Ridley has announced that it has taken over the reins at fellow Belgian brand Eddy Merckx Cycles. Despite a 37-year history of making accomplished road bikes in steel, aluminium and carbon the brand has never been as successful as the cyclist it was named after.

After founding the brand in 1980, Merckx sold his majority share in the company in 2008 after he learned that his son Axel did not want to take it on.

The company gradually became less profitable until 2016, when a new buyer gave it a much-needed injection of capital, yet even that wasn’t enough to the brand’s fortunes.

Last year saw the brand in dire straights as it recorded a €5.7 million loss, yet the future now looks bright as Ridley CEO, Jochim Aerts, talks of renewed investment and development in the company.

‘The synergy between the two Belgian brands will help the Belgian cycling industry reach new heights,’ said Aerts.

‘This brand has so much history and means so much to the Belgian cycling industry. Eddy Merckx and Ridley are the most famous Belgian bicycle brands and can now work together - this acquisition creates a kind of cross-fertilisation of the two brands which will beneficial for both parties.

'Belgium is known for its unique cycling culture thanks to riders like Eddy Merckx, so this merger means that Belgium, now more than ever, is at the centre of the world when it comes to cycling.’

Ridley has a presence in the WorldTour with its relationship with Lotto Soudal, something that is lacking for the Eddy Merckx brand.

Such exposure often justifies the hefty expenditure but a brand needs to be in a position to commit to a team to begin with.

The Merckx bikes will now be able to benefit from the information gathered in the top level races when developing new frames.

‘We are delighted that Ridley shares our vision for the future of the Merckx brand,’ said Bart van Muylder, owner of Eddy Merckx Cycles.

‘We felt it was our responsibility to keep this Belgian asset in Belgian hands. Ridley, with its motto "We are Belgium", its global distribution and presence in the WorldTour peloton, is the ideal company to continue the tribute to Eddy Merckx.’

'We all remember from our childhood how we used to feel when our favourite toy got lost. It’s almost the same feeling when your best friend moves to another city...without writing a single letter or giving you their new address.'

These are the words of Italian bike manufacturer Basso, informing the press about the theft of a number of bikes from its factory, including the Diamante 40th Year Anniversary Edition bike, which it has called the 'number zero' - the irreplaceable model in its special series, and the personal bike of company founder Alcide Basso. 

'We had an unfortunate occasion and our factory store got robbed,' continues Basso. 'It’s certain the thieves were not aware of what they were stealing at the time. They used two different vans to steal a few bicycles - including our precious Basso Diamante 40th Year Anniversary Edition.'

'Now we are desperately searching for this very special bike and we obviously need people who can help us.'

Basso says that it has a 'significant amount' of reward money available to anyone who can provide useful information in the relocation of the Diamante 40th Year Anniversary Edition bike, and invites those that can help to contact them.

Visit bassobikes.com for contact information. 

Photography: Patrik Lundin

The Fred Whitton Challenge is an event every serious cyclist should do once in their lifetime – and then never attempt again.

It’s a sportive of exceptional difficulty, clocking up 3,900m of vertical gain over 180km, and taking in six daunting climbs in the Lake District with gradients well over 20%.

It was the first major event of its kind in Britain, and many would argue it remains the most challenging. 

With that in mind, the Lakes seems like the appropriate place for Cyclist to test three bikes designed specifically to meet the needs of sportive riders.

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Image 3 of 36

The inclines on climbs such as Honister Pass and Newlands Pass are so savage that every excess gram or hint of flex on a bike takes its toll on the ascent, while the descents are so steep and technical that precise handling is vital.

The cracked roads of Cumbria add another dimension to the challenge, as a sportive bike has to remain comfortable for up to eight hours in the saddle. If a bike can impress on these infamous roads, it can do the job anywhere.

So let’s do some introductions. We’ve brought three bikes along with us: the Bianchi Infinito CV, the BMC Roadmachine RM02 and the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0.

All three are in the £3k-£4k segment, each born out of a desire to nail the market for fast yet comfortable endurance bikes.

Giant and BMC have sided for the modern trends in endurance – disc brakes and electronic shifting – while this Bianchi has stayed true to Italian tradition with a mechanical Campagnolo rim-brake groupset (a disc brake Infinito exists too).

Riding the Bianchi in today’s test is Thérèse, a competitive time-triallist and crit racer. On the BMC is Alistair, who kicked off his sportive habit with the Ride London 100 three years ago. I’m riding the Giant.

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Image 4 of 36

I’m also feeling a touch of trepidation at returning to the scene of the Fred Whitton, where a few years ago I discovered new depths of personal doubt and despair. 

Playing chauffeur to our photographer today is Billy Bland, a fell runner of legendary status in these parts. He holds the record for the Bob Graham Round, a 106km running race taking in 8,200m of vertical ascent, having completed it in 13h 53min.

He’s also done the Fred half a dozen times and knows the area like the back of his hand, which incidentally is broken from a recent bike fall, and has promised to nurse us over the local climbs.

In true sportive spirit, we set an open start time between 8am and 9am (which causes Billy to call us ‘a bunch of bloody soft southerners’), with a food stop along the way.

For today’s ride, though, it’s not the power in our legs that we’re interested in, but what the bikes have to offer.

Contenders ready!

There’s a certain amount of argument over what constitutes a sportive bike. For some, the main issue is comfort, and many sportive bikes offer a forgiving geometry and elements designed to reduce road vibration.

For others, a sportive is basically a race, and they want a bike that’s fast on the flat and light enough to tackle big climbs. For us, we’ll be looking for bikes that combine the best of these attributes. 

Comfort is our first stop. Bianchi has looked at its carbon layup as a means of achieving that, and woven in its ‘Countervail’ technology a viscoelastic material between layers of carbon that allegedly absorbs the jolts of the road while preserving the carbon’s rigid power transfer.

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Image 6 of 36

In our first kilometres from our guesthouse, The Lazy Fish in Embleton, Thérèse seems to be relishing the balance of comfort and speed provided by the Bianchi, riding happily through torn and scarred road surfaces.

We’re heading for the Whinlatter Pass to kick off today’s hilly horseplay, and we’re experiencing the usual British fare of cracked and uneven roads.

The Infinito CV does a fantastic job of absorbing the bumps with an almost therapeutic ‘thud’.

By contrast, the BMC Roadmachine and Giant Defy rely more on the overall shape and build to deliver the necessary comfort.

Giant has historically favoured the compact frame design, which means the seatpost is much longer, offering increased flex.

The frame’s wide tyre clearance further increases the potential for comfort, because a wider tyre can be run at lower pressure to absorb bumps. 

The Roadmachine is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and so it’s no surprise that it’s a little on the robust side. The geometry is a touch more aggressive and low slung than the others, with the head tube a full 40mm shorter than the Defy’s.

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Image 7 of 36

BMC hasn’t forgotten comfort, though. It too offers wide tyre clearance, and the stays at the rear end are also ‘stepped’ – bent and shaped to facilitate flex.

Crucially, though, it’s fast. Alistair claims it’s tough to ride the bike for a few minutes without wanting to stand up and swing it from side to side while making the sound of a jet taking off.

Mystic mountains 

This is no ordinary day in the Lakes. A clear blue sky sits above the snowy peaks of Helvellyn and Scaffell Pike.

William Wordsworth once wrote of the Lake District that it was ‘a sort of national property in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy’.

The landscape is every bit as beautiful as it is challenging.

The most famous recent event of local cycling lore was the record-breaking ride of Robert Jebb and James Dobbin on the Fred Whitton in 2008.

Billy laughs at the very mention of it: ‘People always thought they were working together. Nothing of the sort! Neither one could drop the other, and take my word for it, they tried many times.’

They duelled for five hours and 40 minutes before reaching the finish together. 

It’s a wonder any rider could keep pace with another on these inclines, as simply getting up them is so difficult.

The Honister is the most testing climb on today’s route, as we’ll be skipping the steeper Hardknott Pass purely for geographic convenience (Billy once again calls us a bunch of ‘soft southerners’).

Kicking off proceedings is the more gentle Whinlatter Pass. 

From the outset the Defy is looking good on the climbs. It has a light and sprightly feel, and a wide-ranging rear cassette. For now it’s almost overkill, as I sit with the luxury of two spare sprockets.

A little further into the ride, though, I’ll need every gear I can get. 

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Image 13 of 36

The Infinito CV is certainly growing on Thérèse, too. It has a lower frame weight than the others so she enjoys some free speed, although the gearing is a little harder, which will make itself known on the steeper climbs to come. 

Over the top of Whinlatter, we enjoy a winding and exhilarating descent and it leads all too quickly to the first real spike of the day.

The Newlands Pass puts our bikes and bodies to the test. It’s a long ramp that leads to a savagely steep 25% wall near the top.

‘Honestly, what were they thinking when they paved that? Had Britain not discovered the hairpin at that point?’ Alistair says in a state of bewilderment when the final stretch comes into view. 

Given her slightly tougher gearing, Thérèse gets out of the saddle to muscle the bike up the incline. By contrast Alistair clicks into a 34/32 gear and sits spinning at a high cadence.

On these supremely steep ramps, weight starts to become a factor in a way that would be harder to detect on a steady 8% Alpine climb, and Alistair has begun to feel the weight of the Roadmachine’s 3T wheels on this climb.

‘I’m pretty sure these are heavier than my town bike’s wheels,’ Alistair tells me between deep inhalations.

At nearly 8.6kg, the BMC is a full 800g heavier than the Bianchi – a big penalty for the gains in aerodynamics and braking. The Defy, at a lower price point, also manages a lower frame and wheel weight to the Roadmachine.

The Infinito’s hitherto impermeable armour is also chinked as Thérèse lets out a cluster of expletives when pushing the Campag gear lever, as she struggles to engage the largest 29-tooth sprocket due to the Potenza’s long lever throw. It makes for a zigzag course up the incline. 

I’m having a breeze on the Giant. With a wide range of gears, a tall front to throw from side to side, excellent tubeless tyre traction and a low overall weight, I think the Defy could deliver me up here even on a bad day.

Last time I took this on I was riding a standard double chainset and thought I was going to pull my shoulder out of its socket such was the effort required. With this gearing (the same as on the Roadmachine) I’m able to take the climb slowly but comfortably.

Regrouping at the top, there’s some heavy panting and mutual assurance that it simply can’t get any steeper than that. The descent down Newlands is a real stunner.

Taking on the initial 20% ramp I couldn’t be happier to be riding on disc brakes that I know will stop me even if I get the line wrong.

The last time I descended this slope on a rainy day my knuckles were pure white and my forearms were seizing from the effort of slowing down into the corners.

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Image 17 of 36

Alistair isn’t a confident descender – being a surgeon by trade he’s probably seen a few too many snapped bones – but the Roadmachine is surefooted and he keeps within sight as Thérèse and I fight for position on the front.

Despite the lack of discs, Thérèse seems to be having no problems on the descent.

‘It just feels nimble but stable. But to be fair I’m just quite good at riding a bike downhill,’ she tells me with a smile as we level out in the valley floor. 

Moments later, Alistair shoots past, eager to regain some standing after losing ground on the descent. What the Roadmachine lacks in feathery weight, it makes up for in stiffness and aerodynamic efficiency, roaring with speed on the flats. 

A Honister test

The Honister Pass sits on the horizon. From this side, approaching from the west, we can see most of the way up the climb.

That’s a mixed blessing, as it intimidates but also lets us know what we’re about to endure. 

Billy laughs off our fears. Last year he climbed the Honister Pass more than 500 times, including 10 times in a single day.

A few years ago the Tour of Britain took on the Honister Pass, and Nairo Quintana and Dan Martin sprinted over it in billowing wind while pro riders at the back were having to step off and walk up the incline. 

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Image 18 of 36

We won’t be troubling Quintana’s time today. Thérèse settles into an easy rhythm, having finally clicked into the 29 sprocket. She points out that with a lighter set of wheels the Infinito CV could truly be a climber’s dream.

The Honister really is hard. After a spike of 25% it settles to 12% before another burst of insanely steep tarmac.

Each pedal stroke is like doing a one-leg squat, and it’s tricky to maintain balance while not losing traction.

By the time we reach the last few metres of the ascent it feels as though my lungs may explode. 

Working together, we make it to the top. A few mumbles of congratulations are exchanged as we take in the view down the valley towards the snow-capped peak of Helvellyn.

From here, we descend through Borrowdale, a time capsule of an English pastoral past, and Billy’s lifelong home. The road twists its way into a climb along the edge of Derwent Water, which is reflecting a perfect image of the mountains that sit across from us.

From there it’s not far to Whinlatter to make the final kilometres home. 

On the last uphill push, I manage to sneak ahead, having been a little more sheepish on today’s steepest inclines.

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Image 21 of 36

Alistair wastes no time blaming a few hundred extra grams on each wheel and a slightly soft front tyre as the reason he is dropping back.

Thérèse once again struggles to shift into the biggest sprocket, so is pushed into an uncomfortably low cadence, squandering a chance for a late surge near the summit.

Rolling back into The Lazy Fish in Embleton, we start hatching a plan to ride again in the morning and exploit this rare patch of good weather.

The issue of who should ride which bike comes up, and almost in union we all say, ‘I’m on the Giant.’ I think that says it all.

Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0

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Image 22 of 36

Peter’s summary

The advantages of disc brakes on this terrain are considerable, and the Defy still remains competitive in weight and ride quality, although it’s worth remembering that a well-specced rim brake bike at this price could be nearly a kilogram lighter.

The Defy juggles enough stiffness to reward climbing efforts while offering abundant comfort at the saddle, meaning that climbs are more pleasure than ordeal.

It’s a little jittery at the front, with vibrations noticable through the bars, but that never unsettled the bike, which was precise and manoeuvrable on the downhills.

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Image 24 of 36

One of the weak points of the previous iteration of the Defy was the quality of tyres, which were puncture-prone and sub-par in grip terms.

With this new generation of tubeless rim and tyre, the performance has jumped up considerably, and that pays big dividends when it comes to overall ride quality and speed.

Model: Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870
Deviations: Shimano ST-RS785 hydraulic disc brakes, Shimano RT-99 140mm IceTech rotors, Shimano ST-R785 shifters
Gearing: Shimano Ultegra 50/34 chainset, Shimano Ultegra 11-32 cassette
Wheels: Giant SLR 1 Disc WheelSystem tubeless, 12mm thru-axle
Tyres: Giant Gavia SLR Tubeless 25mm
Finishing Kit: Giant Contact SL handlebar, Giant Contact SL stem, Giant D-Fuse SL Seatpost, Giant Contact SL Neutral saddle
Weight: 8.02kg (size 56cm)
Price: £3,875
Contact: giant-bicycles.com

Bianchi Infinito CV Potenza

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Image 26 of 36

Thérèse’s summary

The Bianchi Infinito CV is an immediate charmer. The iconic celeste colourway mixed with Campagnolo’s ornamental looks is a nice blend of traditional and modern.

When riding, the ability to absorb the imperfections of the road is striking from the outset. It handles well, too, bestowing enough confidence on the descents that I could easily keep pace with the boys and their disc brake bikes.

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Image 29 of 36

The downside is the general spec. I love Campagnolo, but the Potenza groupset was less slick and more effort than the other two using Di2. A stretch to a 32-tooth rear sprocket would also be a big bonus when the gradient really spikes up.

The wheels, too, are fine for training but not the sort of lightweight rims I’d hope for on a three grand bike.

I was left feeling that the Infinito CV has some very special attributes, but that it’s rather a lot to pay for a pleasant ride and an historic name.

Model: Bianchi Infinito CV Potenza
Groupset: Campagnolo Potenza black 11-speed
Deviations: None
Gearing: Campagnolo Potenza Power-Torque System 50/34 chainset, Campagnolo 11-29 cassette
Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 5 LG black clincher
Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro G+ Isotech graphene
Finishing Kit: Reparto Corse Alloy 7050 stem, Reparto Corse Compact Flat Top bars, Reparto Corse full carbon UD seatpost, Fizik Aliante saddle
Weight: 7.78kg (size 55cm)
Price: £3,349.99
Contact: cycleurope.com

BMC Roadmachine RM02

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Image 30 of 36

Alistair’s summary

I loved the loud yellow paintjob and sharp aerodynamic curves that make this bike stand out from the crowd.

It was seriously fast and responsive, while offering a healthy rumble from the road. At times it was a little stiff over rough terrain, although on the whole it was more comfortable than its aggressive lines suggest. 

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Image 31 of 36

The Roadmachine certainly felt weighty in comparison to the Infinito or Defy, and I would have given anything to shed a kilo on the last few hundred metres of the Honister.

Heading downwards, I felt comfortable on the technical descents but it was occasionally skittish over rough roads, even if the bike was predictable and sharp in all other senses.

In contrast, the Defy bestowed more confidence to whip around when I rode it the following morning (I won the rock-paper-scissors on that one).

Model: BMC Roadmachine RM02 Ultegra Di2
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870
Deviations: Shimano ST-RS785 hydraulic disc brakes, SM-RT81-SS 160/140 Rotors, Shimano ST-R785 shifters
Gearing: Shimano Ultegra 50/34 chainset, Shimano Ultegra 11-32 cassette
Wheels: 3T Discus C35 Pro alloy
Tyres: Continental Grand Sport Race SL 25mm
Finishing Kit: BMC RAB 02 handlebars, BMC RSM 02 stem, Roadmachine 01 ‘D’ Premium Carbon seatpost, Fizik Aliante Delta saddle
Weight: 8.56kg (size 56cm)
Price: £4,099
Contact: evanscycles.com

Kit picks

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Image 34 of 36

dhb Aeron Speed Short-Sleeve jersey, £55, wiggle.com

Peter says: ‘For a reasonably priced jersey, I found the Aeron Speed to be comfortable yet very tight and form-fitting in the right places to trim off those vital grams of drag.’

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Image 35 of 36

Fizik R1B Road shoe, £299.99, extrauk.co.uk

Thérèse says: ‘These took a bit of time to break in, but after a few rides they felt great and were remarkably efficient in delivering power. That they look fantastic is an added bonus.’ 

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Image 36 of 36

Mavic Cosmic Ultimate bibshorts, £175, mavic.com

Alistair says: ‘Apparently these bibs have something called an Ergo 3D Pro insert and “Reptile Skin Matrix”. No idea what they are, but I can’t fault the bibs for staying comfy and supportive all day.’

Thanks

Many thanks to Mark and Rachel Wilson, who own The Lazy Fish guesthouse in Embleton where we stayed, and who also introduced us to Billy Bland, who was a fantastic guide for the day.

The Lazy Fish is a luxury guesthouse, with a vast living room surrounding a wood-burning stove, three bedrooms, two enormous luxurious bathrooms and a jet-powered jacuzzi.

It’s an ideal spot for recovery after taking on the northern passes of the Lakes. Mark is a keen cyclist with an alarmingly fast Fred Whitton time to his name and is always keen to chat about bikes or help with mechanical issues.

Visit thelazyfish.co.uk for more details.

Colnago's original V1-R, launched in 2015, saw the Italian brand ditch its penchant for fairly traditionalist tube shapes in favour of the more aerodynamic profiles which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

The introduction of the more radically slippery-looking Concept, however, left the V1-R starting to look in need of an update, and the V2-R is it.

The V2-R is a fairly radical departure from its predecessor, and in large part the changes seem focused on boosting both the V2-R's practicality and its versatility.

With the ability to take tyres up to 28c and brakes mounted where you’d expect them between the seatstays, rather than frustratingly tucked away on the chainstays, it now sits more readily between Colnago’s classic C60 and the aero Concept as the brand’s do-it-all bike.

Gram for gram

In redesigning the bike Colnago has managed to match the V1-R's weight exactly at 835g for a medium sized frame. In fact the same grade and construction of carbon fibre was also used.

Despite this Colnago says stiffness has been improved by 13% at the bottom bracket and by 4% at the head tube.

The V2-R also still uses Colnago’s proprietary TF82.5 bottom bracket standard, which combines the practicality of a threaded bottom bracket, the width and improved rigidity of the PressFit standard. 

While the rear brake has migrated back to its traditional spot, both it and the front calliper are direct-mount units. Colnago claims their deployment results in better integration with the frame, both in terms of structure and aerodynamics, along with improved braking power.

They certainly look aesthetically pleasing. As does the newly integrated seat post clamp, which further helps streamline the appearance of the bike. The truncated profile of the unique matching post which the clamp secures is also designed to boost the bike’s aerodynamic efficiency.

Initially only available as a complete build featuring Campagnolo Super Record groupset and Bora Ultra wheels, the asking price of the V2-R is a whopping £9,000. Framesets will be available from mid-July and cost from £2,900.

While Colnago hasn't provided any specific information to that effect, one of the pictures of the V2-R released today is clearly of a disc-based version – so obviously a disc brake version is also in the works.

We’ll be looking to get a Colnago V2-R in for test soon.

Look Cycle has begun a broad renovation of its brand with the unveiling of a new flagship lightweight road bike – the 785 Huez RS. It’s the lightest frameset the brand has ever created and will be put to use in the Tour de France by Team Fortuneo-Vital Concept.

The bike will sit in the as yet unoccupied category between Look's super aerodynamic 795 range of bikes and the endurance-pitched 765.

Ultra High Modulus Carbon

The 785 Huez RS uses ultra high modulus carbon, in the measure of 60 ton-force, to reduce the overall weight of the bike to a slick 730g for the frame, and only 280g for the fork. 

The ultra high modulus carbon is rarely seen even at the top of the cycling industry. The majority of high end carbon frames will use carbon with stiffness topping out around 40 ton-force and Look emphasise that only 10% of the frame will use these fibres. Product managers are openly sharing the make up of the bike in an refreshingly honest approach to the marketing of the frame. 

The team replica 785 Huez RS with Sram Red eTap has a total bike weight of 5.9kg. While that may be higher than super-light category bikes such as the Cannondale SuperSix or Trek Emonda, Look considers it to be superior in broader design and efficiency.

Tight design criteria

‘It’s not the lightest frame on the market, but it’s very important to Look, a French brand, that the reliability of this product is really, really high,’ says Look product manager Fred Caron.

‘All Look bicycles are made to not only meet the European testing standard, but exceed them by 60%. We don’t want to be the lightest frame, but the safest and most efficient bike when you ride it.’

Tube shapes

Look has rethought the shaping of its tubes for the 785 frame, in what Caron is calling Optimised Inertia Section. It essentially means the tube shape changes from a blunt square profile at one intersection to a more traditional tubular shape at another - specifically that is seen in the downtube as it moves from the BB to teh headtube.

The material selection coupled with the design of the tube shape means that the 785 boasts particularly narrow tube thickness - sitting largely around 0.6mm for the middle of the tube.

The 785 Huez RS has also been composed of a huge selection of carbon pieces, so that the layers can be more intricately composed. It uses 260 separate pieces of carbon for the frame, and 90 separate pieces for the fork.

Scaling down

The lower category 785 Huez comes in at 990g and 350g for the frame. It does not use the ultra high modulus 60T carbon. It comes at a lower price, topping out at €3,999 with Ultegra Di2 (around £3,500) – an impressive move in affordability for the French brand.

The Huez and Huez RS will be built in both Tunisia and the Far East. While some will lament a partial turn away from the brand’s traditional European focus, it appears that the change in production doesn’t represent a switch in the traditional European focus.

Rather, the move is an effort to streamline Look’s global distribution logistics, easing the delivery of bike to the USA.

Preliminary European pricing is as follows:

785 Huez RS

Replica Fortuneo €9,999

Pro Team Dura Ace €6,999

Ultegra Di2 €4,999

Ultegra €3,999

785 Huez

Ultegra Di2 €3,999

Ultegra €2,999

105 €2,299

First ride review to follow.

We’ve seen it on bikes such as the Trek Domane and the Pinarello Dogma K8-S, and now Wilier has joined the game. Its new Cento10NDR comes with a suspension system at the rear end, designed to turn rough roads smooth. 

However, unlike those other bikes, the Wilier Cento10NDR doesn’t claim to be a ‘cobbles’ bike or a ‘Classics’ bike. Nor is it a ‘gravel’ bike, ‘all-road’ bike, or any of the other monikers being given to the new breed of multi-purpose bikes that are so popular right now. 

‘It’s a road bike,’ says Claudio Salomoni, product manager for Wilier. ‘It’s a race machine, only it’s more forgiving because of the geometry and because the rear stays are very, very comfortable.’

Wilier has its sights set on the growing band of riders who want to ride a top-end road bike, but struggle to cope with the geometry of a full-on race machine, such as the company’s best-selling Cento10Air.

‘It’s not just a question of age,’ adds Salomoni. ‘It could be that you are 30 but have problems with your back. If you want something premium but cannot fit the racing geometry, you can still have it.’

Flexible friend

The suspension system is called Actiflex and it works like this: the chainstays and seatstays are created in one piece for strength, but the tops of the seatstays are not attached permanently to the seatpost.

Instead, they are connected to an alloy ‘link’ that houses a rubbery block called a Shox. This is made of a ‘technopolymer’ – a sort of hi-tech elastomer – and acts as a shock absorber.

Whenever the rear wheel hits a bump, the stays flex upwards, squashing the Shox and reducing the impact felt by the rider.

It’s fairly similar to the system employed by Pinarello in its K8-S, which also uses a rubber shock absorber between the seatstays and seatpost, but Wilier insists its Actiflex is superior.

Where Pinarello employs a cylindrical elastomer that attaches to the seatpost at a single, narrow point, the Actiflex is a wider unit that is held in place by two long bolts, thereby ensuring the lateral stiffness of the rear end is not compromised, according to Wilier, even though the vertical flex is greatly increased. 

Wilier also believes its system is better than Trek’s Isospeed on the Domane, which uses a ‘decoupler’ to allow the seatpost to flex backwards and forwards when the bike hits a bump.

On the Cento10NDR, the main triangle of the frame is ‘closed’, with the additional flex only occurring at the rear triangle, which means the saddle never moves in relation to the bottom bracket, unlike the Domane. Wilier insists this is vital for maintaining power and pedalling efficiency while riding. 

There are three different levels of Shox inserts, with the softest one being specced on the smallest bikes, and the hardest one on the largest frames, although customers will be able to choose whichever they prefer depending on their weight and riding style.

According to Salomoni, there is about 3-4mm of travel in the Shox: ‘If you’re heavy about 5mm. It just cuts the micro-vibrations from normal riding.’ 

Playing the angles

After the Actiflex suspension, the other major difference with the NDR, when compared to the Cento10Air, is the geometry. The Cento10NDR (the NDR stands for ‘endurance’) is higher and shorter in terms of stack and reach.

It allows for a more upright position, and doesn’t require the rider to get into the aggressive ‘long and low’ position favoured by the pros. 

Not only is this more forgiving for many riders, it also – counterintuitively – helps to make the bike look more pro.

Salomoni tells of his horror at seeing sleek race bikes ruined by having stacks of spacers beneath the stem because their owners can’t cope with the geometry, so the NDR is designed to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

The high front end means that, in most cases, the stem can be slammed. And where spacers are required, they are subtle aero spacers that maintain the bike’s elegant good looks. 

Adding to the NDR’s aesthetics, not to mention its aerodynamics, the front end cabling has all been squirrelled away inside the bars, stem and head tube (when it’s in electronic groupset/disc brake mode, but we’ll come to that in a minute). It makes the bike look clean and uncluttered.

The main frame tubes share their shapes with the Cento10Air, being kamm-tailed aerofoil in profile, except for the seatpost, which is round and 27.2mm for comfort.

It means that the bike is exceptionally aerodynamic, although this might be offset somewhat by the more upright riding position, which will put the rider more in the wind.

Wilier is at pains to point out that the Cento10NDR is meant to be a true, high-end race bike. It’s not a compromise bike for non-racers. It uses the same carbon as the Cento10Air, and is only slightly heavier at a claimed frame weight of 1,080g. 

Despite the changes to the NDR’s geometry, Salomoni claims that the bike’s tube angles are calculated to ensure agile handling. As he puts it: ‘The angles are racing angles. The handling must be Wilier handling – racing handling.’

To maintain the ride quality, each frame size in the range is designed with slightly different angles and lay-up to ensure that the stiffness and comfort remains the same whatever size of bike you choose.

Brake with tradition

Another of the NDR’s unique aspects is that the same frame can be set up with either calliper brakes or disc brakes. 

To achieve this, Wilier has created special dropouts that can be swapped depending on the brake set-up required. In calliper brake mode, the rear dropouts accept standard quick-releases with 130mm hub spacing. Swap in the disc-ready dropouts, and the spacing increases to 142mm to accept a 12mm thru-axle.

The necessary bolt fixings are there on the stays for either standard callipers or discs, and the tyre clearance allows for 28mm with callipers and 32mm tyres with discs.

When running discs with a Di2 or eTap electronic groupset, all the cabling can be fed inside the handlebars and down through the head tube to keep it (almost) entirely out of sight.

The result is so clean and neat that it would be a shame to get a Cento10NDR and then fit calliper brakes, where the cables would need to be on display. 

To hide the cabling, Wilier has introduced a new bar and stem system called Stemma & Barra. It’s based on the company’s Alabarda bars – a one-piece aero cockpit found on the Cento10Air – except it comes in two pieces to allow for more options of bar width and stem length.

The bars are fairly standard in shape, with a round cross-section, while the stem is designed to be aero, and is angled at 10.5° so that it lies parallel to the ground.

Colour of money

As mentioned, Wilier considers the Cento10NDR to be a genuinely premium bike, and as such it comes with a premium pricetag.

Specced with Dura-Ace Di2 hydraulic groupset and Mavic Ksyrium Pro Exalith wheels, it will retail at £7,300. Sram eTap and Mavic Cosmic Elites will add another £500, while the Ultegra Di2 version with Shimano WH6800 wheels will cost £5,600.

Disc brake versions will be available in both Ultegra and Dura-Ace guises, with or without Di2, with prices ranging from £5,100 to £9,300.

As for colours, it will come in a rather fetching blue and red shown here, or for those of a less adventurous disposition, black and red, all-red, or just plain black.

Artistic types can get creative with Wilier’s Infinitamente online system that allows you to choose whatever colour of frame you damned well choose. Pink and green with gold logos, anyone?

Wilier Cento10NDR first ride

I have to admit I wasn't fully convinced by Salomoni’s sales pitch when I first laid eyes on the Cento10NDR in person. 

Fortunately, I was wrong. The NDR’s truly is designed as a road bike, and more than that, a top-end, race-ready road bike. But it’s one that can be ridden by people who don’t conform to the physical stereotype of a professional cyclist. Which is most of us.

The more forgiving geometry allows for a riding position that mere mortals – even fairly elderly ones, or ones with dodgy backs – can maintain for a long day in the saddle.

The Actiflex suspension aside, the ride quality and handling are all meant to be pure ‘road’. And it works. The greatest praise that I can give to the Actiflex is that I didn’t notice it was there for the majority of our test ride around the lanes of Italy’s Veneto region.

When the tarmac was smooth, the bike drifted along with an easy elegance, and when I stamped on the pedals, the bike leapt into action with no sense of sloppiness or bounce.

When the road surface turned nasty – our test ride took in sections of gravel and cobbles – the Actiflex proved to be far from a gimmick.

It did an excellent job of dampening vibrations, more even than I was expecting, while never undermining the handling of the bike or sapping power.

I found the Cento10NDR to be just about the right blend of comfy and sporty – but then I am probably bang in the centre of Wilier’s target market for the bike: a rider of advancing years, but who is not ready to join the Sunday bumblers just yet.

I want a road bike that looks pro, and makes me feel like a pro, but won’t leave me aching like a geriatric. I suspect there are many more like me out there, and our numbers are growing by the day.

It could be that Wilier is really onto something here.

Despite already being ridden by the pros - including Vincenzo Nibali for a stage of the Giro d'Italia - the new test models of the Merida Reacto Team-E used in the WorldTour peloton had slipped by almost entirely unnoticed. It's now officially broken cover and will be ridden by the Bahrain-Merida squad at the Tour de France.

Before those riders take the start at the most watched race of the year when it kicks off in Dusseldorf, Germany, I was able to get my hands on the newest rim brake version of the Merida Reacto Team-E.

When stood side-by-side with the older version that it's superceding, the newer Reacto has quite obviously undergone an overhaul.

The head tube is narrower and the top tube now carries a raised ridge, all part of Merida's work to make the bike more aerodynamic.

The cable routing has also changed, and surprisingly is not as fully internal as you might expect. This is something Juergen Falke, director of product at Merida, dismisses by pointing out that in their testing the exposed cabling only brought a power penalty of a maximum of 1.5 watts.

There are changes at the back end of the bike too, with a new seatpost for a reported improvement in comfort, and altered seat stays playing their part in the overall reduction in drag.

The rear brake remains positioned behind the bottom bracket, a feature that made itself known on a the second test ride. As you'll see below.

With the bike also losing weight as well as drag - the frameset is 18% lighter at 1711g, its competence on inclines should facilitate its use across a range of parcours, save perhaps the high mountains.

But professional cyclists get into habits just like the rest of us so getting them to take an aero bike up a hill might be beyond Merida's powers of persuasion.

Image 8 of 23

Image 8 of 23

That's how Merida Reacto Team-E looks, how does it ride? 

At the time of writing I've completed two rides on the bikes, totalling just over 125km.

Rather than sit around rewriting Merida's press release or spending a full afternoon taking photos of the Merida Reacto Team-E and all 11 of its cousins, I opted to actually try the bike and see how it fared.

In short, I was impressed... although not, if this is possible without it being a contradiction, altogether satisfied.

I'll start with the positives. The frame is superb, and responds to a change in speed or direction with ease.

When clipping along in a group at speed the new Merida Reacto Team-E cuts through the air and only serves to highlight deficiencies in my own riding position.

The handling into tight corners, on the flat and on descents, brings confidence and I was soon happy to throw the bike through bends to maintain speed.

Despite being an aero bike it also climbs well – admittedly so far only on some short, sharp inclines found in the rural areas south of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands – carrying momentum up and down slopes as well as it does on the flat.

Comfort and speed

Despite the aggressive nature of the bike – something that sees you pushing harder and harder on the pedals just trying to keep up with how fast it makes you feel like you should be riding – there is no compromise on comfort.

Further, Merida says the bike is actually more comfortable than the previous version and that's thanks to a couple of key factors.

The slimmer seat post now comes with a long 'S-Flex' below the saddle which takes away any road buzz that would other reach your chamois.

All this brings a 24% improvement in lateral comfort, or at least so says Merida, but comfort can be one of the most subjective things when it comes to reviewing a bike.

All I can say is I was very comfortable the entire time I was sat atop Merida Reacto Team-E  and would happily take on longer more testing routes on it.

Not quite perfect

As mentioned, despite being impressed I wasn't completely satisfied.

My initial complaint was related to the handlebar, an integrated one piece that every self-respecting aero bike should come with.

There's a definite flex to the edges of the bars when any great pressure is applied and this can be fairly disconcerting and a hindrance to handling.

Thankfully, the test models on offer are carrying the older cockpit so it'll be interesting to see if the newer version is improved in these areas.

Image 11 of 23

Image 11 of 23

The next complaint is the rear brake. This isn't the first bike I've tested with a bike behind the bottom bracket and it's not the first I've complained about.

Regardless of the aero gains thanks to the brake's absence from its usual position above the rear wheel, if the brake catches the rim every pedal stroke then a higher level of power than that saved will be the penalty.

Running the brakes a bit looser than usual would go some way to negate this, but that's a post-production solution to a problem that shouldn't really be getting through.

What's more, the second test ride was conducted in rain that would have worried Noah and some grit and debris further closed the gap between brake block and rim, compounding the problem.

A pretty easy fix, either at the time of production or with a loosened rear brake, so not a huge factor when considering the bike as a whole but certainly something noticeable and worth mentioning.

Merida Reacto Team-E disc brake bike

Image 22 of 23

Image 22 of 23

Much of the ride time at the launch event was spent on the standard rim brake build of the Merida Reacto Team-E, but the brand is also offering an eye catching disc brake build that carries the long delayed Shimano Dura-Ace hydraulic disc brake groupset.

This bike will have its day in the WorldTour peloton if or when the debate is settled as to whether disc brakes will be given a universal roll-out at the top tier of cycling.

There is also the bike which sits second in the hierarchy, the Merida Reacto 9000-E, which comes with a SRAM Red eTap hydraulic disc brake groupset.

It's a secondary option that barely drops below the level of the build above it, and in its matt black finish rather than pro rider bling it arguably looks better too.

Image 18 of 23

Image 18 of 23

Not emperor, merely first citizen

The Merida Reacto Team-E rim brake bike is the top of the pile in a range of 12 new bikes, sharing the head of affairs with the Merida Reacto Team-E disc brake version.

Of the 12 bikes, five are available as a disc brake version of a standard rim brake build while two of the models are not twinned with a disc incarnation.

Canyon has produced a special edition Kraftwerk-inspired Canyon Ultimate CF SLX bike to mark the Tour de France starting from the band’s home city of Dusseldorf this weekend.

The pioneering synth music legends have a unique connection to pro cycling thanks to their 1983 hit Tour de France, and with the 2017 Tour starting in Germany this year, Canyon decided to honour the occasion with a limited run of 21 bikes sporting a hand-finished paint scheme based on band frontman Ralf Hütter's own design.

The Ultimate CF SLX Kraftwerk will be ridden in Saturday's opening time-trial by German world TT champion Tony Martin, who rides for the Canyon-sponsored Katusha-Alpecin team and is among the favourites to win the stage and claim the Tour's first yellow jersey.

First issued in June 1983, German band Kraftwerk’s clanking electronic homage to the Tour de France is as weird as it is brilliant. For the band the record was the result of more than a passing interest in bike racing.

Man-machines

Obsessed with the idea of blurring the delineation between human and robot, when the musicians found themselves flagging from extended time touring, Hütter decided that cycling was the most appropriate form of exercise for his band of man-machines.  

Featuring the sound of shifting gear mechanisms, freewheeling ratchets, and the heavy breathing of the rider, Kraftwerk’s resulting Tour-inspired soundtrack was a statement of the band’s belief that cycling provided perhaps the perfect union of human and machine.

Like many Germans, and electronic music fans of a certain age around the world, Kraftwerk occupy a special place in the heart of Canyon founder and CEO, Roman Arnold.

‘My memories of partying in friends’ basements as a teenager are dominated by hearing Kraftwerk’s groundbreaking sounds. Kraftwerk and cycling have a special and unique connection, their music, and all that they do, has inspired our work at Canyon in so many ways across the years,’ Arnold said.

Only 21 of the distinctively designed bikes will be produced, featuring a high-end Sram wireless eTap groupset, along with Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels, plus of course the eye-catching paint job.

Canyon says it's one of the most complex designs it's ever applied, and ‘each reflective strip is cut-to-measure and then hand-laid with care and precision, a process that takes over seven hours per frameset’.

Kraftwerk’s famous Kling Klang Studios are located in Düsseldorf, and with both Hütter and fellow band member Fritz Hilpert of the band still avid cyclists, they’ll be roadside to see man-machine Tony Martin compete.

The band will also be playing a concert in town that evening. And who knows – maybe Tony Martin will join them on stage, dressed in a fetching shade of yellow.

When Trek launched the Emonda in 2014, just a few days before the Tour de France kicked off in Yorkshire, its range topping Trek Emonda SLR upped the ante in the weight race for production road bikes. Its 690g frame meant Trek achieved a fuselage weight (frame and forks) under 1kg and boasted the lightest production bike at that time.

Three years on, Trek has gone all out to see if it could better its own benchmark and as you might expect, there’s now a disc brake option too.

Let’s cut straight to it… At 660g the latest Trek Emonda SLR disc frame is unfathomably light, lighter even than the previous calliper brake frame.

It was only a few years ago that getting to such a feathery low weight would have meant a trip to Cervelo’s California project (and around an £8000 dent in your wallet for the privilege).

The calliper brake Trek Emonda SLR cuts the disc frame figure a further 20g to 640g, breaking the 650g mark for the first time in a production setting (The eagle eyed amongst you may have already spotted one of these being used by Alberto Contador).

That’s also very impressive, but the fact a disc brake frame no longer seems to carry significant weight penalty, and could easily achieve a complete build well below the UCI’s 6.8kg limit, will likely be the bigger talking point.

For reference these weights are quoted as being for a 56cm frame, painted with U5 vapour coat (Trek’s minimalist 5g paint finish).

‘The new Emonda is not just a simple case of making the lightest lighter,’ says Trek’s Director of Road, Ben Coates, keen to stress there’s more to this story than just shaving off a chunk of grams.

‘These bikes still had to be Treks - which means they still have to ride incredibly well and still have a lifetime warranty etc.

'We knew that we had to satisfy the disc brake market. Not for the pros, that’s still probably the most controversial topic in pro road racing right now, but for our customers who appreciate having super lightweight with race geometry and ride quality to match, we felt we needed to offer them the choice.’

Trek’s claim then is not only is the new Emonda SLR lighter, it’s stiffer and more compliant, this improving the ride quality at a lower weight.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard that old record spun, but Coates goes on to explain how the OCLV 700 carbon of today is far from the same as OCLV 700 of a few years ago.

‘We constantly evolve it, finding new fibres and ways to improve the laminate schedule and the carbon fibre pieces are always getting smaller and more precise – optimised for the jobs they have to do.

'For this new bike we changed absolutely everything and made improvements across the board. It was a ground-up new start.’

This process begins with tens of thousands of iterations running through computer modelling software.

That’s nothing particularly ground-breaking in itself, it’s how most manufacturers make their decisions these days, but the point of difference at Trek, according to Coates, is the number of times it goes back through this cycle in combination with real world prototype testing.

‘The math tells you only so much. But we can take this to the next step to 3D model what it would look like out on the road.

'But even then we still have to take what appear to be the best options for real-world testing. Then we go back to the science and the numbers with the ones that tested the best to try and see how we can improve on it further.

'That’s our cycle.’

The frame will still appeal to those who like traditional road styling, as Trek has kept the style changes subtle compared to the previous Emonda, with both H1 and H2 fit options (H1 has a racier fit with a lower front end – H2 is taller at the front for a slightly more relaxed position) available in both rim and disc options.

The Trek Emonda SLR features Bontrager’s new, sub 100g Speedstop Pro direct mount brakes, and is entirely carbon frame, including details like the derailleur mounts.

The SLR Disc uses co-moulded aluminium drop outs (accounting for the additional frame weight) for the threaded portion required for the thru-axles.

Putting the SLR aside for a moment, one of the most exciting things about this new launch is at the opposite end of the pricing spectrum.

Realising that the market for top of the line SLRs is limited to those with fairly deep pockets, Trek has also brought out new models lower down the range.

The standout bike seems to be the Emonda SL (essentially the same frame as the current Emonda SLR, but using a slightly cheaper updated laminate) retaining a lot of the features of the top end bikes – direct mount brakes, internal cabling, ride tuned seat mast etc. with a claimed frame weight of 1000g.

Pricing with a full Shimano 105 groupset is impressive at $1700 (£1300). Again there’s a disc option at this level too.

Trek Emonda SL: Pricing

Trek Emonda SLR: Top of the range

Trek Emonda SLR from £4000 for the SLR 6
Trek Emonda SLR Disc from £4400

Trek Emonda SLR 9 (top of the range) - £8500
Trek Emonda SLR 8 Disc - £6000

Trek Emonda SL: Entry level

SL prices start at £1500 (SL 4 rim brake), and the cheapest disc model is the SL 6 Disc at £2650

Trek Emonda SLR 2015 review

The lightest weight production bike ever made also happens to be one of the best. The Emonda SLR has shot straight into our top three

Trek already has two race-winning road bikes in its line-up – the aero-tuned Madone and the cobble-slaying Domane – so when the Wisconsin-based company announced it was launching a completely new road platform, it was hard to fathom where it might go next. In the end when they produced the Emonda SLR, they took on one of the oldest and fiercest battles in bike building – simply to be the lightest.

Frame

The goal for the engineers was straightforward – elevate Trek to the top of the weight race with the lightest production road bike in the world (and then create another bike name using the same six letters as the Madone and Domane).

It’s important to make a distinction here between lightest ‘frame’ and lightest ‘production bike’. The Emonda frame has a claimed weight of 690g for a painted 56cm, so can’t lay claim to being the skimpiest out there (although it’s not far off). However, what Trek has done is taken a holistic approach to the entire build, to arrive at a staggering 4.6kg (10.2lb) complete bike weight for its range-topping SLR 10 model, enough to crown it as the lightest production model on the planet.

You could argue that’s a slightly hollow victory, because at this price point – the SLR 10 costs £11,000 – who goes for ‘production’ anyway? And as soon as you start thinking outside the box for spec choices, the weight can soon come off practically any production bike. But, as they say, a win’s a win. What’s crucial, however, is that Trek has done more than just make one superlight flagship. It has created an entire range, using the same exhaustive approach to each model to achieve ‘best in class’ weight and specification at every level.

Our test bike is a custom spec, based around the top SLR 700 series OCLV frameset, and includes a Dura-Ace 9000 mechanical groupset (with direct mount brakes front and rear), Bontrager Aelous 3 D3 wheelset and the all-new Bontrager XXX integrated bar stem, showcasing all of the new technologies Trek has on offer. You can buy the very same bike through Trek’s Project One programme – complete with highly attractive (in our opinion anyway) powder blue paint colour, and it would set you back £7,080. That puts it squarely between two off-the-shelf models – the Shimano Dura-Ace 9070 Di2 equipped SLR 9 at £7,899 and the Dura-Ace 9000 specced SLR 8 at £5,800.

Weight

It graced our scales at 6.2kg, more than half a kilo under the allowable weight limit for pro bikes. ‘All you have to do is pick it up to understand what [the Emonda concept] is about,’ says Trek’s road product manager Ben Coates. ‘For the consumer, weight is very quantifiable, both when you lift it and when you ride it. Everyone wants lightweight. The person who spends £1,500 wants lightweight, just like the guy that spends £15,000. The benefits are there across the board. It is a quantifiable benefit that every [level of] rider will appreciate.’ Crucially though, Coates adds, ‘Superlight only plays when it rides super great.’ Which sounds like our cue to take the Emonda for a spin.

Power to weight

I have to agree with Coates. A lighter bike (assuming it has good build quality) adds a tangible and instantly gratifying element to the ride experience. Sure, it’s a plus if your bike handles smoothly, and some aerodynamic profiling is always a bonus as well, but I believe there’s more currency in something that accelerates effortlessly and makes you feel like a superstar uphill. Let’s face it, hills are where most of us gauge our performances, and climbing prowess is for the most part about power versus weight. And Coates is right about the shop floor point too. Picking a bike up is the first thing (OK, maybe the second thing – after squeezing the brakes repeatedly) that customers do.

Shedding weight from a frame is always a case of striking a balance, trimming grams where it won’t affect the ride quality and optimising lay-ups so that every single strand of carbon serves a purpose. Trek appears to have got the mix spot on with the Emonda. It didn’t take long to impress me. On my very first ride – which happened to be a large chunk of stage one of the 2014 Tour De France – I felt immediately at one with the Emonda. I’d describe the feeling as riding 

‘in’ the bike rather than ‘on’ it, something that for a micro-adjuster like myself usually takes a fair amount
of time and fettling to get right.

The ride

The rolling Yorkshire landscape, and the Buttertubs Pass in particular, were early opportunities for the Emonda to show what it was capable of. It seemed to gain, and hold on to, speed with ease on the undulating lanes, in or out of the saddle, but pointing it up the bigger climbs was where it really showed its true colours. It’s a beautiful sensation when a bike feels like it’s genuinely making a climb easier for you. The Emonda showed no signs of being flappable under even my most aggressive hill efforts, and with such low weight it was like having a few extra watts on tap. I wondered, a few days later, as I watched Jens Voigt on TV powering over the Buttertubs on his Emonda at the head of the Tour de France, whether he too was thankful for its benefits.

I’ve since travelled to Italy, and all over my regular Dorset stomping grounds with the Émonda, and not once have I come back disappointed. It’s a dream to ride uphill, and it carries on delivering over the top and down the other side. I haven’t, in over two months of testing, found a chink in the Émonda’s armour. The Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3 wheels are a superb complement to the bike – light and stiff enough to accelerate quickly when you lay down the power. The only glitch is the supplied cork brake pads’ performance in the wet, which left me white-knuckle braking in the Dolomites in a heavy downpour. But that’s an easy and inexpensive fix.

There is a lot more to a great bike than just being light, but when the rest of the aspects are as good as on the Emonda, then it’s always going to be hard to dismiss weight as a deciding factor in a bike’s performance. I’ll genuinely miss it once this review is published and the bike is returned, and I’m already pondering how to reconfigure my all-time top three, to give it a well-deserving place.

For

The best climbers bike we've ever ridden

Against

Poor brake pads

Geometry

Spec

Any discussion of women’s specific bikes has the potential to descend into an ugly, Brexit-style spat. On one side are the believers, who endorse the idea that bikes should be modified to fit the anatomy of the female form. Equally vociferous are the deniers, who will argue that bike geometry should not, ever, discriminate by gender.

The women’s-specific movement gained traction in the late 90s when brands, including Specialized, began using anthropometric data to inform their product development.

The data suggested that women were shorter than men, with longer legs, shorter torsos and shorter arms.

To accommodate these attributes, it was concluded that women needed bike frames with a shorter reach and taller stack (front end).

And so, in 2002, Specialized launched the Allez Dolce and Allez Vita – their first women’s specific bikes.

The Amira, unveiled in 2009 alongside the all-new Tarmac, sat at the top of Specialized’s women’s specific tree. It was a fast, stiff, crit-loving race bike for women, and it had proven pedigree – most notably as Lizzie Deignan’s World Championship-winning bike.

It was the women’s equivalent to (but not version of) the ever-popular men’s Tarmac, but now the Amira is no more.

In its place is the Women’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6, a unisex frame with women’s specific touchpoints, featuring a shared geometry, designed for cyclists not genders.

A new approach

When Specialized acquired Retül in 2012 it gained access to over 40,000 data points taken from the bike fits of men and women.

Analysis of this data threw up some surprising results, which encouraged Specialized to hotfoot it back to the drawing board.

‘When we compared men and women of the same height we realised that some differences were, in fact, not statistically significant.

For example, the average women’s leg length and the average men’s leg length were not as different as we previously thought,’ says Stephanie Kaplan, women’s road product manager.

What’s more, Retül’s data showed that the men and women riding the Tarmac and the Amira were, in fact, setting up their bikes in a similar fashion.

For these women riders – ones who raced or rode aggressively – the notion of needing a shorter reach and taller stack simply wasn’t true.

Kaplan adds, ‘We also realised that the geometry of the Amira had gravitated towards that of the Tarmac and that the differences were no longer sufficient to necessitate two different ranges.’

But that’s not to say that women are now just riding the old Tarmac. Both bikes have changed.

‘The new Tarmac is an all-new performance geometry for people,’ says Chris Yu, director of integrated technologies.

Compared to the Amira, the changes in geometry are significant, especially on the smaller frames.

The new Tarmac SL6 is longer in the top tube (562mm compared to 547mm in size 56cm) and has a taller stand-over height (795mm compared to 777mm).

The shorter wheelbase has got even shorter (985mm from 994mm) but the seat angle stays the same at 73.5°, all of which results in a snappy ride.

The new Tarmac

The Amira was a thing of beauty – a rare example of a true racing bike designed for women. But eight years is a long time and it was almost certainly time for a change.

Initially, in the UK the new Women’s Tarmac range will feature only the Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6 and the Women's Tarmac Expert, although the range will expand in the future.

Five sizes are available from 44cm to 56cm, with crank lengths ranging from 165cm to 172.5cm.

Advances in carbon technology and the science of aerodynamics mean that the new Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6 is undoubtedly a stiffer and lighter bike than the Amira.

The new Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6 weighs 733g for a 56cm frame and the total bike weighs around 6.48kg. By comparison, a 56cm Amira S-Works SL4 weighed in at around 6.7kg.

There are some radical, performance-driven differences too. Gone are the flared, cobra-shaped top tube, the bulbous head tube and the chunky down tube.

The new frame features a smaller, more refined main triangle, and has introduced some aero attributes from its wind-slicing brother, the Venge.

These include bladed seatstays that join the seat tube some way below the seat clamp, and a ‘D-shaped’ seatpost.

The seatpost itself features two different carbon layups, making it more flexible nearer the top for comfort, and stiffer at the point where it enters the frame.

For the spec, the S-Works Tarmac SL6 comes with Dura-Ace Di2, paired with a Specialized S-Works crank.

The Roval CLX 50 wheelset is light at 1,400g and aero with its 50mm carbon rims. To find a set of wheels that retail at £1,870 specced as standard is fairly remarkable, even for a bike that costs £9,000.

There’s clearance for up to a 33mm tyre, although the bike comes specced with 26mm Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres.

The women’s specific components include the Oura Pro 155 saddle and S-Works SL Carbon Shallow Drop, well suited to smaller hands.

The Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6 is a revolution in bike design for women, and men. It’s a simple idea – bikes should work regardless of gender – but Specialized’s execution is excellent.

Hearts may be broken at the news that the Amira is gone but there’s something to love in its place.

Specification

Frame S-Works Tarmac SL6, FACT 12r carbon, Rider-First Engineered™, OSBB, full internal, electronic-specific routing, internally integrated seat clamp, 130mm rear spacing
Fork S-Works FACT carbon
Stem S-Works SL, alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree rise
Handlebars S-Works SL Carbon Shallow Drop, 125x75mm
Tape S-Wrap w/ Sticky gel
Front brake Shimano Dura-Ace 9110F direct mount
Rear brake Shimano Dura-Ace 9110RS direct mount
Front derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150, braze-on
Rear derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150, 11-speed
Shift levers Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150
Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace 9100, 11-speed, 11-30t
Chain Shimano Dura-Ace,11-speed
Crankset S-Works carbon fiber
Chainrings 52/36T
Bottom bracket OSBB, CeramicSpeed bearings
Front wheel Roval CLX 50, Win Tunnel Engineered, carbon rim, 50mm depth, Roval AF1 Hub, CeramicSpeed bearings,16h
Rear wheel Roval CLX 50, Win Tunnel Engineered, carbon rim, 50mm depth, Roval AF1 Hub, CeramicSpeed bearings, 21h
Front tyre Turbo Cotton, 700x26mm, 320 TPI
Rear tyre Turbo Cotton, 700x26mm, 320 TPI
Seatpost S-Works FACT Carbon Tarmac seatpost, 20mm offset
Saddle Oura Pro 155

By a measure of total individual wins, the Specialized Tarmac is the most successful of all the bikes atop the world sporting stage. With the brand new SL6, Specialized claim the triple crown of slicing weight, increasing stiffness and dramatically reducing aerodynamic drag.

Through its various iterations the Tarmac has won numerous World Championships, the Olympic Road Race and all three Grand Tours.

Its previous SL5 edition alone claimed over 200 victories at World Tour level since its release in 2014, being the choice of dozens of Specialized’s top sponsored riders. This redesign, then, grabbles with heavy expectation.

Aerodynamics

While on the surface the Tarmac may look similar, with a near identical geometry for a 56cm frame. It has avoided the highly integrated componentry of Specialized’s Venge VIAS or the comfort focussed FutureShock technology of the Roubaix. Getting up close to the bike, some serious changes were evident.

Aerodynamics is probably the most drastic switch. Having not been targeted before in the Tarmac class, Specialized claim that the new S-Works is equal with the previous generation of Specialized Venge in terms of aero gains.

‘Our tests show that the new Tarmac saves 45 seconds over 40km compared to the current generation of Trek Emonda or Cannondale SuperSix,’ says Chris Yu, Specialized’s Director of Integrated Technologies.

Tube shapes

Most of those gains have come from a redesign of the fork, the seattube and the seaststays. The most visible change is the dropping of the seatstays, which coupled with a direct mount braking setup has neatened up the rear end.

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Image 12 of 15

The revisions of the tube profiles are where the biggest gains have been made.

Where the Tarmac has historically used a standard 27.2mm seatpost, Specialized has now equipped the SL6 with an aerodynamically designed seatpost and seattube with a D-shaped cross section. Specialized claims the new rear end tube shapes increase the overall compliance of the rear end.

A surprising modification is that overall all the tubes are now smaller in diameter than with the previous frame. Specialized claim the tubes to be stiffer and more efficient, arguing that the ‘days of “oversized is stiff” are gone’. The benefit, then, is threefold – reducing weight while increasing stiffness and compliance.

Part of this all around improvement is owing to an increase in the number of overall carbon plies being used – going from 350 pieces in the SL5 edition to 500 pieces in this edition.

Other small touches shouldn’t go unnoticed, such as an increase in the stiffness of the derailleur hanger. While often overlooked the performance of the hanger will significantly influence the performance of the shifting by aligning the mech in the right position.

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Image 6 of 15

Versatility and handling

Specialized have stressed that versatility is the most prominent demand of the new Tarmac SL6 targeting the varied demands of the modern Grand Tour stages. 

‘The dynamics of raicng have changed over the years, so a professional racer's needs have changed,’ explains Yu. ‘Every 10 km the decision on which of our previous bikes as most suitable would switch. So that’s why we have taken the decision to make a bike that is appropriate across all different types of stages.’

Handling is of course a prominent element of this, and Specialized claim a considerable gain over what was already considered a benchmark with the SL5. Sponsored rider Peter Sagan described the difference as palpable, ‘It felt like a different bicycle, because it is much stiffer, much better handling… the reaction of bicycle is much better.’ 

Specialized argues that the smoothness of the ride afforded by these new tube shapes and layup contribute to this improved handling, as well as the newly designed fork.

Sizing specific

The fork has also been adapted to suit separate sizing, with three options of fork length: V1 for sizes 44cm, 49cm and 52cm, V2 for 54cm and 56cm and V3 for sizes 58 and 61cm. The forks become wider and deeper as they match larger frames to compliment the different handling of those larger geometry frames.

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Image 14 of 15

With the acquisition of the Retul fitting program, Specialized has undertaken what it calls a 'Rider First Engineered' approach. Capitalising on fit data to hone geometry across the sizing. As is common in the last few years, Specialized claim that stack and reach ratios graduates in proportion as the sizing scales up from the smallest to largest frames.

The Tarmac has been designed with as a unisex platform, with women’s geometry and broader specification needs considered as much as men’s. Consequently the Amira has been scrapped in this year’s range. Impressively, the Women’s Tarmac begins at a size 44cm, though.

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Image 3 of 15

Of course one of the most significant updates is compatibility with wider tyres. Surprisingly the S-Works Tarmac will be specced with a 26mm Turbo Cotton tyre – measuring 29mm in profile when coupled with the equipped Roval wheels. The bike is capable of fitting up to 31mm tyres – opening up mild off-road terrains.

Typically, the S-Works edition has been coupled with Roval CLX 50 wheels along and Specialized saddle, stem and bars. The stem, interestingly, is an alloy composition. Specialized argue this presents a lighter and stiffer option than carbon. 

That overall package comes in impressively light, with the S-Works Ultralight UL limited edition frame coming in at 5.9kgs using lighter eecycleworks brakes and a shallower section Roval wheelset.

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Image 4 of 15

Price starts off at £3,500 with the Specialized Tarmac Expert. Below that the previoys generation SL5 will still be available throughout 2017 in a more affordable spec.

The previous generation SL5 frame offered diverse paint schemes and Specialized has unveiled a variety of special edition paint schemes.

The S-Works UL edition Tarmac is priced at £9,500 and the standard S-Works Tarmac at £9,000, with availability expected for July. See our next page for a full first ride review of the S-Works Tarmac.

First Ride Review: S-Works Tarmac SL6

The S-Works Tarmac has all the DNA of its predecessor but with a little extra punch and a little more smoothness

The previous S-Works Tarmac impressed several of the Cyclist team, being distinct in its all-round appeal and specifically its handling ability. On first impressions, this new edition has retained that appeal but honed a little of the top end performance, albeit with some concessions.

We rode the S-Works Tarmac in the hills of New Jersey, taking in middling climbs and some varied gravel-like terrain. I was impressed first and foremost by the specifiction of wider tyres, which carried none of the sluggishness or weight that can be a penalty of going wider.

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Image 2 of 15

The 26mm Turbo Cotton tyres rolled well but capably absorbed the imperfections of the road. So too did it offer ample stability and control on a gravel track that I would not normally take on with an endurance racer of this calibre. This would be a tempting option for a classic cobbled sportive.

The Turbo Cotton tyres also add something substantial to aesthetic, sitting right on trend with the peloton’s proclivity for cotton wall tyres. Broadly, though, I found the dropped seat stays a little less fetching than the Tarmac SL5’s lines, but was open to becoming accustomed to them.

Spending three rides with the bike, it was the overall speed that was most discernible from the previous iteration.

Holding Speed

While aerodynamic gains are extremely difficult to accurately measure on the bike, there is undoubtedly a palpable increase in speed with the SL6 over the SL5 generation Tarmac.

Specifically, it holds speed in a way that I was well accustomed to with the original Specialized Venge. Up above 40kmh on a flat road, the Tarmac just sits comfortably without too much input of power to maintain that speed. 

The SL5, by contrast, was spritely when changing speed but didn’t quite rumble along with the same sense of purpose on the flat.

Handling

In truth, despite Specialized’s claims I would be hard pressed to say the Tarmac SL6 handles better than the SL5. That’s largely owing to the quality of the SL5 when it came to sharp descending. It was a benchmark that I measured other frames by.

However, there’s no doubt that the S-Works Tarmac handles every bit as well as its predecessor, and I topped 80kmh on one of my initial test rides on a relatively technical descent. If I were pushing corners at the level of Sagan, I may have seen a gain with this frame over the previous Tarmac, but I suspect it exceeds my ability.

Comfort

Increased comfort is a big selling point with the new Tarmac, and there’s no doubting this is a comfortable endurance racer that will be well equipped for a long day in the saddle.

Some of that, however, has to be credited to the wider tyre spec. As any rubber enthusiast will know, 2mm on the tyres potentially changes more than the best carbon engineering. 

The rear end with its new aero seatpost is certainly more robust than the Tarmac’s front end, and it’s easier to perceive pangs from the road on the saddle than on the bars. That’s a big bonus for handling, where the front end is rarely unsettled.

All-rounder

The Tarmac will most likely suit even the highest of demands of a specialist rider in any road discipline – whether it’s flat-section Strava junkies, sprinters or climbing aficionados. With its 733g frame weight, this is an airy ascender.

The rigidity of the frame is the other ingredient to capable climbing, and also pays dividends when it comes to high-end power transfer. I leapt on the pedals at 1,000 watts and felt no discernible flex.

With an endurance specialist like the Tarmac, there’s no doubt that a long time may be necessary to decide whether it’s an ideal long-term partner. Look out for an in-depth review in the coming months.

Neutral service bikes are the last resort for riders stranded with serious mechanical problems and out of range of their team car. Providing service to any competitor, irrespective of what team they’re on, the bikes are supplied by the race organisers and sponsored by French brand Mavic.

However, as anyone who remembers watching Chris Froome run up Mont Ventoux during the 2016 Tour de France will know, fitting one to the specific rider in need is not always straightforward.

With at least three types of pedal in use among the peloton and riders varying in height from diminutive climbers like Nairo Quntana (5ft 5in) to rangey breakaway specialist like Taylor Phinney (6ft 5in), accommodating all of them is a difficult task.

The sight of the yellow jersey running up a mountain having failed to get rolling on one of the neutral service bikes probably helped motivate the recent overhaul.

Chief among the changes to the neutral service system is a doubling of the number of bikes carried by the cars, from three to six.

Under their custom yellow paint the bikes are standard Canyon Ultimate CF SL models. Three of these will also now be fitted with custom made dropper posts to quickly and efficiently match the bike to its rider.

'These custom posts are one-offs based on the KS LEV Integra 27.2 platform, and have 65mm of travel. They weigh 453 grams,' explained a Mavic spokesperson.

'On the roof of each car we will have three bikes with the dropper posts and we will have the three most popular pedal choices on the bikes.

'The objective is to get the rider on the bike as quickly as possible and then pull the car alongside to help with the saddle adjustment if needed.'

With a lever under the saddle allowing it to move up or down this should only take seconds.

The remaining bikes without dropper posts will be set up to the exact specifications of the three top riders at the start of that day’s stage, allowing them to hop straight on without the need for any adjustment.

This means there should be no repeat of the Ventoux incident.

With each car also carrying a range of spare wheels, the next big challenge for the neutral service mechanics is likely to be the introduction of disc brakes further complicating their job.

However, for now a mechanical is less likely to affect the podium positions than it was in the past.

Frenchman Lilian Calmejane of Team Direct Energie took a fantastic victory atop the Station des Rousses, attacking from the main 8-man break of Stage 8 of the Tour de France.

Calmejane, who has previously won stage 4 of last year's Vuelta de Espana, attacked in the middle of the day's major climb, the Montee de la Comble de Laisia Les Molunes, and finished despite a last-minute cramp that looked set to gift a victory to Robert Gesink of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, who put up an admirable pursuit.

The day was populated by several failed breakaway attempts, and Calmejane attacked from the final most successful 8-man group. He attacked the main peloton atop the second climb of the day, bridging to the breakaway on the descent toward the final climb.

On the ascent, it was Warren Barguil who made the first attack and was tipped for the win. Calmejane and Gesink stuck in pursuit, and eventually toppled Barguil before Calmejane attacked alone from 18km to go, and rode alone to a solo victory.

The main pack came into the finish together, meaning there was no serious shake-up in the general classification.

How Stage 8 unfolded

A very warm day in Dole made for a interesting start to Stage 8, as Marco Marcato of UAE Team Emirates managed to break clear of the pack a few kilometres beyond the neutralization zone.

The move was joined by several others, including Edvard Boasson Hagen of Team Dimension Data, infamously losing out on yesterday’s win by 6mm, but the group was reeled in after 10km.

A second attack, featuring Greg van Avermaet (Team BMC), Sylvain Chavanel (Team Direct Energie) and Alexey Lutsenko of Astana managed to break clear with 170km to go. Chavanel has previously won a stage on the Station de Rousses on the 2010 Tour.

The second attack managed a 28 seconds gap before being reeled in by the pack after 15km. A further break featuring Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hanshrohe), Mathias Frank (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Cyril Lemoine (Cofidis) and Jasha Sutterlin (Movistar) proved to be the most decisive of the early kilometres.

A pursuing pack of nearly 50 riders took pursuit of the four leaders, resulting in a 3 minute 20 gap over the main peloton, headed up by Team Sky. A 13-man group attacked from the 50-strong pack at aorund 100km to go. At a similar time, Bernie Eisel suffered a crash but managed to get himself back on the bike.

Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) and Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb) joined the leaders, bridged over to the 13-man group, which headed over the first climb of the day, the Category 3 Col de la Joux, ahead of the main group and pursuing pack with 90km remaining.

At 87km to go, an unfortunate development was Arnaud Demare of Team FDJ fighting off the broom wagon, nearly 17 minutes down on the leading group.

At the 60km to go mark, the leaidng breakway was down to 8. It included Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jan Bakelants (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Warren Barguil (Team Subweb), Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb), Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) and Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data). They headed over the 7.6km Cote de Viry in the lead.

Warren Barguil looked like a threat throughout, snapping up KOM points atop the Cote de Viry. A quick descent found the breakaway of 8 riders at the major climb of the day fairly quickly - Montee de la Comble de Laisia Les Molunes. WIth 11.7km at 6.4% it would be a challenge for the break to remain ahead, now having been joined by one further rider, Michael Valgran of Astana who bridged the gap between the two climbs.

Into the final climb, the break remained a pack of 8, but with a minor reshuffle – now dropping several riders but being joined by Lilian Calmejane, Nicolas Roche (Team BMC), Simon Clarke (Cannondale Drapac) and Robert Gesink.

Warren Barguil unsurprisingly made the first attack, and Robert Gesink managed to bridge over with Nicolas Roche to Barguil and Pauwels at the front of the race.

After a series of minor attacks from the front group, Frenchman Calmejane attacked with 18km to go, and it proved to be a sticker, as he hovered at 1miute 30 seconds ahead of the Yellow Jersey group all the way to the summit.

Gesink remained in close and admirable pursuit, only 10 seconds off Calmejane, as Barguil popped on the ascent and was pulled to the main pack.

Cramping up

At the summit of the Montee de la Comble de Laisia Les Molunes, things were looking good fro Calmejane as he had a 28-second lead over Gesink.

Drama erupted when a completely unpredicted cramp hit Calmejane on the final lump of the day, the mild ascent to Station de Rousses.

It all looked very dangerous for the Frenchman, and potentially very good for Gesink, but his form seemingly flashed back and he managed to keep his lead into the final kilometres.

Tour de France 2017: Stage 8, Dole - Station des Rousses (187.5km), result

1. Lilian Calmejane (Fra) Direct Energie, in 4:30:29
2. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNl-Jumbo, at 0:37
3. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Wanty–Groupe Gobert, at 0:50
4. Nicolas Roche (Irl) BMC Racing, at same time
5. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Orica-Scott, st
6. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, st
7. Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Astana, st
8. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, st
9. Nathan Brown (USA) Cannondale-Drapac, st
10. Romain Hardy (Fra) Team Fortuneo–Oscaro, st

Tour de France 2017: General classification top 10 after Stage 8

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, in 33:19:10
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky at 0:12
3. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 0:14
4. Dan Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors at 0:25
5. Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing at 0:39
6. Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott at 0:43
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 0:47
8. Alberto Contador (Spa) Trek-Segafredo at 0:52
9. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 0:54
10. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe at 1:01

Cannondale’s all new Synapse has finally landed, and while it might look very similar to the old, there are some subtle yet highly effective changes, plus an all-new bar-stem setup that’s meant to aid comfort while being more aerodynamic.

‘The Synapse dates back to 2002, but it was called the Road Warrior,’ says Cannondale’s David Devine, in reference to the aluminium version created to have room for 25mm tyres and more relaxed geometry.

That bike moved into a Synapse-branded machine in 2006, and then got a carbon rethink in 2013, heralding a successful 2014 Classics season under Peter Sagan and a dominant place in the endurance road market.

Given that dominance, it’s little surprise this new Cannondale Synapse bears such a striking resemblance to the last generation. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But, do improve it, a lot.

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Image 6 of 23

So what’s new with the Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod 2018?

Actually, pretty much everything.

Most noticeable is the new cockpit, called the SAVE Systembar (Synapse Active Vibration Elimination). It’s comprised of an alloy stem bolted to a carbon bar in a fashion that makes the whole thing look one piece. Why not actual one piece? Simple, Cannondale wanted there to be pitch adjustment and easily interchangeable stem lengths for the bar, the lack thereof being a common complaint about one-piece bar-stems.

To achieve this the stem cups the centre of the bar, but doesn’t clamp all around it like a conventional setup. It’s held in place by four bolts on rocker-style washers, meaning the bar can be rotated forwards or backwards through 8 degrees of pitch to get the desired angle.

It’s terribly neat, works a treat and looks the part.

Crucially for an endurance bike, the Save bar’s tops are thin and flattened such that Cannondale says they have measured up to 15mm of deflection in the lab (although that figure, says Devine, is more like 4-6mm in the real world).

On top of the bar is a little rubber doofer that plugs a hole, into which a Garmin or Wahoo out-front mount can be inserted. Again, all very neat, and Cannondale even ships it with a Fabric out-front Lumaray light, which clips neatly under a bike computer.

As is becoming increasingly popular, Cannondale has put a cut-out on the top of the down tube a few inches behind the head tube to accommodate Shimano’s new Di2 charging port.

With SRAM Red eTap on the bike there’s a blank insert that covers the cut-out; with mechanical shifting there’s a plate that houses cable bosses.

In keeping with the clean lines approach, hydraulic disc hoses run inside the fork leg and through the down tube and chainstay and into flat-mount disc brake callipers.

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Image 10 of 23

Those disc brakes are now held in place with thru-axles, a departure from Cannondale’s previous quick release approach on the last generation. Curiously the rear is a Syntace 142x12mm and the front a Maxle 100x12mm – the rationale being this is the most popular combination when it comes to wheels available.

The fork is asymmetric, much like the recent BMC Teammachine Disc’s, meaning it’s significantly beefier on the rotor side to deal with the extra asymmetrically distributed torsional braking forces of disc brakes (the rear chainstays have been given this treatment too).

It’s also available in three sizes in order to preserve the handling characteristics, stiffness and prevent toe overlap across different frame sizes.

Size 44 and 48cm frames get a narrower 1 1/8” lower bearing and 60mm fork offset; 51 and 54cm 1 1/4” and 55mm offset; 56, 58 and 61cm a 1 3/8” and 45mm offset.

The idea is the larger bearings, steerer tubes and head tubes help keep the bigger sizes stiff in the head tube, as more gangly tubes are more prone to flex. As such, Cannondale reckons the new Synapse is 9.4% a stiffer in the head tube than before.

The fork sheds a claimed 116g, down to 367g, and the frame loses 220g over the previous Synapse, making for a claimed 950g frame and meaning a 6.8kg build is perfectly achievable.

Cannondale’s done this in the usual way, by changing the lay up schedule and tweaking the carbon/resin mix.

The swoops and curves of the stays have been exaggerated yet further for more compliance, and the ‘Power Pyramid’ a cut out in the bottom of the seat tube, is still evident on the higher spec bikes, lower spec get a flared but filled in seat tube, as the Pyramid is an expensive thing to mould, says Cannondale.

Frame geometry has also be subtly tweaked, with the head tube measuring 173mm in a size 56cm (the previous generation was 186mm). It’s also slightly steeper than before, making the Synapse’s upright position just that tad more aggressive.

Interestingly, Cannondale has made the front mech braze-on mount removable, so running a 1x drivetrain needn’t leave you with an unsightly protrusion where your mech used to be.

There are several off-the-shelf 1x bikes in the range, denoted with the suffix ‘SE’ and specced with voluminous 650b tyres. Speaking of which, the Synapse can now accommodate up to 32mm 700c tyres, and has hidden eyelets for mudguards.

Rounding things off is the Save seatpost, just 25.4mm in diameter and shaped to exploit the flexibility of carbon for a more comfortable ride without sacrificing lateral stiffness.

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Image 21 of 23

Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod 2018: First ride

I’ve ridden several iterations of the modern Synapse, both rim and disc, and while I very much like those bikes I’ve always preferring the feel and stance of their racier brother, the SuperSix Evo.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find myself in a far more aggressive position on the new Synapse thanks to a more aggressive take on endurance geometry, where a shorter, steeper head tube and a few other tweaks, such as a slightly shorter wheelbase, conspire to make for a lower slung, more nimble position.

There’s still a sense of the comfortable uprightness that made the early Synapses so popular, but with just a few millimetres here and half degree adjustment there the new bike has sharpened up immensely.

When the road tips up the frame and fork stiffness is palpable. Cannondale reckons the Synapse is second only to the BMC Roadmachine in terms of BB stiffness in the endurance category, and class leader in head tube stiffness and, given the way it stands up to big bar wrenching efforts, I found no reason to doubt this.

The low weight was undoubtedly helpful too up the climbs, but where the Synapse really comes into its own is on the descents. The rougher, the twistier the better.

With 28mm rubber fitted courtesy of Vittoria’s excellent Corsa G tyres and run at just over 80psi, the Synapse glided round bends like a oiled up Aladdin’s carpet, with all the adhesion of araldite.

In fact, that’s the word I found myself using time and again to describe the Synapse: sticky. It stuck to the road with exceptional grip, which really came into its own under heavy braking, where I was thankful for the bullhorn height of the Sram eTap hoods to brace my hands against as the bike would slow up rapidly while my body wanted to carry on moving forward.

You just can’t get the same performance with rim brakes or a bike without such levels of grip.

There is a caveat here though. The tyres are a massive part of this equation, as too the heat – I test rode the Synapse around the shores of Lake Como in Italy, where the tarmac was pretty much in a perpetual state of heat haze.

Different rubber in different climes and it might not be such a lyrically waxed story.

Yet, I’d still bet on the Synapse delivering the stability, assuredness and poise on descents in a variety of conditions, and that’s down to the frame.

There is a noticeable spring in its step, and this must certainly help with the Synapse to track surface undulations as opposed to skipping over them.

If there’s a downside it's that there was some latency with feedback as the frame muffled vibrations, but overall, my hands, forearms and posterior says that’s a good thing.

More longer term testing will follow, but for the time being first impressions are the new Synapse is a mightily impressive beast that is surely destined to rival the SuperSix Evo for Cannondale racing supremacy.

See cannondale.com and cyclingsportsgroup.co.uk for more

Photos: Gruber Images

Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod review

The leading disc version of the Cannondale Synapse promises to be all conquering, but can it really do everything well?

Stu Bowers

The notion of building a do-it-all bike has always seemed to me like chasing a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and that exactly what the Cannondale Synapse has always been. When you try to be all things to all men you run a high risk of setting yourself up to fail. Take low-fat cheese, for example. You’re messing with what is by definition a substance laden with fat and calories in an attempt to satisfy those who want to limit their fat intake – and in my experience the result is something wholly unsatisfying. Sometimes compromise is necessary if you want the full experience, and you’re better off playing to your strengths and accepting the trade-off in other areas. Some of the best, most exciting bikes I’ve ridden have been true to this principle, being excellent in particular areas of performance and, as a consequence, less so in others. Then I rode this Synapse and my views changed.

Back in the spring of last year, not long after Cannondale initially launched its new Synapse as a cobble-slaying weapon for Peter Sagan’s Classics campaign, I got to ride a SRAM Red-equipped version of the top-end Hi-Mod frame platform, with traditional mechanical calliper brakes, around Mount Etna. I was more than a little impressed with its capabilities as it dealt with every challenge thrown at it by the mountainous Sicilian roads. My lasting impression was that Cannondale Synapse had hit a rarely achieved sweet spot where compromises were the only things missing. So the prospect of putting the latest cream of the Synapse crop – the stealthy, Hi-Mod Black Inc Disc – to the test, with a dream spec, comprising Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 shifting and hydraulic disc brakes, excited me immensely. I took to the road with some high expectations.

Disc brakes

I think we’re past the point of arguing for and against disc brakes now and must accept they will soon be commonplace on road bikes. In time, they may even replace calliper brakes completely. Aesthetically, I’m still to be convinced because they remain too close to bastardised mountain bike systems and not sufficiently ‘road-like’ for my money, but when it comes to performance, I’m convinced, hands down. Cannondale has put more thought than many brands into its very neat internal cable routing of the hydraulic hoses – the entry point of the front-brake hose into the fork crown is particularly noteworthy. The Synapse also goes against the grain by using smaller, 140mm rotors where most bikes opt for more visually intrusive 160mm rotors on the grounds of improved heat dissipation.

The performance of the hydraulic Shimano R785 brakes on the Synapse is exceptional, with superb lever feel and progressive modulation that lets you sense precisely where you’re at in the braking power-curve so you can adjust your speed with total confidence. I certainly had no cause for concern using the smaller rotor size. The discs’ predictability in all conditions is clearly superior to rim brakes, a fact that was emphasised when switching between bikes – something I’m fortunate enough to do a lot working for Cyclist. With the British spring throwing practically every type of riding condition at the Synapse during this test, the performance differences were highlighted further, and disc-brake technology on road bikes is only likely to continue improving.

Equally topical as another ‘yet to be fully accepted’ trend are the voluminous 28mm Schwalbe One tyres that Cannondale has elected to fit on this Synapse. Just like the brakes, they instilled confidence by providing good road holding under braking and grip aplenty when leaning into corners. Any preconceptions I had about increased weight, drag and rolling resistance were soon quashed. The tyres helped to uphold the Synapse’s lively and agile persona when accelerating and seeking rapid direction changes, and didn’t rob it of any top-end pace. To make the most of any potential increase in comfort from the larger air volume it’s important to experiment with using lower tyre pressures. I weigh about 67kg and settled on around 85psi for the best balance of comfort, grip and speed. However, tyres are only a single part of the equation, and credit must also be given to the success of the system as a whole, including the excellent Vision Metron 40 wheelset, which complements and extends the feeling of stability delivered by the frame and fork.

The frame

A good deal of the assertiveness of the frame comes from the success of its standout design characteristic – the split seat tube – which stoutly sits atop the widened bottom bracket shell. Added to the mix is Cannondale’s own super stiff SiSL2 chainset and oversized BB30A bottom bracket standard, resulting in a pedalling platform that barely flinched under my strongest efforts. As an aside, the single-piece CNC’d aluminium chainrings and spider combined with the Di2 front mech made for the sweetest of front-gear shifts. Cannondale has been generous but not excessive with an 18.6cm head tube on the Synapse, such that slamming the stem will still achieve an aggressive riding position, but for the less flexible rider there’s plenty of room to manoeuvre. The Synapse won’t short-change you in any area, and I’d honestly feel equally happy head down in a tight and twisty crit race as climbing the longest Alpine passes. The bike certainly delivers on descents, too, and I could count on one hand the number of bikes I’ve previously said that about.

I’d be nitpicking in the extreme to find many faults in this bike. The frame does appear to have sacrificed a fraction of its compliance compared with its non-disc sibling, I can only assume as a result of the necessary strengthening to key areas of the chainstays and seatstays, as well as the fork. It’s most noticeable up front where there’s a bit more road shock coming through the bars. Keeping this in perspective, though, it’s still perfectly tolerable, and indeed the bike as a whole is still up there among the most comfortable I’ve ridden. While on the subject of comfort, the 25.4mm seatpost is a stroke of genius. It’s such a simple way to soften the blows the rider experiences at the rear, and it even visibly flexes under bigger impacts.

Rule #12 says the correct number of bikes to own is n+1 (where n = the number of bikes currently owned). The rule also suggests taking heed of its subsection: s-1 (where s = the number of bikes it would take for your partner to leave you). For my money, the Synapse Hi-Mod Disc Black Inc is the closest a bike has come to disproving the n+1 hypothesis and, in fact, may make it easier to stay in a happy relationship, too, providing you’re not already flying dangerously close to s.

Geometry

Spec

The Giant TCR Advanced 1 is an agile and efficient bike that would be at home equally in a sportive or a local road race.

The bike comes with a mechanical Shimano Ultegra groupset, which with its near-faultless shifting and only a marginal weight penalty on Shimano Dura-Ace is everything a fast sportiviste or ambitious amateur racer needs.

The standard build of the bike delivers a Giant PR 2 wheelset which will see you right but as the bike review cliche goes, the wheels could be the first thing you look to upgrade.

With Tom Dumoulin winning the 2017 Giro d'Italia on a Giant, the brand's bikes have top WorldTour merit and can climb and sprint with the best of their top-tier rivals.

The Giant TCR Advanced 1 and other bikes worth over £999 are avaiable with 0% finance over 24 months: see Giant for more details.

Click through to page two for our full review of the Giant TCR Advanced 1 review from 2016

Giant TCR Advanced 1 review

Giant TCR Advanced 1 is maximal tech for a minimal spend, and despite being speedy, is forgiving to less flexible riders

Review by: Joseph Delves

About the bike

Something of a classic, when Giant introduced the original TCR (Total Compact Road) in 1997, it genuinely revolutionised the way bike frames were made. Created by innovative British engineer Mike Burrows (who was also involved in designing Chris Boardman’s 1992 Olympic gold medal-winning Lotus 108), its radical sloping geometry has set the tone for bicycle design ever since. It also helped Giant become the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer. Constantly refined since then, it’s still the company’s flagship all-rounder. 

The Spec

Frameset In theory, a compact frame requires shorter tubes, which should result in a frame that’s both lighter and stiffer. We can’t prove that it’s the geometry that provides these qualities, but the Giant definitely ticks both those boxes. And with a greater length of seatpost sticking out of the low-slung frame, it should also dampen down more of the vibrations transmitted from the road. In practice, while the carbon seatmast might be light and great looking we couldn’t detect much in the way of flexibility. Giant has a wealth of experience working with carbon, and what it calls Advanced Grade Composite – previously only available on its pro-racing level frame – is now used at a more accessible price point. This experience also shows in the almost sculptural quality of the tubes which join and change profile depending on their purpose. The twin port for the internal rear gear and brake cables is a lesson in minimalism.  

Groupset A complete Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed groupset is as good as you can hope for at this price point. We’re happy with the ratios too. Racers might prefer a pro-compact chainset for maximum top-end speed but most users will appreciate the slightly less severe gearing when the going heads upwards. With 11 sprockets spanning between 11 to 28 teeth the jumps between gears are fine.   

Finishing kit The bars are regulation short and shallow. Compared to most stock options, the stem looks like the sort of oversized number more commonly found bolted to bike of a dedicated sprinter. Unsurprisingly, it’s more than stiff enough to stop the bars twanging when pulling on the drops. The own-brand saddle is reminiscent of Fizik’s popular Arione model. Long and flat, it sports plenty of high-density padding. If there’s one thing we’d change, it’s the velour-esque bar tape.   

Wheels While the rest of the spec is pretty remarkable in its generosity, the wheels are more serviceable than noteworthy. They’re middle-of-the-road in terms of weight and stiffness and pick-up from the hub is on the slower side, too. On the road, though, all of this is offset a good deal by the tyres. They’re light, fast rolling and grippy enough to not give you the fear when cornering. There’s not a huge amount of puncture protection lurking beneath their tread, but that’s partly the price you pay for speed anyway. At 23c wide they may be narrower than some would choose. 

The ride

First impression This is a great-looking bike. The teardrop-shaped seatpost and integrated clamp could have got lost on the way to a much pricier bicycle. There’s a lot going on with the radically shaped tubing, too. Climbing onto the saddle, it instantly feels a long way down to the top tube below, and it’s clear from the position of the contact points that this is a bike with speedy inclinations, something enhanced by the pretty direct response elicited by stomping hard on the pedals.  

On the road A very low-slung frame, so don’t be caught out by the sizing. Our size M/L featured a pretty rangy 57cm top tube. Twinned with a good dollop of seat layback and a decent length stem, you’ll likely want a bike that looks about a size too small. However, once installed on the right size, the general impression is of a bike that’s ready to get down to some serious riding. Slightly higher at the front than the Cannondale, it’s still relatively low, but not enough to rule out less flexible riders. The low weight combined with very little in the way of side to side movement means it jumps forward readily. That’s despite the wheels feeling as if they might not be quite as zippy as the rest of the package. 

Handling Despite the radical sloping geometry, the crucial numbers for the head and seat tube are matched at a tried and tested 73° so the handling, while quick, doesn’t do anything odd. The geometry is just tuned back slightly from all-out racer. It still whips around and requires getting your head down slightly to get a hold of, but with a few extra millimetres on the head tube, it’s unlikely to put your back out. Our size M/L weighed 7.74kg, seriously light for a bike at this price. With the lowest mass of any machine on test, combined with a good dose of back-end stiffness, the Giant definitely doesn’t want to hang about. While the wheels are decent if not exceptional, the lightweight tyres mean they spin up quicker than any of the others on test. Once up to speed, their suppleness helps the bike to cling tenaciously to any momentum generated. Despite the stiffness when pedalling, the bike is not overly harsh when battling against less well surfaced roads.

Geometry

Spec

Specialized’s all-road endurance platform, the Diverge, was a surprise smash when it came out in 2014 and sold out in numerous countries.

That success has given Specialized carte blanche to push boundaries with this year’s redesign.

First glimpsed in a promo video with Peter Sagan driving doughnuts in a muscle car, the Diverge has been revealed in full at Specialized’s Summer Road Camp in New Jersey, United States.

In a significant vote of confidence, Specialized has for the first time created an top tier S-Works Diverge, with gravel racing in mind as much as touring and bikepacking.

It comes with a number of new technical developments that make it virtually unrecognisable from a normal road bike five years ago.

It has arguably gone beyond the 'gravel' category, and entered into the ‘GravelPlus’ category, a term coined by bike manufacturer Open to describe drop handlebar bikes that are capable of more demanding off-road riding, or what many call 'adventure riding'. It’s a category that includes the Cannondale Slate, the Open U.P and 3T Exploro.

Image 3 of 20

Image 3 of 20

The new Diverge's major features include a dropper seatpost, a Future Shock front suspension unit similar to that on the Specialized Roubaix, and extremely wide tyre clearance that has been further opened up by compatibility with smaller diameter 650b wheels. Despite all the extra bits, the full build as shown comes in at a surprisingly light 8.5kg.

The S-Works frame itself comes in at only 880g, and Specialized has built a unit with a few minor adjustments (including removing the dropper post) which hits exactly 8kg.

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Image 2 of 20

‘Gravel is the fastest emerging category in our entire line,’ explains John Cordoba, product manager for Specialized’s road category.

Specialized speculates that it will continuing to grow at a fast rate. ‘We believe that Diverge will be biggest category in two to three years.’

That’s a huge claim for a brand selling in the quantity that Specialized does.

Future Shock

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Image 17 of 20

The tech on show for the Diverge is a lot to take in. First and foremost is the carry-over of Specialized’s Future Shock front suspension system from the Roubaix platform – a spring that sits between the stem and head tube to provide damping at the handlebars.

The unit has been tweaked for the demands of serious off-road riding.

The new Future Shock uses a progressive spring, meaning the spring generates more resistance the more it is compressed, unlike the Roubaix Future Shock spring.

‘The Spring on the Roubaix is a linear spring, so throughout the whole travel it has the same amount of force,’ explains Cordoba. ‘The Diverge Future Shock unit is the same but the spring inside responds in a different way – it’s not exerting the same pressure.’

The aim is to make the Diverge more robust than the Roubaix but also reduce the chance of bottoming out when going off a significant drop.

‘As you get through the travel of the Diverge you get more and more stiff so you don’t bottom out so hard and also you can control the handlebars a lot better,’ Cordoba explains.

‘The progressive spring goes from 150lb [pounds per inch] to 230lb whereas the Roubaix is 100lb all the way through the travel,’ he adds.

BB drop

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Image 20 of 20

The control that the Future Shock offers has been matched by a rethink in the Diverge’s geometry, the most significant change being the bottom bracket drop, increased to 86mm from 74mm with the previous generation of the bike.

‘The BB drop has been increased, which is all about stability and confidence,’ Cordoba explains.

‘The Crux [Specialized’s cross bike] has a shallow 42mm BB drop, which works for cross racing. On loose gravel, though, the 86mm BB drop just plants you down on the gravel.

'While it increases the chance of a pedal strike in a corner, especially when switching to 650b wheels, the benefits in stability are significant for those doing more recreational off-road riding or gravel-specific endurance races.’

On the point of the lightweight frame’s resilience to damage when on rough terrain, Specialized is  confident that the Diverge will survive the chips and pings typical to rough gravel riding.

‘We’ve been testing it for a while – we test the whole variation of carbon frames – and we’re confident on safety,’ says Mark Cote, head of marketing and innovation at Specialized.

Re-inventing the wheel

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Image 14 of 20

The inclusion of 650b compatibility is a huge surprise from Specialized, who have never flirted with the smaller diameter wheel size on this scale.

This was an innovation first made prominent by Gerard Vroomen’s Open U.P, which comes as standard with 650b wheels on an otherwise normal road setup.

The brand has released a new Roval 650b CLX 32 disc wheel to coincide with the release of the Specialized Diverge, which will enable 47mm tyres to be run on the bike.

‘There’s a sweet spot in terms of tyre width for the 650b wheel, and the 700c which will give a similar ride quality,’ Cordoba says.

‘The sweet spot for 700c is 38mm, while on the 650b it is 45mm, but with all the new trend for wide rims it changes the shape of the tyre a lot. On some 650b rims the bike will accept 47mm tyres.’

The bike comes as standard with 700c wheels, and the CLX 650b will be available at the same price as the CLX 32 (currently £1,870).

The other startling development is the speccing of a dropper seatpost, which at the press of a button will drop down 35mm, and at another press rise back up.

The benefit is a lower seat height, which enables a lower centre of gravity and consequent stability over rough terrain.

The Specialized Diverge uses the Command Post XCP developed for the Specialized Epic mountain bike, and it is the first example of a dropper post specced as standard on a road bike from any major brand.

The dropper post weighs only 400g, but can be switched out for any regular 27.2mm seatpost for a minor weight saving.

Just as the Roubaix, the Diverge comes specced with Specialized’s SWAT box, which is an integrated storage unit above the BB containing spares and tools.

Specialized has stressed that the Diverge has been redeveloped as much for women as men.

‘There’s a gender equality to gravel,’ says Cordoba, pointing out that more of Specialized’s female staff than men race in gravel events.

There are women-specific models in the line, but there will be no separate platform for women.

Below the S-Works level sits the Diverge Comp, Diverge Sport, then the alloy Diverge E5 Comp, Diverge E5 Sport and basic Diverge E5.

The Diverge E5 Sport and Diverge E5 also come in women-specific sizing, going as small as a 44cm top tube.

UK prices are yet to be confirmed.

Head through to page two for our first ride review of the Specialized S-Works Diverge

Specialized S-Works Diverge 2018: First ride review

Verdict: The innovative Specialized Diverge makes a leap forward to encompass virtually all the terrain you could imagine while remaining a  road bike at heart.

I had the opportunity on my first ride of the Specialized Diverge to ride on fast roads, on technical gravel and even mountain bike trails in the hills of New Jersey.

It certainly has some unusual quirks when first sitting astride it, but even on a first ride I managed to ride with more confidence on more testing terrain than ever before.

That said, there is more to the Diverge than its all-road angle.

Making contact

Contact points were initially a little unsettling on the Diverge. The strange movement of the front end on account of the suspension coupled with a minute twisting movement in the saddle, as a consequence of the dropper post, made the bike feel strangely loose.

It felt like the head tube needed to be tightened along with the saddle rails. It was a passing sensation, and quickly the bike came into its own.

The Diverge feels immediately like a nicely finished and highly tuned bike. The sizing is much in line with the Roubaix, with the Future Shock creating a high front end, while the wide tyres and lay-up choices all contribute to a very smooth ride.

The surprising impression with the Diverge is the responsiveness of the bike even with wide tyres at low psi. It is a strikingly light bike for its class, while the stiffness of the rear end sees it leap up to speed with impulses of power.

This was a huge benefit off road when navigating through deep turrets of gravel or rock, or trying to start moving on a steep incline.

The numbing effect of the Future Shock at the front of the bike did create a slight imbalance, where at first the back of the bike felt a little robust as there was more feedback from the road.

I came to realise that in isolation the rear was actually fairly compliant and comfortable, but again it’s a slight quirk on account of the tech on offer.

For my part, the Future Shock makes a great deal more sense here than on the Roubaix. Coming off a rocky drop or entering into a patch of serious rock and stone at speed, the Future Shock offers different levels of stability and control to anything I’ve experienced before anywhere within the confines of a road category.

The traction and confidence offered by the Future Shock touches on the feeling of a fully fledged front suspension fork, but obviously falls a long way short of the same travel and strength.

It does transform scary jagged rocky routes into a much less intimidating prospect on a road bike. That opens up altogether new terrain and ride settings.

I’m no off-road rider, but I was happily shooting along rough and loose gravel tracks. I took the Diverge on low-difficulty mountain bike tracks and felt totally comfortable, even eager to push harder through technical corners and over obstacles.

The bike is not light by high-end lightweight road standards, but feels very low in weight compared to other bikes of this versatility, and is a significant weight saving on a full-blown MTB.

The drop

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Image 2 of 20

The dropper post helped a great deal with more technical rocky descents, and was a very neat feature I’ve never had the opportunity to use before.

Simply pressing the thumb lever drops the post when weighted, and it will spring up if the lever is pressed again when unweighted.

For very sharp and technical tracks, the lower centre of gravity and control made a huge difference to my confidence on the Diverge.

Riding in New Jersey we took on by far the most challenging terrain I’ve come across on a road bike, but I never felt out of my comfort zone.

In truth, I think I would look to switch this out quite quickly for a conventional 27.2 post for the majority of my riding – preferring the tamer side of gravel tracks.

It is an expensive addition to the spec, but it makes an important statement about where this bike is pitched.

The more conventional endurance all-road features all work well together. Shimano XTR rear derailleur has a clutch to avoid dropping the chain from chain slap when running a 1x front chainring setup.

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Image 19 of 20

I found the 1x setup to be extremely well suited to the demanding terrain this bike is destined for. The range of gearing is plentiful for even the harshest gravel inclines.

For more road riding, I would possibly prefer a conventional double chainring setup, and I think it’s a good move from Specialized to spec the lower end carbon Diverge frames with hydraulic Shimano 105 groupsets.

Back on the road

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Image 6 of 20

Moving over to the road, the Specailized S-Works Diverge is capable on the tarmac, even with the wide tyres at a low pressure. It cruises happily without any real sense of drag or sluggishness.

Much like the Open U.P, the Diverge offers a huge amount of fine tuning with regards to wheel and tyre choice. Trimming the tyres down to 32mm would make a big difference to the overall speed.

I would be eager to put the Diverge to the test on a narrower tyre width at higher pressure to see how it fares against serious endurance bikes.

Given the weight and the all around stiffness, I’m confident that it would be able to sit happily in amongst a decent paced group ride.

On the whole, Specialized's intelligent approach to handling for which the Tarmac is famed is put to use well here, and the bike is confident on descents on the road as much as the gravel.

Of course, Shimano’s hydraulic disc braking system offers another world to braking than conventional rim brakes.

There’s a lot of testing to be done with the Diverge to really determine its strengths across its different uses.

For many it will be tourer kitted out with mudguards and panniers, for others a high-end racer to fuse gravel, cross and tarmac rides.

The very fact that it spans so many categories is its main strength though.

I’m  encouraged by the Specailized S-Works Diverge, not only as a bike in itself but a direction of bikes in the future. Too often the opportunities afforded by disc brakes in terms of wheel and tyre compatibility aren’t exploited in new bikes.

Specialized has taken the possibilities to the extreme and introduced new features to the road-platform altogether.

At the same time, those features will offer benefits at the lower end of the range for normal commuters in terms of comfort and versatility.

Above all else, the Specailized S-Works Diverge offers an incredibly fun ride, unlocking adventurous new roads, paths and trails without sacrificing the fundamental pleasure of road riding.

Boardman says the Road Pro Carbon sets a new benchmark for disc-equipped road bikes.

Using the firm’s SLR Endurance frame platform constructed from C7 carbon, it’s aiming for a balance between stiffness and low weight, with maximised handling, power transfer and ride quality.

Crucially for those of us concerned with boosting our fitness, Boardman claims the bike ‘allows you to push your limits time and again on any course profile, in any weather, at any time of year’.

Frameset

Pictures don’t necessarily do justice to just how classy the grey-on-black ‘colour’ scheme of the bike looks in the flesh.

The box-section top tube – fairly rangy, at 540mm for our size small frameset – tapers from the head tube to meet a rounded profile seat tube that gradually morphs into a square-profile near to the bottom bracket, thus adding stiffness at this crucial area.

A similar trick is used in the oversized down tube. Flatter-section chainstays are contrasted by curved and flared seatstays, which are formed in this way to soak up vibrations from the road.

The gear cables and brake hoses are all internally routed through the frame, making one of the neatest disc-equipped set-ups we’ve seen in some time.

Although our test bike is running 25c tyres, we’d say there is easily clearance to run 28s, for an even more comfortable set-up.

Geometry is just on the sharper side of ‘endurance’ at the front end, at a measured head angle of 72.7°, but the steering feels planted and predictable.

Groupset

A good mix of components ensures you’re getting decent quality at a keen price. A 52/36 FSA Gossamer chainset gives a sound compromise between a 50/34 compact chainset and 53/39 racer’s chainrings, and combines well with the 11-28 Shimano 105 cassette.

Brakes are Shimano’s 105-comparable hydraulic shifters, with 160mm rotors. On a purely aesthetic note, the black groupset flatters the bike’s stealthy paint job nicely.

Finishing kit

Boardman’s own-brand finishing kit keeps the price down, but also works very well. Short-drop compact handlebars and a 100mm alloy stem make this frameset a comfy place for your average 5ft 8in rider.

A 31.6mm carbon Boardman seatpost dials out vibration and is topped by a Prologo Nago Evo saddle – a minimalist perch that supports and flexes more than its looks suggest.

Wheels

Boardman’s own-brand hoops feature aero-profile alloy rims. They’re solid, 28/32-spoke wheels that may offer some aerodynamic benefits thanks to their 30mm profile.

Vittoria’s excellent Zaffiro Pro tyres offer decent comfort and puncture protection, not to mention agreeable levels of grip in most conditions.

On the road

There’s nothing daunting about this bike – everything is laid out in an ergonomically pleasing way and the first miles of our ride reveal it to be a particularly stable machine on which to take your first pedal strokes to fitness.

Shimano’s 105-level hydraulic disc set-up is fast becoming ubiquitous; it helps us scrub off speed on an early high-speed descent in our test loop to make way for an oncoming speeding car with no fuss.

It doesn’t take long for this bike’s character to shine through. The Boardman really does excel in the comfort stakes; a 140mm head tube and ample stem spacers allow us to get a comfortable riding position that does us proud for a good three hours of riding.

The majority of road vibration is kept away from our hands and backside thanks to seatstays that are designed to soak up the vibes in conjunction with a carbon seatpost.

Not only are the 400mm alloy bars of easy drop but they also offer a good combination of flex at their extremities and stiffness for uphill efforts.

The 25c Vittoria rubber also makes short work of pitted roads, running at 90psi. The direct chainstays do a good job of transferring power from the FSA cranks, but when the road starts to ramp upwards there are some shortcomings revealed.

Although the Road Pro is running an 11-28 cassette, it’s still nudging 9kg in our size S build. OK, so that’s not particularly heavyweight in the road bike world, but still requires some heaving to get up steeper climbs.

It’s here that the solid front end and taut feeling at the rear helps. If you fitted a cassette with a 32-tooth sprocket, life would be much easier, especially with this bike’s 52/36 chainset.

A relatively relaxed steering head angle ensures that corners are taken with the utmost confidence, while also turning more rapidly than you might expect of an endurance bike.

Either way, there’s nothing to daunt newer riders here – it’s simply a case of point and shoot, with no sudden dropping into corners. This process is assisted greatly by the choice of rubber Boardman has made to equip the Road Pro.

Vittoria’s Zaffiro Rubino Pro tyres have a narrow strip of slick rubber at their crown for rapid progress on the flat, with deep siping at their edges for notional extra grip on badly surfaced roads and in the wet.

Point this bike at a long, sweeping downhill corner and it all gels to create a solid, stable, surprisingly rapid experience that keeps you entertained and cosseted in equal measure.

Shimano’s RS505 hydraulic brake levers are an ergonomic success story, while the calipers they operate offer enough control at the merest squeeze that you can’t help but make efficient progress.

It wrings the best out of you, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend that you put it near the top of your list if you’re yearning for a bike that will grow with you as your fitness improves.

Ratings

Frame: Designed for predictable handling and comfort. 8/10
Components: Shimano's excellent hydraulic 105 setup. 8/10 
Wheels: Sturdy own-brand wheels with excellent Vittoria rubber. 7/10 
The Ride: Fast and assured, this is a bike that is very user-friendly. 8/10

VERDICT

The Boardman Road Pro Carbon Disc is a disc-equipped carbon endurance bike that will keep you entertained and cosseted in equal measure. 

Geometry

Spec

It started with disc brakes. A few years ago, one or two mainstream brands unveiled road bikes fitted with discs instead of calliper brakes, and the whole industry drew a sharp intake of breath. 

For some, it was a form of sacrilege. The clean, traditional lines of the road bike had been sullied by something that was a common feature of – whisper it – the mountain bike. But it didn’t stop there.

Next we were told that 23mm tyres were too skinny, and we should be riding 25mm. No wait, make that 28mm. Now road bike manufacturers are proudly declaring their frames have clearance for tyres up to 32mm and beyond.

Thanks to the addition of disc brakes, some road bikes such as the Open UP are even able to take 650b wheels, the size traditionally associated with – you guessed it – mountain bikes.

Suspension systems have crept in too. Trek broke new ground by placing a pivot in its Domane road frame to enable more vertical flex in the seat tube for enhanced comfort.

Shock tactics

Pinarello took things a step further by fitting an actual rear shock at the top of the seatstays on its Dogma K8-S, and the principal feature of Specialized’s new Roubaix is a coil sprung shock absorber beneath the stem. 

One-by (single chainring) groupsets are now entirely feasible on road bikes thanks to the availability of much wider cassette ratios.

Add in thru-axles, tubeless tyres, even dropper seatposts, and it seems the only thing separating some modern road bikes from their mountain bike cousins is a set of flat handlebars.

What’s going on? Is the industry engaged in a secret mission to turn road riders into mountain bikers? It’s time for a talk with those in the know.

It’s called progress

‘I don’t think anyone in the industry wants to turn roadies into mountain bikers, or road bikes into mountain bikes for that matter,’ says Gerard Vroomen, co-founder of Cervélo in 1995 and more recently co-founder of Open Bicycles.

‘I also don’t think the big fight is over who came up with the technology or what comes from where in the industry. At the moment it’s more important to think about how to grow the business, and I think that’s positive because companies are starting to think about how they can make cycling better.’

David Ward, product manager at Giant Bicycles, says, ‘I’m not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg. Brands coming out with ideas and needing the Srams and Shimanos of this world to make the parts to make it feasible, or whether it’s the component manufacturers making new technology available and manufacturers wanting to use it.’ 

This could suggest that these developments are a result of brands looking to drive sales by simply finding something new to offer customers. Cyclist put it to Ron Ritzler, vice-president of components at groupset manufacturer Sram.

‘My view is that for the past 20 years as an industry we’ve just given people very little choice,’ Ritzler says. ‘We’ve basically given people a replica of a WorldTour bike and for most consumers that doesn’t fit with how they ride, where they ride and how they want to ride. It’s the wrong tool.’

Vroomen agrees. ‘Peter Sagan rides a road bike and I ride a road bike, but the way we ride is very, very different. I’m going half the speed and I’m not half as tough as Peter Sagan. I want a bit more comfort, bigger tyres, smaller gears, etc, so I actually want a very different bike.

Wishful thinking

‘But there’s also where we ride. I would love it if they would close roads for me, but that’s never going to happen, so by opening up my options of where I can ride, such as on gravel, I can find freedom and experience cycling traffic-free.

‘You’ve got this middle ground where a road bike doesn’t really make sense because it can be pretty harsh and uncomfortable, the tyres are too skinny and your neck hurts, but on a mountain bike you’d be sat up pretty straight, catching a lot of wind and probably not really going that fast. There’s clearly a category in between where there’s got to be something more suitable to ride.’

Ritzler adds, ‘OK there have been some changes made to road bike design based around more relaxed geometries, slightly taller head tubes and more tyre clearance to appeal to a wider market, but the smart product person would have to say there’s got to be a better way to serve what people really want to do on a bike. And mainly that’s about having fun.’

He believes the attitude of the road cyclist has changed, and manufacturers need to reflect this. ‘Ten years ago a group ride would mostly involve beating each other’s brains out, sprinting for stop signs and so on.

‘But people’s attitudes have shifted. They still want to do group rides but they want to encounter new stuff, and that means going on different terrains and going on new adventures. It works both ways, it’s either “build it and they will come”, or it’s recognising the early signs of a trend and saying, “Hey, I need to make something for them.”’

Mongrel bikes

Ritzler suggests the trend towards a more fun, adventurous attitude to cycling requires the development of a new type of multi-terrain bike. Vroomen evidently concurs, saying, ‘Fun is the key. In the big picture racing has always been super, super small compared to the total number of people who ride bikes, right?

‘It’s like a single digit percentage of people riding that actually race. Yet it’s still hard to convince people to think that if that’s not what you’re doing maybe you don’t need a bike like that.

‘Performance is part of having fun on a bike, though, so we still need bikes that you can go fast on because speed is fun and it allows you to cover more ground, especially if it is possible on more types of terrain too. That’s the future.’

Certainly, a glance at the line-ups of the big brands shows that many of them are now producing bikes with a ‘do it all’ propostion – fast and sleek enough for the road, yet rugged and versatile enough to cope with gravel or other surfaces and conditions.

But, as Giant’s Ward attests, there may still be a way to go to convince the consumer. According to sales data, the pure road bike is not dead yet. 

‘We are getting to that SUV kind of bike. I think we will eventually reach a point where one bike will be really capable of doing a lot of different types of riding, but I also think that people will always want to buy specific products for exactly what they want to do.

‘If you take Giant’s range, for example, we’ve got TCX, Defy, Propel and TCR, and you could argue if you just had a Defy [endurance] you could do everything, or the TCX [cyclocross] will do just about everything too, but the reality is the Propel [aero-road] still outsells the whole lot. 

‘It just goes to show that although there’s a big volume of people that want the latest “do everything”, there are seemingly still more that feel they would rather have a super-light, stripped-out, out-and-out race bike.

‘Whether indeed that’s the right thing for them or not, it’s what a lot of people want to buy. A lot of people still just like to mimic what the pro riders are using.’

Ritzler is also quick to point out the dawn of the all-rounder does not necessarily spell the end of the road bike as we know it. ‘One bike can’t do it all,’ he says.

‘You still need a bike that’s super-fast if you want to be serious about going road racing, or you’ll need a cyclocross bike if you want to go and race cross, but if you’re asking me, is there a category of bike emerging somewhere between the two for “most people”? 

‘I would say now, yeah. I think there’s a growing number of choices for riders who want to experience a bit of everything.’ 

‘Sure, people still need convincing at this stage,’ adds Vroomen. ‘It’s very hard to break those old habits. People are often afraid to make a big leap. First the customer just doesn’t quite believe it yet and still wants Peter Sagan’s bike. They still won’t be able to pull a wheelie regardless.

‘But when you put 54mm knobbly tyres on a bike it no longer looks like Peter Sagan’s bike. Plus, it takes a while before the bean counters at the big companies want to make that leap as well. For the past 10 years selling pro-styled race bikes has been big business.’ 

Vroomen is adamant, however, that it’s easy to get people on board once they’ve tried it.

‘When people try the kind of bike that opens up these new possibilities of gravel and maybe even some singletrack and still being able to ride fast, with confidence and not thinking about cars at all, then generally that’s enough to get them interested.

‘Yes, you could say that’s a little bit like mountain biking, but really it’s about building the bike that’s right for the consumer. People are sick of being hit by cars and there’s a definite trend to move away from that and a different bike is a part of that.

‘They can ride like a kid again and not take themselves so seriously. That fits more with the times we live in’, he says.

Everyone’s a winner

But what about those riders who have no intention of straying from the tarmac? Is there really a need for their road bikes to be mountainbikified?

‘The disc brake is probably the best example,’ says Ward. ‘It’s certainly still a big discussion point but the thing is, if you’re getting more reliable braking, and it’s getting much neater and lighter, why wouldn’t you want it on your road bike?’ 

There are those who would argue that disc brakes simply don’t look right on a road bike, but Ward believes that those concerns have already been addressed.

‘The new generations of disc brake products, the Sram eTap Hydro and new Dura-Ace for 2017, have turned a corner from an aesthetics point of view. The days of it being a mountain bike calliper bolted on a road bike are gone.

‘Flat mount is a big part of that and I think that is great for road bikes. It’s just neat and gets rid of the ugly bolts, so aesthetics are becoming less and less of an issue.’

Acceptance of new technology has always been a slow process for the road riding fraternity. Much of it is down to the sport’s rich heritage – we want the benefits that come with improved performance, but we also want a road bike to look like the bikes we remember from the past.

Long-term benefits

Ultimately, however, Ritzler suggests that we will come to appreciate the changes that adapting technology from mountain bikes
will have for the road experience.

‘Cycling for many is about achievement, and when you open up new possibilities other than just racing, it’s enlightening for so many riders. If you go and do a 100-mile ride with your buddies and go home and upload it to Strava, then it feels like a hell of an accomplishment.

‘You can choose to race, but you can choose to just have fun too. It isn’t fun to get flat tyres or mechanicals or pull on the brakes and not feel like you’re stopping because stuff isn’t capable of doing what you want to do.

‘That’s why this new type of bike exists, to give something for everyone.’ 

‘This will be bigger than road cycling as we know it,’ Vroomen concludes. ‘I don’t see it as a niche. That’s completely missing the point It’s not a niche – it’s a niche buster. For me a niche is a bike tailored for one very specific purpose.

‘This is a bike that is almost everything from a road bike right through to a rigid mountain bike, so it’s covering a lot of bases. It’s certainly not a niche.

‘If we make riding fun, people will keep riding and they’ll convince their friends to go riding too. We don’t want to be the kind of industry
where the best part of our fitness apparatus ends up under the bed.

‘We want people to use our stuff and encourage others to use it. The whole trend is positive.’

Part of the process

How mountain bike parts found their way onto road bikes...

1 Discs and thru-axles

They’ve proved contentious in the pro peloton, and there is still no agreement on standardisation of disc rotor sizes or thru-axles, but virtually every major brand now has a disc-equipped road bike.

2 Suspension

The likes of the Pinarello K8s (above) and Specialized Roubaix have included shock absorbers on their bikes designed for the cobbled Spring Classics, but there are benefits for all. 

3 Tyres

No sooner had the market accepted 25mm (over 23mm), the goal posts shifted again to 28mm. Where will it stop? Already many manufacturers are creating bikes with room for 32mm and beyond. 

4 One-by (1x)

Sram launched this as an off-road concept, as removing the front derailleur simplified the groupset in an area prone to mud clogging, but with more wide-ratio cassettes available, it has proved equally suitable for hassle-free road riding.

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) was first to the finish into Salon-de-Provence on Stage 19 of the 2017 Tour de France, with a fantastic solo attack on the day's successful break of 20 riders. Chris Froome finished safely in the pack and retaining the yellow jersey.

The last 5km was a series of back to back attacks that looked sure to drop the Norwegian champion, but Boassan Hagen showed fantasticly strong form in fending off the attacks and sticking up with the front group.

The pack of 20 had whittled down to only 8 when Boassan Hagen made a late solo effort with only 2.7m to go. He brought Nikias Arndt (Sunweb) with him, but the Norwegian dropped him in the final 2km for a decisive run in to the finish.

Further back the pack, the group came in without incident, placing Froome in good position to fight for his yellow jersey in tomorrow's time trial as the top of the general classification remained unchanged.

How the race unfolded

A break was always the likely source of drama for the day, and numerous riders felt pressure to be involved to eek out some final exposure from the race.

The first attack came from Guillaume van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), who stayed away for 200km on Stage 4 into Vittel. His attack today was quickly reeled back in, and a series of subsequent attacks began.

A group of Adrien Petit (Direct Energie), Michael Albasini (Orica) and van Keirsbulck (Wanty) grew to around 10 riders, but it was all brought back together on Category 3 climb of Col Lebraut.

With 190km to go, Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) and Elie Gesbert (Fortuneo-Oscaro) attacked off the front, which seemed doomed to failure until a large batch of riders bridged across, including some big names and it seemed to have sticking power.

With Sky allowing the riders some room, a break of 20 riders began to stretch out.  The group contained  Jan Bakelants (AG2R-La Mondiale), Daniele Bennati (Movistar), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Ben Swift (UAE), Rudy Molard (FDJ), Michael Albasini and Jens Keukeleire (Orica), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Gianluca Brambilla (Quick Step), Robert Kiserlovski (Katusha), Thomas De Gendt and Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Nikias Arndt (Sunweb), Julien Simon (Cofidis), Lilian Calmejane, Sylvain Chavanel and Romain Sicard (Direct Energie), Elie Gesbert, Romain Hardy and Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fortuneo-Oscaro).

With 170km to go, the break stretched a lead out to 5.40 seconds, shortly before a puncture threatened to eject British Ben Swift from the group. He managed to chase back and the gap grew and grew.

With 14 of the Tour’s 22 teams, it was a break which was readily accepted by the majority of the peloton and grew to 8 minutes with 125km to go

With a short chase by Team Sky, the gap was briefly brought down to near 7 minutes, but after a second intermediate sprint – won by Thomas de Gendt as was the first – the gap extended out again.

At 65m to go, the break had stretched its lead to 8.30, and Sky were showing little interest in bringing it back and it looked sure to stick to the finish.

The Category 3 Col de Pointu, 5.8km long and at a mild 4.1% average, did little to slow the progress of the break, which went over the top 9 minutes ahead of the yellow jersey.

The Final

With 30km remaining, the break was just short of 10 minutes ahead and it was clear that the winner would be from this 20-strong group. All eyes were on Bauke Mollema for an attack coming into the last 20km, otherwise Boasson Hagen or Swift seemed the likely sprint winners.

In the last 20km a very fast pace from the break split the group into three pieces, with Ben Swift sitting in the second group, while Boasson Hagen remained ahead.

The three groups rode fiercely at nearly 60kmh on the shallow descent of the final 15km, as a 15-second gap emerged between the front group and chasers.

Leading up to the final 5km, there were numerous attacks from within the leading group, several of which threatened to further fragment it.

The final 5km made for a blisteringly quick run in with attack after attack. Boasson Hagen held onto the group through impressive tenacity, as Thomas de Gendt made a concerted attack that threatened to stick.

Boasson Hagen held on, and when he attacked from the 8 strong group, thinks looked good for the Norwegian.