Scott has been a huge proponent of disc brakes on road bikes for a while now so its latest move – to redesign its popular Foil frame to accommodate disc brakes – is a clear statement that the Swiss brand only sees the future of road bike braking going one way.

Scott’s head of design for the Foil Disc project, Benoit Grelier, explains that now the Foil is the complete race bike, adding control to the aerodynamics, stiffness and comfort attributes already achieved by the rim-brake Foil.

It was not a simple case of bolting on different brakes to the same frame, however. Scott saw the change to disc brakes as an opportunity for a thorough redesign, so there are some marked differences both visibly and under the surface.

‘Disc-brake bikes suffer a 3-watt aerodynamic disadvantage on average compared to rim-brake bikes,’ says Grelier. ‘So we made incremental changes to the new Foil Disc frame to claw this back.’

The fork is markedly different compared to previous generations of the Foil. Disc-side the fork profile bulges to shield the disc brake from the wind, and Scott exploits the UCI’s decision to relax the 3:1 ratio rule by building in fairings around the thru-axles.

A removable skewer lever further improves aerodynamics, as does the allowance for wider tyres – the new Foil can take up to 30mm wide tyres.

The front triangle of the Foil is much the same as the rim-brake design but the shaping of the rear triangle has been changed – partially with respect to aerodynamics but mostly to cope with the asymmetric braking force of discs. The non-drive side chainstay is beefier and both have been lengthened to 410mm to preserve the drivetrain’s chainline.

Comfort is taken care of via Scott’s tried-and-true (the Foil remains the only aero bike to win Paris-Roubaix after all) ‘Comfort Zone’ construction – the seatstays are slender and dropped and the seat tube is flat-backed, in an attempt to encourage some vertical flex over rough ground.

Despite all the changes to account for the discs, the HMX Foil frameset (Scott’s premium tier design) only gains 40g over its rim-brake counterpart to ensure that Grelier’s impressive statement that ‘all Scott frames weigh under 1kg’ remains true.

We look forward to spending some time aboard the frameset in a proper review because the new Foil Disc seems an exciting prospect. 

Yet perhaps Scott has made the frame a little too good – Grelier mentioned that pro team Orica-Scott’s Addict frames were gathering dust because the riders use the Foil in almost every race situation.

The new Vitus model is launching at this year’s Cycle Show, taking place from 22nd to 24th September at the Birmingham NEC.

Click here to use the code ‘CLISTCMP’ to save 10% on adult tickets to the Cycle Show

The new Vitus Venon is an all-day endurance machine with performance edge.

Featuring
· New Vitus Carbon frame platform for 2018
· New Shimano R8020 Ultegra groupset
· New Shimano R8020 disc brakes
· DT Swiss R23 wheels
· Continental Ultra Sport 28mm tyres
· Carbon seat post

For your chance to win this splendid bike, simply enter your details and cross your fingers.

Good luck!

Use the code ‘CLISTCMP’ to save 10% on adult tickets to the Cycle Show

Privacy Policy: cycleshow.co.uk/privacy-policy

Terms and conditions:

Only one entry per person. Winner announced on the 15th October 2017. Prize ready to be claimed in winner’s size in November 2017. No cash alternative offered. Ticket offer valid until midnight the 21st September. Transaction fee applies. Standard adult tickets are £13.95.

Pro teams: Cofidis, UnitedHealthcare

Orbea is a Spanish brand with a reputation for bikes designed for climbing, which is why it has long sponsored pro teams who love nothing more than racing over the Alps and Pyrenees, such as Cofidis, whose roster includes Vuelta mountain stage-winner Dani Navarro.

The Orca is its all-round racer and the one that most sponsored riders will be riding.

Our M11i Team model comes from the higher end of the range, but still a couple of steps down from the very top.

Nonetheless, we were instantly smitten with its impressively low weight, which comes in at exactly 6.8kg, the UCI legal minimum.

Leaving the scales behind and heading out on the road, the geometry and frame stiffness show the bike’s racing pedigree.

On smoother roads, the Orca is a joy to ride, but on rougher roads there’s a noticeable difference between front and rear comfort, with the rear giving a smooth ride while the front is quite harsh.

This is especially so on smaller bumps where vibration buzz feeds through to your arms.

The Orca’s low weight is a definite benefit on climbs, although under higher-power efforts there is noticeable flex in the rear, mostly from the Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels.

The rims are also narrow by modern standards, which has a knock-on effect for the tyre width, bringing them up narrower than the stated 25c size.

On the components front, SRAM’s eTap system is superb, with intuitive wireless shifting, excellent hood shape and easy adjustment.

The SRAM Red brakes are equally impressive, with immense stopping power and a great feel. With the aluminium rims, braking in the wet is good, too.

The FSA Energy finishing kit is a mixed bag, with comfortable bars that have a good shape but one small niggle was that the stem has protruding bolts that knocked our knees a few times when climbing out of the saddle.

The race specific geometry gives fast, agile handling and feels stable on the downhills. For those after a fast, lightweight bike for the mountains, this would be an excellent choice, with SRAM’s superb electronic shifting as an added bonus.

Ratings

Frame 8/10; Components 7/10; Desirability 8/10; The ride 9/10

Verdict: The Orca is significantly cheaper than many of its direct rivals, setting off its super-lightweight frame and SRAM eTAP groupset with a mid-range wheelset. Despite the slightly harsh front end, this is a thrillingly fast and impressively agile bike with a real penchant for going uphill.

Spec

The Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 SL LTD looks just about as quick as a bike possibly can. With a hefty dose of integration, a tron-like paint scheme and a sharp aerodynamic form, if the Speedmax is half as fast as it looks Canyon is on to a winner.

Time trial bikes are complicated beasts, though, and even the wind tunnel data doesn’t tell the whole story. A bike has to have the stiffness to capitalise on power output, and the comfort, handling and stability to deal with different surfaces, technical turns and wind conditions.

My first impression was that the Canyon managed that, but let’s start with the opening act – the bike’s speed.

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Image 9 of 13

Max speed

The Speedmax is undoubtedly a fast frame. Time trial specialists Alex Dowsett and Tony Martin have both performed wonders aboard it, with the former setting the Hour Record on a track-adapted equivalent of the previous generation of the Speedmax. 

But, of course, it’s cyclists that are quick, and not bikes. The Speedmax has been developed with aerodynamic testing and CFD, Canyon claims.

However, the clearest gains in aerodynamics are probably from the general integration and neatness of the build, both of which were both updated substantially with the new iteration of the Speedmax.

First things first, the majority of developments in the Speedmax appeal mainly to the tri market. Much of the design changes over the previous Speedmax were intended to increase storage space and usability.

That’s in line with a general trend amongst time trial bikes to appeal more to the lucrative triathlon scene, leading many bikes to no longer be UCI compliant.

The Speedmax 9.0 thankfully is still in line with UCI rules.

Notably, the lower spec 8.0 comes with a conventional braking setup, albeit with Shimano’s direct mount brakes rather than traditional dual-pivot brakes.

That’s a big advantage in terms of maintenance and the ease of switching wheels for training purposes for those not counting gains by the microsecond.

In terms of flat out speed, official data aside, I found the Speedmax to be blisteringly fast, and that much showed up in my own analysis.

I found it faster than both the Trek SpeedConcept and the Giant Trinity that I tested for some time. The latter also had a rear Zipp Super-9 disc during my time with it.

I was able to compare it only on two courses with previous long-term time trial testers. I didn’t achieve a PB in either, but on both runs I was shocked at the comparative speed on the Speedmax compared to fairer conditions and fitter form. 

On one closed-circuit track TT I came in 25 seconds off my best over a technical 10.3 mile distance in poor conditions. My power numbers were also down by close to 25 watts on my best.

Comparative estimates on speed can be tough, but crucially against longstanding rival time triallists I found my speed to be at the very least up to my best on previous bikes, and on all accounts slightly faster.

That increase in speed isn’t purely down to aerodynamic superiority, indeed I suspect the Giant Trinity would be tough in pure aerodynamic terms, but rather the fit leant itself to a wider range of positions.

Where the Trinity boasted a tall headtube, the Speedmax has a small and traditionally short front end. For me that was a big gain.

Comforting thoughts

While comfort is rarely at the forefront of a time triallist or triathlete’s concerns, it can often make a big difference not only to enjoyment but also to speed.

On many sporting courses in the south of England, for instance, some compliance against the rough terrain on skinny tyres can make a big difference to the ability to apply power.

The Speedmax has achieved that comfort partly through siding for a relatively thin seatpost, thinner than most time trial bikes and even aero road bikes.

Canyon justify this aerodynamically on the grounds that the hip movements around the seatpost are such that deep cross-section does little for the overall package. The benefit is a more flexible seatpost.

That level of flex means that rather than lifting myself tentatively off the saddle through the roughest terrain, I was able to push more confidently and maintain power and position.

In terms of handling and general ride character, the Speedmax maintains a lot of the DNA of the rest of the Canyon family. I’d categorise it as sitting neatly between being responsive enough and stable enough when descending and cornering.

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Practical gains

The integration of the front end will, rightly, put many people off the Speedmax as a build for a first-timer to time trial. That is because it means newcomers won’t be able to experiment with position quite as much as a traditional build.

That said, the Speedmax does offer an admirable level of customisation.

When buying the bike, Canyon offers a free of charge selection between S-Bend and J-Bend extension bars, and between a standard 65mm stem or longer 85mm option.

That makes a big difference in changing the fit to match a tuned position. 

Indeed, I was confident that the ability to really dial in a low and fast position is the main reason I was able to see gains in speed from the Speedmax.

The front stack looks intimidating but isn’t too difficult to change, and I was happily able to experiment with front end height.

The headset is typically fiddly for a Canyon, who have historically favoured unusual headset tightening systems.

For the Speedmax a set of tiny grub screws beneath the fairing behind the stem is the means for tightening the headset, which took a reference to the owner’s manual to work out.

The top tube storage systems, though aimed at triathlon, were highly convenient for placing an inner tube and canister.

Equally I was glad that the specced Zipps were both clincher wheels. Mixing a 404 on the front and an 808 on the back is also a nice touch, but again more suitable for triathlons as a time triallist will probably quickly opt to upgrade to a rear disc.

Ultimately I was left with the impression that the Speedmax was a blisteringly fast bike that I found extremely agreeable in riding terms.

Perhaps some rival brands do more impressive work with the pure science of aerodynamics, but the Speedmax fits usability and rideability in well with speed.

Having come down in price by £1,2000 it now also boasts affordability, as much as a seven grand bike can be called affordable.

Additional riding photography by Wayne Meek

Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 Ltd

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 Di2
Wheels: Zipp 404 NSW front/808 NSW rear
Finishing kit: Canyon H26 CF Basebar, Canyon E192 AL extensions, Canyon V19 AL Aero stem, Canyon S31 seatpost, Fizik Ardea saddle
Weight: 8.56kg
Price: £8,199 approx as pictured
Contact: canyon.com

There are few bigger milestones in bicycle manufacture than the discovery of Creslan 61. The name may sound like that of a galaxy far, far away, but in fact it’s a semi-crystalline organic polymer resin synthesised in 1930 by doctors Hans Fikentscher and Claus Heuck, and has become the building block for bikes as we know them.

Comprising processed fibres bundled into tows then woven into sheets and impregnated with epoxy resin, Creslan 61, or polyacrylonitrile, or PAN, is the very fabric our carbon fibre racing machines are made from.

The material took a while to catch on though, says Craig Calfee, the creator of the Luna Pro.

‘People would laugh at my “plastic” bikes, but I told them back in 1991 that eventually every bike in the Tour de France would be carbon fibre.’

Calfee wasn’t the first to dabble in the dark material arts. Companies such as Aegis, Kestrel, TVT and Look all produced bikes in the mid-80s made at least in part from carbon fibre, and Assos founder Tony Meier was instrumental in designing a carbon fibre track bike as far back as 1976.

However, it was Calfee who arguably delivered the breakthrough moment when his rebranded ‘Carbonframe’ was ridden to the yellow jersey in the 1991 Tour de France by Greg LeMond.

To the best of the history books’ knowledge, this was the first time an all-carbon bike had led the GC (albeit only briefly – LeMond would go on to finish seventh in what would be the last time he’d complete a Tour).

The bike garnered a lot of press, and while it would be over a decade before Calfee’s prediction came true, the carbon fibre wheels had been set in motion.

To cite Calfee as both carbon pioneer and master, then, is no stretch of the imagination, and so while a good reviewer should approach a subject impartially and without bias, I have to confess I had very high expectations of the Luna Pro long before it had even been delivered for testing.

Cast an eye over the Calfee range and you’ll notice a recurring theme – a kind of webbing between the tube junctions.

Outwardly it appears mainly aesthetic, but there’s functional method behind the appearance.

In Calfee’s early carbon days the webbing was a necessary upshot of the seam created during the moulding process where tubes were mitred and wrapped.

Calfee still uses this technique in the Tetra frame – the evolution of LeMond’s first bike and the longest-running carbon fibre frameset on the market – but over the years the webs have evolved into what Calfee refers to as gussets, and are designed to strengthen the joins and add rigidity to the frame.

The Luna construction might look similar, if chunkier, but in fact it’s born of tube and lug, where roll-wrapped tubes are bonded into Calfee-made carbon lugs.

(As an aside, roll-wrapped tubes are made from carbon fibre sheets wrapped and cured around a cylindrical mandrel, unlike filament-wound tubes, where fibres are wound around a mandrel like cotton round a bobbin.)

On the Luna Pro, the tubes have been beefed up to 44mm in the head and down tube to increase stiffness over the skinnier-tubed regular Luna.

The result is an interesting bag. On paper the frame is relatively heavy at 1.3kg (size 56cm), but in practice whether it’s the extra grams or extra reinforcement from the gussets, or indeed some other hidden masterstroke in materials or construction, the Luna has the most exceptional ride quality, and here’s why…

Strong and stable

The Luna offers one of the most planted rides I’ve ever come across. It is the very definition of solid, the epitome of robust and strong.

I suspect you could throw it off a cliff and it would just bounce and get back up, laughing. Yet despite this, it doesn’t feel overbuilt or slow. It feels agile.

Spec choices undoubtedly help here – the wheels and tyres in particular. The Rolf Prima Ares 4s are light at a claimed 1,365g for the pair, wide at 27mm and aero with a 42mm deep snub-nosed profile and just 16 spokes at the front and 20 at the rear.

On these wheels the 28mm Schwalbe One tyres came up closer to 30mm and rolled happily at 85psi, offering loads of grip thanks to the larger contact patch and lower pressure, and a smooth, cushioned passage across uneven surfaces.

Given all this, the Luna sprang into life with a nimbleness more befitting a lighter bike, and carried speed in a fashion more akin to an aero racer than a traditional round-tubed bicycle.

The rest of the components performed as they should: the Ultegra Di2 shifted crisply and loses out to Dura-Ace only in terms of looks and a few extra grams (but wins on price); the Calfee-designed finishing kit looked the part and functioned as well as any finishing kit realistically can.

That is, the bars didn’t fall off, the 27.2mm seatpost had a welcome touch of flex and the stem was black. No one needs logos on their stems.

Still, all this is immaterial without the right frame to bring it all together, and in this respect the Luna Pro doesn’t just shine, it positively radiates with all the intensity of the sun.

What this bike does that others don’t is to temper its stiffness with a shock-absorbing edge while providing an overarching layer of feedback and just a hint of spring.

It’s a bit like having the bass, mid and treble on a hi-fi set harmoniously so that the frequencies are at once apparent yet homogenous.

The Luna isn’t so stiff that it fails to track the road, nor so absorbent that it drowns feedback.

Lively but sure-footed

There’s life in it – the bike reacts to the road surface but doesn’t lose its footing on the descents, and thanks to its balance and torsional stiffness I could really steer it from the hips, rocking as opposed to wrestling the bike through corners as the frame reacted to the road almost like it had suspension.

To check it wasn’t just the tyres I pumped them up to 110psi, and lo, the Luna still handled impeccably.

It isn’t perfect, being a bit hefty up the climbs, and having leant it to a colleague who is the same height as me but 8kg lighter at 71kg, apparently it’s also somewhat uncomfortable.

I disagree in the main but admit the Luna’s robustness is perhaps more befitting the heavier rider (although tube stiffness can be rider-tuned, I can’t comment as to what difference that would make).

Yet these are minor bugbears in the midst of what is a class act in every other way. Those lugs will be polarising of course, but I can’t imagine a rider who wouldn’t instantly take to the Luna’s well-honed ride.

Spec

During the 1990s, Mario Cipollini was famed as much for his flamboyant character as he was for his blistering sprints.

The Italian lit up races with his outrageous behaviour and bagged 12 stage wins at the Tour de France and an incredible 42 at the Giro d’Italia.

For many, these credentials alone are enough to give the Cipollini brand credibility, however it doesn’t take long aboard the flagship NK1K to realise that Cipollini bikes are about more than just the name emblazoned on the down tube.

First, there is the provenance. When Cipollini says the NK1K is ‘made in Italy’, it really is.

Using autoclaves at Cipollini’s facility in Verona and three other Italian factories, the brand’s top-end frames are truly and verifiably Italian-made.

That alone would justify a hefty premium, but the NK1K has some rather impressive stats that also explain the pricetag.

Some parts of the frame are made using Toray M46J carbon fibre, a material that apparently costs thousands for just a square metre and boasts otherworldly stiffness.

It’s not often used in the bike industry, being more typically reserved for Formula 1, aerospace and military purposes.

We suspect that even in the NK1K it is used very sparsely, but its very inclusion is a reflection of the investment in the frame. 

The NK1K is Cipollini’s most aerodynamic offering to date. Although evidence of wind-tunnel testing or development is hard to come by, it borrows some lines from Cipollini’s aerodynamically proven Nuke TT bike.

It is also the clear racer of Cipo’s fleet, and a keen observer of geometry will note its aggressive lines from a distance.

The head tube, for example, measures only 152mm for a 560mm top tube, while many bikes of the same size would be 15-20mm taller.

This is a beast, plain and simple. At 7.5kg for the whole build, it’s a heavyweight one as well, coming in slightly heftier than the competition from a similar class and price range.

Much like on a boxer, though, extra weight on a bike is no problem as long as it packs the punch to justify it.

Lord of the plains

I’m sure Mario would want the NK1K to be judged partially on its appearance, and it’s certainly a unique-looking frame.

It juggles sleek and modern shapes with a finish that seems almost bespoke and individual. The naked multi-directional carbon finish of most of the frame is an aesthetic seen less and less often these days, but coupled with some of the custom paintjobs on offer (such as the gold decals), the effect borders on jewellery.

As impressive as it looks, it does also appear a little long in the tooth despite being only two years old.

For an aerodynamic bike it doesn’t offer the same level of integration and attention to detail as the newest breed of supremely aero bikes such as the Trek Madone, Specialized Venge ViAS or Scott Foil.

The cabling is exposed, the brakes are direct mount but not shrouded, and it doesn’t have a wheelset designed to work aerodynamically with the frame.

It manages to look simultaneously futuristic and outdated, like the Millennium Falcon of cycling. Much like Han Solo’s spaceship, though, the NK1K has undeniable charm.

There are many factors that contribute to a bike going quickly: aerodynamics, weight, stiffness and geometry, to name a few.

Suffice to say the NK1K clearly excels at a number of them, as this is a fiercely fast bike. It bounds along the road, rattling with a healthy buzz as the tarmac whizzes by beneath it.

I felt the constant impulse to jump on the pedals and squeeze out every last ounce of speed.

Despite its relative heft, the frame’s rigidity does compensate. It’s a big advantage when sprinting but also when climbing – whether settling into a rhythm on shallow ascents, or wrenching the frame fiercely from side to side on savage inclines.

This really struck home when my electronic shifting ran dry on the Mallorca 167 sportive (I foolishly forgot to recharge the Di2 beforehand).

Trapped in a single 36/16 gear, I was struck by how well the frame held up to a ridiculously low cadence and frame-bending force.

As I heaved the bike up a slope, there was plenty of creaking and straining, but virtually no discernible flex in the bottom half of the frame.

On the descent, the Cipollini compared favourably to even the best in its class. It had me pushing just as hard as when riding the likes of the Trek Émonda or S-Works Tarmac, but the extra weight offered a sort of grounded predictability those lighter frames don’t.

The deep section FFWD F6 wheels did a nice job of holding speed as I neared the 80kmh mark, and I was even pleasantly surprised when it came to braking.

Given how sure-footed this calliper-based version is, the NK1K’s disc alternative must be an exceptionally exciting bike to descend on.

The comfort zone

In truth, I’d say the NK1K is slightly less quick than the Madone and ViAS. That’s no surprise, as those bikes are the product of years of tuned aerodynamic development.

The feedback from the road, though, does make the bike feel faster. In some ways that is more satisfying than real speed, but it does come at a cost.

If I were to describe the NK1K in a single word, it would be ‘sharp’. Not only does it look like a blade, it also has a precision in terms of handling and responsiveness that is an equally big selling point.

The downside is that sharpness is equally present when it comes to comfort. It tends to rebound harshly off potholes and becomes a little jittery when the tarmac is rough.

A set of 25mm tubeless tyres would remove some of the sting, but this is never going to be a soft ride.

Overall, the NK1K is a rarity in that it has handmade European-made charm but is still a high-performing world-class racer.

The pricetag is substantial at £4,400 for the frameset alone, but you get a lot of excitement for your money.

Much like the man himself, the Cipollini NK1K has no trouble standing out from the crowd.

Spec

Belgian bike brand Ridley has put focus on improving their disc brake equipped models for 2018 with revamps of the Fenix and Helium being the marquee changes. 

Bike providers to the likes of Lotto-Soudal and Aqua Blue Sports, Ridley has refined their disc-specific frames saving weight and becoming more aerodynamic. 

Ridley's biggest change for 2018 lies within their endurance Fenix model. Updated from last year, the new Fenix SLX Disc has shaved 300g in weight, bringing the frame down to 850g. 

The weight-saving from the team at Ridley has made the Fenix one of the lightest disc-specific frames on the market to date. 

In addition, to increase comfort on the bike, lowered seatstays have been added in order to provide a more forgiving ride. 

The Felix will be available in both a disc and rim brake option with the introduction of a new Campagnolo Potenza build also a choice. 

Alongside the new Felix SLX Disc, is Ridley's climbers bike, the Helium SLX. At just 700g from the frame, the Belgian bike makers have introduced a more affordable option. 

By fitting the Helium with the brand-new Ultegra r8000, the price of the complete bike come in a full £1100 cheaper than last year's Dura-Ace equipped model, retailing at £3,899.99.

Ridley's wider range stays the same as last year, with aero, endurance and climbing bikes in the offering for both men and women. 

Prices for the women's range start at £1099 topping out at £4999.99 for the Jane SL Ultegra Di2 and Aura SLX Ultegra Di2. 

The men's range will come in £1099.99 with the Fenix SLX Disc Ultegra Di2 at the head of affairs retailing at £6099.99.

‘We wanted to offer something different to the rest of the market,’ says Factor co-owner Rob Gitelis. It’s a slightly odd statement because, despite Factor having made some truly innovative bikes during its short history, the Factor O2 is perhaps the most conventional frame the brand has ever produced. 

You may remember the Factor 001 back in the heady days of 2009. It was a sort of Bond-bike that had a split down tube, an integrated computer screen and disc brakes long before other brands considered them.

It also cost the same as a family car. Since then Factor has evolved toward more conventionally accepted norms of road cycling to create something that can be raced at WorldTour level. 

It may have morphed from a quirky British outfit to a more mainstream cycling brand, but Factor maintains one unique hook – it owns its own Far Eastern factory that makes items for Factor and no one else. 

‘The only people who really own their own [Far Eastern framebuilding] factories these days would be Giant and Merida.

The Factor factory right now is only making bikes for Factor,’ Gitelis tells me.

That shift to first-hand production came when ex-pro rider Baden Cooke and Gitelis, who is a Taiwan-based industry veteran, bought Factor from British motorsport company bf1systems.

Pro aspirations

The acquisition has seen the brand launch onto the pro scene with a sponsorship contract with WorldTour team AG2R La Mondiale, a world away from Factor’s historic niche as an ultra-specialist luxury offering.

‘It’s very unusual for a start-up to have even a Pro Continental team in its first year,’ Gitelis tells us. ‘Most start-ups will aim for a Pro Conti team after 10 years, but our goal with this was not to just stumble along.’ 

The bike being ridden by the pros at AG2R is this one, the Factor O2, so I was naturally eager to put it through its paces.

Of Factor’s three current frames – the One, One-S and O2 – the O2 is the most generic in appearance, with the first two still flirting with the split down tube concept.

At a claimed frame weight of 750g, the O2 is the brand’s lightweight endurance racer, and it compares favourably on weight with bikes such as the Cannondale SuperSix Evo or Trek Émonda.

In terms of geometry, the O2 is a touch more on the aggressive side than those bikes, with an effective head tube of 154mm on a top tube of 565mm. It sits long and low, and is meant to be a pure racing machine.

The tubes of the O2 use a Kamm-tail profile (truncated wing shape) for aerodynamic gains, while the bottom bracket sits in an extremely wide and chunky carbon platform for stiffness and power delivery.

Gitelis tells us that it’s so stiff that sprinters on AG2R are happy to use the O2 ahead of the bulkier Factor One.

Factory standard

All this talk of rigidity in the Factor O2 left me slightly nervous. Factor’s previous bikes had stiffness in spades but I largely felt it was to the detriment of the ride.

For example, the Factor Vis Vires I tested two years ago was blindingly quick, but uncomfortable on anything other than mirror-smooth tarmac.

I was worried that even under new ownership that ride quality – if you can call it a quality – may have lingered.

It didn’t take me long to realise that the O2 is indeed very stiff, making it responsive and fast. It offers the same immediate reaction to input as bikes such as the Pinarello Dogma F8 or Cervélo S5.

I sprinted as hard as I possibly could on the O2 and never felt like even a watt was being wasted.

There is a penalty, however, in that it is immediately a rough and harsh ride. Of course, the whole point of the Factor O2 is to be raced, so it would be unreasonable of me to mark it down too much for lack of comfort.

And it wasn’t actually too bad when the road surface was decent, offering palpable feedback and a resulting sensation of speed.

Where it suffered was when the road was heavily scarred or potholed. Whenever I hit a hole there was a fairly harsh jolt through the back of the bike. 

Built for speed

The low weight of the frame offered immediate advantages on ascents or accelerating up to speed. This was aided by the wheelset, made by Factor’s sister brand Black Inc, which proved to be fast while also being light enough to keep the overall build below 6.6kg. 

That combination of light weight and high stiffness did mean that the handling took a little time for me to adjust to. At first the sharpness of the front end meant the slightest inputs at lower speed seemed to unbalance the ride slightly more than I’m used to.

However, once I was attuned to it, the handling proved to be sharp with a pleasantly planted feeling at high speed. 

I enjoyed descending just as much as I did climbing. Well-tuned geometry means it has a precision in cornering that’s shared by the likes of the Dogma F8 and S-Works Tarmac.

I felt confident hitting an apex at speed and coming out the other side on target. Whenever I took the Factor out for a ride, I felt like it
was constantly egging me on to go faster and faster.

Much as I enjoyed the Factor’s sense of speed, I had to question whether this is a bike for the sort of rider I want to be, or the rider I am.

If I were a pro the O2 would be near the top of my wish list. But as a fairweather racer and casual weekend rider the O2 is a little too harsh and aggressive to settle down with.

There’s no doubt this is a WorldTour superbike, though, and to achieve that one year after its rebirth is an exceptional feat for Factor. 

Spec

I haven't got enough bikes. I have two but that's not enough. Even if I had six, seven, eight, it wouldn't matter because it would never be enough. 

You have to remember that the correct number of bikes for you to own is n+1. N equates to the number of bikes you own, therefore you should always be looking to acquire your next pride and joy.

It can be a top of the range carbon aero racer or a simple hybrid hack you use to get to the local pub on a Sunday afternoon in the Summer. Either way, you should always be on the hunt for your newest ride.

Usually this rule is put to the test by two issues, space and cost. 

Let's deal with space first. Most homes can comfortably fit one if not two bikes in without causing too many problems.

If you're lucky enough to have a big shed or garage you can double that number. 

Yet, if like me you live in a pre-war terraced house or a small one-bed flat, you may find yourself running out of room fast. This is when ingenious solutions come to the fore. 

Cupboards under the stairs can usually squeeze one bike in, a few more can be hung from the ceiling like expensive pieces of art. Buy yourself a bed with space underneath and there you have another storage space.

That's the space issue tackled, now let's take on the cost. 

Of course, bikes come at all prices and the eagle-eyed among you will often be able to spot a bargain better than David Dickinson.

If you are lucky, you can pick up a cool frame or complete bike even for just a few hundred quid.

Otherwise, an option that works just as well, and I can vouch from personal experience, is the use of a finance plan.

Take the Giant Propel Advanced 2. An aero road bike, with aero wheels and Shimano's trusty 105 groupset for £1,549.

Not the most expensive bike in the world but not the cheapest, the Giant Propel Advanced 2 would make a great option for anybody looking to upgrade from alloy to carbon, taking their riding up a notch.

Whilst £1,549 maybe hard to cough up at once, Giant offers the chance for you to spread the cost over two years with no hidden fees.

Buyers are able to take advantage of this 0% finance deal with V12 Retail Finance on any non-sale Giant bike over the price of £999.

When the cost is broken down over 24 months, you soon realise that this purchase is costing you no more than a phone bill or a gym membership.

Now, with this deal, you can add another bike to your arsenal and continue your pursuit of the n+1 rule!

When Trek launched its first Émonda SLR, just prior to the start of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, it was at
the time the lightest production road bike in the world.

Since then much has changed in the bike industry, starting with the introduction of disc brakes, and so too has the Trek Émonda. 

The first thing to mention is the weight. It was a pretty big deal for the manufacturer to go sub-700g (690g) for a production road frame back in 2014, so it’s an even bigger deal that this disc brake frame comes in substantially lighter at a claimed 665g for a U5 Vapour Coat-painted (Trek’s 5g paint finish) 56cm frame.

As a side note, the new SLR rim brake frame is a further 25g lighter at a claimed 640g. 

I’ve not pulled it to bits to verify the weight, but the complete bike with the latest Dura-Ace Di2 9170 hydraulic disc groupset and Bontrager’s Aeolus 3 TLR D3 wheels and carbon Bontrager finishing kit graced the Cyclist scales at a feathery 6.65kg, so there’s no reason to distrust Trek’s figures. 

That’s the lightest production disc road bike we’ve had through our doors so far, and by a good margin too, beating even the Cannondale SuperSix Evo Disc with Sram’s Red eTap hydraulic disc set-up at 6.90kg.

It means Trek’s pro team riders could happily flirt with the UCI minimum weight limit, even with disc brakes.

New beginnings

The previous Émonda SLR was a bike I rated very highly, being not only light but also an incredibly good ride.

If you were looking for a bike with an aggressive race geometry that flies up hills and feels stable yet nimble on the way back down, it was a bike I often recommended (I get asked this question a lot). 

Since the leap to disc brakes, though, the landscape has changed. Many bikes I thought were great in their rim brake guise disappointed on some level once discs were added.

Apart from perhaps the aforementioned Cannondale and also Specialized’s Tarmac Disc, few have left a really positive impression. 

That’s because keeping the weight down is only part of the challenge. The best bikes are those that can trim the fat while maintaining sublime handling, responsiveness and sufficient comfort too.

And that’s exactly what Trek’s director of road, Ben Coates, suggests has been the primary target with the latest 700 OCLV carbon lay-up developed specifically for the new Émonda. 

‘For this bike we changed absolutely everything and made improvements across the board. It was a new start from the ground up,’ he tells Cyclist.

‘We’ve evolved it, finding new fibres and ways to improve the laminate schedule, and the carbon fibre pieces are even smaller and more precise – optimised for the jobs they have to do.’ 

The result, according to the data, is a frame that’s stiffer in all the key places – bottom bracket and head tube especially – while also being more vertically compliant.

Of course, we’re not just going to take Trek’s word for that, and I was fortunate to be able to fully test the new Émonda just days after its official launch, at the week-long Haute Route Rockies event in Colorado.    

The toughest test

It doesn’t take long in Colorado before you find yourself on a dirt road, and one of the first things that struck me with the Émonda SLR was the high level of comfort.

A combination of 28mm tyres inflated to 80psi, the appreciable flex in the seatmast and a frame that was capable of taking the edge off the road shocks meant it was as much a pleasure to push hard across the gravel stretches as it was the smoother tarmac. 

That’s a huge boon for a bike at this weight. It was never skittish on loose surfaces and offered precise feedback through the front end to guide it at high speeds through the many hairpins I encountered on both dirt and paved descents, plus a rather panicked avoidance of a scampering marmot while at full tilt. 

Climbing always forms a hefty chunk of every ride in the Rockies, and if you’re not properly acclimatised the altitude can quickly sap energy.

That’s when you appreciate every bit of help, and the Émonda did a great job of preserving my precious watts.

It felt extremely taut in its lower half as I laboured to the summit of many 3,000m peaks (and one above 4,000m), with no hint of anything being lost to flex – whether I was grinding my way upwards seated or dancing out of the saddle. 

Any gripes I had were minor. The seat tube bottle cage is a little too high up, which not only raises the bike’s centre of gravity but also means it’s a fight to get a 750ml bottle in and out around the top tube. 

I’d have liked removable thru-axle levers to clean up the fork dropout, and I feel the cabling is a bit messy.

I appreciate that Trek has not internalised the front brake hose in the fork leg in order to save weight, but with Bontrager as an in-house brand it’s surprising that the company hasn’t developed a handlebar specifically
to make the most of the latest Di2 junction box and charge port encapsulated within the bar plug.

This would eradicate the unsightly under-stem box. But none of these issues really undermines what is a truly outstanding machine.

At the time of writing I haven't had the chance to ride the Émonda SLR Disc Project One much on my local routes, but if I feel like a bit of Strava chasing in the coming days and weeks, I know for sure which bike I’ll be reaching for.

Spec

BMC's new flagship Teammachine SLR01 racer is here, the end product of a process that saw BMC go through 52,000 different iterations before it was happy with the finished product.

That’s right. BMC engineers, with the help of some intellectual institution bods and a Swiss supercomputer, say they have gone through a mind-bending 52,000 virtual design iterations based around 247 parameters to create the company’s new standard bearer, the Teammachine SLR01.

Some people might find it suspicious that it took precisely 52,000 iterations (which would suggest this bike is therefore number 52,001), others will just marvel at a company that’s gone to such lengths.

And indeed it had to. As BMC engineer Tobias Habegger puts it, ‘It’s hard to make the best better.’

That may sound like vacuous marketing guff, but I think it’s actually very true. The 2013 BMC Teammachine (the product of 34,000 iterations) remains one of the best race bikes I’ve ever ridden, and I know a lot of people who agree.

I stress the term race bike. That Teammachine was not one for the all-day cruiser or faint of heart. It was supremely stiff and just wanted to go.

If there was a criticism, it was that the bike was a tad harsh. So could the new version somehow unite the holy trinity by adding comfort to the stiff-light mix?

The curious incident of the vacuum cleaner

Just to make sense of this supercomputer business first, another word from Habegger:

‘With our partners Ansys and Even – two of the world’s largest players in FEA [finite element analysis] – we developed an algorithm run by a supercomputer that creates and analyses virtual versions of the Teammachine.

‘A regular computer would take five to 10 years to run similar virtualisations.’

BMC tells the computer what it wants and what the parameters are, and the computer spits out possible variants, which it then tests virtually using FEA, a system that simulates the stresses and strains on an object to help optimise that object’s shape and composition.

Each piece of the Teammachine carbon jigsaw – and there are hundreds of sheets of prepreg carbon fibre involved – is computer-selected, shaped and oriented to give the Teammachine its desired characteristics.

To that end, the frame and fork are actually heavier than the last Teammachine, a claimed 815g (size 54cm) for the frame, up from 790g, and 350g for the fork, up from 330g.

That might seem odd, but it was a necessary payoff to retain the structural integrity of an even boxier frame that promises 10% more stiffness at the bottom bracket than before, as well as increased tyre clearance and a ‘far stiffer’ fork.

‘One of my colleagues had an earlier, lighter iteration, which we built to test ride,’ says Habegger.

The problem was the tube walls were so thin that when he accidentally knocked it over onto his vacuum cleaner it cracked the top tube. And people really like to sit on top tubes.

Also curiously, while this is the top-tier calliper brake Teammachine (there’s also a disc version), it’s not the lightest.

That distinction goes to the frameset-only version, which has less paint to the tune of around 20g.

Still, all this needn’t bother the weight-weenies – the SLR01 still comes in at an impressive 6.87kg.

Speed supreme

The low weight is appreciable, but it’s only able to manifest itself out on the road thanks to the bike’s incredible stiffness.

The chainstays are about as asymmetric as they come, the PF86 bottom bracket is hoofingly big and the stocky head tube and widened fork legs are supremely rigid.

Thus I found that climbing or sprinting felt more like trailing a feather through the air than moving several kilos of bike in pendulum fashion, and acceleration was as intense as it was immediate.

All the usual factors help. The Vittoria Corsa G tyres in 25mm – and yes, there’s room for 28mm – are excellent, and DT Swiss’s latest 1400 Spline wheels felt stiff and quick, which they should at a claimed 1,434g with a 35mm deep aero-optimised rim.

The frame ignores any aero complications, but within it lies another aspect of the BMC’s speedy rub. It’s actually pretty comfortable.

Comfort is an odd thing in bicycles. We talk about it as a desirable characteristic in terms of bodily sensations, which is valid, but I think the true benefit is that comfort breeds performance as the bike moves beneath you, adjusting minutely to imperfections in the road and so limiting rolling resistance and increasing grip.

It’s the reason cars have suspension and it makes for a faster, better handling road bike.

Habegger says BMC was wise to this, so one of the specified parameters for the updated Teammachine was to have the same torsional stiffness as its predecessor, which BMC felt handled so well that it didn’t want to mess with it.

It was also mindful of customer feedback that the previous Teammachine was on the harsh side, so it has done what a lot of manufacturers have recently and dropped the position of the seatstays yet further while adding a hidden clamp on the underside of the top tube, exposing an extra 20% of the seatpost to flex.

So it’s a case of job-well-done backslapping all round, then? Not quite.

Twin identity

It has become an awful cliché, but to go fast you need to be able to stop. On a twisty road or descent a bike is really only as fast as its brakes are effective, and in this aspect the Teammachine suffers.

The brakes are direct mount, but since Sram doesn’t make direct mount callipers, and never the competitors’ groupsets shall meet, BMC has specced TRP callipers.

Sadly they’re just not as good as Shimano’s alternative, with a large amount of visible flex in the arms

And to make matters worse, the DT Swiss wheels’ braking surface is not the best. As such, I would recommend anyone buying the SLR01 should consider getting hold of some alternative callipers.

Or, even better, look into the disc version of the Teammachine.

In all other respects the SLR01 Disc is identical, as BMC wanted its pros to be able to swap between disc and rim brake bikes without noticing a change in fit and handling.

But its ace is without doubt those discs. Braking on the disc version is superior to this one in every way, and the knock-on effect is a bike that handles even better, is even more assured and stable, and is even faster.

It is hands down a better bike, which is saying something, as this one is very, very good.

It’s a shame that Sram doesn’t provide any direct-mount stopping power. Perhaps one day it will.

But until then, and at the risk of being decried as a heathen, I’d look to spec some Dura-Ace direct-mount callipers
if Sram eTap is your thing.

Or look at the Dura-Ace Di2, Mavic Cosmic-wheeled version of this bike. Or just prepare yourself for the occasional bit of white-knuckle braking.

Spec

German bike brand Storck and British car manufacturer Aston Martin have partnered to develop the special edition 5.9kg Fascenario 3 Aston Martin Edition.

The latest in a long line of collaborations between cycling and sports car brands, the bike was developed jointly between company founder Markus Storck and Aston Martin's bespoke division. Just 107 will be produced.

At just 770g for the frame and 5.9kg overall, Storck's partnership with Aston Martin saw it using 'nanocarbon technology' to ensure the bike is aerodynamic, stiff and light in equal measure.

Equipped with Sram Red eTap, a THM crankset and Zipp 303 wheels, the bike's distinctive Argentum Nero paint scheme subtly changes colour between green, grey and silver depending on the light. 

This bespoke finish will also feature on a future car collaboration between the two brands. 

The Fascenario 3 Aston Martin Edition - on display at this week's Rouleur Classic - was first unveiled as a prototype a year ago, and Storck has worked hard to improve the stiffness of the bottom bracket, while the Pirelli P Zero tyres is a nod to the bike's automotive connection.

Speaking on the collaboration, Storck founder Markus Storck was keen to emphasise the quality of the bike: 'I would say that this is probably the best bicycle ever built with an automotive name on it.'

No word yet on how much the Storck Fascenario 3 Aston Martin Edition will cost, but expect a number ending with a fair few zeroes.

The 2018 Tarmac is Specialized’s ‘everything’ bike, aiming to be as compliant while climbing a mountain as it is on a Sunday group ride.

The SL4 Sport’s steering geometry and wheelbase are identical to the firm’s decidedly pricier higher-end Tarmacs, which have won the biggest races in the world under the likes of Peter Sagan.

This model represents the second rung on the nine-bike Tarmac ladder.

Frameset

The Tarmac’s FACT carbon frameset contributes to an overall package just north of 8kg, which is not only respectable for this money, but also good enough to base an entire build or raft of upgrades around.

The bike’s oversized down tube and boxy (if sleekly finished) chainstays speak volumes about the Tarmac’s stiffness.

As does the squat 120mm head tube, which joins with the front of the down tube and curving top tube to create a tankard-sized expanse of carbon.

Given the low front end, there is potential to get Caleb Ewan-low over the bars should you fancy a sprint to the line.

Monocoque carbon forks enforce the feeling of stiffness and direct steering, while a steering geometry identical to Specialized’s race-winning S-Works Tarmac model provides an agile platform.

It’s also worth noting that the American firm’s quoted seat and head angles correlate almost exactly with our digital measurements – something of a rarity in our experience of most bike manufacturers.

Cabling is entirely internal, with inline adjusters for the front and rear mech in the cockpit area.

In brief, it doesn’t get the same complete overhaul as the higher-end Tarmacs for 2018, but for us is still a remarkably good platform for a keenly priced build.

Groupset

The equipment adorning the Tarmac is largely from Shimano’s mid-range 105 groupset, famed for and proven in its affordable price, ease of use and long life.

There are 105 shifters/brake levers, front and rear derailleurs and 11-28 cassette. The chainset, however, is a Praxis 50/34 set-up, the conventional rim brake calipers are unspecified Axis units and the Specialized runs an 11-speed KMC chain.

Finishing kit

Specialized’s Body Geometry finishing kit is put to good use here, with 420mm alloy shallow-drop handlebars and a 90mm alloy stem providing exceptionally quick leverage for fast direction changes.

A 27.2mm carbon seatpost dials out road vibes while a Toupe Sport saddle is one of our all-time favourite places to sit for a long ride.

Wheels

The DT Swiss R460 wheelset is a basic alloy set-up, and as you might expect, not the lightest.

However, they’re perfectly capable, and much better equipped for the changeable road surfaces of certainly most UK sportives, as they’ll roll with the knocks.

Featuring an 18mm internal diameter, they might be wearing 23c tyres on our test bikes, but can run anything up to 32c, for added cornering confidence and bump absorption.

Specialized’s own-brand Espoir tyres offer good puncture resistance, more than adequate grip and low rolling resistance – they’re a very good £30 tyre.

On the road

Speaking of Sagan, the ‘Sagan Superstar’ paintjob on this 2018-model SL4 Sport is the obvious first thing you fixate on when you meet this bike.

Deep black paint replete with metal flake finish, a gold Specialized head tube logo and down tube graphics are simply stunning.

Once we’re actually on the bike, the relative lack of weight is instantly noticeable and while compliance could be better, its responsiveness more than makes up for it. 

Even wearing what are effectively everyday training wheels, the Specialized is eager to respond to short, sharp accelerations on flat and rolling roads, and more than happy to gain altitude at pace, either with you seated or out of the saddle.

Once you do lever yourself off the exceptionally comfortable Toupe Sport seat, the stiffness of the frameset beneath you ensures there is absolutely no flex as you put the power down on a climb.

For unremarkable brakes, the Axis callipers do a good job of hauling the bike up on the descents; finessed modulation isn’t their forté, but they’re certainly able to stop you in short order.

Beyond the clear performance benefits of this bike, the way in which it quietly gets on with propelling you at speed makes it worthy of consideration for anyone with a stack of sportives booked for next spring.

Although its front end is solid, a simple upgrade to 25 or even 28c tyres (there’s frame clearance for it) would tone down the occasional jarring we did experience, and turn a great bike into a fantastic one.

The range of gears available here, with a smallest option of 34x28, and a largest of 50x11, is perfect for any terrain you’re likely to encounter on an organised ride, too.

Handling

We’re big fans of the Specialized Roubaix – it’s a very good option if you’re looking for a long-distance bike that’ll cover miles in comfort.

But while the Tarmac doesn’t feature its stablemate’s vibration-damping tech, it’s almost as cosy a place to be.

Plus – and it’s a big plus – it has the power to excite, thanks to a wheelbase that’s almost 2cm shorter, and more aggressive steering geometry.

Yes, the Tarmac can corner with the best of them, and with a much greater level of feedback than a lot of bikes at this price.

Downhill corners are carved through, and small adjustments to your line in sweeping turns is made easy by the leverage afforded by a 90mm stem.

This short stem can make it seem a little twitchy at times, but would easily be remedied by the fitment of a longer component, should it suit your body type.

We’d probably slap on a set of 25c tyres, too, for the extra cornering confidence they bring, and to dial out the final rough edges to road feedback.

However, it boils down to what you want from a sportive bike.

If you’re not made of money, and want something that’ll make you feel like Sagan, both the straight-line performance and cornering prowess of the Tarmac will make it worth your while.

Make no mistake, this is a bike that rewards commitment.

Ratings

Frame: The Sagan Superstar paintjob is stunning. 8/10
Components: A good mix of 105 and Praxis components. 8/10 
Wheels: Basic but good enough for the job at hand. 8/10 
The Ride: Commitment is rewarded with performance. 8/10

VERDICT

Great looking and instantly responsive, the Tarmac SL4 Sport delivers decent all-round performance with a competitive edge.

Geometry

Spec

According to the Spoon Customs website, ‘No matter how nicely a bike rides, it’s not a great bike until it looks rad.’

We won’t dwell on the use of the word ‘rad’, but one glance at this bike reveals that Spoon practises what it preaches.

Thanks to its lustrous paintjob, which switches between pink and gold depending on the angle of the light, the Spoon Izoard looks like an ornamental sculpture. There is substance behind the style, though.

Spoon founder Andy Carr has taken a slightly unconventional approach to the steel bike building business.

‘I’ve gone through the United Bicycle Institute and the Bicycle Academy to train in building steel bikes,’ he tells us.

‘My brazing is fine but I find it really difficult because of a tremor in my left hand, so it didn’t take me long to realise that I’d never be able to build frames commercially to the standard I’d want,’ he says candidly.

‘With my experience of building, though, I was able to go out and look at the bike building market with open eyes and start thinking about what to look for in a supplier.’

That search led Carr to Italy, the historic home of artisan steel bike building.

‘Our entire supply chain is based in the north of Italy, which is what I believe needs to be done to get the product where it needs to be,’ he says.

While Italy is where the production takes place, the customer experience is all based here in the UK.

Working with Bath-based bikefitter Torke Cycling, Carr liaises with the customer on fit and design.

Once the geometry and other specifics have been drawn up, all the details are sent to Italy for the actual building process to begin.

Unsurprisingly, Italian-based Columbus tubing is the steel of choice, and Carr uses a combination of Life, Spirit and HSS steel tubing in the frame.

‘Steel has changed, both in terms of its perception and performance,’ Carr insists.

‘By using carbon forks and oversize modern profile tubes it’s possible to design a really direct, precise, stiff front end.’

With that in mind, the Izoard is certainly no traditional steel cruiser, but in Carr’s view is every bit the aggressive road race machine.

For a bike that looks almost more like rolling jewellery or artwork, and one that was fawned over by at least a dozen passers-by during my test rides, that promise of performance is vital to making this more than just a cafe bike.

Hard and fast rules

Before my first test run, Carr advised I run the Spin Industries Koppenberg wheels at a lower than normal pressure given the wide rim width – advice that I carelessly tossed aside.

As a result my first ride on the Izoard was a little teeth-chattering. As is often the case with performance steel, you can’t expect the soft and forgiving ride that the metal is traditionally associated with – the Condor Super Acciaio and the Genesis Volare are both examples of how stiff steel can be.

Thankfully, the Spoon Izoard is not as stiff as those frames, and with a careful readjustment of tyre pressure I found it relatively comfortable.

The Izoard’s slightly stiff ride did have ample rewards, though. Mainly that it is blisteringly fast.

Having ridden aero speed machines and time-trial bikes in recent months, the Izoard did not feel slow by comparison.

In fact I was constantly forgetting that it was not a carbon frame, and the many bystanders who asked me about it didn’t have a clue.

With its seamless fillet brazed joints, internal cabling and sizeable tubes, it’s a doppleganger for a classic carbon custom steed.

I happily kept up on even the fastest of chaingang rides on the Izoard, and found that it held speed like a middling aerodynamic build, aided by the slippery 3T Aeronova handlebars and deep section wheelset – after all, the frame is only part of the aerodynamic puzzle.

It’s no surprise that the geometry sits on the racy side, too. Although it looks quite tall, the head tube measures 160mm from the external edge of the Chris King bearings, against a 565mm top tube.

That makes for a long and low stance that will have most riders sitting in an aggressive position.

The bike also showed strong form on climbs. To my amazement, on an ascent of my favourite local 3km climb I posted my fastest time in years, only seconds off my PB from my fitter days.

With a chunky 1,700g frame weight and hefty deep section wheels, it certainly wasn’t down to the low weight of the Izoard, but rather a very stiff rear end that transfers power with striking efficiency to the road.

When it came to handling, the Izoard’s rigid build provided very direct feedback from the road, a big asset for gauging grip in corners.

The wide head tube and carbon fork made for predictable and enjoyable descending, and the Challenge Criterium open tubular tyres complemented that handling quality well, providing a natural traction that made them feel more like a tubular tyre than a clincher.

Feel the steel

I was left feeling that if this were my own custom project I would tweak it slightly. Most likely I’d request a little more comfort dialled in with the geometry and tubing choice, and possibly a higher front end.

That’s not to pick flaws in the Izoard, which is perfectly geared to road racing, but for me I’d want this to be a bike for life and I’m not sure my back will be forgiving enough to allow such a slammed position in years to come.

Looking to the future, Carr has designs that incorporate a carbon seat tube and integrated carbon seatpost, which could add some vital vertical deflection to the ride while cutting some weight.

But, of course, I’d obviously keep this paintjob – it was a winner all round.

In terms of what Carr wants the Izoard to be, it hits the spot remarkably well, proving that custom steel can compete in performance terms with carbon even while being pitched at a similar price.

More broadly, Spoon shows that while the focus is perpetually on carbon, steel has been quietly coming on in leaps and bounds.

For a reasonable price, cutting-edge tubing can create a high-performance ride that’s enhanced with the customisation and longevity offered by steel.

What’s more, great steel frames just look rad, if you’ll excuse the expression.

Spec

I was recently given the opportunity to review the Cervelo S3 Disc; an incredibly fast, fast bike with razor-sharp handling. So I did the obvious thing and put it to the test by riding it from Lands End to John O’Groats.

Over nine days I would ride 969 miles, pedal twice the height of Everest, and tick off 23 counties and three countries, in torrential rain, hail storms, and freezing temperatures.

The perfect way to test out an aero road bike.

Canadian brand Cervelo has long been at the forefront of aerodynamics, and the S3 traces its lineage back to the Cervélo Soloist, a machine regarded as a pioneer in aero road bike design.

One of the things that stood out almost immediately is that Cervelo hadn’t just slapped on a set of disc brakes and called it a day.

Instead Cervélo has reimagined the frame to smooth out any penalties that might occur from adding disc brakes, and created a bike that is better than the rim-brake version in pretty much every way.

Speaking about the S3 Disc, Cervelo explained that its policy is to 'only introduce a new bike when significant gains in design and technology have been achieved.

'Therefore the newest disc model had to equal or surpass the S3 in all five of the performance criteria encompassed by our Engineering Fundamentals: Weight, stiffness, ride quality, usability and most importantly, aerodynamics.'

According to Cervelo the frame is 9% stiffer, has a net reduction in drag of a claimed 2W, and is 40g lighter than the regular rim brake model.

Okay so unless you're the type of person who pores over weight weenies, these numbers seem small, but it is pretty incredible to see a disc bike that is lighter, stiffer and more aero than the rim brake equivalent.

There are the now standard 12mm thru-axles at the fork and rear dropouts, coupled with flat mount disc brake calipers.

The switch from quick release to 12mm thru-axles has, unsurprisingly, resulted in more stiffness.

Cervelo says there's an 8% increase in head tube stiffness and 9% bottom bracket stiffness which improves overall handling and power transfer to the pedals.

Introducing disc brakes also increased tyre clearance, and while the bike is specced with 23mm, I popped some 25mm Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres on for my ride with ease.

The trend is obviously to go with bigger tyres these days, but ultimately this is meant to be a race bike where 25mm is still the current standard.

Cables are internally routed to reduce drag, and the hydraulic disc brake hoses are nicely hidden inside the fork and frame, although I did find they caused a bit of a rattle.

Because of aero seat tube, the Di2 battery is concealed inside the down tube.

The crankset is a carbon fibre FSA SLK 52/36t specially adapted with a 5mm offset to provide the correct chainline with the S3 Disc's short 405mm chainstays.

I took this off for my ride and replaced with my Quarq power meter with no issues.

When I first took the bike out for a little test, I couldn’t help but get excited by the incredible responsiveness and pure speed of it.

Acceleration came effortlessly in a way that only comes from the stiffest most aero road bikes. It was incredibly stable at high speed even when I was facing the gusty conditions of the Scottish Highlands.

Being an aero bike, the position is quite aggressive and head down, so I had been a bit worried about doing an endurance ride on it but was able to comfortably tackle 100 miles plus a day on it.

That said if you are looking for an endurance bike to take in the views from, this is probably not the bike for you.

In Scotland, the road surface could be a bit patchy in parts, and at times the ride could be a bit jarring. However I have to admit from a bike as stiff as this, I was expecting it to be much worse.

At the end of the day, it is a race bike through and through, and not meant for long steady days in the saddle.

Ultimately if you are looking for a fast, responsive bike with the reassurance of disc brakes, the Cervelo S3 Disc is a fantastic option.

Distributor

Derby Cycle

Verdict

Ultimately if you are looking for a fast, responsive bike with the reassurance of disc brakes, the Cervélo S3 Disc is a fantastic option. We just need British Cycling to let disc brakes into the amateur peloton now.

Cervélo launches S3 Disc

Josh Cunningham

Cervélo is a brand that has long prided itself on its aerodynamics and general technology-driven outlook, and that's certainly evident here with the launch of a disc-braked version of its aero road bike, the S3. 

The new S3 Disc has a frame that is a claimed 40g lighter than the rim-brake version, with an 8% increase in head tube stiffness and a 9% increase in the bottom bracket stiffness. At a yaw angle of 15° the new bike saves a claimed 19 grams of drag, which Cervélo reckons translates to roughly around 2 watts.

There are three models of the S3 Disc available, defined by their associated groupsets: Shimano Ultegra, Ultegra Di2 or SRAM Red eTap, which retail at £4,249, £6,199 and £7,649 respectively. Each come with hydraulic braking systems from either FSA or SRAM, and an aero wheelset from either HED or Enve. The bikes also come kitted out with the new aero-friendly AB04 handlebar and SP17 seatpost too.

A commonality between the models is the use of thru-axles, as is the use of flatmount callipers, with Cervélo adopting two cemented standards for disc-braked bikes. Regular Cervélo technologies such as BBRight, whereby the non-drive side of the bottom bracket shell is made wider (and therefore stiffer) and a partial seat tube cut out for aerodynamics, remain present across the range - but there's also some updates. 

The fork is a claimed 19g faster than the standard S3 model thanks to an updated leg design with a more efficient airfoil shape. In the absence of rim brake necessities, the fork crotch has been raised too, which minimises the area of low pressure behind the crown,and the seat and chain stays have also been updated with lessons learned from the R3 Disc, making for a proposed stiffer back end. 

More to come when we get our hands on one for a review.

derby-cycle.com

This feature was produced in association with Cycle Surgery.

Seeing as this part of our introduction to new bikes for 2018 focuses on the more affordable end of the market, we figured it made sense to mention the Cycle To Work Scheme, which is particularly useful if you’d love a new bike but think you can’t afford one.

If you’re not aware of it, it’s a UK government initiative designed to get more backsides out of car seats and onto bicycle saddles.

As such it essentially allows you to offset the cost of a bike – up to £1,000 anyway – through your employer, whom you then pay back via your salary, typically over a 12-18 month period.

See bike2workscheme.co.uk to find out more about this.

As all three of the bikes we're featuring come in under the magical £1k mark, you could purchase any one of them without having to go near your savings or take out a loan.

We know, tempting isn’t it?

Giant Contend 1 2018

In a nutshell: With its relaxed geometry the new Contend will suit those who value comfort when they ride, but not at the expense of speed thanks to its lightweight aluminium frame and carbon fork.

Stand-out features: External bottom bracket bearings help make the Contend a bit stiffer and lighter at the bottom of the frame underscoring its speedy credentials.

But with mudguard mounts this could be just as easily used for touring as going for
a weekend blast with chums or taking on your next sportive.

£749 | cyclesurgery.com

Cube Attain Pro Disc 2018

In a nutshell: From its racy good looks, to its slender seat stays which filter out road noise and increase rider comfort, this represents a lot of bike for your money – not least when you throw in the mechanical disc brakes which will ensure plenty of stopping power whatever the weather.

Stand-out features: The Attain’s geometry has been tweaked for maximum comfort while providing stable, safe handling, however hard you push it.

£849 | cyclesurgery.com

Specialized Allez Elite 2018

In a nutshell: Revamp of Spesh’s super-popular entry-level racing bike. Made of aluminium, it manages to be a few hundred grams lighter than its alloy predecessor.

It’s also got a more relaxed geometry making it more comfortable and better suited to longer rides.

Stand-out features: The frame has been tested in the wind tunnel to make it more aerodynamic than ever, while the SmoothWeld technology gives the frame an incredible neat finish. The cassette features a 32-tooth sprocket for making short work of the hills.

£999 | cyclesurgery.com

I’m seeing more and more Ridley bikes on the roads when I go out riding. Thanks in part to its connection with WorldTour team Lotto Soudal, the Belgian brand is constantly expanding its presence outside of its home market, not least on British weekend club runs where riders looking for high-end machines are increasingly willing to pay premium prices.

Ridley’s popularity is also down to the fact that it makes extremely good bicycles. I tried out the slightly lower-spec Helium X earlier this year, and became rather attached to it when it carried me through a gruelling day of low temperatures and driving rain at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège sportive.

So when the top-of-the-range Ridely Helium SLX landed in the Cyclist office I made sure to be first in the queue to give it a full test.

The fact that I was familiar with its Ultegra-dressed cousin, however, immediately raised a negative point about the SLX. As it’s quite possibly the only negative, I’ll get it out of the way now.

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Image 2 of 8

There is a £2,000 difference in price between the Helium X and the Helium SLX. For this significant extra wedge the SLX comes with the newest Shimano Dura-Ace groupset rather than Ultegra, and it has an improved frameset that saves 150g (about the weight of a smartphone) compared to the Helium X.

So far, so good, but here’s my gripe: both bikes come with the same Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels, which retail at under £200 online.

They’re a decent set of robust workaday wheels, but they suit neither the look nor the ride feel of a bike such as the Ridley Helium SLX, which sits at the higher end of the race bike spectrum.

When I questioned Mike Anderson of UK distributor Madison about it, he responded by saying, ‘There’s the assumption with these high-end bikes that the person buying may well have a set of race wheels already, and so will prefer to save a grand on the pricetag rather than end up with another set of higher-end wheels that they might not even want.’

It’s true that fitting lower-spec wheels allows brands to hit certain price points, delivering top-drawer frames and groupsets to a wider range of budgets.

But my argument would be, in that case, don’t bother with the wheels at all and give me £200 back.

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Image 3 of 8

Ridley is far from the only company to do this, but it presents a problem.

Do I test the bike exclusively as presented, complete with budget wheels that might undermine a fine frame? Or should I swap in a set of more appropriate wheels?

For the Ridley Helium SLX I felt it was only fair to do the latter, so after a few weeks on the supplied Fulcrum Racing 5s I swapped in a pair of Shimano Dura-Ace C35s clad with Specialized Turbo Cotton clinchers (with tan sidewalls, naturally).

The effect was immediate. This build suddenly rode like a dream and the C35s made what is already an attractive bike look amazing.

Tested on the Alpe

Surrounded by bubblewrap and packed into a bike bag, the Helium SLX made its way with me to Alpe d’Huez for a sportive, and here showed its quality regardless of the gradient.

There are lighter bikes out there, but at 7.21kg (factory standard) it’s also far from the heftiest.

The stiffness of the frameset, a quality Ridley is known for, which was improved by the Dura-Ace wheels, meant that whether on the flat or the more testing ramps of the Alpe and more local climbs, all power – however much or little I could muster – was translated into forward motion.

Ridley says its SLX frameset uses a combination of carbon fibre tows, including unidirectional, to make it as strong, stiff and responsive as its cousin the X, but at a lower weight: tipping the scales below 750g rather than 900g.

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Image 4 of 8

In addition to its ability on the way up, I’m struggling to think of a bike I’ve ridden that handled better on the descents.

The assured cornering and handling – aided no doubt by those cotton tyres from Specialized – was very welcome in the high Alps and also on the less imposing descents of my regular loops around Surrey.

I was also taken by the whole aesthetic of the bike. The combination of grey, black and orange made it look understated (helped no end by the refreshing lack of garish logos), yet also allowed it to stand out from the mass of plain black frames that crowded the slopes of Alpe d’Huez.

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Image 5 of 8

The big picture

During a conversation with a Cyclist colleague, we agreed that reviewing bicycles is becoming harder and harder, as manufacturing and technology have progressed in such huge strides that setting one bike apart from another is increasingly difficult (especially at the top end of the market).

It usually comes down to a single aspect of design or performance that renders a bike either exceptional or disappointing, and this is where I had trouble assessing the Ridley Helium SLX.

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Image 7 of 8

I knew it was a good bike – a great one, even – but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was that made it such a pleasure to ride.

There is no one standout feature that elevates it above its peers. It’s not the lightest, nor the most aerodynamic, nor the most comfortable, nor the most hi-tech bike on the market, but it has a combination of qualities that blend together to make it greater than the sum of its parts.

As an overall package it is hard to fault, and the ride quality is second to none. Once it has had a wheel upgrade, of course.

Specification

This review first appeared in Issue 67 of Cyclist and has been tweaked slightly for online

This feature was produced in association with Cycle Surgery.

Not all road bikes are equal. Heck, most aren't even that similar despite superficial appearances (yes, they all have handlebars, a frame and some wheels but that really is about where the likeness ends).

If you’ve got your heart set on buying a new road bike it’s always worthwhile asking yourself, ‘What kind of riding will I be doing on it?’

If you’re taking up crit racing, for example, then you’ll obviously want something stiff, light and responsive.

If, however, you’re targeting your first sportive or century ride then it makes more sense to look for something with a shorter top tube which will create a more upright – and therefore comfortable riding position – plus a good spread of gears to help with climbs.

Be specific about your needs rather than just picking one because you like its pretty paint job!

Cube Attain GTC Race Disc 1

In a nutshell: A handsome-looking, high-performance racer that combines a stiff carbon frame to get you up to speed with ease, with Shimano BR-RS505 disc brakes to bring you efficiently to a halt.

Stand-out features: With internal gear cabling and hydraulic (rather than cable) operated brakes this is a bike that’s comparatively low maintenance.

The frame has also been optimised to soak up the disc brakes’ stopping power, with a specially designed fork that’s not only more robust but also improves steering while increasing comfort.

£1,799 | cyclesurgery.com

Giant Advanced 1 Disc

In a nutshell: A bike with a racing heart this employs Giant’s so-called ‘Compact Geometry’ (which gives the carbon frame that sloping top tube) to create greater stiffness and therefore efficient power transfer to the pedals.

The hydraulic disc brakes, meanwhile, will pull you up in a trice.

Stand-out features: As well as the Shimano RS505 brakes, its Shimano Ultegra compact 11-speed drivetrain is a welcome sight, and will certainly help you over the hills.

£1,999 | cyclesurgery.com

Orbea Orca Aero M30 Team

In a nutshell: An unashamed racing machine that’s been specifically designed to help those riders who like to go fast, go even faster!

This is Basque firm Orbea’s first ever aero bike and is a response to the UCI – pro cycling’s governing body – relaxing its rules on frame design.

Stand-out features: Those chunky, deep-section carbon tube profiles are all about creating stiffness to squeeze every last watt out of your performance while also reducing air resistance.

Just look at how the rear wheel is tucked in behind the seat tube for example. Slick!

£2,499 | cyclesurgery.com

Kuota claims the Kobalt to be ‘ideal for cyclists looking for the perfect sportive bike’, so we’ve high expectations.

Being the Italian firm’s entry-level carbon road bike, we’re interested to see just how good a bike at this price range can be with a decent set of wheels.

Often, they’re the first thing we’d upgrade, but the £1,899 built of our Kobalt test bike includes Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels as standard.

It’s also one of the first bikes we’ve tested with the new Shimano Ultegra groupset.

Frameset

The monocoque carbon frame’s gently sloping top tube is an endurance classic, tapering from a 140mm long head tube to sweep into flared, rounded-profile seatstays.

The oversized down tube hints at ample stiffness, while deep-section chainstays suggest big power inputs will easily be translated to the rear wheel.

Internal cable routing allows electronic groupset wires should you want to upgrade further down the line.

Although our test bike is rolling on 23c rubber, Kuota claims the frame has clearance for up to 28c.

The Kobalt’s frameset also employs differing fibre lay-up depending on its size, to create a bike that’s as well tailored to its rider as possible.

Although pitched firmly at the sportive rider, the measured steering geometry hints at a sharper tool than you’d expect, with a head angle of 73.7° very firmly in the race bike category.

Allied to a short wheelbase of 973mm, this makes for an entertaining ride, although it does possess a certain amount of stability to temper its otherwise keen-to-corner nature.

Groupset

Shimano’s new-for-2017 Ultegra R8000 kit is showcased on this bike. Girder-like cranks and more aero brake callipers are the highlights, along with new ergonomics to the brake hoods and a larger shift paddle on the levers.

An 11-32 cassette provides a whopping range of gears, while the 50/34 compact chainset means you’ll never struggle for a gear on even the most testing climb.

Finishing kit

Alloy Deda kit is used for the 120mm stem and 400mm handlebars, which provide a good fit for our 5ft 9 build.

Deda’s alloy seatpost provides enough damping to isolate your chamois area from road vibes, while the San Marco Concor saddle is a welcome place to perch for hours on end.

Wheels

Mavic’s Cosmic Elite wheelset costs £370 to buy separately, so to find these semi-aero alloy hoops on this bike at just a £200 premium over the standard Shimano RS010 wheels is a bonus.

Sealed cartridge bearings are maintenance-free, and the 20-spoke set-up on the rear wheel is arranged in such a way as to counter forces on the drive side.

The Cosmics wear Mavic’s own Yksion Elite rubber – we’ve never totally gelled with these tyres, mainly owing to concerns over wet-weather performance, but their rolling resistance feels low, and Mavic claim a respectable weight of 205g each.

On the road

This bike is one of those rare few that seems to gel perfectly from the off. Kuota has put a lot of thought into fit – a necessity given that the Kobalt is available in a wide range of frame sizes, from XXS (45) to XXL (61) – and our size S model was immediately familiar in its comfortable reach to the bars.

At thie same time, we also immediately felt assured that its steering geometry could be more than up for some eager cornering.

First impressions prove well founded as the Kobalt tips into the first corner of our test loop on fresh tyres with a willingness that almost takes us by surprise.

Note: do not attempt to carve downhill on box-fresh tyres if you can help it… Considering that a shot across the bows, we spent the following hour coaxing the Kuota round turns to get the tyres scrubbed in, and instead of aiming for every apex concentrated on revelling in the comfort of this package.

Despite an undeniably stiff set-up, the bike has more than enough about it to keep harsh road buzz from the contact points, and the set-up of the front end – with perfectly proportioned bar and stem – keep our hands in an ideal position to negotiate narrow back roads, and with enough immediacy of steering input to swerve the worst of the potholes.

When the going gets rolling, the impressive pick-up of speed is noticeable, aided by tyres that excel in a straight line and wheels that are eager to spin up.

In the bigger gears it’s possible to get some serious power down, and progress becomes as rapid as lungs and legs will allow.

Faced with an uphill section of our loop, the Kobalt dispatches short climbs in the big ring – its relatively low weight and the way in which this bike can be levered from side to side adds climbing to its skill-set.

By the second half of our ride, the tyres are ready for some committed cornering action, and we’ve no significant grumbles about comfort.

This is a stiff bike, however, so you need to expect a certain amount of vibration on rougher roads.

Get it on a smooth stretch of road, however, and the feeling of connection to the tarmac compels you to lay down some serious wattage.

Handling

We knew it was coming, but the way in which this bike attacks corners will be a massive plus point for quicker sportivists, and even those of us who just like a fast ride (no matter what tempo we originally went out to achieve).

The combination of a racy, 73.7° head angle and a measured seat angle of 74.6° cants the rider over the front end of the bike, into a position that really allows you to attack the road, with a riding position that’s good for hours of riding on the hoods, or for head down, on-the-drops action.

Downhill sweepers are dispatched merrily, with the new Ultegra brakes instantly delivering sharp performance if you pull a big handful of lever, while the measured way in which they knock off speed in smaller increments on the approach to corners is truly excellent.

The bike’s fairly lengthy bottom bracket drop contributes to a slightly lower centre of gravity; combine this with even the confidence provided by 23c Mavic rubber, and you’ve a recipe for fast, comfortable progress through turns.

There’s no doubting this bike supplies a remarkable level of performance for the money. If you’re looking for a first bike for long rides that won't break the bank, or are a strong rider looking to upgrade, this is a belter of a bike.

Ratings

Frame: Instantly comfortably, with sporty geometry. 8/10
Components: We're plenty impressed with Shimano's latest Ultegra. 8/10 
Wheels: Mavic Cosmic Elite are a cut above cheaper wheels. 8/10 
The Ride: Fast and agile but also comfortable to go with it. 9/10

Verdict

Delivers remarkable performance for the money. If you’re looking for a first bike for long rides that won't break the bank, or are a strong rider looking to upgrade, this is a belter of a bike

Geometry

Spec

This feature was produced in association with Cycle Surgery.

One of the most important considerations when buying a new bike is the material it’s built from. Although carbon isn’t unheard of at the lower end of the market, it’s almost de rigueur once you start poking around in the section with the big price tags.

As a material, it’s light, stiff, strong and highly adaptable. Traditionally, of course, bikes were made from steel and in many places still are.

Strong and easily repaired, steel does, however, suffer in the weight stakes compared to other metals such as aluminium, which ruled the road bike world until carbon came along at the end of the ’90s and swiped its crown.

Titanium is the other material to be found in frame manufacture. With similar properties to steel, it’s much lighter, but also tougher to work with and so accordingly tends to be pricier and less commonly used.

Orbea Orca M11i Pro

In a nutshell: A racing machine, yes, but one that is designed to take the edge off of long, hard miles.

Stand-out features: The monocoque carbon frame is constructed to produce optimal stiffness, with the head tube, down tube and chainstays all shaped to resist twisting so that all your power is poured directly into the pedals.

The pattern of the carbon lay-up, meanwhile, plus that thin top tube and slender seatstays are all designed to deliver comfort and control. The wireless SRAM Red eTap electronic groupset also takes this bike to the next level.

£4,699 | cyclesurgery.com

Scott Foil Disc

In a nutshell: This update of the super slippery Scott Foil sees disc brakes added and the carbon frame modified to counteract the extra weight that disc brakes bring.

Stand-out features: The Foil Disc has a wider deeper fork leg than its predecessor. This shields the front disc calliper to reduce drag. The lack of rim brake callipers also means the tyres up to 30c can be fitted – making it an aero bike that can also deliver on comfort.

£3,299 | cyclesurgery.com

Specialized Tarmac Pro

In a nutshell: Pro by name and pro by nature, the new Tarmac is a bike that’s stuffed with all the know-how Specialized has poured into its S-Works range of Grand Tour-winning machines down the years.

Stand-out features: The sleek frame is made from 10r FACT carbon fibre which is not only supremely light, but also supremely stiff, meaning all the watts you generate will go directly into getting that back wheel flying.

A full Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8000 groupset and Roval CL 50 carbon wheelset round out a truly top-grade package.

£5,750 | cyclesurgery.com