£2,585, rosebikes.co.uk

Specialized Venge Vias Expert Disc

The ultimate in futuristic race bikes, the Venge Vias Disc is the upgrade you never knew you needed. While the pro-level S-Works models – as trialled by the likes of Team Etixx-QuickStep in private – feature a wacky integrated stem that looks like something off the Death Star, the Expert model shown here is a more practical design (at a far more affordable price). It comes in Stealth Black for those Dark Knight fans out there, or this Glossy Red for riders who like a bit more colour. Oh, and a Matt Black and White iteration for those who like to keep it simple. 

£3,900, specialized.com

Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc

With its understated designs, Giant isn’t into showy bikes, but its lightweight stalwart has had an eye-catching upgrade for 2017 with the addition of disc brakes. This add-on has allowed Giant to tidy up the bike’s frame, particularly at the rear end, while also providing space for wider tyres. With increased stopping power and grip, this will be a machine for climbing and descending with speed and confidence on any surface. As well as the pricey Advanced Pro shown, two Advanced models will be available under £1,900.

£3,599, giant-bicycles.com

Scott Addict Premium Disc

While we generally like a bit more colour in our bikes, we must say the Scott Addict Premium Disc is just beautiful. The frame has been totally redesigned to accommodate disc brakes and the pro-level Premium model – with Dura-Ace Di2, of course – is claimed to be only 60g heavier than the non-disc version ridden by Adam Yates to Tour glory earlier this year.  

£7,399, scott-sports.com

Orbea Orca M20 Team

Fun fact: despite sharing its name with a killer whale, the name of Orbea’s flagship road bike derives from a mix of (Or)bea and (ca)rbon. Fittingly, this mid-range model uses Orbea’s top-grade OMR carbon blend (a mix of Toray T700, T800 and M40J fibres). The stylish name also fits the cool colouring, the smooth sky blue and dashes of black and purple add a touch of class to an incredibly light and stiff machine. Among many small touches that show real care, we also really liked the integrated seat clamp. The devil is in the detail, after all. (First ride review available to read here).

£2,899, orbea.com

SpeedX Leopard Pro

Here at BikesEtc we’re firm believers that it’s what’s on the inside that counts and while the SpeedX Leopard Pro, designed by a Chinese start-up, isn’t the coolest-looking bike in the eyes of some, it is jolly clever, with a fully integrated computer and loads of sensors to measure things like cadence and speed. The computer is ANT+ and Bluetooth compatible so it can hook up to devices like your smartphone. It can also give you a heads up if you’ve got an incoming call or text. Much like a Garmin, then, but built into your bike so you’ll never leave it at home. 

£2,500, speedx.com

Merida Scultura Disc Team CF4

First shown off at this year’s Paris-Roubaix, the Merida Scultura Disc is another superbike for the harsh roads of northern France, engineered to be super light and super comfortable on the cobbles. It also features a nifty cooling vent on the disc brake to prevent overheating, which Merida claims makes the whole system more efficient. What’s more, it uses the RAT (Rapid Axle Technology) axle – a much neater design than other bolt-thru axles we’ve see that makes wheel removal and installation a hell of a lot less hassle. 

£6,500, merida-bikes.com

Mason Bokeh 105

The Brighton-based bike builders Mason featured in our sexiest bikes list last year, and now they’re back with the stunning Bokeh. Described as an ‘Adventure Sport’ bike and providing more weaponry in the ever increasing industry-wide adventure craze, it’ll take on everything from smooth tarmac to gravel and rocky paths, and is available in both aluminium and titanium builds. What we really love about it, though, is its use of 650b wheels to allow tyres as wide as 50mm. Great for tearing it up in the grit and grime that off-road riding offers. 

£2,795, masoncycles.cc

What is it? 

As part of its new top-of-the-range, super-lightweight collection, the Viner Maxima RS is Planet X’s answer to the all-day climbing bike. Equipped with an arsenal of weight-saving gizmos such as Shimano RS81 C24 carbon-alloy wheels that’ll help any rider climb up walls, and an FSA SL-K Carbon Seatpost that not only keeps things light but adds flex for a comfy ride. Despite being designed for the hills, ol’ Blighty isn’t exactly rammed with them but fear not as this Viner ensures all-day comfort riding, perfect for those sportives and relaxed Sunday rides. Coming in at 7.23kg (for the size M), Viner’s spiel about the bike’s weight rings true and with the smooth rolling wheels, no energy will be wasted. 

Who is Viner?

Viner is one of the in-house brands that belongs to online bike retailer Planet X. Dave Loughran’s Planet X brand has taken on many forms. Originally starting out in 1988 as a way for him to buy triathlon kit for himself and sell on extras to his friends, he then began selling dirt, jump and trial bikes to off-road and stunt riders, before recently returning to the road. Focused on building grassroots racing in the UK, the company has used expertise from the likes of Kevin Dawson, Wayne Randle, John Tanner and Mark Lovatt, who dominated the UK road scene in the ’90s.

OK, back to the bike. Tell us about that frame. It looks interesting… 

That’s because it is. With a claimed weight of 795g, the frames on these beauties are sent over to Italy to be hand finished and painted. Using an incredibly stiff monocoque carbon lay-up, the bike can maintain a low weight without losing out on power transfer. This is particularly noticeable when you start climbing out of the saddle. 

Ooh, sounds like it’s going to be expensive. How much money are we talking?

Being one of the biggest online retailers in the country, Planet X offers a wide range of good value bikes and this Viner is no exception. Fitted with Ultegra Di2 and an array of other up-to-date tech the Maxima RS 4.0 comes in at £2,499. However, if money’s too tight to mention, there’s also a mechanical Ultegra version that brings the price down to £1,999, which for this incredibly light frame is none too shabby. 

Spec

Romain Bardet will be hoping to snatch some summit victories atop a Factor bike in 2017, as the Norfolk based manufacturer will offer the choice of three road models and a time trial bike to the French team.

‘I am very proud that Factor will be entering the World Tour with a team as strong as AG2R La Mondiale,’ said Factor co-owner and former pro Baden Cooke.

‘We are highly motivated to continue to develop our machines with the feedback from the riders to stay ahead of the game.’

Baden clearly has high hopes for the collaboration, stating that making Bardet the first French Tour de France winner since Bernard Hinault is a goal they have in their sights. 

AG2R will race on Factor’s latest range of bikes: the O2 - an all round model, the ONE - stiff and aerodynamic, the ONE-S - and the soon to be released Slick time trial bike. The ONE-S is the most interesting of the riders’ options, as the model features a unique split down-tube, designed with assistance from bf1systems - aero expert to the likes of Lamborghini and Aston Martin.    

Factor released its first production bike, the Vis Vires, in 2013 and is becoming increasingly well known in Britain thanks in part to the involvement of former British road and TT champion David Millar.

‘It will be a very proud moment seeing the bikes I helped develop being raced in the Tour de France next year,’ said Millar.

‘Factor has allowed me more say in development than any manufacturer during my racing career.’

Whether or not Bardet will be able to deliver the victory in France will be answered in July, but what we know for certain is that Factor’s sponsorship brings with it equal parts excitement and weight of expectation.   

Despite the Italian name, Tifosi is a thoroughly British brand, designed for British conditions. Featuring what Tifosi calls ‘comfort geometry’, the CK7 Gran Fondo is claimed to be a quick and reliable bike on which to undertake a whole year of training, commuting and sportives. For a winter bike, we’d gladly trade a little speed for reliability, so if the claims ring true, the Tifosi could be on to a winner. It even comes with Flinger full-length mudguards as standard, and dips just under the £1000 mark into the bargain. 

Frameset 

The Tifosi sports a 7005 double-butted alloy frame, using largely round tubing but with a curving top tube and ovalised down tube, which adds stiffness. A 145mm head tube is short enough to continue the feeling of stoutness to the whole machine and leads to a slender carbon-fibre fork with a sizeable offset for extra comfort, albeit at the expense of directness. As well as the mudguards, there’s also mounting points for a rear rack, lending the bike even more practicality. A steering head angle of 72.4° combined with a seat angle of 74.6° forces you forward in the most comfortable way possible, and ensures that quick response is there when you need it. Cables are entirely externally routed, so you’ll need to keep an eye on cleaning. Anti-corrosion primer, plus two coats of paint should ensure frame durability though.

Groupset 

Campagnolo shifters and brake levers are exceptionally comfortable in use, and work well with the Miche 50/34 chainset. It’s not slick, it just works, and we’d argue that’s exactly what you need in a winter bike. The 10-speed, 12-26 cassette may lack the 28-tooth cog of other bikes of this type but it doesn’t suffer unduly. 

Finishing kit 

The Italian theme is continued into the good quality Cinelli finishing kit and the Selle Italia X1 Plus saddle, which is particularly comfortable, is well padded yet supportive, with just the right amount of flex in its body.

Wheels 

Miche’s Reflex 7 rims with bladed spokes are matched to Miche hubs with cartridge bearings. Overall, they’re not too weighty, which helps the bike to make the most of its agility. Cartridge bearings won’t require any maintenance – perfect for just getting on with the job of riding. Vittoria’s Rubino Pro Endurance are tyres we’d gladly ride all winter. They’re comfortable, provide confidence in cornering, and are unlikely to spin on greasy hills.

The ride

We were a little surprised to find that, within five miles of riding, the Tifosi revealed its lively side – in a good way. For a bike designed to take on nasty weather and rubbish roads, the CK7 is surprisingly happy to punch out of corners like no bike with full-length guards has any right to. 

Whether you favour Shimano or Campag is a matter of personal preference, but on the few occasions we’re sent a Campag-equipped bike to test, we’re always blown away by the comfort the Italian firm’s brake hoods lend to a ride. The Tifosi’s frame geometry puts you more over the front of the bike than you might normally expect of a more upright winter trainer – a 74.6° seatpost angle is responsible, and it puts you in the correct position whether you’re attacking false flats in the saddle or grinding up a climb. Climbing on a bike that weighs more than 10kg is a far cry from the 6.8kg superbike experience, but the CK7 acquits itself well on our local lumps and bumps, its 50/34 chainset meshing well with a 12-26 cassette to provide ample choices of ratio. The pronounced jumps between the cogs of the 10-speed block are typical of Campagnolo groupsets, as are the positive clunks from the finger and thumb shifters. Our only gripe is that the flexibly mounted finger shifters are hard to engage positively when wet, so if you’re wearing winter gloves, it’s a good idea to make sure they’ve a grippy pad on the first two fingers. Frame comfort is far better than the alloy rigs of old, with very little vibration reaching either our hands or posterior. It is on the more ‘performance’ side of stiff, though. Selle Italia’s X1 Plus saddle offers good support, too, and all-day comfort.

The key word here is confidence. It’s there in abundance. Power transfer afforded by the oval-profiled down tube’s junction with the bottom bracket is more than good enough for winter training drills, while the geometry up front is perfectly comfortable; but moving the three 10mm spacers above the stem transforms the bike into something more aggressive, giving you the confidence to get low down and attack corners with gusto. The wheelbase is well under the magic metre, which lends the whole package a lively feel. Miche’s brake callipers aren’t the strongest we’ve tested, but adequate enough to scrub speed off when entering blind downhill corners, and the bike’s performance once cranked over and tracking a line is excellent. The slender carbon fork isn’t the stiffest, but does a great job of soaking up road imperfections. In brief, the bike is quick when you want it to be, a willing training partner, but robust enough to deal with a British winter. We like!

Geometry

Spec

The Specialized Roubaix launched in 2003 and to date has taken top spot at the event it’s named after an impressive five times. But nothing lasts forever, so just over two years ago the engineers at Specialized began to ask, ‘What’s next?’

There was a general belief among the team that ‘smoother was faster’, but by their own admission they had no way of quantifying that, so they turned once again to their partners at McLaren.

‘Taking precise measurements is something we’ve been doing in F1 for a long time,’ says Duncan Bradley, design director at McLaren Applied Technologies. ‘You need to be able to understand every part of a full system before you know what changes to make in something as complicated as a car or a bike. We went a little bit further than just collecting data, as data without insight is useless, so we built a computer model of a bike and rider.’

The beauty of a computer model is that it can measure and replicate thousands of different inputs and component changes without the need to manufacture anything. The Roubaix project was remodelled ‘virtually’ more than 2,000 times, which meant that just six physical prototypes were required to bring the design to fruition.

‘Our model is unbelievably complex and it generates information that’s accurate to the real world,’ says Caleb Sawade, lead simulation engineer at McLaren. ‘We can change the stiffness of a steerer tube and see what effect that has on the torque in a rider’s elbow. We used a chassis dynamics rig to see how vibrations come through the bike to the rider. We used our wind-tunnel to match it with aerodynamic data, then added in the data from the tyre lab to find out what effect it has on comfort and rolling resistance. All of this fed into the model and increased the accuracy.’

Back to the future

For Specialized, the study confirmed that smoother was indeed faster, but also that there isn’t just one kind of ‘compliance’. There are two: splay and axial.

‘Splay is the most common way we’re used to feeling compliance and it’s basically the bending [flexing] of an item, be that a fork, stem or seat post,’ says Chris Yu, head of applied technologies at Specialized. ‘We found that while the tangible feeling of something flexing is effective [in terms of comfort], it’s not the most efficient way, and so it’s not the fastest. 

‘Axial compliance refers to something being able to move straight down [along its axis] in the direction of the input, and we found that not only is that more efficient at extracting smoothness [read: delivering comfort] it’s also more efficient when it comes to speed.’

Confused? Let us try to explain. Think about the most common method of adding suspension ona mountain bike – a regular telescopic suspension fork. This is the perfect example of axial compliance – the fork compresses directly along its axis when a force is applied, as opposed to flexing back and forth like a carbon road fork might to help reduce the amount of road shock a rider feels. 

That brings its own problems, however – most noticeably unwanted compression caused by the rider shifting their body weight and pedalling, which robs you of speed. 

With us so far? OK, so, through its complex modelling Specialized discovered that if you place the axial suspension unit above the head tube, rather than below, it’s no longer supporting the entire weight of the rider, just a small percentage of their upper body mass. Now you can exploit the benefits of axial compliance without any of the negatives caused by undesirable compression. And so, FutureShock was born.

The FutureShock is a steel insert with a coil-sprung suspension unit that sits in the steerer tube. It provides 20mm of suspension travel, which Specialized claims makes this new Roubaix 1,000% more comfortable than the outgoing model.

FutureShock comes with three rider-tunable spring options, the idea being that these should be chosen according to riding surface, rather than rider body weight. The real beauty of FutureShock is that it contains no wiper seals, dampers or other sources of friction, so it’s fully active all of the time. If you run over a piece of paper, Specialized claims, FutureShock will move to account for it.

Built to race

Specialized points out that not all splay compliance is bad, and it’s actually still preferable at the rear, as axial compliance here would alter the pedal stroke too much. Either way, this has been designed to be a race bike. The new frame geometry aligns more closely to the Tarmac than the outgoing Roubaix, and the frame is considerably stiffer. The fork has been lightened to account for FutureShock, so the overall weight remains virtually the same, and the whole system has spent time in the wind-tunnel to ensure it’s now slipperier than ever too.

The elephant in the room is the addition of disc brakes. The Roubaix has been designed for discs entirely top to bottom, and not a single bike in the range features callipers, which is fine for us consumers but should the UCI remain staunch on its ban it could pose a problem next spring.

We test rode this bike on the cobbles of Northern France to find out if the Roubaix lived up to Specialized's hype. You can read more about that here: Specialized Roubaix first ride

Model range and prices

Despite a huge technological leap forward, the FutureShock and associated Roubaix range is actually quite far reaching and even slips below £2000 for the Elite model.

The current Ruby features Specialized’s Zertz inserts (viscoelastic dampers inserted in the seatstays and fork) and Trek’s IsoSpeed decouplers claim to provide an additional 10% front end and 14% rear end compliance on it’s Domane frame. Using technology developed in partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies - think Formula 1 - the Ruby and it’s updated sibling, the Roubaix, take eliminating road chatter one step further by using an active suspension system. And while this is not a completely new approach the positioning and the ability to personalise the experience is a novel.

Bicycles move and flex in lots of places causing vibrations that are felt by the rider. A more compliant bike filters these vibrations giving a more comfortable ride. However, the technology used to dampen road noise can create a corresponding loss in power transfer and at worst, a sluggish bike. In designing the new Ruby the engineers at Specialized concluded that to create a fast, efficient bike splay compliance should be reduced.

The resulting technology was the ‘Futureshock’, a series of springs that sit within the headtube and allow the handlebars to move very subtly up and down. “What this does is to suspend the rider rather than the bike,” explains Mark Cote, Head of Integrated Technologies at Specialized. “The compliance is all up top, so there’s no compromise in the stiffness of the frame,” add Cote. 

Offering up to 20mm of travel, the system has one interchangeable spring that can be easily swapped out to adjust for terrain or rider preference – the ‘active’ spring has the longest travel, ‘sport’ offers a middle ground and ‘race’ has the shortest travel, giving the stiffest experience on the road.

Another feature that claims to negate the vibrations of the road is the oval shaped seat tube and dropped seat clamp - a drop of 65mm puts the seat clamp below the seat stay - that allow the seat post to make micro movements forward and back within its housing, another method that lets the bike do the work and not the rider.

Yet with all of this technology surely there is a compromise on power transfer and weight? “No”, says Cote. “This is the lightest Ruby frame we’ve ever made, the weight cost is none - a 51cm Ruby Comp frame weighs 940g and the fork 380g. Combined that with the Roval CLX32 disc wheelset - 1350g - and for a bike that is aimed at the endurance market this is a certainly a lightweight offering. (Although Specialized don’t publish the total weight of their bikes a fair comparison would be the Cannnondale Synapse di2 disc 2016, at 8.02kg.)

With the ability to run up to 33mm tyres, the new Ruby heralds a shift towards a different, more flexible form of road cycling, where on hoping off onto a gravel path for a few kms has increasing appeal and where comfort does not compromise performance.

Does it all add up? We found out: Specialized Ruby first ride

Model range and prices

By Susannah Osborne

It’s hard to know when aero road bikes really became a thing, but in the melting pot stoked up by the Cervélo Soloist in 2001, one bike stands out: the S-Works Venge.

Created in partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies, the original Venge was said to save 23 watts at 45kmh, or to open up a gap of three metres over a 200m sprint contested at 70kmh. Since then every aero bike worth its 3:1 tube ratios has come with a beguiling list of figures to give it credence. So, for those in such digits’ thrall, here are the new Venge’s numbers: 116 seconds faster than your average road bike over 40km at a wind speed of 40kmh, of which – according to Specialized’s aerodynamics engineer, Cameron Piper – ‘16 seconds comes from the bars and a further 12 seconds from the integrated cockpit and internal cable routing.’

However you break it down, that’s quick. Yet I’m more of a bicycle traditionalist, so there’s always a part of me that wonders if any of that’s relevant to normal workaday riders. The Venge changed all that. In fact, and I don’t use these words lightly, I think it has actually convinced me that I want an aero bike. Strike that. I need an aero bike. So long as it’s this good.

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Image 2 of 8

Ultimate reward

Cast your mind back to the first time you felt the whoosh of being on a racer, that feeling of an absolutely seismic shift in performance between it and your BMX or mountain bike, and you’ll get an idea of how I felt when I first pedalled the Venge. The initial acceleration, and every acceleration thereafter, was staggeringly quick.

It’s a pretty monumental piece of carbon engineering, smooth yet angular, bulbous yet skinny, and it weighs a not inconsiderable 7.82kg, but from standing starts it blazes out of the trap like a bike half its weight. The closest comparable machine I’ve experienced over those low revs is the Fuji SL 1.1 (issue 53), which does a similar job because it weighs just 5.11kg. However, unlike the Fuji, which then settles into a fairly linear effort/reward model, the Venge feels as if it has hidden afterburners in the stays, with things seeming almost more effortless the faster I pedalled. Headwinds suddenly became things in which to revel, not fear, and even up climbs the Venge’s aerodynamic prowess outshone its shortcomings in the weight stakes. At every turn it felt like a bike harrying me on to change up another gear and go faster. That’s possibly no surprise though, at least to the Venge’s engineers. 

‘The most difficult thing we tackled on the Venge was to reduce the drag at 0°, or head-on,’ says Specialized’s road category manager, Eric Schuda. ‘Reducing the drag at 0° is what gives everyone that “Holy shit this thing is fast” feeling when they jump on the bike.’

This isn’t just a cheap trick. Piper explains that the Venge engineers were also able to ‘reduce drag within the +/-15° yaw range’, a fact validated in German magazine Tour’s independent testing. In that test, the Venge went up alongside 14 other top-end aero road bikes at a variety of yaw angles, and tied for first place with the Trek Madone 9.9 in purely aerodynamic terms. 

Eagle-eyed viewers will note that the Venge Tour tested was in fact the rim-calliper version that debuted in 2015, which leads us into some interesting territory…

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Where to begin?

‘We started the new Venge project as a disc bike,’ says Schuda. ‘We tooled an entire frame with post-mount brakes, rode it in a bunch then realised that disc brakes were a way off, so we put this on hold and started the rim brake project. We then started from scratch with all new tooling for the disc version.’

The Venge, then, was never meant to be a rim calliper bike. And while the Venge Disc looks much the same as the rim brake version, bar the obvious, it’s been subtly reworked, from a reshaped fork crown to the re-sculpted seat tube. ‘Plus we’ve made improvements in layup analysis that allowed us to reduce weight,’ adds Schuda.

An average 56cm frame weighs a claimed 1,170g compared to 1,300g for a rim brake frame – not a stat you’d often expect for a disc bike. Likewise, the disc element has only slowed the bike by four seconds over 40km compared to the rim brake version.

That’s good news for disc-brake proponents, but it’s not the whole story. Once I’d gotten over the sheer speed, what struck me is just how well the Venge rode. Grab a fistful of Sram’s new eTap disc brake levers, dive into a corner and it rails like a rabbit on a dog track. Get out of the saddle and wrench on the bars like a possessed Greipel and it responds in kind with a rocksteady punch accompanied by a whoompf of scything carbon. Yet in all this aggression, there is a modicum of comfort. 

It’s definitely stiffer vertically than a non-aero bike, but as a package the Venge rides with a smoothness often lacking in bikes built just for speed. It was perfectly happy on long outings, as were my contact points. 

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Shaping the future

Everything here is cutting edge. This edition features Sram’s wireless eTap, a Quarq power meter, flat-mount disc brake callipers and tubeless tyres and wheels. 

To some people, many things on that list might seem unnecessary embellishments, but I’d defy anyone to not find joy in the crisp shifting and clean looks of eTap, the extra stopping prowess of disc brakes, the fast-rolling, virtually puncture-proof ride of tubeless tyres and self-motivating world of riding with power. However, there is a ‘but’. For all those benefits, the Venge runs the risk of losing a bicycle’s wonderful, democratic simplicity.

For starters, the brakes have a tendency to squeal in certain conditions. Then there’s the fitting of the S-Works Turbo tubeless tyres, which unless you have a compressor or a spare couple of days, can prove to be a nightmare (for prospective owners I would recommend Silca or Stan’s tubeless rim tape as a must). And then there’s the cockpit, which is tricky to adjust for any riders without three hands (that’s two to hold the tools and one to scratch your head).

As a result, I can’t help but think the Venge will be in some fashion limiting, as there are so many esoteric parts and features that it virtually ties you to a lifelong relationship with your Specialized dealer. Schuda explains that he too ‘worries about this’, but that a wealth of material is available online and from dealers if DIY’s your thing. 

However, as much as I too fear the day we all have to take our bikes to a dealer to get serviced, I’m going to let it slide, because as a rider of a road bike I’ve never felt this fast. Plus I doubt an owner of a McLaren P1 supercar worries that they can’t change the spark plugs.

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The spec

Model: Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS Disc eTap

Groupset: Sram Red eTap HRD

Deviations: S-Works FACT carbon chainset with Quarq Power Meter and CeramicSpeed bearings

Wheels: Roval Rapide CLX 64 Disc

Finishing kit: S-Works Aerofly ViAS bars, Venge ViAS aero stem, Venge FACT carbon seatpost, Body Geometry S-Works Power saddle

Weight: 7.82kg (56cm)

specialized.com

One of the most arresting pictures from last year’s Giro d’Italia wasn’t the work of a professional photographer, but was created by a spectator – quite literally. As the bunch sprint entered its final throes on Stage 6, Nippo-Vini Fantini rider Daniele Colli was brought to the ground when he clipped the long lens of a fan’s camera.

The picture of the resulting broken arm is one of the most horrifying cycling photos of recent times, and not to be Googled lightly. Happily Colli made a full recovery, but who was the perpetrator?

Newspaper reports identified him only as ‘Mark’, with little known about him other than he is a lifelong tifosi – the Italian word for the country’s sports fans. It’s also an excellent name for a bicycle company. Just don’t get them mixed up.

Who are ya?

‘Tifosi was established in 2000,’ says Chicken CycleKit’s Alex Rowling. ‘It’s always been our brand, but is not to be confused with Tifosi the eyewear brand.’ By ‘our brand’, Rowling means Tifosi was created by Chicken CycleKit, the nationwide bicycle importer and distributor that ensures your local bike shop stocks Campagnolo groupsets, Deda finishing kit and Selle Italia saddles, among other components.

What this means is Chicken, run by the wonderfully named Cedric Barry Ottawa Chicken, has access to huge warehouses full of top-level components, which allows it to spec Tifosi bikes with high-end kit at lower prices.

Which is why the Tifosi SS26 comes with a tasty list of Campagnolo Chorus groupset, Miche SWR carbon clinchers and Deda finishing kit, all topped off with Vittoria’s latest graphene tyres and Selle Italia SLR saddle.

Run the retail prices for individual items and you’ll come out at a cost of more than £4,000 before the bike has even been built, which suggests that the pricetag of £3,500 for the SS26 represents a considerable saving. But is it a considerable ride?

The SS26 is a new foray for Tifosi, a brand hitherto most typically active in the sub-£1,000 part of the market. As such the 950g (claimed, size 56cm) carbon frame is for the first time closed-mould – in other words, it’s Tifosi-designed and exclusive to the company. It’s also being raced by amateur team Spirit Bikes, who by all accounts have had a decent season peppered with elite-level victories aboard the SS26.

As you might expect, the SS26 therefore leans towards the racier side in terms of geometry, but it’s not prohibitively aggressive. This size, with a 56cm effective top tube, has a 170mm head tube and 992mm wheelbase, and it’s these two measurements that I think set the tone.

My first ride was a long slog from the clutches of London down to the open coast of Portsmouth, and for that I chose to run the front end even taller, with an extra 15mm of spacers. That might not sound like much, but together with a mid-sized wheelbase (for the record I’d call 985mm short and snappy, and 1,000mm+ long and cruisy) it was enough to lend the SS26 an upright, gentrified feel that would still exhibit the necessary speed and handling agility when required. 

The path I trod wasn’t exactly a smooth one, but that just allowed one of the SS26’s prime characteristics to shine through – it’s a really comfortable bike over poor terrain and distance. Desperately skinny seatstays, which narrow almost like a wishbone towards the seat tube, combine with slightly flattened chainstays to make an excellent fist of rear-end damping.

The SS26 also has a Deda carbon seatpost, which while not in keeping with the rest of the Deda Zero100 alloy finishing kit is a welcome addition. In my experience carbon posts offer that touch more plushness over alloy. 

Despite the slight mismatch, the finishing kit looks the part, and helps complete a bike that transcends its safe matt black paint with enough flashes of colour to look classy.

I’d have preferred if Tifosi hadn’t labelled pretty much every tube with the word ‘Tifosi’ – there are eight in total, with the down tube awarded three, and the seat clamp is also a decidedly unrefined affair, but otherwise the frame has an elegant silhouette with subtle curves and angles to make it intriguing up close. 

Shimmy-shimmy

Long days out on the SS26 were a pleasure, and it drew its fair share of traffic light glances. However, when I pounded up through the gears the SS26 became a harder beast to quantify.

The handling was efficient and purposeful, the bike stable through the majority of turns. Yet at the top end of the power spectrum, and through particularly tight corners, I felt it was lacking.

The chainstays, down tube and head tube conjured up a solid enough platform for bigger seated efforts, but I found the SS26 wavered when getting up out of the saddle and really attacking a sprint or climb.

Slamming the stem helped, leading me to think that the fork steerer tube perhaps isn’t the stiffest, but it didn’t cure the problem entirely. For all its stiffness during ‘normal’ riding – admirably blended with comfort – the SS26 still left me wanting during big efforts.

It’s hard to pinpoint but I think the SS26 suffers from pared-down-top-tube syndrome, and a shimmy of the bars seemed to prove this. This isn’t something I’d ever recommend, but when travelling seated at speed I often wobble the bars from side to see how much the front of a bike oscillates before I can feel the rear move too.

For 95% of the time the above is not an issue and the SS26 is a thoroughly lovely bike to ride, particularly over long distances

All bikes, no matter how stiff, will move a lot more than you’d think, but the SS26 flexed more than I’m happy to accept.  I’d like to point out this is not indicative of a weak frame, as the SS26 never felt anything less than solid.

But when you consider the movement of a sprinter –wrenching the bars and throwing a bike side to side – you get to understand how crucial stiffness in the saggital plane is, and how it’s not enough to have just one fat down tube holding things together.

You need the top tube to help out too, yet it seems this is an area manufacturers sometimes hold back on, and I can only imagine they see it as an easy way to cut frame weight.

Given all that, what I’m about to say might come as a surprise: I’d genuinely like to own the SS26, the reason being that for 95% of the time the above is not an issue and the SS26 is a thoroughly lovely bike to ride, particularly over long distances. It’s smooth, comfortable and light, and feels like a natural extension of the rider.

There’s room for improvement, but as it stands you could spend a lot more and end up with a lot less. If Tifosi can continue in this vein with its next releases, I might, like the name suggests, become a bit of a fan.

Spec

BMC has achieved a lot in its 22-year existence. Its trademark angular frame shapes and tube forms make its bikes highly recognisable and they’ve been ridden to victory in the Tour de France, road and time-trial World Championships, as well as mountain bike races and Ironman triathlons too. 

From its hi-tech, robotised Impec lab in Grenchen, Switzerland, BMC has pushed the boundaries of weight, aerodynamics and comfort. Like every brand, it has until recently seen these as separate categories, so it has the light, stiff Teammachine for racing, the aero Timemachine for speed and the Granfondo for long days in the saddle. But what if you had to pick just one BMC? 

‘The engineers, faced with this question, for sure could not decide,’ says BMC’s road product manager, Mart Otten. ‘But not many of them said, “I’ll take the Granfondo,” which led us to think that we needed to change the image of the endurance bikes a bit. 

‘We wanted to get away from the image of a very upright bike, and to improve pedalling performance, bringing it closer to the Teammachine, but keep the characteristics required for an endurance bike, like stability and comfort. We needed to make something lighter, more efficient and better looking, while keeping the fit dimensions to suit a wide range of riding styles.’

Enter the Roadmachine, a bike BMC claims excels in an all-round capacity as ‘a one-bike collection’.

See related 

BMC Granfondo GF01 Disc review

Joining the Joneses

Look back at recent history and you’ll see the hunt for something with versatility beyond your common-or-garden road bike is where big names such as Specialized, Trek and Canyon are investing heavily. Now we can add BMC to the list. 

This, the Roadmachine 01, is the top model (from a range of three) and is constructed from BMC’s premium-level carbon. A sleek-looking machine it is too, with system integration at the heart of its design, along with disc brakes and room for 30mm tyres.

Its clean looks begin at the cockpit, with a fork and stem combo that allows all the Di2 cabling and hydraulic brake hoses to be tucked away out of sight. Wiring and brake hoses run inside a compartment under the stem, plus the fork steerer tube has flattened sides, allowing room for cabling to pass down inside the frame until it emerges next to its relevant component. 

The custom stem design, which accepts a standard handlebar, blends seamlessly with a shaped headset cover (BMC calls it a cone) that’s both an aesthetic and functional part of the design.

BMC makes no specific aero claims for the Roadmachine, but this type of top cap integration has been widely used to achieve a slicker front end. So too the way the fork crown tessellates closely with the down tube and the rear wheel tucks neatly into the back of the seat tube.

As Otten says, ‘We were designing this bike from the ground up, so of course we have taken a few opportunities to gain some free speed. But we prefer to call it “sleek” rather than “aero”.’ 

Function follows form

Another important aspect of the ‘cone’ is that it comes in two heights to offer the rider a decent amount of variance in front end geometry. 

‘With the lower stack height you can achieve a position millimetres away from the Teammachine. But with the taller cone installed, the front end can match the position of the Granfondo,’ Otten says. And happily, these adjustments can be achieved with no need for an ugly stack of spacers.

Splitting the difference between the Teammachine and Granfondo seems to be a common theme. In terms of bottom bracket stiffness and vertical compliance, BMC’s test figures suggest the frame leans more towards the Teammachine. At the fork the lateral stiffness is on par with the Teammachine, while fore/aft flex, Otten suggests, is the same as for the Granfondo. 

‘But this data only tells half the story,’ he adds. ‘How a frame performs on the test bench is one thing, but the actual riding experience and comfort is much more towards the feel of the Granfondo, because we have the bigger tyres and the smaller-diameter D-Compliance seatpost that both add a lot to the experience on the road for the rider.’

The details of this 930g frame are as sharp as its looks. The flat mount disc brake callipers mate beautifully with the frame and fork, and will accept either 140mm or 160mm rotors. The thru-axles sit completely flush (thanks to removable DT-Swiss levers), and there’s a neat integrated chain catcher too. The complete package graced our office scales at 7.69kg (size 56cm) – very respectable indeed for a thru-axled, disc brake bike. 

BMC has steered clear of even a single mention of the word ‘gravel’ in its description, instead referring to the Roadmachine as the culmination of learnt processes and technologies from its other ranges, all merged into something that promises to be aero and fast, lightweight and stiff, plus comfortable and capable on a wide range of terrains. 

Read into that what you will, and to find out whether it’s indeed true check back very soon for a full review.

evanscycles.com

Designed specifically for UK road conditions, Pinnacle says its alloy-framed Dolomite 5 strikes a balance between a more upright sportive bike and ‘a performance machine the experienced rider will feel at home on during winter training’.

Shimano hydraulic disc brakes bring the promise of reliable and predictable stopping power during the wetter months, too.

Even better, at the time of going to press, the Dolomite 5 is currently reduced to £850, from its original price of £1,000 – good reason to snap one up quickly? Let’s see… 

Frameset

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Image 4 of 6

Besides being exceptionally handsome, the Pinnacle’s frame also features triple- and double-butted alloy tubes, allowing the manufacturer to tune the frame for stiffness where it matters with as little impact on weight as possible.

A fairly long head tube promotes a more upright riding position (adjustable by way of moving those spacers under the stem for a more aggressive riding position) while the sloping top tube makes for a compact rear triangle, allowing the maximum strength at the rear, and therefore minimises losses in power.

It also means there’s a lot of exposed seatpost, helping to isolate you from vibrations. The cabling is internally routed, which should help with your winter cleaning regime. Mounting points for mudguards and a rack give this easy-going bike oodles of practicality.

Groupset

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Image 2 of 6

Shimano’s RS505 hydraulic shifters are 105-level in the Japanese firm’s component range. It takes some getting used to the slightly bulbous brake hoods but they’re a comfortable place to rest your hands and operate the front and rear 105 mechs to work through the 50/34 FSA Gossamer chainset/11-speed Shimano cassette.

Stars of the groupset are the brake callipers themselves. Often found on bikes three times the price, the BR785s are solid performers and inspire masses of confidence although they do add to the overall weight of this bike.

Finishing kit

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Image 3 of 6

Pinnacle’s own-brand finishing kit includes ergonomically pleasing short-drop alloy handlebars, although we’d prefer them slightly narrower.

The 27.2mm alloy seatpost helps absorb vibrations but the saddle is too cushioned for our liking, robbing us of some feel at the rear.

Wheels

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Image 5 of 6

Alex Rims’ double-walled Draw rims feature a 32-spoke design, and exhibited next to no flex in testing.

We’re impressed with their dependability but they’re not the lightest disc wheels, which does add a little to the overall rotational weight of the Pinnacle. That said, for a winter bike, we’d take reliability and longevity over low weight any time.

Continental’s 25c Grand Sport Race tyres are adequate, but ripe for upgrading. There’s clearance for 28c in the frame if you want to opt for even greater comfort.

The ride

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Image 6 of 6

We tested a Dolomite 4 earlier this year, and to say it impressed us greatly is an understatement. So expectations of the Dolomite 5 were high and we weren’t disappointed.

Upgrades to the brakes over the 4 instantly allowing the 5 to shine, while the frame allowed us to get comfy from the off and settle into a fatigue-free test ride.

On the road, several things conspire to make the Dolomite the kind of bike it feels like you’ve owned for years. Although it doesn’t possess the ability to put huge watts to the ground in the way a super-stiff racer would, the ride is particularly comfortable, and our size S frame put us in an instantly cosseting riding position.

The sloping top tube leaves a fair length of the seatpost exposed, which helps to isolate backside from road vibe. Continental’s 25c Grand Sport tyres don’t factor well in terms of rolling resistance and outright grip, but they’re predictable in damper conditions and iron out road imperfections well.

The disc-specific Alex Rims proved dependable, presenting no discernible flex under power, and an endurance-spec head angle allows the bike to respond safely, predictably and assuredly. OK, this bike won’t light up your life, but it will respond perfectly well throughout a winter of damp roads and cold starts.

A measured weight of 9.44kg doesn’t help when the road rises, but a decent spread of gears from the 11-28 cassette gives you every chance of finding a suitable ratio for climbs.

The bike’s weight and easy-going geometry are a real boon on downhill stretches, though. Handling The Dolomite’s trump card is its hydraulic disc brakes – a very welcome surprise on an £850 road bike.

They perform remarkably well in all conditions, with near-perfect modulation whether operating Shimano’s hydraulic-specific RS505 levers with one finger or four, and outright stopping power is there in abundance should you encounter myopic car drivers and be required to throw out the anchors with urgency.

A carbon fork combines with relaxed geometry to provide predictable steering with minimal vibration. The tyres are adequate rather than fantastic, and we’d swap the saddle for something more supportive and less ‘squishy’, but a comfortably balanced overall package puts this bike high up on our wishlist of winter bikes, and at this price it’s a remarkable piece of kit.

Geometry

Spec

The last couple of years have seen US optics powerhouse Oakley push the top frame bar of its sport sunglasses higher and higher in an attempt to increase the athlete’s field of vision, with no little success.

The Jawbreakers’ large lens offers an expansive view, as does Oakley’s Radar EV, yet in both cases vision can still be disrupted by the frame that holds the lens.

Oakley solves that problem in the EV Zeros by removing the frame altogether, offering an uninterrupted view and simultaneously allowing it to compete in the realm of super-lightweight eyewear - the EV Zeros weigh just 22g - which is over 30% lighter than the comparatively portly Jawbreakers.

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Image 2 of 4

As well as lowering the weight of the glasses, the absence of the frame solves the problem of lens fogging - sweat was able to evaporate unhindered without being trapped by the frame and condensing on the lens, which is a rare advantage in cycling sunglasses.

However, what Oakley gives with one hand, it takes away with the other - the EV Zero design is made possible by the arms being fixed to the lens. This may reduce the versatility of the glasses but ultimately the quality of the lens restricts any negative impact this may have for the user.

Path or Range

The EV Zeros are offered in two shapes, the Path and the the slightly larger Range, which has a 5mm deeper lens more reminiscent of Oakley’s original frameless glasses, the Sub Zeros, released back in 1992.

The lens shape of the Path is toned down, but is none the worse for it - lens coverage is unimpaired regardless of whether you are looking up from from the drops or checking the whereabouts of other riders to the left or right.

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Image 3 of 4

It isn’t just the shape of the lens that is astutely thought out - Oakley claims the Prizm technology it employs in some of its cycling lenses is fine-tuned specifically for the road environment. 

How different this Prizm lens is to lenses specific to other sports can’t be commented on but these do provide an effective filter, decreasing glare from the sun and boosting road texture.

However, new-fangled lens-tuning technology aside and simply put, the EV Zero lenses offer exceptional optical clarity and genuinely improve your riding experience.

Verdict: Oakley's EV Zeros are lightweight performance sunglasses with class-leading optical clarity.

£140 / uk.oakley.com

The aluminium Allez has been been a stalwart of Specialized’s road collection for several years, remaining relatively unchanged from its original incarnation as an entry-level, endurance-oriented frame. However, possessing the resources to continue in the research and development of aluminium alongside carbon fibre, Specialized has been able to radically change the way it’s Allez frame is produced.

The Allez Sprint uses SwartWeld technology - developed by Specialized’s creative specialist Chris d’Alusio - whereby instead of using mitred tubes that are TIG-welded together, the frame is constructed in hydroformed sections. Case in point is the bottom bracket shell - two huge hydroformed clamshell pieces are brazed together, to which the down tube, seat tube, and chainstays are welded, creating a BB shell more reminiscent of carbon fibre tube-and-lug construction than aluminium.

It moves the tube welds away from the points of stress, which Specialized claims increases stiffness, and as the tube walls can then be made thinner around the joints, it makes for a lighter frame too. Along with appropriate tweaks to the geometry and Specialized’s top-tier FACT carbon fork, this new manufacturing method has changed the Allez into an aggressive, race-oriented bike that is now less packhorse, more thoroughbred.

All the while the Allez’s signature value for money remains one of its foremost attributes, with the Sprint Expert retailing at £1,500. To hit this price point, the groupset is a mongrel mix of Shimano 105 and Ultegra, with a Praxis Zayante crankset. The weight of the Zayante crankset is on par with Shimano’s Ultegra one, so it will be interesting to see how well the 105 front derailleur and Praxis rings work together.

Specialized in-house budget brand Axis supply it’s Elite wheels, which are shod which Specialized’s 24mm Turbo Pro tyres, and the bike is finished with Specialized’s basic aluminium bars, stem, an S-Works Venge carbon seatpost and Toupé saddle.The Allez DSW SL Sprint will be sticking around on long term test so check back often for updates on how the partnership is developing.

specialized.com

Making a brief appearance at the Cyclist office today was a custom-built Cannondale Super Six Evo Disc, which when put on the newton meter of judgement displayed a reading of 5.67kg, and led us to believe that it could be one of, if not the lightest, disc brake bike out there.

At its heart is the brand new Cannondale Super Six Evo Disc, with a brand new colourscheme, but there are more than a few modifications that have been made to the model, indeed largely attributable to German parts manufacturer Tune, that have enabled it to boast such a low weight - disc brakes or otherwise.

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Image 7 of 13

The cockpit is perhaps most eyecatching, with a Schmolke Oversize Evo SL bar serving as the foundation and decorated with an exceedingly 90s-esque pair of Brake Force One brake levers, sprouting cables skywards in a primitive fashion and sacrificing the possibility of a hood hand hold, all in the name of weight. The levers are hydraulically linked to a set of Tune Kill Hill Black Edition callipers, typically more used in MTB, and in turn 140mm disc rotors. 

The seat tube is devoid of a front derailleur, as with the single Cannondale Hollogram SISL chainring set up at the front it's not necessary, which could be a sign that Cannondale see this trend continuing to grow. The frame comes with a derailleur mount as standard though, so Cannondale has drilled out the rivets, filled them, and then laquered over the carbon, to neaten things up with this modification.

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Image 12 of 13

The build is completed with a Tune Komm-Vor Plus carbon saddle, an alloy Tune stem and a pair of 1,400g wheels, with both Tune carbon clincher Tune rims laced to an anodized blue Tune hub.

Road bike. Disc brakes. Primitive but functional. 5.67kg. Bravo Cannondale (and collaborators). 

cyclingsportsgroup.co.uk

There are many Italian framebuilders and nearly all of them claim to have made frames that were ridden by professionals at the Tour de France – all rebadged and sworn to secrecy, of course. In that respect Tiziano Zullo is no different, but in his case the frames in question did display his name, and proudly too. 

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s the entire TVM pro squad rode Zullo bikes, including Phil Anderson, who came second at the Tour of Flanders and won the Tour of Romandie aboard his. 

In fact you can still purchase the Tour ’91 today, built exactly as it was 25 years ago, although Tiziano admits he’s not sure for how much longer as the stock of Columbus SL tubing is steadily diminishing. In the meantime, Zullo has modernised its operation and at one point even made custom carbon frames, but has now reverted back to making just a hundred or so steel frames a year, with the Inqubo as the flagship.

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Image 3 of 8

Pandering to the pros

Like most of Zullo’s early racing frames, it was the needs of the professionals that spurred the Inqubo’s development.

‘The idea for building this frame came from the Spanish track rider Joan Llaneras, who had one of my Macario frames,’ says Zullo. 

‘Joan asked for a very strong and stiff frame for track racing. We worked this out for him with Dedacciai, and he won the Track World Championships in Manchester in 1996 and later the 2000 Olympics in Athens. Afterwards, I decided to produce a road-going version,’ he adds.

Easy-peasy, you may think: a bit of butting here, some bi-ovalisation there and you’re done. But turning what was a hardcore track racer into a comfortable road-goer was far from a quick process.

‘It was not easy and many tests were done for both the main triangle and rear stays. During the process I cried out “questo é un incubo” [this is a nightmare] and the name just stuck.’ 

Of course the finished product is anything but a nightmare – in fact it’s rather dreamy. The Inqubo is constructed from Dedacciai Eom 16.5 steel and it’s these tubes that are the stars of the show. The top tube is teardrop-shaped, the down tube is bi-ovalised (almost oval), the chainstays square off where they meet the bottom bracket and everything bar the BB is vastly oversized. There’s barely a rounded tube in sight. 

Despite the bike’s racing background, Zullo says most of the Inqubo frames he produces are not destined for competition. Due to its stiffness, the frame has become very popular with touring cyclists and can be easily adapted for more comfort.

Zullo also says that the frame is very popular among those who have lost faith in carbon and with customers who are on the slightly larger side, as the stock frame can comfortably handle riders up to 120kg. I had plenty more questions, but Zullo informed me that I should ride the bike and I would find the answers to all my questions on the road. 

The weld in my eyes

My first thought as I gazed at the frame was how beautiful it was. Tiziano Zullo is a hugely experienced framebuilder and you can see it in the finish of the frame. The welds are immaculate, and the polished stainless steel dropouts and headset seats at either end of the head tube are sublime. Hell, even the bottle cage braze-ons are beautiful. The wondrous paint is the work of a Japanese artist, rather than the framebuilder himself, but you can’t be good at everything.

The second impression I got from looking at the frame was, ‘This is going to be really stiff.’ The oversized chainstays and chunky, hooded dropouts didn’t look to have so much as an ounce of give in them but it would take a good ride to find out exactly how stiff we were talking about, as the patented Cyclist Bottom Bracket Stiffness Test (putting a foot on the crank and giving it a good shove) proved inconclusive. 

As it happens, the Inqubo is incredibly stiff, but mercifully it isn’t quite as harsh as you might imagine. The beefy chainstays may be as unyielding as Margaret Thatcher but the whole bike manages a surprising sideline in compassion. 

It’s hard to pinpoint precisely where the comfort comes from – the Fizik saddle is so well padded that I had to raise my saddle height by 5mm to account for the sag, and the 25mm tyres will have contributed too – but the overall ride feel, while firm, left my numerous fillings in situ.  

With some steel bikes, stiffness never converts into pure speed. You may feel like you’re going quickly but a glance at your speedo proves otherwise. The Inqubo is almost the opposite. The overall weight means it doesn’t spring away from a standing start but the speed builds and keeps building.

The DT Swiss wheels do it some favours in this regard, but there were many times when I felt like I was just cruising only to look down and see the speed gentling climbing through the 40s. 

As the road descends, and the speed climbs, the Inqubo remains resolute and does a fine job of dispatching meandering tarmac. I’d actually say the Inqubo feels the most planted of any bike I’ve ridden in some time, which is perhaps the ‘faith’ that Zullo feels carbon bikes have lost.

The Deda Black Fin fork does a fine job in the handling stakes too, while also smoothing out an acceptable amount of bumps. It’s certainly not a plush ride for the palms, but it’s a price worth paying for the level of steering precision and control that makes its way through the gargantuan head tube.

That said, it is inescapable that this bike is a racing bike and, despite Zullo’s suggestion that it would make a good tourer, I think a very long day in the saddle would leave me somewhat fatigued.

Having ridden this bike on some fairly fast-paced rides with some friends on featherlight carbon bikes, the Inqubo does give a little away with its weight, but nowhere else. I feel that had carbon and all the rest not come about, and steel was the only option, the Zullo name would still be part of the Tour de France today and the Inqubo would be the bike they would use.

The spec

Fairlight, a brand new British bike brand, enjoyed its launch recently and has bought two versatile steel bikes to the market, tailored to the demands of riding in the UK.

Key to the Fairlight ideal is the 'proportional geometry', which aims to cater for differences in body proportions as well as a rider's height, as well as a partnership with Reynolds tubing.

'I was the bike designer for Genesis (the bike brand) for 3 years,' says Fairlight director Dom Thomas, 'and followed that with 2 years custom building bikes for my own brand Wold Cycles. I co-founded Fairlight Cycles 18 months ago with Jon Reid, who owns the specialist shop 'Swift Cycles' in London, and we have been working incredibly hard to bring Fairlight to market.'

'Reynolds development staff have enjoyed working with Dom Thomas on a number of concepts,' says Reynolds managing director Keith Noronha. 'He uses his many years of experience to create bike frames that provide the kind of ride quality that keen riders will appreciate, and the result of these efforts will be seen in the current model line-up.'

The Strael is a disc road bike made from a combination of Reynolds 853, 631 and 725 tubing, with a 54cm frame coming in a 1,946 grams, and the Anraed carbon fork its paired with weighing 365g. Tyre clearance is given as 33c, but is knocked down to 30c with mud guards, which the frame is able to carry with front and rear mounts. 

The Faran meanwhile is more of an adventure touring bike, made entirely from Reynolds 631 tubing. It's designed to accept up to 42c tyres, but is also fully compatible with the 650b standard that's becoming popular in the adventure bike category. Like the Strael the Faran has mudguard mounts, as well as bosses for a rear rack. 

Across both bikes is Fairlight's 'proportional geometry', whereby each frame size has two iterations: regular and tall, with the 'tall' frames possessing a bit more height at the front end. 

Strael build prices

Frameset - £899

105 - £1849

Ultegra - £2399

UltegraDI2 - £2799

Dura Ace - £2999

Faran build prices

Frameset - £599

Tiagra - £1399

105 - £1599

Ultegra - £1899

fairlightcycles.com

I always think there’s something reassuring about a bike that’s had many before it bear its name. Specialized has the Allez, Cannondale the CAAD series, Trek the Madone, Giant the TCR, and Wilier the Cento.

It speaks of consideration, faith and solid reputation. Consideration that a manufacturer has tried to create lineage and pedigree; faith that each iteration will be better than the generation before; and solid reputation that if a name has lasted long enough, a bike must be doing something right.

After all, everyone knows a Porsche 911; few will remember the Gordon-Keeble.

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Image 5 of 8

Buon compleanno!

The Cento first surfaced in 2006, built to celebrate Wilier’s 100th birthday – Cento meaning ‘hundred’ in Italian. However, it was 2008’s Cento1 that really established the range’s reputation.

Replete with integrated seatmast and £5,499 pricetag, it was heralded as one of the best all-round race bikes of its time and garnered much praise in the bike press.

In general, success has followed success where the Cento marque is concerned. The SL did much the same as the Cento1 (and was a few grams lighter), the SR was an entire redesign but with similar poise and reception, then the Cento1Air alighted from the aero-road train in 2013. There was one disappointment, though.

‘We made the Cento Uno SR Disc, and we sold zero,’ says Wilier’s international sales manager, Claudio Salomoni. ‘There were supply issues with the disc brake units, but really it is the attitude in southern Europe. It’s, “Why do you need disc brakes? Because it is raining? If it is raining, I just ride tomorrow.”’

Wilier does make disc brake bikes, of course – the endurance GTR and the Montegrappa – but in the Cento10Air (named in celebration of the brand’s 110th birthday) it’s looking for a bike to capture the hearts of the purest racers.

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Image 6 of 8

The stopping power therefore comes from a set of Shimano Ultegra direct-mount brakes. There’s not a huge amount in it when compared to the regular single-bolt mounted version, but modulation is ever so slightly better as the brake calliper is stiffer thanks to each being mounted via its own pivot, thereby turning the frame or fork into a brace for the brake. However, this isn’t the reason Wilier has chosen the system.

‘The brakes mean that we can offer more clearance for wider tyres, but crucially for air flow,’ says Salomoni. ‘The rear stays are much wider apart than usual, as is the fork, aiding airflow between the wheel, frame and fork so the Cento is better aerodynamically.’

Add in integrated ‘Alabarda’ bars and kamm-tail tubes (a truncated tear-drop profile that adheres to the UCI’s 3:1 tube ratio rule) and Wilier claims the Cento10Air is 8% faster than its predecessor, the Cento1Air.

Could I tell if that was true? Well, I rode the Cento1Air when it debuted and was mightily impressed at the time by how fast it felt. Admittedly that was three years ago, but if memory serves then the initial feeling of speed aboard the Cento10Air wasn’t quite so dramatic.

It definitely felt fast compared to my round-tubed training bike, but having just come off the back of the Specialized Venge ViAS (issue 54), the Cento10Air felt fairly normal.

In part that’s down to two things. Firstly, bikes are just getting faster. But also the secret weapon in the Cento’s arsenal isn’t necessarily aerodynamics, but ride feel.

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Image 3 of 8

Ever the stereotype

Just like how 50kmh on a motorbike feels like 100kmh in a car, thanks to the far more connected, visceral feeling you get from riding a motorbike, speed can be deceptive on a road bike.

Enjoy a smooth-riding bike and things seem underwhelming, sometimes even slow, but get on a super-stiff racer and bounce all over the place feeling every shock and you can be tricked into thinking you’re pegging it along faster than you really are.

The Cento, much to its credit, is particularly smooth. It’s still aggressive – at the closest I could get to my correct set up there was still a fairly long drop from saddle to bar – but other than the position I often forgot I was riding an aero bike.

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Image 4 of 8

There is a real relationship between the front and the rear ends, where the fork tracks precisely and the rear follows without complaint. But more than that, vibrations up the seatpost and through the pedals felt on the same level as those that travelled up the steerer tube and through the bars, a trait that makes a bike feel more like a homogenous piece and less like a collection of parts.

In this respect I’d liken the Cento10Air to the Scott Foil (issue 50), an aero bike that coped well enough with the cobbles of Roubaix to help Mathew Hayman to victory. That bike had an endearingly fast, smooth and precise ride, and the Cento10Air is the same. Yet the Cento does manage to juggle a personality all of its own too.

The ride feels very ‘Italian’. As smooth as it is for an aero bike, it still takes some containing on sharper descents or tighter corners due to a slightly twitchy edge.

It’s not unstable but, as I’ve found on similar bikes from Bianchi and Colnago, it takes a bit of getting used to before you master the controls. But once I learned to be a bit more sensitive with my steering input and shifts of bodyweight, such as a dropped knee or a more forward position as when descending fast, the Cento10Air came into its own.

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Image 7 of 8

Make me better

Of course to go down one needs to first go up, and I was ‘lucky’ enough to be faced with several nasty climbs in the Dolomites aboard the Cento (Wilier having chosen to launch the bike in Cortina, Italy).

The initial test ride was eye-wateringly early, the air thin and the roads horrendously steep, but according to Strava I managed to drag myself up the 2,250m Lavaredo in a time that put me in the top 10% on the leader board.

No matter where I ride, I wouldn’t expect to obtain such lofty heights in Stravadom, let alone aboard a bike I’ve never ridden before up something so steep (there are regular stretches of 15%), so it’s testament to Wilier that the Cento10Air managed to paper over my deficiencies as a climber so well.

A weight-weenie might baulk at the idea of 7.51kg bike, but such experiential evidence does make the argument for aerodynamics over weight.

Add that evidence to the rest and the Cento10Air builds quite a case for itself. It’s nimble, smooth, climbs well and has a fair lick of speed. There are faster bikes out there, but few come as close to melding aerodynamics with all-round race bike performance. Plus it’s red.

Spec

'There is this great photo of Fabian Cancellara on the start line at the Giro d’Italia, looking under the handlebars of Pippo Pozzato’s bike,’ says Claudio Salomoni, Wilier’s international sales manager. ‘I love this picture, because Cancellara is so puzzled with the bike. He cannot work out where the Di2 box is hidden!’

The bike in question was this, the Wilier Cento 10 Air – or chen-toe deet-chae as the Italians say. It’s the sixth addition to the burgeoning Cento family, which until this summer was led by the Cento 1 Air. Like the 1 Air, the Cento 10 takes its design cues from angular NACA and Kamm tube profiling and low-slung seatstays, but the difference is about more than just a lick of paint and some new bars.

‘The fork and stays have been widened to make the bike faster,’ says Salomoni. ‘There are two ways you can look at aerodynamics on a bike: the track way, where everything is super-skinny and very close together, with the wheels nearly touching the frame; and the road bike, where you need clearances for wider tyres and brakes. 

‘On a track bike the gaps between the wheel and frame are so small almost no air can get through, which is good as this air would otherwise create areas of high pressure, which causes drag. Go a bit wider, like on a normal road bike, and the air can go anywhere, so you get more pressure and more drag. But go wider still and you start to reduce the pressure again, so it becomes more aero. So this is what we tried to do with the Cento 10. It’s a simple concept we learn in school!’

As such, the rear seatstays flare proud of the seat tube to create a wide gap between the wheel and the stays. Up front the gap between the legs of the integrated fork is also appreciably wider than most, so to accommodate these characteristics Wilier has employed direct-mount brakes fore and aft. 

Wilier claims this wide stance makes the Cento 10 Air 8% faster than the 1 Air. The new Alabarda handlebars also play a part, though Salomoni says Wilier doesn’t yet have the precise numbers to indicate by how much. 

Frank engineering

Like a slew of other brands, Wilier has gone down the one-piece stem-bar combo, cast in the in-vogue T shape. Viewed from the front, the Alabarda’s silhouette is wind-cheatingly thin, but from above it’s a mighty-looking piece that looks more like a jet wing than a bike handlebar.

A combination of proprietary spacers and a neat internal clamp means the ensemble sits gratifyingly flush which, given its size, lends itself nicely to housing the Di2 internals.

It’s a slick piece of engineering made all the more aesthetically pleasing by colour-matched graphics – each of the Cento’s four colourways has its own complementary bar. For those wishing to push the palette still further, Wilier will also be offering custom paint through its Infinitamente programme. 

The Cento 10 is essentially bigger than its forebear, yet it’s lighter – a claimed 990g for a medium frameset compared to 1,120g for the 1 Air. That’s as you might expect for a next-gen road bike – after all, when was the last time a manufacturer claimed its bike was heavier than before? However, Salomoni is refreshingly blunt about how such feats were achieved.

‘I tell you China is like the Silicon Valley of carbon, in that anything new comes from there. If you can show me an Italian factory that can make frames like they can in China, I want to know!

‘We achieve this new weight working with our factory to refine the lay-ups: how much carbon to use, where to overlap this piece, the orientation of the strands in that piece, and so on.’

Carbon copy

‘It has very little to do with the carbon fibre itself,’ Salomoni says. ‘Anyone who says they have access to special carbon is talking nonsense. We all have access to the same stuff, it is the lay-up where we save the weight, and where it gets incredibly complex to save even just a few grams.’

In this day and age one might question the absence of disc brakes on a bike such as the 10 Air. Salomoni, though, is yet to be convinced. ‘Disc brakes are not aero. Maybe with covers, yes, but the UCI does not allow this yet.’

For now we’re happy with the Cento 10 as is, direct-mount brakes and all. Our first ride in the Dolomites highlighted an incredibly adept road bike with the bonus of aero qualities. For more on our initial impressions of the Cento 10 Air, go to cyclist.co.uk/cento10, and look out for a full test in an upcoming issue.

The sixth addition to the Cento family, the Cento10 takes its design cues from angular Naca and Kamm tube profiling and low slung seat stays found on its predecessor, the Cento1 Air, but this is more than just a lick of paint and some new bars.

The frame has undergone a total reworking, the most obvious elements being the widened seat stays and fork, something Wilier claims helps make the Cento10 8% faster than the Cento1 Air. The idea is the extra-wide areas allow air to flow more easily between the wheels and frame, preventing areas of high-pressure that cause drag. Whatever the theory, in practice that means Wilier has had to opt for direct mount brakes to fit this extra width while maintaining tyre clearances. These not only look clean, but also have a tendency to perform just that little bit better than traditional callipers.

The seat stays have also been lowered, as far as UCI regulations permit (lest bikes start looking like the banned Y-frame designs of yesteryear from Lotus, Trek and Zipp). Again this aids speed, the less material facing the wind the better.

Side on the bike therefore cuts a similar silhouette to the 1 Air, except for one thing: the bars. Wilier has dubbed these the ‘Alabarda’ handlebars, and true to current industry form they are an integrated stem/bar combo with a narrow frontal area but, when viewed from above, are a wide T-shape. The ergonomics of the tops therefore won’t suit everybody, but the compact, shallow drops should be a hit with most.

There can’t be any complaints at the neatness of the cabling and hidden junction box that the Alabarda affords though; side or front there’s barely a cable or black box to be scene. Neither is there an inline cable adjuster for the front mech, as Wilier has tucked this away into a natty little integrated box in the down tube that’s as neat as it is clever.

All in, then, a very promising looking package, especially in the new livery, which unlike Wiliers past is mercifully free of acronyms declaring how integrated the fork is or how carbony the carbon is. Not that I’m retrospectively complaining.

On the up

I rode the Cento1 Air some time ago, and while I can’t remember the specifics, I do remember coming away thinking it was one stiff bike - rigid in pretty much all directions. So first thing out on the road I was struck by how forgiving the Cento10 felt.

Wilier has partnered with Ritchey in creating the seatpost, which has a flattened back to aid flex, and I’ve no doubt this must be a key factor. Yet I can’t help thinking placing the seatstays so low down has the added advantage of having more seat tube on show to flex too. Either way, the Cento10 immediately impressed with a comfortable ride, a feeling which didn’t let up. In fact it continued and morphed into something rather interesting.

Normally you can feel an aero bike up a climb but with the Cento10 there was no such problem

I was lucky enough to trial the Cento10 on some rather steep terrain in the Dolomites, where 45km costs you 1,600m of ascent, and it was only after arriving at the crest of a particularly vertical climb that I realised just what had happened – I’d forgotten I was riding an areo bike. Normally you can feel an aero bike up a climb, a bit of extra weight here, some slight flex in a thin frame there, but with the Cento10 there were no such things to report. That’s not to say it rode like a mountain goat (if anyone has actually ridden a mountain goat, do write in), but it felt entirely normal. It felt like a road bike, plain and simple.

Going back down the climb only exacerbated that feeling. The bike’s turn in through tight hairpins was sharp and accurate, its ability to hold long, low down arcs through fast turns highly dependable. Once again I was struck by just how much the Cento10 handled like a traditional road bike – it felt unfussy, composed and, above all else, very well balanced. Little flicks of hips took the bike merrily through corners, yet big wrenches on the bars or kicks with the pedals elicited the speed and power you’d expect without any flexing between the front and back of the frame.

If there’s one area I’ll have to reserve judgement on, it’s speed. The Dolomites were far too mountainous to discern the flat-road performance of the Cento10. I’d guess at it being pretty quick given my previous experience of the Cento1, and how much this bike shares in that DNA, but for a full report we’ll have to wait until Wilier can ship one over for long term testing.

wilier.com

In the beginning there was Cervelo, and Cervelo was with Gerard Vroomen and Phil White, and Cervelo was Gerard Vroomen and Phil White. In them were ideas, and the ideas were the aerodynamic shaping of bicycles. And aerodynamics was tested in the wind-tunnel, and the wind-tunnel operators calculated it muchly.

In time there was a bike sent from Cervelo (in 2001), whose name was the Soloist. It was aluminium. It was not that light (1,351g), but it was sent to bear witness to aerodynamic advantage. That was the true marginal gain, which now affects every rider that comes into the world.

Today the holy aero story hardly needs telling, the bikes and the plethora of data driven claims speak for themselves. Direct comparisons between rival bikes aren’t easy, as everything from the testing standards to testing apparatus differs from manufacturer to manufacturer – a fact a cynic will say is bent to each manufacturer’s will, allowing it to claim ‘our bike is the fastest’. But no matter, one thing that is redoubtable is that aero bikes, as a whole, are quicker than their round tube counterparts. So without furtherado, verily we saith unto you, check these bad boys out, our pick of the freshest, fastest and most stylish aero bikes for 2017. 

There's each of the following 29 bikes here to get through, split across three pages, so put the kettle on and geek out.

Alchemy Arion | Argon 18 Nitrogen | Bianchi Oltre XR4 | Boardman Air | BMC Timemachine | Canyon Aeroad | Cervelo S5 | Cipollini NK1K | Colnago Concept | Condor Leggero | Dedacciai Atleta | De Rosa SK | Factor One | Felt AR | Formigli One | Fuji Transonic | Giant Propel | Lapierre Aircode | Look 795 | Merida Reacto | Parlee ESX | Pinarello Dogma F8 | Ridley Noah SL | Sarto Lampo | Scott Foil | Specialized Venge ViAS Disc | Storck Fascenario.3 | Trek Madone | Wilier Cento10Air 

Cervelo S5 

From £4,000, derby-cycle.com

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Image 9 of 29

You should always begin at the beginning, so to kick things off here’s the Cervelo S5, the most recent genesis of the Cervelo Soloist. It’s long been lauded as one the fastest bikes out there, and a string of big wins by Cav, Cummings and Co. since Cervelo’s reintroduction to the pro peloton won’t do anything to undermine the bike’s cult status. (Full 2016 review here).

Trek Madone

From £4,800, trekbikes.com

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Image 28 of 29

If a bike’s going to have ‘Vector flaps’* it better be fast, and luckily the Madone, as routinely raced by Trek-Segafredo, is. In German magazine Tour’s recent independent aero tests, the Madone tied for fastest road bike with the Specialized Venge ViAS in a strict wind tunnel scenario. But it’s also more than just an aero machine – the rear end employs Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler system for extra compliance and comfort over bumps. (Full Emonda S5 review here; Full Emonda S4 review here; Full 2015 Emonda SLR review here).

*the sprung plastic flaps that operate as a fairing over the front brake.

Specialized Venge ViAS Disc

From £3,900, specialized.com

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Image 27 of 29

With Sram eTap, hydraulic discs, bolt-thru axles and tubeless carbon clinchers, the Venge ViAS epitomises every major change to have happened to road bikes in the last five years. Specialized claims it holds a 116 second advantage over its Tarmac, and Tour magazine tests show the Venge to be on par with the Trek Madone as the fastest production road bike in the world. (Full review here).

Ridley Noah SL

From £3,340, ridley-bikes.com

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Image 24 of 29

The Noah SL has slimmed down and lost a few features since the futuristic Noah Fast, but under Andre Greipal seems no less quick. Trip strips and integrated brakes have gone, but the trademark cut-outs in the fork legs remain, channels designed to deal with turbulent air from the spokes. The frame now weighs a claimed 950g, but stiffness seems assured. After all, have you seen Greipal’s legs? (Full review here).

Pinarello Dogma F8

From £7,000, yellow-limited.com

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Image 2 of 29

With Chris Froome on board, the Pinarello Dogma F8 has a brace of Tour de France victories to its name. The aerodynamics come courtesy of Jaguar (which modelled the tube shapes in its wind-tunnel), while the handling and ride feel are classic Pinarello, handed down from the previous race-winning Dogma 65.1. (Full review here).

Bianchi Oltre XR4

From £3,100 (frameset), bianchi.com

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Image 5 of 29

Bianchi’s race bike range has recently been joined by the latest Oltre XR4, which includes the company’s proprietary Countervail – a viscoelastic carbon material that reduces road buzz. While the tubes of the frame are suitably blade-like, Bianchi reckons the real aero gains come from the rider being able to maintain an aero tuck for longer, thanks to the Countervail, which makes the ride less harsh and reduces fatigue. It’s the rider that creates most of the drag, after all. (First ride review here).

Factor One

From £3,750, opcdistribution.com

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Image 15 of 29

Factor’s One is the successor to the radical Vis Vires, distilling it’s left-field aero know-how into a frame that is UCI legal but still seriously fast. Factor worked with aero specialists bf1systems to tone down and reshape the front end without increasing drag, yet the One keeps Factor’s signature ‘Twin-Vane’ down tube, which it claims siphons turbulent air from the front wheel through the frame, rather than around it. (First look review here).

Giant Propel

From £1,499, giant-bicycles.com

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Image 19 of 29

The only bike to have received flowers from Marcel Kittel (after he took out his frustrations on it at the 2014 Tirreno-Adriatico), the Propel manages to blend excellent ride comfort with aero-clout and fast handling. The position is of the ‘stick the rider up high’ persuasion, with a tall headtube in the Cervelo mode, and with a roster of big-race wins, it looks to work. 

Parlee ESX

From £4,199 (frameset only), parleecycles.com

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Image 23 of 29

Bob Parlee started his life in carbon building racing yachts, so he knows a thing or two about speed and drag. This debut into the aero-road market marks a departure from the handbuilt road bikes that made Parlee famous (and which it still builds in Boston), the brand having taken production of the ESX to the Far East in order to keep costs down and keep up with demand. Otherwise, though, the same Parlee ride quality and attention to detail is retained, only it gets some pretty mean looking styling. (Full review here).

Argon 18 Nitrogen

From £3,500, i-ride.co.uk

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Image 4 of 29

Balance is the name of the game for Argon 18’s Nitrogen - it takes comfort cues from the Canadian brand’s Gallium Pro and blends them with aero profiling inspired by the E-118 TT frameset. Argon 18 are sponsoring WorldTour team Astana in 2017, so Fabio Aru will likely choose the Nitrogen as his weapon of choice in his campaign to notch up more Grand Tour victories. 

Continue to page 2 via the drop down below

Canyon Aeroad, CF SLX

From £3,249, canyon.com

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Image 8 of 29

The German online powerhaus has been successfully turning bicycles into Grand Tour and Monument successes for more than a decade, and the latest Aeroad is shows no signs of abating. Handling is racy, offering assured tracking through tight corners, and thanks to the now de rigeur T-shaped bar/stem combo (offered on the higher spec models), revised truncated tube profiles and wheel hugging downtube, it’s one of the fastest bikes on the market. (Full review here).

Cipollini NK1K

From £4,200, paligap.cc

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Image 10 of 29

With a reputation such as his, Mario Cipollini could hardly produce a dainty climber’s bike so it should come as no surprise that his eponymous brand’s NK1K is a muscular aero frame centred around the efficient transfer of power. In a refreshing move the NK1K makes no claims to tread a perfect balance of different attributes, unashamedly identifying its niche as an uber-fast bike that looks incredibly pretty to boot.

Merida Reacto

From £1,700, merida-bikes.com

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Image 22 of 29

It’s said that between them, Merida and Giant produce 80% of the world’s bike frames, so Merida should know a thing or two about what makes a good bike, or in this case, a fast one. Whilst it’s 8kg weight could hardly be considered svelte, the Reacto has been raced to great effect by Lampre-Merida for several years, including a 2013 World Championship win by Rui Costa. (Full Merida Reacto 5000 review here).

Boardman Air

From £1,900, boardmanbikes.com           

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Image 7 of 29

From one of the fastest cyclists to have graced the tarmac comes the third iteration of the Air. Unlike many manufacturers Boardman has opted to keep the brakes hidden – integrated into the fork and tucked under chainstays – and done a fine job of squirreling cables away without employing proprietary integrated bars and stem, which together with a four-position fore-aft seatpost make position adjustability excellent. (Full Boardman Air 9.0 review here; Full Boardman Air 9.9 review here).

Scott Foil

From £2,399, scott-sports.com

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Image 26 of 29

Winner of this year’s Paris-Roubaix under Mathew Hayman, the Foil demonstrates a refined ride quality more akin to a regularly road bike, but with all the wind-cheating features you’d expect. Low slung seatstays and truncated tube profiles are capped off with an aggressive front end, centred around the Syncros bar-stem combo that sleekly mates with the headtube. (Full review here).

BMC Timemachine

From £2,649 bmc-switzerland.com

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Image 6 of 29

When a bike straddles time trial and road categories it’s fair to say it’s fast, and when a reconfigured version of the Timemachine gave Rohan Dennis a rapid – yet brief – Hour record title, that only bolstered the credentials of BMC’s aero-road machine. The front end assembly integrates like a Transformer, while the rear end sets the stays as low down the seat tube as UCI rules allow, a design almost ubiquitous across the aero board.

Storck Fascenario.3

From £5,559 (frameset), storck-bicycle.cc

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Image 29 of 29

Storck offers no fewer than three road bikes in the range featuring overtly wind-cheating designs, but the cream of the crop has to be the Fascenario.3, with its innovative, wide bow-legged fork designed to help reduce areas of high pressure between fork and wheel for more speed. Storck’s Aerfast is arguably the true aero-road bike, but at a claimed 790g-lightest-in-class frame the Fascenario.3 is surely the pick of the bunch. 

Fuji Transonic

From £1,699, evanscycles.com

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Image 18 of 29

When we tested the Transonic when it was launched in 2014 we were struck by what a well-rounded frameset Fuji had created. In the mode of the new Scott Foil, but coming out well before, it takes traditional race bike feel and blends it with classic aero traits, such as a low-down headtube, tall, skinny tubes and rear wheel cutaway. (Full Fuji Transonic 2.5 review).

Felt AR

From £1,999, feltbicycles.com

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Image 16 of 29

Felt was one of the earliest aero adopters, with the original AR debuting in 2008. Since then the design has been refined through smoothed tubes junctions, taller, more aeroplane wing profiles and an especially low-modulus carbon fibre seatpost with a hollow channel up it designed to flex and overcome the harsh ride aero tube shapes sometimes offer.

Look 795 Aerolight

From £4,300, zyrofisher.co.uk

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Image 21 of 29

From early carbon fibre frames to dangling bikes from helicopters over the Grand Depart, French outfit Look has always pushed the envelope in technology and outlandish flamboyance. This is the Mondrian inspired Proteam version of the 795 Aerolight, arguably the most integrated and novel bike in the world, from its multiple position stem to the elastomer-tuneable seatpost to the hidden brake callipers.

Continue to page 3 via the drop down below

De Rosa SK

From £3,000 (frameset), i-ride.co.uk

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Image 13 of 29

Created in partnership with lauded Italian design house Pininfarina, it of Ferraris and Alfa Romeos, the SK is a bike that proves aero can be elegant. The ride quality is spritely and comfortable, and what it lacks in top-end punch of some of the stiffer aero offerings it makes up for by being a classic waiting to happen. One for the aesthete as much as the racer. (Full review here).

Alchemy Arion

From £3,495 (frameset), saddleback.co.uk

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Image 3 of 29

One of only three custom aero bikes in this list (the others are the Formigli One and Sarto Lampo), the Arion has not been designed in a wind-tunnel but does borrow from the NACA catalogue of known aerodynamic tube profiles. The Arion’s real strength, though, is that it’s fully custom, from geometry to stiffness, as Alchemy lays up its own tubes in Denver, USA based on rider weight and style. Ride feel is therefore impeccable.

Formigli One

From £4,400 (frameset), formigli.com

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Image 17 of 29

If there’s a more ostentatious aero bike in the world we’ve yet to see it. Finished in mock chrome and fluoro-orange, the One is as fast as it looks, although that’s not all down to the aero profiling. Instead, this full custom bike is built in a very specific fashion from the ‘from the fork backwards’, meaning framebuilder Renzo Formigli has put sharp, smooth handling at the forefront of the One’s design. (Full review here).

Wilier Cento10Air

From £4,799, wilier.com

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Image 1 of 29

The Cento has been an on-going model in the Wilier range for nearly a decade, and the latest aero-fied version takes all the popular aero bike features and rolls them up into a very Italian package. That is, integrated bar/stem, direct mount brakes, wide-stance low stays and fork manifest in nippy, race-bike handling that requires a decent about of concentration to get the best out of. One for the racers. (Full review here).

Dedacciai Atleta

From £2,150, chickencyclekit.co.uk

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Image 14 of 29

Deda has long since been supplying the industry with its tubesets and rebrandable componentry, and in recent years has decided to branch out under its own label. The Atleta therefore comes in at a keen price thanks to Deda’s buying power, and packs a real aero wallop thanks to some well thought out, low-slung geometry and stiff pedalling platform. As such it would make an excellent choice for a crit racing steed. 

Sarto Lampo

From £3,400 (frameset), impactct.co.uk

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Image 25 of 29

Sarto has been quietly building high-end bikes to order for big industry hitters since the 1950s, with one of its current high-profile customers in this list. Like Deda, it decided to put its expertise into a self-styled venture, and the Lampo marks its first foray into aero. As a road bike it’s a heck of a ride – nuanced, balanced and incredibly stable at speed – and while detractors might point to a lack of true wind-tunnel testing, you’d be hard pressed to turn a Lampo down having ridden one, especially as it’ll be tailored to you – the Lampo is full custom. (Full review here).

Condor Leggero

From £3,000 (frameset), condorcycles.com

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Image 12 of 29

British stalwarts Condor has always done a fantastic job of moving with the times, so in answer to the market (and indeed, riders at JLT-Condor), the Leggero combines CFD-designed drag-reduction with a crit-stiff lower half and a eminently chuckable top half. The resulting ride feel is well rounded and stable, feeling solid on descents and comfortable over rough stuff. (Full review here).

Colnago Concept

From £3,500 frameset, windwave.co.uk

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Image 11 of 29

The original Concept was a project between bike guru Ernesto Colnago and motoring guru Enzo Ferrari in 1986. This latest version has all the hallmarks of a classic modern aero bike: deep, bladed down tube; sinuous curves that hug the wheels; and components designed to hide away from the wind. Incredibly, Colnago has redesigned each frame size for optimal aerodynamics, rather than just scaling up or down. So a size 56cm is actually a different bike to a size 58cm. 

Lapierre Aircode

From £1,900, hotlines-uk.com

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Image 20 of 29

The Aircode gleans much of its slipperiness from the use of kamm-tail tube profiles – basically the shape of a wing, but with the long tail sliced off so that they are less affected by side winds. Add in direct mount brakes, concealed seatpost clamp and semi-integrated stem, and it makes for a very aerodynamic package. Extra speed comes from an incredibly stiff lower half – down tube, bottom bracket, chainstays – while the upper sections are allowed to flex more to provide comfort. 

You’ve already decided if you like this bike or not.

It’s the paint. It’s garish, it’s lairy and it wouldn’t look out of place on the set of Saved by the Bell. And once upon a time it could have been, for this an identikit reissue of the Slim Chance, a bike which first debuted in 1991 and is now getting re-released in limited numbers to celebrate its 25^th anniversary. So why all the fuss?

Chance is a fine thing

The answer to that question lies in what you look for in a bike. There’s no aero here, no super stiff frame, no sub-kilo frameset, no discs. But what the Slim Chance is is a piece of history, a true icon.

Back in 1982, a young framebuilding upstart by the name of Chris Chance started Fat City Cycles with Gary Helrich (who would later set up titanium specialists Merlin Metalworks) on America’s East Coast.

When all about them was brazed lugs, Chance and Helfrich pioneered TIG welded bicycle frames, and with the original Slim Chance unleashed arguably the first production TIG welded road bike in the world.

Twenty-five years on, Chance is back (after a long hiatus as a holistic healer, so it goes), and not only is he reproducing the Slim Chance with the original geometry, but he’s finally using the originally intended tubeset: True Temper.

According to an article published at the time, Chance wanted to use steel from US firm True Temper all along, but felt the choice just wouldn’t fly with the dyed-in-the-wool road market. The lack of lugs and new-fangled construction would be bad enough, so instead he constructed the Slim Chance frames from Columbus TSX tubing in a bid to lure in the old guard.

How the rest played out is history, but along with the Fat Chance mountain bike, the Yo Eddy, Fat City became a cult icon in cycling, and helped pave the way for brands such as Seven Cycles, Merlin and Independent Fabrications.

To say Chris Chance’s reach extends well-beyond Fat City Cycles is like saying the Beatles influenced pop music. It doesn’t do it justice. And if that hasn’t convinced you the Slim Chance is one Very Important Bike, then consider also that True Temper – revered in framebuilding circles in its own right – has ceased trading in bicycle tubing.

Thus these limited edition reissues are built with some of the last True Temper available. A collectors’ item in the making, and in the meantime, one sick bike bro!

Simply have a look at each of the ten close-up pictures, and click which bike you think it is. Your geek level will be rated at the end.