Specialized makes no bones about where it’s going with the Allez E5 Sport. It says it's taken ‘the no-nonsense approach’ in speccing the alloy-framed all-rounder with Shimano Sora components, durable Axis wheels and budget Espoir Sport tyres.

By combining relaxed geometry and a build aiming for longevity at the expense of scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs excitement, the plan with the Allez E5 Sport was to create something that 90% of riders can gel with 90% of the time. They’ve even lopped £75 off its price for 2017.

Frameset

The Allez’s aluminium frame – beautifully finished with smooth welds at the tube junctions – is a stiff act. Its straight FACT carbon-fibre fork eliminates a good deal of road chatter and adds decent steering response up front. The trademark curved toptube is in full effect.

All cabling is externally routed, with the front and rear mech cables equipped with adjusters at the down tube for fine-tuning of ratios on the fly. A short 120mm head tube aids connectivity with the road, while a relatively small rear frame triangle encourages you to put the pedals down harder.

It’s a stiff and taut set-up; a measured head angle of 74° compounds this, allowing quick handling, while a 73° seat tube angle cants you forward, encouraging big efforts. 

Groupset

Sora is used for most of the Allez’s groupset, notably the shifters, the 50/34 chainset, and both the front and rear derraileurs.

The compact chainset matched to a budget-friendly Sunrace 11-32 cassette gives a very wide spread of gearing options. With Sora it’s arguable that, with the right cassette, 18 gears is plenty.

It certainly gives newer riders a less complicated ride. Axis brake callipers are strong performers in this package, giving predictable stopping power and modulation in an affordable build.

Finishing kit

Specialized’s own alloy finishing kit is used throughout and we approve. The narrow drop bars, 420mm in diameter, are particularly pleasing in use, giving decent leverage and a comfortably padded expanse of bartape.

A 27.2mm alloy seatpost dials out much of the vibration inherent in aluminium frames, while the Toupe Sport saddle is – as always – a delight.

Wheels

As with the finishing kit, the hoops are designed to deliver thousands of fuss-free miles. The Axis Sport rims are solid, flex-free and tough.

Wrapped with Espoir Sport rubber they offer exceptional ride quality. The 25c tyres fitted here allow you to roll round corners with confidence, offering solid grip and soaking up bumps, contributing to the overall sensation of a bike that’s designed to let you get the maximum joy from the simple pleasure of riding.

The ride

The E5’s ride on the opening miles of our test loop enforces the impression that this is a bike built to carry you as far as you like with a high degree of comfort.

Turns are taken swiftly, but with the utmost confidence, the easy-going nature of the bike immediately making itself known. Even after a few hours in the saddle, our initial assumptions about ride quality and comfort levels held true.

The trick Specialized has pulled off, often missed by other alloy bikes, is a combination of well damped and padded contact points.

It doesn’t offer much opportunity for KOMs, but if you’re looking for a ‘no Garmin’ bike, on which to accompany mates on long Sunday rides, then this is it.

With an all-up weight of 9.38kg for our size 52 example, it’s no weight-weenie, but there’s still enough rigidity below the top tube to encourage big out of the saddle efforts, and the bike responds well to sprints once those robust wheels are up to speed.

Climbing is made as easier by the fitment of an 11-32 cassette, which gels particularly well with the compact chainset providing a ratio for every occasion.

As for the way in which the shifters deal with swapping these gears, we could have sworn we were using Shimano’s 105 groupset; Sora has taken a real step up in performance and aesthetics this year.

Special mention should go to the brakes, too, the Axis callipers hauling the Allez up with more controlled power that you might not expect of a £675 bike.

Because of the almost perfect balance of this bike, the handling is superb. OK, so it doesn’t excite in the same way a superbike does, but equally it doesn’t have a tendency to scare the bejesus out of you with a sharp steering head angle and twitchy cornering nature.

It’s a simple matter of pointing it a corner and powering round – especially entertaining on downhill sweepers on our test loop, where the Allez hung with bikes costing four times the amount. Key to its confidence-inspiring nature is the amount of feedback it supplies.

The connection at the front end, as you might expect from the measured head angle of 74°, is direct. It also almost entirely vibe-free. The Allez communicates the road surface to you without feeling harsh.

We’ve zero problems with the Espoir tyres, as well. In fact they’re well matched to the package, and add to the comfort levels with 90psi and a bulging contact patch acting as secondary suspension.

RATINGS

Frame: Finely finished aluminium beauty with carbon forks. 8/10Components: A quality mix of Shimano Sora, Sunrace and Axis. 8/10Wheels: Virtually indesctructable Axis Sports do a top job. 7/10The ride: In short? Comfort and joy – just like that old Christmas carol! 8/10

Verdict: The Specialized Allez E5 Sport has been designed to let you get maximum joy from the simple pleasure of riding, and succeeds at doing just that.

Geometry

Spec

When it comes to handbuilt custom frames, Italy is a true superpower.

The country has always had a wealth of artisans, creating masterpieces in steel and titanium, and while the carbon curves of the DeAnima Unblended #1 may not make us nostalgic for the glory days of Italian bikes, it does represent Italian framebuilding getting back to its roots.

‘We’re a company about passion and we’re doing this because we like making bikes,’ says co-founder Matt Cazzaniga. DeAnima produces its frames entirely in-house, and Cazzaniga is one of three creators of the brand, along with Antonio Attanasio and Gianni Pegoretti.

The latter is the brother of Dario Pegoretti, who is famed for his custom steel frames. They worked together for some time but eventually went their separate ways, and Gianni branched into carbon production with San Patrignano, a charity that trains recovered drug addicts in framebuilding.

It was there that Pegoretti met his star pupil, Attanasio, and together with former Pegoretti sales agent Cazzaniga they formed DeAnima.

First bike

The Unblended #1 is DeAnima’s first bike, although it has undergone a few tweaks since it debuted in 2013. The frame is a tube-to-tube construction similar to almost every custom carbon frame on the market, but DeAnima goes to greater lengths than most in building its own tubes, not just wrapping them together.

‘We make all the tubes ourselves except for the seat tube, which is a very standard tube and so not one we see much advantage in making in-house. All the remaining tubes, dropouts and even the brake bridge are formed and moulded by us,’ Cazzaniga says.

While many custom framebuilders would see this as an opportunity to boast of bespoke lay-ups and tuned ride quality, Cazzaniga squashes such thoughts: ‘I find it very hard to believe a bikebuilder looks at a rider and a request and simply says, “OK, I’ll take three layers of carbon out here and change the weave there.” It’s a complicated process, and so for us geometry is the key element to customise.’

With the mixture of traditional Italian artisanship and modern carbon tech, I couldn’t wait to take the Unblended #1 on the road.

An Italian education

The Unblended struck me from the outset as a thing of beauty. It’s the type of frame that generates attention at the cafe and hundreds of hits on Instagram. The blue paint scheme has a twinkling sheen that changes depending on how the light hits it.

While looking racy, it manages to sit on the more traditional side of aesthetics when it comes to a carbon build.

Along with its fetching looks, I was also taken aback by the Unblended’s price. For a fully custom Italian carbon frameset, the pricetag of nearly £3,000 (at the current exchange rate) is about a grand cheaper than one might expect.

‘Each order we get, we make it at that particular moment,’ Cazzaniga says. ‘So whether we do a custom frame, made-to-measure or a standard frame, the actual time to build is exactly the same.

‘It doesn’t make any sense to us to charge more for custom – we prefer that if someone buys something they actually get what they want.’ Custom paint is also offered at no extra cost (as long as requests stick to DeAnima’s current 30 colour options), making for excellent value overall.

With tube-to-tube construction, where tubes are wrapped together with sheets of carbon and then bonded with epoxy resin under heat treatment, ride quality can often be something of a gamble.

Balancing act

If the layup isn’t quite right, either the frame can be a little flexible or overly harsh. To my relief, from the outset the Unblended felt like a pure-bred racer. With a nicely stretched out front end and a firm rear, the bike leapt forward and compelled me to get out of the saddle and throw it from side to side.

I put that down to the rigidity of the frame, as well as a racy geometry. The feeling of speed was a pleasant surprise. It may not compare to the new generation of super-aero racers, but for a conventional frame it’s extremely quick.

The Unblended rides in a quintessentially Italian way. It has stiffness and a resonance with the road that feeds back a healthy rumble from the road surface, offering an innate sensation of speed while never compromising comfort.

It’s at its best in your typical Alpine setting, where the surfaces are smooth and the roads are winding. That’s partly because it descends with a stunning level of accuracy and tactility, but also because it doesn’t cope well with pot-holed and scarred British roads.

While the Unblended seemed to float over normal road surfaces, it was fiercely unsettled by big bumps. It would hit with an impact that reverberated through the frame with a resounding thud.

Too deep?

Part of this could be down to the wheelset. While the Campagnolo Bora 50 One is an excellent wheelset in many ways, the deep section carbon adds to the stiffness of the overall system in a way that the Unblended could do without.

I suspect that with a shallower box-section wheel (perhaps even of the custom-built variety) the impact reaction of the bike would settle down to a more tolerable level. Similarly, the Dedacciai Superleggero finishing kit is a favourite among custom builders for its light weight, but it too sits on the stiffer side of the spectrum, and conducts a lot of road buzz to the saddle and hands.

Aside from the slight stiffness overload, the build does a very good job of complementing the frame. Chorus EPS couldn’t be a better match, being traditional yet new, and racy while visually striking.

Campagnolo’s electronic groupset isn’t as ubiquitous as Shimano’s Di2, but I for one prefer the ergonomics and action of EPS. With fast and snappy shifts, it matched the bike’s turn of speed. Similarly, while the stiffness of the wheels and finishing kit contributed to some harshness, they also pay dividends when it comes to the transfer of power.

The DeAnima Unblended #1 is certainly a bike I’ll remain fond of long after it’s made its way back to Italy. It rode every bit as well as it looked – stylish, rare and racy all at once.

While £3k is a lot of money for a frame, in the case of the Unblended I wasn’t left wondering why I would pay more for a custom bike, but instead why I would pay anything similar for a mass-market product.

Spec

About the bike

This bike stands out in this company, as being the only one of our four on test that’s not a pure road bike. The CDA 20 is designed for both road and all-terrain riding, coming equipped with mechanical disc brakes and whopping 40c dirt and gravel-ready tyres. However, Genesis claims that the CDA20 ‘blurs the line between more traditional CX features and a modern sportive/endurance road geometry.’ Making it a  bike for all occasions, then, but is such a rugged beast really going to be flattered by the addition of super Sora? 

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The spec

Frameset 

Everything about the CDA’s aluminium frame is generous. There’s ample clearance between its fork and seatstays for the 40c tyres fitted, mountings for racks and mudguards, and a lengthy wheelbase of 1,035mm to add stability. A generous fork offset from the carbon legs out front further helps surefootedness and combines with a fairly lazy head angle of 70.9° to provide relaxed handling. The tubing is double-butted to create strong junctions, while narrower tubing for the length of the frame sections  keeps the bike’s not inconsiderable weight down. The 6066/6061 alloy’s welding is particularly neat, and although it might seem daft to make a bike designed for all terrain so handsome, the baby-blue paint is a delight.  

Groupset 

Genesis have thrown some suitably durable components at this bike, with the Sora groupset proving a sound choice in this package. So, we have a 50/34 chainset (with 175mm cranks on our size M bike). Sora front and rear mechs are employed as are  Sora’s quality shifters. The brakes on the CDA are Promax mechanical discs, and there are also Promax shorty cross-top levers on the tops, as well as the Shimano items attached to the drops. The rear cassette, while using identical sized cogs to the widest ratio Sora block, is actually mid-level mountain bike kit, comparable to Shimano’s Alivio MTB range.

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Finishing kit 

Genesis do quality in-house finishing kit, and it’s put to good use in this build. A 110mm alloy stem grips flared 400mm handlebars which bring the shifters closer to the frame. Their compact drop has enough flex 
in them to soak up any vibes not dialled out by those tyres. Their bartape is also sumptuously padded. At the rear of the bike, a 27.2mm alloy seatpost performs the same task, and holds aloft a Genesis Road Comfort saddle. 

Wheels 

The 28-spoke Jalco XCD22 rims are laced to Joytech hubs, and wear whopping 40c Kenda Flintridge tyres. These have a relatively flat central line to smooth the bike’s passage on tarmac and deeper knobbles on their shoulders help you find traction when the going gets dirty. They roll smoothly on the road, but come into their own off-piste where their huge volume and deep tread finds grip where you wouldn’t think it possible.

The ride

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First impression

Open the hatch, heave yourself in, and put on your flak jacket. The CDA has all the feeling of a military vehicle from the off, displaying a particularly stable nature and a keen willingness to jump off kerbs. With the balloon-like tyres handling 25mph downhills with ease, this thing is fun!  

On the road

For a bike with divided loyalties, the CDA acquits itself well on the road, with an easy going and reliable nature. Its substantial weight means this is no  sprinter’s bike – but then you wouldn’t buy this machine for racing mates, or the local chaingang. Nevertheless, the wide-ratio cassette does lend a hand when the road heads up, although the 34x34 was engaged on one occasion, just to spin out the final 100 metres of one of our local climbs on post-downpour road surfaces. With lower pressures being run in the tyres, there’s the sensation of rear suspension when wringing the final drips of energy out uphill, the rear of the bike pleasantly boinging up and down. It’s not the most energy-efficient way of making progress, but it’s pleasantly floaty. Vibration is virtually non-existent, mainly thanks to those big tyres. The frame geometry lends the CDA the feeling of a small car, but cornering on the road is still predictable enough as long as you brake in good time. Forays into local lanes reveal that the Sora shifters and mechs are well up to off-road use, with swaps between ratios taken care of positively. One thing we’d liked to have seen on a bike designed to go off-road, though, is the inclusion of a chain-catcher.

Handling

This bike is a compromise. Where an outright cyclocross bike would be lighter and carry sharper steering geometry for chucking into loose corners and being carried over obstacles, the CDA ambles along, happy to be in the fresh air, and will capably overcome most bumps and country lanes. Ultimately, this is to a road bike what a labrador is to a whippet, but if you’re in the market for a bike you can ride all year round, for commuting whatever the weather, or for mini adventures on road and trail, this is the bike you’ll need. Its versatility is its strongest point, and the added Sora groupset means you’re less likely to have to take a spanner to it.

Geometry

Spec

Dutch multinational Royal DSM has developed a new form of carbon fibre composite that could significantly strengthen bike frames.

The new material will fuse current carbon fibres with DSM’s Dyneema fibre, which the company claims to be the strongest fibre in the world.

Dyneema, a subsidiary of Royal DSM, has already used its Dyneema UHMwPE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) has already seen some use in the cycling industry, being used in Etxeondo shorts and S-Works shoe uppers for the added elastic and wear resistant characteristics.

Fusing these fibres with normal carbon fibre (made primarily from a polymer called Polyacrylonitrile) will offer increased ductility, vibration dampening and impact resistance – all big targets for the frame design.

'By marrying carbon with Dyneema, impact energy absorption can be increased by up to 100% while removing the risk of splintering,’ the brand claims.

Lighter frames

As a consequence of improving impact resistance we may also see the weight of carbon frames safely reduced. The fibres themselves are also less dense than carbon fibre, meaning that the weight will be slightly lower for the same volume of carbon.

The idea of using an additive in carbon fibre certainly isn't new. However, materials added for structural or technical advantages are typically inserted during the lay-up process to work with the existing carbon – as is the case with visco-elastic polymers used by the likes of Bianchi.

The Dyneema carbon, by contrast, changes and improves the carbon fibres at the most basic level.

The fibre has been used for textiles in the cycling industry, but its only use in the composites side so far has been in DSM’s own prototype carbon frameset which was exhibited at the K Trade Fair in Germany last month.

We expect that brands will begin to experiment with the material at the top end of the market in next year’s 2018 ranges.

So it may be some time before we can set a Dyneema frame on the road and see if the science can live up to the hype.

US bike company Trek has taken a slightly different approach to its compatriot and rival Specialized with its affordable road weapon, the Trek 1.2.

Trek’s new bike provides, or at least so the company’s marketing spiel claims, ‘a fast, aero ride for the passionate enthusiast or aluminium aficionado seeking a peloton-tested, confident and smooth ride.’

The 1.2 already shares much with Trek’s higher-end, much more expensive race range, so with Sora bolted on, too, we were keen to discover just how good this machine really was…

Frameset

Trek’s aluminium frame tube technique is said to balance strength with weight savings. Box-section tubing at the down tube – for stiffness when getting the power down – is welded to a 150mm head tube.

From this a flatter, box-section top tube extends toward its junction with a more traditional, rounded seat tube. There are fittings and eyelets for mudguards and a rear rack, broadening the bike’s appeal beyond the racer tag Trek has given it.

All the cables for the 1.2’s brakes and derailleurs are externally routed with easily-reached barrel adjusters at the head of the top tube. The relatively acute head and seat tube angles offer a predictable ride.

Trek’s ‘H2’ frame geometry is applied throughout, which raises the front end of the bike slightly when compared to the firm’s racier options. No bad thing if all-day comfort is near the top of your priorities list.

Groupset

The Trek is equipped with Shimano Sora components for the most part, including the shifters, 50/34 chainset, front and rear mechs.

There’s been hardly any cost-cutting, with even the 11-28 cassette and chain are Sora – in fact, only the brakes are unbranded items. The gearing options are slightly more limited than we might like, however – 34-28 being the smallest uphill ratio.

However, we found the closer-ratio cassette shifted easily and seamlessly. However, if you’re thinking of buying the Trek 1.2, we’d factor in a little extra cash for a brake upgrade.

Shimano 105 callipers are a steal at the moment, going for £27.49 from Wiggle at the time of writing, and would make the ideal replacement for the (frankly not very good) ones the bike currently carries.

Finishing kit

Offsetting the quite tall front end of the 1.2, is a pair of very shallow drop, alloy handlebars, ideal for an attacking riding position without costing you in the comfort stakes.

Bontrager’s Montrose Comp saddle sitting atop it is cosseting, and features ample padding on its shoulders. We were impressed with its long-distance comfort and adequate flex. 

Wheels

Bontrager’s TLR wheelset is tubeless-ready, meaning you can fit a set of the newest, inner tube-free tyres to these alloy rims.

While the wheels themselves are designed to be durable and maintenance-free, the first thing we’d do is take Trek up on the offer of a rubber swap, whip the T1 tyres off and consign them to turbo trainer duty.

In 25c guise, they do offer a comfortable ride, but cornering with utter confidence is impaired by the choice of rubber being offered here.

The ride

The overall sensation as we barrel downhill towards a 30mph limit is that this feels every inch the alloy racer – the handling is assured, predictable and we already feel like we could spend a lot of time in the saddle with barely an ache.

Before we know it, a flashing road sign warns us we’re doing 32mph and slowing the bike to within the speed proves harder than it should. In fact, the comparative lack of stopping power available is remarkable.

That said, the ease with which it covers distance in comfort is a real positive, and despite offering a slightly restrictive choice of gears, it compels you to attack flats with serious commitment.

It’s the second-lightest bike on test, just beating the Specialized by 2g. We also found it easy to get the power down in some sprints, the TLR wheelset spinning up with some rapidity, aided by an excellent connection between the Sora shifters, chainset and mechs – it pays to spec a bike so uniformly.

The Trek’s trump card is the ease with which is maintains its composure through pretty much anything you’ll throw at it.

Tighter downhill corners are a simple case of brake (as best you can), tip in and aim it at the apex – the curve it tracks around the bend is exactly what you demand and expect; no drama, just a confident arc through the turn and a sprint out of the saddle to the next.

The amount of feedback we experienced is on a par with that of the Allez – a direct connection with the road with little harshness.

The bike’s geometry allows a head-down position to add a little aggression to your cornering, made even more compelling when you position the headset spacer on top of the stem, rather than beneath it.

The Bontrager T1 tyres it comes with didn’t inspire confidence in road holding, though, and the bike would definitely benefit from a rubber upgrade.

RATINGS

Frame: Light and strong with more than a nod to comfort. 9/10Components: The Sora kit sadly doesn't extend to the brakes. 6/10Wheels:'Yes' to the wheelsets but a big fat 'no' to the tyres. 7/10The ride: Fast. Which is why those brakes need sorting out. 8/10

Verdict: The £750 Trek 1.2 is a popular bike, and it's easy to see why. Generous components for the pricetag and decent all-round performance make this an aluminium race-bred Sora smoothie. Just make sure to budget for an upgrade to the brakes and tyres. 

Geometry

Spec

Every week there's a batch of new product releases for us to get excited about in the bike industry. This is our roundup of the most interesting of the lot, with the carbon disc rotor from Alpha, the Silca Folio Hex set, Void's new winter kit and the curious case of the airless solid Airther 1.1 tyre.

As you’d expect from the world’s biggest producer of bikes, the Taiwanese super-power doesn’t have to use other manufacturers’ factories to produce its machines.

And the Contend 1 is no exception. Built in Giant’s in-house forging facility, the Contend is reckoned to be ‘designed and developed for aspiring riders looking to elevate their experience on the road’.

In aiming for this, Giant says it’s created an aluminium Shimano Sora bike that perfectly blends speed, comfort and control. As such it replaces the long-lived alloy Defy in Giant’s 2017 range.

Frameset

Formed from Giant’s ALUXX Performance-Grade aluminium, the Contend’s frame is made from 6061 alloy and uses single-butted tubing with traditional welds, in an attempt to provide the best combination of light weight and strength for the budget.

Typical of Giant’s frame geometry, the Contend employs a steeply sloping top tube to minimise the rear-frame triangle, providing a stiffer rear end to get the power down.

Because of this the seatpost extends further from the frame, helping to balance out road vibrations, while cabling is externally routed, with a single inline barrel adjuster just below the stem.

Groupset

Shimano Sora is used for all the groupset components that you’d notice, including the same 50/34 compact chainset and shifters found on our other bikes here, plus both the front and rear mechs.

A little cost-cutting has been employed in the chain department, where a KMC X9 is used, and in the cassette – a SRAM nine-speed block that offers an 11-32 spread of gears. Braking is done by Tektro’s R312 dual-pivot callipers front and rear. All perfectly serviceable stuff.

Finishing kit

Giant’s own alloy finishing kit fulfils its brief admirably. Up front there’s a set of compact-drop Connect handlebars, 420mm in diameter, and a 120mm alloy Giant Sport stem.

A serious length of exposed 27.2mm alloy seatpost projects from the seat tube, and is topped with an extremely comfortable – if basic – Giant Contact Forward saddle.

With a slight curve to its white base (it won’t stay that clean for long) and very minimal flex, it tells you exactly what’s going on beneath you.

Wheels

Giant’s own SR-2 wheelset isn’t going to win any slimming competitions, but the alloy hoops, which we’ve ridden on numerous Giants previously, are robust, with a hint of performance edge when you really push on. In brief, they’re a decent compromise.

Own-brand S-R4 rubber in front and rear-specific form roll well, offering stacks of confidence even in the wet.

Unlike the tyres on similarly priced Sora rivals, they don’t rely on sipes (or slits) for water clearing and grip. Instead their almost slick compound has been developed to offer a balance of grip and comfort.

The ride

Our size M Contend is instantly comfortable, translating road surface to backside and hands in a chummy way.

The amount of feedback is immediately noticeable, as is the bike’s comparative light weight – there’s agility on tap, too.

The initial downhill stretch of our test ride was followed by a 400-metre uphill slog revealing the Contend’s standout feature: very little of your pedal power goes to waste with this bike.

In designing the Contend as successor to the popular Defy endurance bike in its range, Giant has stuck with a winning formula.

The frame geometry is carried over almost unchanged, apart from  shorter chainstays in the Contend. This is what’s allows us to get the power down so early uphill, and for that matter everywhere else on our loop, much further down the 11-32 cassette than we’d normally be.

With hands on the drops, the speed we carry on rolling roads is startling – the bike eggs you on. And this is because you’re able to get on with the matter of hammering the cranks in total comfort.

The Defy was always a cosy place to be, and its successor mirrors its vibe-reducing feel. Combined with a sizeable amount of feedback from the front end, and a great saddle the Contend is a joy to ride.

Those shorter chainstays also have the effect of lessening the wheelbase which when combined with the precise front end – albeit with a fairly lengthy 165mm head tube – lends the Contend a more flickable nature.

This, however, isn’t at the expense of stability. The endurance-spec steering geometry has no surprises up its tapered sleeve and is ultimately confidence-inspiring on all but the most badly surfaced corners.

The Tektro R312 callipers sufficiently scrub off speed for downhill corners, playing their own part in adding up to a package that will flatter anyone who cares to swing their leg over it and blast off into the countryside.

The own-brand tyres Giant has fitted to their bombproof wheels grip better than anything else in this test, and contribute to an overall feeling of comfort and ease of use.

This is as close to the ideal first bike for anyone looking to cover distance in comfort and minimal effort that you can get.

The Contend is a bike that you could very easily hang onto for many, many years, and it will only get better as your fitness levels improve. All of this for £675? We’ll take two.

RATINGS

Frame: Geometry is typically Giant, i.e. stiff and speedy. 9/10

Components: Sora where it counts. Functional elsewhere. 8/10

Wheels: Beefy hoops that inspire confidence even in the wet. 8/10

The ride: Converts your pedal power with slick efficiency. 9/10 

Verdict: If you’re looking for your first endurance bike and are on a tight budget, this is as close to ideal as it gets.

Geometry

Spec

Boardman Bikes has grown steadily since its launch in 2006, building a reputation for good value bikes with astute design touches. But it was acquired by retail group Halfords in 2014, marking a major change for the company.

‘It seemed a good opportunity for the management team to reassess the brand,’ says Peter Hunt, product and project manager for Boardman Bikes. ‘We deconstructed it, and recognised we needed to drive it forward. We started with the logo – the redesign has given it real equity and more versatility, opening up more colourways and bike designs. As always, Chris [Boardman] was hugely involved in the process at every stage.’

The rebrand paved the way for a complete range overhaul, which notably now includes titanium bikes. ‘The entire company is full of cyclists and we love all forms of bikes, but titanium is a particularly popular frame material among the design team, so it seemed natural for us to develop titanium frames,’ says Hunt. ‘As with our carbon offerings, we decided to make the best frame we could and separate the level of bike by the choice of components.’

The SLR 9.2 is the cheaper of the two complete builds, and its £3,499 price tag (now reduced to £2,899) includes a complete Shimano Ultegra groupset with RS-785 hydraulic disc brakes, alongside Boardman’s own Elite Five wheels and finishing kit.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Boardman’s PR manager Jamie Mitchell dropped the bike into the Cyclist office, and he was keen to stress that making sure the frame was stiff enough was a priority for the design team. ‘Titanium bikes can so easily feel like noodles,’ he said. ‘ Our team really wanted the bike to feel efficient under power and handle well.’

The designers have succeeded in this – the SLR 9.2 doesn’t give much away in the form of flex, yet the titanium tubing makes the bike feel markedly different under acceleration than equivalent carbon bikes. Where stiff carbon bikes give intense, immediate feedback and can be skittish under power, the 9.2 surges forward; it gains speed assuredly but feels unhurried as it does so.

This stately ride quality is thanks to the comfort provided by the titanium frame. Boardman has harnessed titanium’s inherent dampening qualities well in the 9.2 – the frame (and well-matched carbon fork) has a particular ability to soak up road chatter without feeling dull. The result is an engaging ride but one that lives up to its ‘endurance’ billing; the longer you are aboard the 9.2 the more pronounced the feeling of comfort becomes. Just like a perfectly fitting pair of bibshorts, on rides of over a few hours you tend to forget the bike is beneath you because there is nothing irritating to demand your attention.

Stiffness and ride quality must come at the expense of something, and in the case of the Boardman 9.2 it is weight. It weighed in at 9.5kg on the Cyclist scales and the kilogram or so of extra mass it holds over its titanium competitors at this price is apparent in accelerations or when climbing.

The SLR 9.2 seems a bit sluggish when you stamp on the pedals, which takes an edge of excitement off the ride slightly. That being said, once up to speed you get a distinct feeling of momentum and, when this is combined with the 9.2’s smooth ride, it makes you think you could cruise indefinitely on flat or rolling terrain.

Up and downs

Despite being reliable and robust, Boardman’s Elite Five wheels definitely contribute to the chunky overall weight and are an area ripe for an upgrade, which the frame is good enough to warrant. Swapping out for some Zipp 202’s, for example, would shave nearly half a kilogram of rotational mass off the bike. This would have a massive effect on its inertia and definitely give zip to the ride where it is currently lacking.

Aside from the wheelset, you wouldn’t need to consider upgrades for anything else – Shimano’s Ultegra shifting is simply outstanding and the disc brakes are consistently powerful. The own-brand finishing kit and Prologo saddle are great quality too and compliment the accomplished frame well.

My only niggle with the componentry was the use of reducing cups and in the pressfit bottom bracket. Although it makes commercial sense to keep the bottom bracket as versatile as possible (pressfit 30 bottom brackets accept all the major cranksets), making the system more convoluted than it needs to be can undermine its performance.

The one in the 9.2 became gritty and required a service after just two months of riding. This is by no means a deal-breaker, but it is slightly frustrating that the area needs more maintenance than if a threaded BB was fitted.

Niggles aside, the sophisticated ride of the 9.2 is great to experience. The knowledge that this is Boardman’s first attempt in titanium makes it all the more impressive and future projects from the brand are an exciting prospect. 

Boardman SLR Titanium 9.2 four month update

The completion of the Boardman 9.2’s first review served as an appropriate juncture to ring in a few changes to its specification – most notably to the wheelset. It was highlighted as the area most in need of an upgrade because the quality of the frameset outshone Boardman’s own-brand wheels.

We were keen to fully exploit the potential of the frameset, so with that in mind Stan’s Notubes’ new Avion wheels replaced the specced Boardman SLR Elite Fives.

As the name suggests, Stan’s Notubes is a brand at the forefront of the growing trend for tubeless wheel-tyre set-ups, with all it’s wheelsets designed as tubeless-ready. It therefore felt sacrilegious to use them with inner tubes and regular clinchers so they were shod with Schwalbe’s Pro One tyres - widely considered as the market benchmark for tubeless tyre performance at the moment.

A modification with such minimal hassle wouldn’t have to perform brilliantly in order to be worth doing but the Avion-Pro One combination is not only simple to set up but transforms the ride of the 9.2.

The Avion’s have a 41mm deep profile but still save approximately 300g over the 9.2’s original wheelset, which has a noticeable effect on the 9.2’s acceleration, and it isn’t just speed off the mark that has improved either.

It was mentioned in the 9.2’s initial review that once up to speed it gives a distinct feeling of being able to effortlessly tick off kilometres. The semi-aero profile of the wheels and the Pro One’s low rolling resistance really promote the 9.2’s feeling of carrying speed, such that it feels tangibly easier to maintain speeds upwards of 35kph on rolling terrain.

This advantage validates the change alone but the bike is also now undeniably more comfortable.

Boardman had done a great job with the ride feel before – in its original guise the 9.2 was ideal for long rides – but the inherent benefits of tubeless: being able to ride suppler tyres at lower pressures, for less rolling resistance, has refined ride feel to the point of luxury, almost nullifying all but the harshest road conditions.

It is a joy to spend hours seemingly floating along.

Boardman SLR Titanium 9.2 seven month update

Test schedules at Cyclist wait for no man so my time on the Boardman SLR Titanium 9.2 has reached its end.

A consistent weekly mileage for over six months has seen my initial opinions on the bike confirmed - the frame belies Boardman’s relative inexperience in titanium and provides a refined ride regardless of the terrain or time spent in the saddle.

In fact, low maintenance was a concurrent theme - Shimano’s Ultegra groupset remained the epitome of mechanical efficiency and the aesthetic quality of the bike hasn’t diminished over the duration of my test period.

It is an unusually bold move to cover the natural beauty of titanium, but the paint job astutely complements the exposed metal and both were repeatedly brought up like new post-wash.

This change brings the SLR 9.2 more in line with the pricing of its competitors and makes the bike truly tempting as a total package - you would be free to upgrade and refresh components as you wish (now with the spare money to do so), safe in the knowledge that the heart of your build is accomplished enough to complement whatever is changed.

Spec

Every week there's a batch of new product releases for us to get excited about in the bike industry. This is our roundup of the most interesting of the lot, including new wheels from DT Swiss, Cinelli's laid back new single-speed frameset, Sportful's 2nd Skin base layer, a board game from Rapha and the clever CableLubie cable lubrication system.

Records gathered by police forces across the UK between September 2015 and September 2016 have shown that a total of 82,000 bikes were stolen - or at least reported as stolen - in those 12 months. That's 227 every day, or almost 1,600 per week, with 72% of cases closing with no suspect identified, meaning 72% of thieves effectively 'got away with it'.

Places like shopping centres, colleges, hospitals and car parks were among the most likely place to have your bike stolen, but the worst place to leave your bike is apparently Elder Gate, a road next to Milton Keynes railway station. Over the 12 month period 72 bikes were stolen from the designated bike parking area, with a further 19 stolen from other locations on the road.

Meridian Square next to Stratford railway station and Westfield shopping centre in East London was a close second, with 71 bikes recorded as being stolen.

On a wider scale, the town where your bike is most likely to be stolen is Cambridge, with 2,173 thefts, and based on council areas the top five also includes Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and Hackney. Per 1000 residents and the figures show that while Cambridge is still top with 16.6 thefts per thousand, Oxford then slots into second with 9.1 thefts per thousand, and Hackney third with 5.4.

If London and its 33 borough councils were accounted for as a whole, it would total a massive 18,000 thefts, or nearly a fifth of the nationwide figure.

And the safest place to leave your bike? West Devon, apparently, where there were only four bike thefts in the 12 month period.

'When you contrast the cycle theft rate for Oxbridge with England and Wales, it’s abundantly clear these university towns are as popular with thieves as students,' says Rob Basinger of Protect Your Bubble, who commissioned the research. 'There’s no safety in numbers, either. In towns like Cambridge, a high number of cyclists results in a high number of thefts.

'Bike theft is a nationwide issue but there are some streets that stand out as having a particular problem. Commuters leaving bikes at railway stations for any length of the time stand a chance of being targeted.

'If you have to leave your bike on the street then make sure it is locked securely and, as with any item of value, if you think it may be at risk then consider taking out insurance for extra peace of mind.'

Bike thefts by location

Bike thefts by borough

Giant says its 2017 TCR Advanced 1 Disc – now equipped with hydraulic Shimano disc brakes – is engineered to give you total control in all kinds of weather conditions.

With a lightweight carbon frame and forks, a seatpost designed to give a compliant yet race-tuned ride, thru-axles on both the front and rear, and Giant’s famed ‘Compact Road’ geometry, it’s shaping up to be a cracking all-rounder with a seriously sporting edge.

But how would it perform when we put it to the test?

Frameset

Giant’s Advanced Grade carbon composite is used for the TCR’s handcrafted frame.

Employing the company’s Compact Road geometry, the frame has a sloping down tube, meaning the front and rear frame triangles require less material, which lends the frame added stiffness, particularly at the rear, which lessens the chance of flex under power.

With a fairly short wheelbase, the clearance at the rear tyre is fairly tight, with a straight fork up front affording agile steering.

Thru-axles are used in place of more traditional quick-release skewers, to reduce the chance of flex at either end when you’re getting a move on.

As an aside, one of the big benefits of Giant’s trademark sloping top tube is that it gives a low standover height, meaning most riders will find it easy to get a good fit.

Groupset

For a bike with a frameset this good, and running hydraulic disc brakes, we’re pleasantly surprised to see a good blend of Shimano Ultegra and 105 groupset elements on the TCR.

The shifters are Shimano’s BR-RS505 hydraulic set-up – essentially 105-level equipment – and contain their hydraulics cleverly inside slightly larger brake hoods.

An Ultegra compact chainset is mated to an Ultegra front and rear derailleur, while the cassette is a 105-spec 11-28 block.

The Shimano brakes pull on 160mm rotors, which offer very good performance.

Finishing kit

Giant’s own-brand finishing kit adorns the TCR, and when you get into this price range you start to see a smattering of carbon making its way into the build.

While the Contact/Connect bars and stem (a well-matched 420mm/120mm set-up on a medium frame) are aluminium, the seatpost is Giant’s own composite Variant item topped by the firm’s excellent Performance Road saddle.

Wheels

We’re big fans of Giant’s front and rear-specific P-SL1 tyres, which in this 25c form inspire high levels of confidence in all conditions.

They’re wrapped around the own brand PR-2 disc-specific wheels – which are durable if a little on the heavy side.

The ride

You’ll either love or hate the paint job on this, the more expensive of Giant’s two disc-equipped TCR models for 2017.

We actually like the colour – not only is the lurid paint decidedly noticeable (so, there’s a safety element) but it’s also a nice change from the ubiquitous fluoro yellow of recent years.

But less of the looks, let’s get riding…

There’s a smooth sensation to this package, with large-volume tyres soaking up downhill bumps at speed, the front remains composed at speed and an overall feeling of light weight allied to peppy performance.

When it comes to getting the power down, the watts go straight to the rear wheel thanks to the bike’s compact frame set-up and excellent components.

The slick-compound Giant tyres don’t slip under uphill acceleration on shiny road surfaces either.

On longer climbs, the 11-28 cassette proves ample for any gradient, whether sitting down and slogging it out or giving it bigger inputs once.

Shifting is very slick from the BR-RS505 set-up, which speaks volumes about the Ultegra equipment in the drivetrain.

The one thing that’s holding the TCR back on the climbs, is a fairly chubby wheelset.

We experienced nothing in the way of flexing under power, but they’re not the most willing to spin up quickly and things could be made more mountain-friendly with a wheel upgrade.

Ride comfort is up there with the best we’ve tested – the carbon seatpost coping with jarring road imperfections admirably.

The front end does suffer some judder, however, forcing our hands on to the drops to appreciate the flex in Giant’s compact-drop Contact bars.

The Giant’s geometry, with its 73° seatpost angle and 72.6° head angle, provides a neutral riding position that puts you in full control with high levels of comfort.

With the full compliment of 30mm worth of spacers moved above the stem, however, we were able to get a real race-ready feel from the bike. With gloved hands (yep, it’s that cold out there) on the drops, the front end proved highly responsive.

Firing the TCR down a series of downhill sweepers, the way it carves and holds a line was enough to force our chapped lips into a grin.

And the way in which those P-SL1 tyres inspire us to push the front end harder, trail-braking into corners, was a nice surprise.

The brakes really do convince you, too, that late application of the stoppers is the norm; it’s hard to imagine running standard rim brakes in winter after riding this.

RATINGS

Frame: It’s plenty stiff but the geometry allows comfort. 9/10Components: A superb mix of Shimano Ultegra and Giant’s own. 8/10Wheels: Not the lightest but the quality isn’t in doubt. 8/10The ride: Let’s just say you won’t be disappointed! 9/10 

Verdict: The way it carves and holds a line managed to put a grin on our chapped lips! The Giant TCR Advanced 1 Disc is a performance bike that's been built for all conditions.  

Geometry

Spec

You’ve probably realised by now that round tubes are at a significant disadvantage compared to aero-profiled tubes when it comes to bike speed. These days, it’s hard to find a bike that hasn’t been given the aero treatment in some form, but it was more than a decade ago that the first road frame broke the cylindrical rules.

In 2002 Cervélo released the Soloist. Originally made from aluminium, it looked like no road bike in existence. ‘We extruded the first true aerofoil tubes in cycling,’ says Cervélo engineer Damon Rinard. ‘Until then, “aero” looking tubes had been formed by flattening round tubes into lemon-shapes.’ 

The Soloist boasted aero profiles developed by NACA – the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. This was partly made possible by Cervélo’s in-house tube construction methods. Cervélo co-founder Phil White says, ‘Everyone was buying steel tubes from Columbus or Reynolds and aluminium tubes from Easton. But we said, “You know, these aren’t the right shapes, and it’s not what we’re looking for in the stiffness profile.” So we went and created our own tubes.’

Welding and cabling were both areas that Cervélo targeted for aero and performance gains. Rinard says, ‘Smartwall welding was the best way to add the most structural performance at the lightest weight, and then we also used brilliantly simple and reliable internal cable stops – aero, light and easy to route the cables.’

Welding methods for the Soloist evolved over time, including internal welds to smooth the joins on the down tube and further improve aero efficiency. As an early advocate of anodising, rather than painting, Cervélo also managed to bring the Soloist in at the same weight as the top steel frames of the time, while being vastly superior in terms of aerodynamics. With a fairly low head tube, and the first example of a reversible seatpost that could switch the rider from a set-back position to being directly over the pedals, the Soloist was only a set of aero bars away from a fully-fledged TT set-up. 

While the bike made a splash on its release, it only became a must-have once it had success on the racing scene. Riding for Team CSC, Frank Schleck took victory on Alpe d’Huez aboard a Soloist SLC-SL (pictured), the first carbon iteration of the bike. The Pro Continental Cervélo Test Team became a hotbed for development, and the Soloist became a driving force in the aero revolution.

So while traditionalists will lament the slow death of the conventional tube shape, Cervélo arguably changed the mindset of the cycling industry when it came to aerodynamics on a road bike. The Soloist is where it all began.

As I write this, I feel vindicated in my first impression that the Kinetic Rock and Roll turbo trainer is a bit of a ‘Marmite product’.

That’s because a colleague has just called time early on a Rock and Roll turbo training session, citing a complete incompatibility with it.

This just moments after I had been extolling its virtues to a different member of the Cyclist team.

Rocking while you're rolling

Kinetic’s Rock and Roll is unique among turbos in that its patented design allows you and your bike to rock side-to-side whilst you train.

The upper portion of the turbo frame fixes your bike’s back wheel to a fluid resistance unit, just like a normal trainer.

But this section is connected to the base via a pivot that allows the whole upper section to move left and right.

Kinetic claims that this delivers a more realistic riding experience than a regular, rigid trainer, whilst also providing a better workout for your core, as you have to stabilise yourself in order to train properly.

Returning to my infuriated colleague, I can completely understand why he couldn’t get on with the trainer, despite my own positive opinions.

Some riders want a ‘purer’ experience on a turbo, where they focus on one goal, be it a power output, intensity or particular workout structure, and forget about everything else.

All about balance

This can’t be done on the Rock and Roll, because unless you are naturally perfectly balanced on your bike at all times, I found I started to lean left or right if I didn’t pay constant attention to my balance and pedalling technique.

But rather than put me off as it did my colleague, I found this enriched my experience on the trainer.

It encouraged me to work on my pedalling craft - a smoother, more souplesse-esque action made me more stable and better able to train.

For me, having to work on a skill turned what would otherwise be dry training into more engaging sessions that I think translated into real-world improvements to the technical side of my pedalling action.

The Rock and Roll’s unique design is well supported by a smooth, progressive and powerful fluid resistance unit that replicated road feel as well as I needed.

Set up with care

However, it is important to note that care must be taken during the set-up of the trainer to ensure the rear tyre contacts the resistance unit dead-centre of the roller.

Otherwise, a predisposition towards a left or right lean can occur that may be counterproductive to your training.

While the side-to-side flex is a great feature, the trade-off for a base stable enough to not tip over easily is a large footprint.

As such this trainer isn’t for those that are short on space. Also, I can’t help thinking that Kinetic have missed a trick by not including an insert to disable the rocking if desired.

It seems a simple enough fix (just a shaped wedge would do) and it would make the trainer appeal to a wider market.

That said, as-is the Rock and Roll is an unusual and useful training aid and Kinetic should be applauded for it’s bold approach to indoor training.

We are planning to bolt on Kinetic’s Smart Control Power Unit to the Rock and Roll in the coming weeks so expect an update on the souped-up trainer soon.

Verdict: Love it or hate it, and you'll almost certainly fall into either one camp or the other, Kinetic’s Rock and Roll trainer deserves credit for doing something different.

£450, 2pure.co.uk

Rose Bikes might not be a name that too many riders out there will be familiar with, but the direct-sale German brand produces a full range of bikes for all budgets and riding styles.

The PRO SL-3000 is one of the company’s highest-spec alloy road bikes, with the claimed frame weight of a mere 1,280g helping it keep the overall weight down to a more than reasonable 7.9kg.

Given the overall price tag of £1,285 the specification is quite incredible to say the least, with the Ultegra groupset and branded components throughout the build making this bike truly excellent value for money.

The anodised black finish that adorns our test frame creates quite a cool, understated look. But it’s not just there for appearance, rather it’s another way of keeping the weight down, as anodising aluminium is lighter than painting it.

Instant hit

On the road, the PRO SL is an instant hit when pedalling, with very little lag or flex through the frame making it feel impressively quick right from the get-go.

Comfort is decent and very well balanced front and rear, although the 25mm Mavic tyres appear thin and the frame has clearance for something bigger, which would almost certainly improve comfort further.

There are Ritchey components throughout, which is fantastic given the price, and the Ultegra groupset performs faultlessly as you might expect.

The choice of 11-32 cassette gives a very wide range of gears, perfect for tough climbs although some riders may notice the bigger gaps between the ratios.

Classic fit

The fit and geometry of the frame are quite traditional, which gives the PRO SL-3000 a fast, responsive and confident feel, both uphill and downhill, although some more race-orientated riders may wish for a slightly lower front end.

Rose Bikes keeps prices down by being a direct sales company but, of course, the downside of that is that you can’t test ride its bikes as you would with a typical bike shop.

Rose does operate a returns policy, however.

Verdict: The Rose Pro SL-3000 impressed with a well balanced, efficient ride that proved comfortable on long rides. With the Ultegra groupset accompanied by excellent Ritchey components it offers much more that we'd expect at this price. 

Spec

For a relatively new bike company, Bowman has hit the ground running. It currently offers a range of five frames, the most recent arrival being the second generation Palace the R, an update to its very first frameset.

The Pilgrims was its second offering, having been available since early 2015.

Bowman’s has a down-to-earth approach to bike-building and the Pilgrims is an all-aluminium frameset, which brings with it two distinct benefits.

First, it helps keep costs down, which is always welcome, and second it means its frames are tough and durable, designed to be ridden hard on the road, or occasionally off it.

It would be all too easy to pigeon-hole Bowman’s mile-munching, big-tyred bike and say that it’s a gravel machine, but it wouldn’t be fair to do so, for while it is indeed well suited to that style of riding, that’s not actually what it’s designed for.

And what better way to get my head around its true nature than be riding the road the bike is named after?

In this regard Bowman is following in a fine tradition that includes such luminaries as the Trek Madone and Genesis Croix de Fer. In this case the road in question is a touch less exciting, but a whole lot nearer.

The Pilgrims Way runs along the sunny side of the North Downs through Surrey and Kent, taking in a few vineyards along the way. At times it’s a narrow ribbon, at others little more than a rat run. It’s certainly a testing course if you’re looking to ride fast.

Near-constant changes of gradient, direction and surface mean it’s a route that demands both stiffness while pedalling yet also a degree of comfort, along with the kind of dynamics that give you the confidence to cope with unseen loose surfaces mid-corner without scratching off too much speed.

And it’s this focus on performance that sets the Pigrims apart from true gravel bikes.

Side-on there are more than a few nods to current frame design thinking, such as the 90-degree profile of the down tube, wide bottom bracket and deep head tube to maximise weld areas; chunky chainstays for good power transfer along with slimmed down seat stays and a narrow 27.2mm seatpost to help minimise road shock from getting to the rider.

Up close the details continue with CNC’d rear dropouts, T-shaped hydro-formed top tube, tapered and oversized fork crown that gives a very square stance and up to 35c tyre clearance plus post mounted disc brakes.

So does it all come together out on the road? Well, we’re relieved to report, it certainly does. As with any well-built 7000 series alloy frame, there’s an innate stiffness and the large-diameter tubes imbue that distinctive alloy feel.

Given its robust construction the Pilgrims doesn’t have quite the zing of a full-on race machine but does encourage you and rewards the effort you put in.

The flipside to the slightly less-than-racey feel is that it’s great for longer rides. Where the lightest alloy frames can lead you to feel quite fatigued after a couple of hours, that’s never the case with the Bowman.

Likewise the handling is well tuned for longer rides. It can without a doubt carve a tight corner and thanks to its slightly stretched-out wheelbase, it feels like a stable platform on tarmac or loose surfaces and is fun to ride.

To this end a slightly less overbuilt fork would probably give more feel to the front end, which for this tester at least would be a welcome thing.

Far from being a frame chosen from an Asian catalogue, this ‘road-plus’ machine looks like nothing else and is covered with clever design touches and detail choices.

From the forged bottom bracket shell (sadly pressfit) with its cable outlet that doubles as a rearward facing drain, to the big tyre capability, it’s all aimed at expanding your build options and letting you tune the bike to be what you want it to be, rather than the bike defining how you ride.

We love this approach, and it makes real sense when creating a bike for an as yet unrefined category.

Unsure ourselves quite how we’d use the Pilgrims, we went with SRAM’s Rival 22 Hydro-R 11-speed groupset with the excellent hydraulic stoppers, Deda’s alloy Zero 100 bar and stem along with Zipp’s budget 30 Course clincher wheels fitted with Continental GP 4000 II 28mm tyres.

This selection turned out a complete bike with a price of around £2,850 (that’s using retail pricing for parts). It’s hard to compare value for money on a custom build like this to an off-the-peg build, since our choice of wheels and contact points make it more the kind of bike you’d end up with after several years of upgrading otherwise.

So what else could you buy for around this outlay? Perhaps a Trek Domane SL6 with its carbon frame, Ultegra groupset and Bontrager wheels. Or a Genesis Equlibrium Disc 30 with a steel frame and Ultegra.

Neither of these quite match the Bowman’s considered, real-world design and build. The Ultegra groupset is arguably a step up but the wheels and contact points are two steps down. And therein lies the beauty of buying a frame, that you can specify and place your cash where you’ll notice it most.

WHAT IS IT?

‘This isn’t a gravel bike or a cyclocross bike just because it has disc brakes,’ Whyte’s Chief Designer Ian Alexander told us when we joined him in the Cotswolds for a test ride of the new Whyte Wessex.

‘The Wessex is a 21st-century British road bike built with utility and winter riding in mind.’

Unlike many other bike brands, it’s also built specifically to be ridden in the UK’s particular weather conditions rather than designed for multiple climates and the international market.

The mudguard system, for example, intentionally covers the wheels fully, to combat the amount of surface water we get on roads in this country.

DOESN’T WHYTE MAKE MOUNTAIN BIKES?

That’s certainly where the firm started out, but over the years it’s shifted its focus increasingly to road bikes with remarkable success.

The Whyte Dorset, for example, won BikesEtc's best-value bike of the year award in 2015.

In our experience, the firm's MTB know-how gives it an interesting edge over more traditional road-bike manufacturers and the Wessex is no exception.

It’s crammed full of the latest tech from hydraulic disc brakes through to tubeless-ready rims.

AH, THOSE FANCY WHEELS. TELL US ABOUT THEM

Here’s Alexander’s take on them:

‘Originally, the Wessex was going to have 25c tubeless on 17mm internal width rims but halfway through development, Schwalbe offered 30mm tubeless tyres and Easton came out with the AR21 disc rims, with a 21mm internal rim width.

'We realised that combination would give a completely new level of comfort and performance.’

And he’s not kidding. Being tubeless, those tyres can be run at much a lower pressure (we had ours at 70psi) without increasing rolling resistance.

And being tubeless, they won’t suffer from pinch punctures, which again is handy because nobody likes having to fiddle about at the side of the road especially if it’s chucking it down.

COMFORT I GET, BUT HOW DO FAT TYRES IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?

The science behind it shows that because of the low pressure they achieve a much larger contact patch against the road due to the rubber’s deformation under a rider’s weight.

This allows the rider a lot more control, especially when it comes to riding in the rain.

Which is especially useful for winter riding. It keeps rolling resistance to a minimum because with no inner tube, the tyre experiences no internal friction and so no energy loss as the wheel turns and compresses.

AND HOW DID THAT WORK OUT IN PRACTICE?

Perfectly. The comfort was staggering when we took the Wessex down pot-holed roads.

We found it absorbing everything in its path, dulling even the roughest of road vibrations.

‘And because the supple 30mm tyre contact patch is absorbing all the resonance and vibration as well as impacts,’ Alexander told us, ‘we were able to develop a very stiff frameset, too.’

OH YES, THE FRAMESET. TELL US ABOUT THAT... 

'In terms of geometry, it’s quite traditional,’ Alexander revealed before admitting that the Wessex actually has a slightly longer rear than most road bikes – a design lick nicked from mountain bikes.

It certainly showed, too, when we were out on the road. When holding our line through fast sweeping corners and on long descents the bike felt calm and controlled.

The longer wheelbase guided us smoothly through where a more compact ‘race’ bike might have felt more twitchy.

SO IT’S SLOW BUT SURE?

Not at all – in fact, the sheer speed of the bike will take you by surprise. But the Wessex’s true strength lies in its mix of innovation and practicality.

With a premium carbon frame and full-carbon fork, a tapered head tube, thru-axles front and rear, conservative geometry yet big tyres, disc brakes, internal cable routing, concealed mudguard eyelets, and a round seat tube post ‘so people can attach their light as normal,’ this may be a great winter bike, but it’ll also serve you well throughout the rest of the year, too.

Spec

The Genesis Zero Z.1 differs to many carbon-fibre framed bikes at this particular price point in that it uses premium-grade 30-40-ton carbon in its frame manufacturing process.

Combining this high-quality frameset with the latest generation of Shimano Tiagra groupset, Genesis has created a splendid-looking bike that should – given the company’s proud heritage – deliver a race-ready performance in a package guaranteed to go the distance.

But would it? We jumped on board the Zero and set off to find out!

Frameset

While leading edges might be becoming less popular in frame design, the Zero stands out with its triangular-section down tube.

This oversized tubing is connected at the front to a similarly expansive head tube, and the mutant tubing continues along the top tube, only narrowing along its slightly less triangular shape near the seat tube.

Box-section chainstays project towards the cassette, tapering slightly as they do, further enforcing the frame’s power-hungry nature.

This geometry angles the rider just over the front end. Cable routing is entirely internal, with a barrel adjuster on the rear mech’s cable near where it neatly enters the head tube.

Special mention also goes to the stylish paintjob, with flashes of bright orange on inner sections of the frame/fork contrasting with the bike’s otherwise black and white design.

Groupset

As we have found with other new Shimano Tiagra-equipped bikes recently, the newest incarnation of the Japanese firm’s entry-level groupset is a step up from the previous in terms of aesthetics and performance.

The Zero employs Tiagra for the shifters, brake callipers, plus the front and rear mechs. The bike’s claim of race-readiness is backed up by the combination of a 52/36 Tiagra chainset and 12-28 cassette.

Finishing kit

Genesis uses its own finishing kit across the build. The Road Comfort saddle is decent enough, and tops a 27.2mm alloy seatpost, which dials out vibration.

Also aluminium, the Tranz-X compact-drop handlebars, measuring 420mm in diameter, offer enough flex to keep hands comfortable on the drops while offering an ergonomically pleasing position for attack-mode riding.

Wheels

The Zero’s Alex CX26 rims have a 23mm external and 17mm internal diameter, supporting the 25c Continental Ultra Sport II tyres well, while offering the capability to go up to 28c should extra cushioning and contact patch undercornering be your bag.

Their 28-spoke set-up and Joytech hubs are designed with durability and low maintenance in mind. They’re a good choice at this price, although not the quickest or lightest. Invest in some Mavic Ksyrium Elites and this package is complete.

The ride

The Zero at first appears to be a compromise. A high-end frame equipped with a lower-end groupset, it looks like a bike that might be let down by its moving parts.

But that’s not the case, as Shimano’s latest Tiagra groupset is almost on a par with its superb 105 in its performance. This is immediately obvious as the front mech shifts smoothly, selects the big ring, and we power downhill to start our first test loop.

The Zero is sure-footed on descents and it rewards serious pedalling input generously.

The frame’s reactiveness, meanwhile, makes mincemeat of any kinks in the road. The higher gearing offered by its 52/36 chainset is a halfway house between a 50/34 compact and the once-prevalent 53/39 racer’s set-up, and it suits this bike perfectly, allowing us to make the most of the inherent stiffness of the frame.

Once we’ve got our breath back and settled into a rhythm on rolling roads, the Zero’s comfort levels impress, too.

Although the Conti tyres aren’t the quickest, they deflect a lot of road vibes with 90psi in the tubes. Once we’re faced with a proper short, sharp climb, however, the wheels themselves begin to let the package down with their bulk.

As expected, compromises have to be accepted at this price. This is a race-ready road bike – its frame proves itself taut and responsive – but without race wheels, it’s not fulfilling its potential.

As a bike to crack out a record century ride, however, you’d be advised to take a closer look. Handling The Zero’s steep head angle puts it in the realm of ‘sharp’ steering.

But, at the same time, it pulls off the trick of inspiring confidence to push harder in the corners.

Straight out of the box, it’s soundly appointed, except that the flare to the tips of those compact-drop handlebars forced our arms out wider, and therefore increased tension between the shoulder blades when riding for prolonged periods on the drops.

Their alloy construction transmits some vibration, but the overall smoothness of the frame and wide tyres make up for any harshness felt at the front.

The sharp front-end geometry means changes of direction are a simple case of point-and-shoot, while the rear end is a comfortable arrangement.

What you’ve got here, in other words, is a near-perfect race and sportive frame that you can embellish if your ambitions turn to competition.

RATINGS

Frame: Everything about the frame screams 'stiff!'. 9/10
Components: A mix of Genesis' own and excellent Shimano Tiagra. 7/10 
Wheels: Decent enough but neither the lightest or quickest. 7/10 
The ride: Surprisingly comfortable for a racy machine. 8/10 

Verdict: A top end frame at a keen price from the British stalwart. It pulls off the trick of inspiring confidence to push harder into the corners.  

Geometry

Spec

British custom carbon frame builder Filament has produced a prototype frame that includes what could be a revolutionary new fibre in its weave. 

The fibres, called Dyneema UHMwPE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) and made by Dutch multinational Royal DSM, are claimed to be the strongest fibre in the world, and could potentially have a huge impact on ductility, vibration dampening and impact resistance. As a consequence of their relative strength, the weight of frames also stands to be potentially reduced. 

'DSM Dyneema approached me to make a prototype frame to showcase their material to the bike industry,' says Richard Craddock of Filament Bikes. '[They] provided a dry fabric which combined Dyneema and carbon in a twill weave pattern. To showcase their material I used it as a final layer with a resin infusion process.

'The white Dyneema fibres are very strong and have phenomenal properties against cutting and abrasion, which are very desirable properties in the finished structure, but it’s more difficult to cut than carbon when making the frame and requires very sharp tools.'

The adaptable fibres have already seen use in the bike industry, for example in Etxeondo shorts and Specialized S-Works shoes, but the potential for further use is massive. 

'There is an interesting future for Dyneema in composite parts for bikes,' explains Craddock. 'In frames it could serve to toughen the structure and change the response during peak loads, as well as modify the failure mode in the event of impacts and crashes. It would be useful in the braking surface of carbon rims to resist abrasion wear, it could replace Aramid (Kevlar) in tyre beads and as the protective breaker layer, and perhaps it could even be used as a lightweight brake and gear cable.'

But despite a prototype being built it doesn't seem like anybody has actually had a ride on a Dyneema fibre bike yet, so the first ever Dyneema bike review will have to wait for now. 

filamentbikes.com

The Durnario sits in Storck’s endurance line, meaning that it has been designed for long days in the saddle – perhaps at a sportive, where comfort is as important as speed.

For many brands, the endurance tag is an excuse for introducing strangely curved tubes, slack geometry and innovative ‘dampening’ solutions, but the first impression of the Durnario is that it looks decidedly traditional.

The tubes are straight and slender, morphing into one another in a beautifully seamless fashion.

It certainly looks elegant among a mass of frames with boxy tube junctions, and the white gloss paint lends a sophistication that helps it to stand out in a sea of black bikes. 

You won’t see many Storck bikes on the roads around Britain and, for me, that adds to the appeal of a brand that nestles somewhere between the full-custom niche and the mass market.

At the heart of the German oufit is its founder, Marcus Storck, whose tendency is to stick rigidly to his own beliefs and agenda rather than following the rest of the industry.

It’s an attitude that has worked well for him over the years, and his creations have earned him many accolades. 

I’ve only ever had good experiences on Storck bicycles, and I was hoping the Durnario Pro would be more of the same as I prepared for the first test ride. 

Flying colours

Removing the Durnario from its box in the Cyclist office, the first thing I did was to quietly curse Marcus Storck under my breath.

Why does he insist on using horizontal rear dropouts?

Actually, I know the reason why – Storck insists it makes for a more efficient power transfer as the wheel is naturally forced into the chainstays – but the reality is that it requires very nimble fingers (which then get filthy) to get the back wheel in or out.

Fortunately, my initial grumbles were quickly forgotten once I got the Durnario out on one of my favourite hilly loops around the south coast.

There’s one part of the ride, early on, that I always enjoy and which tells me a lot about a bike. The road dives down a fast, steep descent and if you’re brave enough to stay off the brakes as you hit the bottom then you can get a fair way up the hill on the other side before momentum runs out and you need to start pedalling.

I pointed the Storck down the hill and hunkered behind the bars. My fingers stroked the brake levers in readiness but I felt no need to scrub any speed as it felt rock steady, descending with balance and poise.

All smiles

I hit the brief flat section at full speed and was still grinning widely as I sailed upwards past the gate on the left that is my benchmark for a good run.

It was another five or six bike lengths before gravity won out and I had to turn the cranks to keep moving. 

Here, too, the Durnario impressed. With the gradient topping out at about 14% I had to grind the pedals, but the lower portion of the frame proved unyielding, meaning that little of my efforts were lost to flexing the bottom bracket.

The power delivery was as assertive and precise as the handling had been on the descent beforehand. Things were off to a solid start.

It wasn’t until a short while later that I discovered that, had I needed to brake on that first fast-paced descent, I might have found myself in a spot of bother.

The moist air of this autumnal morning had made the carbon braking surface on the DT Swiss RC28C rims a bit slick, and as I arrived at a crossroads I grabbed the Ultegra levers with (I thought at the time) sufficient force, only to keep going past the white line and come to a skidding halt part way into the road. Thankfully nothing was coming.

I don’t want to do the DT Swiss wheels a disservice, since this particular incident was to a large degree my own fault.

I’d been riding a disc brake bike previously, and had misjudged the chasm between disc and calliper braking performance in the wet.

Once I’d readjusted my expectations I didn’t have any further problems. In fact the DT Swiss wheels proved an excellent addition to the build and, once past the initial lag in the wet, the braking force was perfectly adequate. 

Good vibrations

As more rides ticked past I became increasingly aware I was really enjoying my time on the Storck.

Whether I was out for a short blast or a longer day in the saddle, the 890g frame and 330g fork (7.2kg total build) combined to deliver a spritely ride that never left me in tatters by the end.

The resonance of the vibrations coming up from the road felt more in keeping with a bass drum than a cymbal, in so much that I felt the bumps, but rather than being a high frequency shockwave that rattled through my body, they were more of a dull thud, quickly deadened and dealt with.

I find the latter much more agreeable and less fatiguing overall, and Storck has proved it’s possible to retain rider comfort despite a fairly chunky 31.6mm seatpost.

Hard to fault

For anyone thinking of investing in a Durnario Pro, I can say that I struggled to find any real faults.

A few caveats might be the head tube, which is not overly generous at 138mm so less bendy riders could potentially require a spacer stack, and did I mention those horizontal dropouts? They really don’t do it for me.

Neither however is sufficient to detract from the quality of the ride.

This a no-nonsense, straight-talking bicycle, reflecting the persona of the man who created it.

Spec

Designed for typically wet and variable UK riding conditions, the Kinesis Racelight 4S – which stands for ‘four seasons’ – promises to be a year-round ride for all your training and racing needs.

The big difference compared to your average bike at this price is that this rocks disc brakes, although the 4S versatility means the same frame can be fitted with rim brakes if you prefer.

More forward thinking is shown with the option to run either electronic or mechanical gear cables, all run internally.

A big factor when looking for a bike for winter riding is the ability to fit mudguards.

The 4S has this covered and even has the choice to fit pannier racks, making it a great choice for commuting or perhaps even touring, as fantastic tyre clearance promises space for 32mm tyres, or up to 30mm with mudguards fitted.

In use, we loved the ability to set up a relatively low front-end position, something that many endurance-focused bikes don’t offer.

The ride quality was something of a tale of two halves, with a less comfy ride at the front being made more noticeable by fantastic comfort to the rear – thanks mainly to the well-padded saddle.

When climbing or sprinting the 4S responds well, with little noticeable flex in the frame or wheels and although the overall weight is on the bulky side thanks to those disc brakes, it never felt slow or hard work on longer rides.

The disc-specific Kinesis Racelight wheels fitted are light and responded especially well when we were putting in big efforts, with multiple dropout configuration the frame can also accommodate both standard and disc-only rims.

The standout feature for many will be the disc brakes, with excellent mechanic TRP Spyre brakes fitted on our test bike.

Compared to rim brakes they offer less feel, but have plenty of power and modulation, meaning that you can control the amount of stopping power.

The big plus is no noticeable drop in performance in wet weather, and also the lack of rim wear, which will mean no more replacing or rebuilding wheels.

Spec