Look has never been afraid of innovation. It produced the first clipless pedals, which helped Bernard Hinault win his fifth Tour de France in 1985.

Shortly afterwards it introduced the first carbon fibre-tubed bike to the Tour. More recently, its latest aero offering, the Look 795, bore more resemblance to a technologically advanced praying mantis than a conventional road bike.

As such, customers who expect wacky designs from Look may be a little underwhelmed by the new 785 Huez, which is fairly conservative in appearance.

But the innovation is still there – it’s just beneath the surface.

The 785 Huez RS is the first product from a new-look Look, which has undergone a bit of a corporate revamp recently, complete with a new president and the acquisition of wheel brand Corima.

Unsurprisingly this build is equipped with Corima’s freakishly light and scantily spoked Winium+ tubular wheelset.

It’s a nice complement to the lightest frameset Look has ever created, which is a claimed 730g for the frame and only 280g for the fork, together creating a complete bike at 5.9kg.

Look says it could have gone under 700g for the frame, which would have placed it up there with the very lightest.

However, the company claims to have resisted the temptation to prioritise weight over function, performance and safety.

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

‘All of Look’s bicycles are made to not only meet the European testing standards, but exceed them by 60%.’

Material world

Responsibility for the Look 785 Huez RS’s light weight, high stiffness and wince-inducing £8k+ pricetag can be partly attributed to the choice of carbon fibres.

Look claims to have used an ultra high modulus (UHM) carbon that boasts a tensile strength of 60 tons/square mm.

For those without a masters in composites engineering, that means it’s very strong and light, but also very expensive – these grades of carbon can run into thousands of pounds per kilogram.

Perhaps only 10% of the frame uses these special fibres (reasonably so – a bike made completely of UHM fibres would be incredibly harsh and very susceptible to breakage) but it does help to explain the significant price increase of the Huez RS over the standard 785 Huez, which comes in at a still-pricey £4,099 for the Di2 version.

For that money you get a frame that weighs an additional 260g compared to the RS, at 990g, and a fork that weighs 350g.

The choice of fibres isn’t the only reason the Huez RS comes in at a weight to rival a special-edition Cannondale SuperSix or Trek Émonda without the need for specialist third-party components.

Look has rethought its tubes, using what Caron calls ‘optimised inertia section’, where each tube has been shaped to function optimally within the frame.

For example, the down tube has a fairly blunt, squared-off profile at the intersection with the bottom bracket, which then morphs along its length towards a more traditional round shape at the junction with the head tube.

Caron claims the combination of material selection and tube design means the Look 785 Huez RS boasts particularly thin tube walls, getting down to a thickness of just 0.6mm at the middle of the tube where the stresses are at their minimum.

That, Caron says, cuts down overall weight without compromising on stiffness.

Continuing the theme of stiffness and low weight is the centrepiece of the bike: Look’s unique one-piece ZED crankset.

Both the cranks and axle are created as a single unit from carbon fibre, and it’s cunningly designed so that it doesn’t need to be split in two to be mounted, but can be fed neatly through the bottom bracket shell before being sealed into place by the bearings.

With all this focus on stiffness, you might expect the 785 Huez RS to be bone-shakingly harsh to ride, but Look hasn’t forgotten comfort.

Its cocktail of carbon includes 260 separate pieces for the frame, and 90 for the fork, to ensure that flex can be built in where it’s needed.

As another nod to comfort, Look has also armed the 785 with a skinny 27.2mm seatpost.

Cyclist rode the Look 785 Huez RS at the Look Granfondo Marmotte in the French Alps, and found the supremely low weight, stiffness and tuned handling made for a fine partner over the 5,000m of elevation that the gran fondo inflicts.

Look 785 Huez climbers’ bike weighs just 5.9kg

28 June 2017

Look Cycle has begun a broad renovation of its brand with the unveiling of a new flagship lightweight road bike – the Look 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 the Fortuneo-Vital Concept team.

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 Look 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 emphasises 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 Look 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 the headtube.

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

The Look 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 for the frame and 350g for the fork. It does not use the ultra high modulus 60T carbon.

It comes at a lower price, topping out at €3,999 (around £3,500) with Shimano Ultegra Di2 – 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:

Look 785 Huez RS

Replica Fortuneo €9,999
Pro Team Dura Ace €6,999
Shimano Ultegra Di2 €4,999
Shimano Ultegra €3,999

Look 785 Huez

Shimano Ultegra Di2 €3,999
Shimano Ultegra €2,999
Shimano 105 €2,299

The standout feature of Specialized's 2018 Diverge is the Future Shock suspension, which gives 20mm of travel neatly packed into the steerer tube. First seen on the Roubaix model, it’s no surprise to see it move across to the Diverge, though it has been tweaked with a firmer compression spring giving a more progressive ride.

Being internal, this can’t be swapped by the rider, but there is the option to switch between three different springs.

First impressions are fantastic, the Future Shock adding comfort on rough and bumpy roads without ever feeling like it’s bouncing uncontrollably or wasting energy.

Off-road, it copes well on forest roads and on smaller bumps, but on bigger bumps it can sometimes knock the end of the suspension travel.

Comfort at the back is taken care of by the Specialized CG-R seatpost. With 38mm tyres fitted, it gives a ride and level of comfort that mimics that of a bike with much bigger tyres.

The full carbon frame helps keep weight down, and gives a quick, responsive ride, adding up to create a bike that feels fast whenever the going is a little rough.

Frame clearance was less than other similar adventure bikes, although it can still take up to 42mm tyres.

The Future Shock does take up space in the head tube area, which Specialized has kept as short as possible, meaning those who prefer a more aggressive riding position, can still be comfortable.

The downside is a reduced internal area to mount a frame bag.

The Shimano 105 groupset functions well with RS505 hydraulic brakes that stop quickly and efficiently.

The Praxis Works Alba chainset shifts well, but has a wide stance and we found our shoes rubbed the crank arms.

The Axis wheels are light but flexed noticeably when the bike was loaded, though they feel sturdy enough.

The lower weight helped when riding unloaded, the bike feeling light and quick to respond both on and off-road.

Ratings

Frame 9/10; Components 9/10; Wheels 7/10; The ride 9/10

Verdict: As a bike for the roughest, least maintained roads and even lighter off-road and gravel-style riding the Diverge is supreme. It can’t match the off-road stability of more adventurous adventure bikes, and a few features make it less ideal for bikepacking, but if speed is your top priority, the Diverge could be the one.

Spec

This feature is produced in association with Cycle Surgery

Statistics show that while freewheeling around the countryside is one of Britain’s favourite leisure pursuits, it’s an inescapable fact that most cycling in the UK is of an urban variety.

Bicycle commuting in particular is becoming ever-more popular and the cycling industry has reacted by creating high-quality, well-thought-out machines that make riding in cities or towns a safer, more enjoyable experience.

So if you’re wondering about taking the cycle-commuter plunge, what sort of bike should you be looking at?

Well, steel and aluminium are the ideal choices of material for your frame because of the intrinsically gritty nature of urban riding as both are cheaper to repair than carbon, although if you live somewhere hilly (hello Sheffield!) a carbon bike will be lighter and therefore easier to get about on.

You might also want to consider a bike with disc brakes. These will give you all the stopping power you’ll need when traffic lights change or some oaf pulls out in front of you whatever the weather.

Mudguard and rack mounts are also important ingredients for a great urban machine, allowing you the versatility to carry any luggage on the bike rather than your back as well as attach those all-important bits of plastic that can protect you from road gunk.

A more relaxed geometry is also a plus, not only putting you in a more comfortable riding position but propping you up higher so you’ll be better able to keep an eye on the traffic.

Marin San Rafael DS2

In a nutshell: With its hardy but light aluminium frame, this one is great for city cycling, but it’s also well set up to serve you if you fancy getting off the beaten track for a bit.

Stand-out features: Taking a few licks from mountain bikes, the San Rafael 2 not only features hydraulic disc brakes but also hydraulic suspension on its fork to save your hands if you hit a pothole.

The heavy-duty Schwalbe Smart Sam Kevlar tyres offer a high degree of puncture protection, while you’ll find well-appointed fitting points for panniers and mudguards.

£525 | cyclesurgery.com

Whyte Carnaby

In a nutshell: With its long wheelbase and relaxed head angle, the Carnaby offers the best of both worlds with stability when you’re belting along, and a high degree of manoeuvrability when you’re moving slowly – through stationary traffic, for example.

Stand-out features: The rear dropout has been specially designed so that the hydraulic disc brake calliper can be fitted inside the rear triangle for easy fitment of a rack or mudguards.

With 32c tyres on 20mm wide rims this is also a bike that’ll treat you to a comfy ride.

£599 | cyclesurgery.com

Scott Sub Cross 20

In a nutshell: SUB stands for Speed Utility Bike and that adequately sums up this lightweight, yet entirely practical aluminium machine.

Stand-out features: With its Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, relaxed geometry, spread of 30 gears, rugged Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres and mounts for mudguards this ticks plenty of boxes.

We also like the remote locked-out suspension fork. Lifted from MTBs, this allows you choose between a rigid or squishy suspension fork by flicking a switch on your handle bars. Clever, huh?

£749 | cyclesurgery.com

Specialized Sirrus Sport

In a nutshell: With its ‘fitness geometry’ as Specialized call it, the Sirrus is geared towards the urban cyclist who sees each bike ride as an opportunity to work on their fitness but doesn’t want to compromise their comfort in the way that riding an out-and-out racing bike would.

Stand-out features: The lightweight aluminium frame is tough enough to survive life on the gritty city streets while the hydraulic brakes and internal cable routing will mean minimal maintenance is required.

Its Specialized Flak Jacket tyres will also ward off many a puncture.

£725 | cyclesurgery.com

Scott Metrix 10

In a nutshell: The Scott Metrix gets a makeover for 2018 that sees it issued with an all carbon frame and a set of sport credentials that’ll help you munch any hills that stand between you and your homestead.

Stand-out features: With its relaxed geometry, lightweight construction, and spread of 22 gears, this is a bike that’ll get you from A to B with surprising speed and ease, and in notable comfort thanks in no small part to the 32c tyres it wears. Hydraulic disc brakes take care of stopping duties while neat internal cabling adds to its good looks.

£1,899 | cyclesurgery.com

Specialized Sirrus Expert Carbon

In a nutshell: A carbon wonder with hidden, built-in comfort.

Stand-out features: Built into the head tube is a something which Specialized calls ‘Future Shock’.

Essentially a piston that allows 20mm of travel, it acts much as a hydraulic suspension fork would when you’re riding over cobbles or blunder into a pothole.

The frame is made from high quality FACT 9r carbon fibre that’s both lightweight and extremely responsive. Hydraulic brakes, and mounting points for mudguards complete the package.

£1,750 | cyclesurgery.com

When I started I was too scared to build bikes for anyone but my friends, thinking they’d be the only ones dumb enough – I mean happy enough – to ride them,’ says Aaron Stinner.

‘I guess I had a pretty usual pathway into framebuilding. I raced as a junior until I was 18, went to college to do sports medicine, took a break to work in a bike shop as a wrench, and then set up this bike-fitting programme there. That’s where the framebuilding started – I just wanted to find out what made a bike work so I could understand fit and geometry better.’

At the time, Stinner was not the surname Aaron was using. ‘It’s my grandfather’s surname. He had a huge impact on me – made me mechanically minded. I was going through some personal stuff, so I changed my surname when I was really getting into building and it all just clicked. I started Stinner.’

That year, 2012, Stinner took Best New Builder at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, and hasn’t looked back. Now his adopted surname adorns every down tube on every frame he builds, including this, one of the loudest bikes Cyclist has seen in some time. Well, 26 years and one Team Z to be precise.

‘That’s right,’ chuckles Stinner. ‘This bike is a homage to that Craig Calfee-built bike Greg LeMond rode back in the day. Unlike a lot of people of my generation I came to building from a road racing background, and as a 15-year-old kid those early 90s Tours were my era, so this project made perfect sense.

However, this bike wasn’t just Stinner’s idea. Rather, it was a collaborative effort with Sean Talkington, a designer who was the creative force behind South Pasadena-based clothing brand Team Dream, one of those new outfits market analysts like to throw the word ‘disruptor’ at, but which most cyclists would probably just describe as having fun.

‘Sean’s done loads of amazing designs, including a La Vie Claire kit homage, so there’s that LeMond thing again [LeMond rode on the La Vie Claire team from 1985-87]. The headbadge is the Team Dream’s mascot – the chubby bobcat – and the ‘Cub House’ design is his shop logo. Otherwise we’ve kept it as true to the original as possible. This one is steel, though.’

The original best

It’s odd to think of a retro-inspired bike made using a more traditional material than its inspiration, but that’s exactly what Stinner has done, as the LeMond bike was carbon fibre – the first of its kind (full carbon, not metal lugged)to be ridden at the Tour de France.

‘We do steel, ti and stainless, but when I started it was just fillet brazed or lugged steel. I made the switch to TIG-welded in 2013 and now that’s really all we do as it allows us to be more flexible with materials. So this is True Temper S3 with a Platinum OX top tube, one of the few tubesets left.’

It’s a big point of difference for a lot of US builders that while we Brits are wedded to Reynolds tubesets, and the Italians to Columbus, many US framebuilders go for True Temper
– or at least they used to.

‘We were building a lot in S3, so when Sean found out True Temper was going out of business last year he was like, “We gotta do this bike before S3 runs out!” It builds up to probably the lightest steel frame you can buy, at just over a kilo. The whole bike weighs around 7kg.’

It could have been even lighter. Talkington specced 30mm Challenge Strada Bianca tyres (which Stinner says push the limits of clearance to the point where the front tyre rubs under the brake bridge if it’s inflated past 65psi) and Mavic’s reinvented 32-hole Open Pro rims laced to Chris King hubs.

‘The new Open Pro was the thing that got us jazzed about building this bike, because back when I was racing, the Open Pro was the rim. Not just for training, for everything. This new one is such a great rim, double-eyeleted, 19mm wide, this finish just like the old ceramic coating but with the anodised Exalith coating. It would have been nice to go a touch wider, but that’s very French, y’know: the hesitation. They get 80% of the way and then stop when you’re urging them on!’

Purists will note LeMond’s bike rolled on Campagnolo hoops, but then as Stinner says once more, this isn’t meant to be a replica.

‘It’s funny, as soon as we put the bike on Instagram everyone was like, “It’s like a Fat Chance Yo’ Eddy,” or, “It’s like a Klein.” We’ve got the Campy stuff on here like LeMond had – it’s Super Record, the best – but this was always a homage to an era more than anything else. Hence the tanwalls – they’re definitely back, aren’t they?’

Look around your next club run and you’ll see Stinner’s probably right about the tyres. So here’s hoping he’s right about a return to eye-popping paint too. We can all get jazzed about that.

For riders who want a more comfortable cycle that’s easy to use when tackling bigger rides, but also want a bike with enough zip to keep pace with club riders or other sportivistes, the Giant Defy is an obvious choice. This a bike that’s become one of the mainstays of sportive events, and with good reason.

The frameset was unchanged going into 2017, other than its colour scheme, with the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 boasting a Shimano Ultegra groupset which is impossible to fault, and gives a clean, smooth shift every time.

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Image 6 of 10

The 11-32 cassette is a nice touch, giving the extra gear at the lowest end for even the biggest, steepest of hills you’ll encounter on any sportive, or for when you've burnt all your matches and need that get out of jail free card.

The components are mostly Giant’s own-brand, and on the whole excellent, although we found the handlebar shape isn’t the most comfortable and does seem to pass more vibration than it should through to your hands. That’s something to bear in mind.

Giant uses compact geometry, with a low-slung top tube giving extra clearance, meaning a lot of seatpost will be on display.

This has a positive effect on rear-end comfort with the extra length of seatpost giving a little flex that helps smooth out the bumps.

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Image 3 of 10

The front end of the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 can’t quite match the level of comfort, but the tubeless-ready wheels and tyres are a big plus, giving the potential for slightly lower pressures with less risk of those pesky punctures.

First impressions when riding were very positive, with the bike accelerating instantly with no feeling of lag or flex through the frame or wheels.

Uphill, the low weight is noticeable and it feels like you’re able to climb a gear higher than most other bikes.

The wide-ratio cassette means that you can stay in the big ring for longer, giving you a little extra motivation to keep the pace up.

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Image 10 of 10

Downhill, the handling is very typical of Giant bikes. It is neutral and stable and this is an easy bike to descend on, but it doesn’t change direction as quickly as others and lacks a little excitement as a result.

The Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 is one of the most popular bikes in the country and it’s easy to see why. The Advanced Pro 1 feels light and fast, encouraging you to push harder and go faster, but with a little more comfort than most standard racing bikes. We’d say it offers the best of all worlds – a cracker.

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Image 7 of 10

Ratings

Frame: Neutral and stable handling, though lacking a little excitement in cornering - 9/10   
Components: Excellent Shimano disc brakes, ideal for descents - 9/10   
Wheels: Light, fast and tubeless-ready. They ride superbly - 9/10   
The ride: Less comfortable than some endurance rides, but still a comfy steed - 9/10

Verdict

A light and fast endurance bike that has more than enough zip. Definitely worth a spin - 9/10

Specification

In the world of road bikes currently, carbon is king. However, for those after something a bit different, the titanium bike industry is booming.

Even so, it still lags behind its lighter brother by some way in large part due to the lack of manufacturers making bikes from titanium and its price. For many, a plush titanium frame is but a dream.

Van Nicholas can be largely viewed as the master of the ti-frame. With six road models across the range, the Dutch bike manufacturer is well versed in making the hard-wearing material look beautiful in bike form.

Now, the brand wants to find out if you, the cycling public, would be interested in the temptation of ti and what it would take for you to buy one of its bikes.

Complete the survey above, that takes all of two minutes, telling the brand a bit about yourself.

Who knows, the answers you give may trigger the quest for a sub-£1000 ti-framed biked or maybe it could just spur the brand on to continue making beautiful bicycles.

It only rains a few days a year in Abu Dhabi. In fact, the average annual rainfall here is so low that the process of ‘cloud-seeding’ is sometimes used to encourage further precipitation.

So it seems more than a little unlucky that the day we’ve come to test bikes on the Al Wathba desert cycle track, armed with a trio of top-end aero machines and having carefully planned every last detail of our trip for months, large droplets of water are splashing onto our sand-blasted arms.

At least when the rain arrives we’re near what is the only shelter on this 96km circuit – the Adnoc café – so we decide to head under cover for some refreshment while waiting out the desert storm.

A cycling oasis

The Al Wathba cycle track is a rather strange and wonderful development.

It was devised by multi-billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family (and the owner of Manchester City FC), to service the growing interest in road cycling in the region.

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Image 2 of 32

With cycling on the main roads in the UAE a dangerous undertaking, they decided the solution was to create a dedicated road for cyclists in the desert about 70km outside the city.

It’s set out in a series of loops of 30km, 22km, 20km, 16km and 8km, and if you do each loop in turn it makes up 96km of pristine, car-free road.

Andy Sherwood, editor of Cyclist Middle East and one of my riding companions for today, tells me the full 96km route is known by the locals as the ‘full monty’.

‘Our club, Raha Cycling, sometimes does a “double full monty”, and then we do the 8km loop once more just to make it up to 200km. That’s tough in the heat,’ he says.

Andy, an ex-pat living in Abu Dhabi, fills me in with some of the details of the Middle Eastern cycling boom:

‘It’s driven in particular by how the sheikhs have embraced it on a personal and professional level,’ he says.

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Image 3 of 32

‘We now have the Dubai Tour and the Abu Dhabi Tour [the latter having been given WorldTour status this year].

‘Considering the UAE has no history of cycling, the country has really taken to it.

‘The sheikhs have built cycle tracks like this one, and one in Dubai that is more than 150km long. A big part of this drive is to get people active to combat obesity, and these tracks provide a safe environment for people to ride.’

The track is open 24 hours a day and floodlit for riding at night, which Andy says is a popular option in a region where the summer daytime temperatures can easily reach the high forties.

It’s an amazing facility, unlike anything I’ve encountered in Europe, but that’s not the main reason we’re out here. With its endless roads, and flat, windswept terrain, the Al Wathba track is the perfect place to test aero road bikes.

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Image 4 of 32

The rain shower is over quickly – in fact, all evidence of it has dried up by the time we finish our coffees – so we’re soon back out, refuelled, and ready to do battle with the wind once more.

Best of three

Also with me today is Kate, a regular contributor and accomplished female racer who right now is trying to decide if her tiny 53kg frame is an advantage in the wind versus us larger guys, or whether in fact she’s just in danger of being blown away.

Kate is riding a Trek Madone, with it cable-free front end, bespoke aero calliper brakes and strange flaps on the head tube.

Andy, meanwhile, is armed with a Cervélo S5, a bike that continues the traditions of the Soloist, the original aero road bike. That leaves me on the Specialized Venge ViAS Disc, which completes our trio of world-beating aero bikes.

Interestingly, Andy’s Cervélo is fitted with Sram’s Force 1 (1x11) gearing, a rare sight on road bikes, but as he points out, it’s common in the UAE as it is so flat that there’s little need for two chainrings.

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Image 7 of 32

His S5 is also sporting a visually striking and insanely expensive set of 80mm Lightweight carbon wheels (the Autobahn VR8 front wheel is £2,600, the rear Fernweg 80 a further £2,200).

This, it turns out, is not an uncommon spec around these parts.

‘The Emiratis tend to just go straight for the most expensive bikes,’ Andy says. ‘You’ll see plenty of ostentatious kit if you hang around here a while. And plenty of Cervélos.’

Not that the other bikes are shabby by comparison. We’re sitting on a combined total of over £25,000 worth of equipment here, so we should fit right in with the locals, although on this Monday morning we have the place almost to ourselves – one of the few exceptions being someone heading out on a £10,000+ bike wearing football shorts and trainers.

It seems there’s still work to be done on cycling fashion etiquette here.

Gone with the wind

While the terrain is mainly flat, Al Wathba is by no means an easy ride.

The winds whipping across this desert expanse make for an energy-sapping experience, and as we head out among the dunes, it’s not long before we’re riding in single file, heads down and feeling the sting of the sand against our shins.

‘Come here on the wrong day and you can be riding into a 30kmh headwind for the first 15km,’ Andy says.

Today the wind is a more forgiving 16-18kmh, still plenty to contend with but arguably the perfect conditions to put our slick aero machines through their paces.

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Image 10 of 32

Andy is already trying to work out how he can get a new bike purchase past his wife, having been astounded by how much easier it is to beat the wind on the Cervélo S5 compared to his own standard Boardman road bike.

‘I hate to sound clichéd, but it does feel like I am slicing through the air,’ he says. ‘My body just doesn’t feel as battered in the wind as it usually does here. And I can’t believe I’m not struggling more in the crosswinds on these super-deep wheels.’

I’m as surprised as he is. When I first saw his bike I feared we might be rescuing him from the sand dunes, with the wheels and frame combining to present a considerable surface area to side gusts.

Instead, the Autobahn’s blunted aero profile and lack of spokes – just eight on the front (four per side supporting the gargantuan rim) – means Andy’s not having to put up much of a fight to keep the Cervélo S5 in a straight line.

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Image 12 of 32

While we’re talking wheels, my 64mm deep Roval Rapide CLX wheels have proven themselves better than expected in the conditions too.

They accelerate and hold speed well, but again it’s the lack of buffeting from side gusts that is the standout feature for me.

When riding in a tucked position, I don’t feel like my steering is being badly affected by the wind.

I find myself in a tight aero tuck a lot on the Venge ViAS. After a while my neck and shoulders ache, not because the bike is uncomfortable but from the fact that I spend so much time down in the drops, such is the way this bike encourages an aggressive riding style.

It’s a pleasure to feel just how responsive the Venge is to my inputs and to reap the reward of extra speed.

Speed demons

I’ve been keeping an eye on the data generated by the Quarq power cranks that are specced as standard on this model of Venge, and I’m mighily impressed with what I’m seeing.

In these conditions I would have expected a considerable chunk more wattage being expended to maintain the 30-35kmh average we are riding at into the wind.

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Image 14 of 32

Rounding a corner on the far side of the circuit, Kate, who’s been keeping a low profile so far, suddenly makes a cheeky attack.

In a textbook move from the rear of our three-person echelon, her Trek Madone sways aggressively from side to side as she sprints hard past us to forge a gap.

With just a brief check back over her shoulder to make sure she’s done some damage, she reassumes a tucked position on the drops to make herself as small as possible to the oncoming wind. She’s making us suffer.

Andy and I take turns to pull and try to get back up to her rear wheel. It’s not easy, and when we do finally latch back on, Kate can’t disguise a wry smile as she looks back at us.

‘This is the most zippy and fun road bike I’ve ever ridden,’ she announces, clearly impressed with the part the Trek played in her escape.

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Image 16 of 32

‘It feels really stiff and responsive. It really makes me want to get low in the drops and try to make it go even faster.’

It’s unusual to see Kate so animated about a bike (she usually takes a racer’s dispassionate approach to her kit) so it must have made a very good impression.

I’ve no reason to doubt her. The Madone is Trek’s most advanced aero road bike to date, packed with features such as the shrouded front brake (with its intriguing side flaps to allow the bars to turn), one-piece aero bar and stem, and fully internalised cabling.

But as much as it’s built to be as slippery as possible, Trek has also considered rider comfort.

The seat tube includes a similar IsoSpeed decoupler to the cobble-bashing Domane, allowing for extra flex and bringing a noticeably smoother ride feel.

The Trek is alone in this regard, as neither the Specialized nor the Cervélo makes any real concession to comfort.

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Image 17 of 32

For them it’s all about speed, pure and simple. This could be an issue if we were on the rutted lanes of Britain, but on the gloriously smooth tarmac of the Al Wathba track, comfort is not a consideration we need to worry about.

Approaching the end of another loop, I decide it’s my turn to go it alone. I want to see how much I can get out of the Venge, so I sprint away from the others for a full-gas lap of the 8km circuit.

It’s not easy to quantify, but my heart rate and power data suggests my bike and kit are affording me a considerable aero advantage.

I’m convinced the relentless wind would be grinding me down much more were I on a standard road bike, but aboard the Venge ViAS Disc I’m maintaining speeds I’m more used to holding on windless days back in the UK.

As we regroup towards the end of the lap, our bikes look like they’ve been in a sandstorm.

‘I’m guessing the bike shop here sells a lot of chain cleaners,’ I say to Andy. A knowing nod tells me he’s used to scrubbing grit from his drivetrain.

So did any one bike shine a little brighter than the others when it came to cheating the wind? It’s a tough call.

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Image 11 of 32

Kate loves the Madone and suggests it may win on the grounds of additional comfort, although she’s concerned about the complexities of the internal cabling:

‘I’m not sure with my lack of mechanical savvy I’d trust myself to own this bike,’ she says.

Andy has no such worries about the Cervélo: ‘The 1x11 shifting was really smooth,’ he says. ‘I liked its simplicity, and it’s perfect for riding around here.’

I throw out the notion that the Specialized is the only one with disc brakes, and therefore is more versatile than the others.

Stopping hasn’t been an issue here on the flat desert roads, but it could be a game-changer if we were testing these bikes on a damp descent in the Alps.

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Image 6 of 32

No one disagrees, although Kate suggests that the Specialized isn’t a particularly attractive bike, with its disc brakes and peculiar gull-
wing handlebar.

I respond that aesthetics is a subjective matter (I rather like the way the Venge looks) and besides, it isn’t meant to be pretty – it’s meant to be fast.

But is it faster than the others? We can’t agree on that. I suspect the difference between them in terms of free speed is too small to determine without a week in a wind-tunnel, but we can all agree on one thing.

Whichever of these bikes you choose, it will almost certainly be faster than anything else out on the road.

On page 2: Abu Dhabi aero bikes ride test – The bikes and kit

The bikes

Specialized S-Works Venge Vias Disc eTap

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Image 18 of 32

Specialized has built its own wind-tunnel. This is the result

Model: Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS Disc eTap
Groupset: Sram eTap HRD
Gearing: 52/36t crankset, 11-26t cassette
Wheels: Roval Rapide CLX64 Disc
Tyres: Specialized S-Works Turbo tubeless; 700x24c
Finishing kit: Specialized Aerofly ViAS handlebars, Venge ViAS aero stem, Venge Aero seatpost, Body Geometry S-Works Power carbon saddle
Weight: 8.02kg (56cm)
Price:£8,500
Contact: specialized.co.uk

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Image 19 of 32

Stu’s summary:

Aesthetically the Venge ViAS Disc might be divisive, especially its unusual handlebars, but ride it in anger and it will almost certainly win you over.

Where other brands rely on third-party wheels and components to slot in and work with their frames, Specialized is able to take a holistic approach, honing the Venge ViAS Disc to work most efficiently as a system.

The benefits are obvious on the road. The super-stiff frame and wheels deliver power crisply, ensuring it gets up to speed fast, and according to my training data staying fast is noticeably efficient in terms of effort too.

On the gusty Al Wathba circuit, the Venge was surprisingly calm in crosswinds and Sram’s eTap wireless shifting remained flawless even with the chain and sprockets caked in sand.

Disc brakes weren’t vital for this pan-flat test, but they do mean the Venge ViAS Disc is not a one-trick pony.

It has the speed to destroy Strava KoMs, but also the versatility to tackle an Alpine sportive.

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Image 21 of 32

Trek Madone 9.5 Women's

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Image 22 of 32

Trek’s flagship speed machine is packed to the gunnels with features

Model: Trek Madone 9.5 Women’s
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2
Gearing: 50/34t crankset; 11-28t cassette
Wheels: Vision Metron 40 LTD
Tyres: Bontrager R3 Hard Case Lite; 700x25c
Finishing kit: Madone integrated bar/stem OCLV carbon, Madone Micro Adjust carbon seatmast, Bontrager Ajna Pro carbon saddle
Weight: 7.13kg (52cm)
Price:£6,500
Contact: trekbikes.com

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Image 23 of 32

Kate’s summary:

As a lighter rider I typically find myself affected more by strong winds, and I usually struggle into headwinds.

The Trek not only felt stable and comfortable in the gusty conditions – more so even than my own Specialized Tarmac road bike – but it somehow also always felt really eager to go.

It encourages an attacking riding style, and it was great fun to tuck down low and push it hard to make the guys suffer.

On a long solo breakaway this would be the bike I’d want to be on, when you can feel the aero benefits working in your favour.

Equally, though, the Madone is also plenty stiff and light enough to be capable in a crit race.

I’m probably opening a can of worms for saying this, but I also really liked the colour scheme.

The deep dark blue was unusual, and really worked well against the pink logos.

Some women will hate the pink but I think it’s a classy look with just the right amount of feminine touch.

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Image 25 of 32

Cervelo S5

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Image 26 of 32

Arguably the original, but is it still the best?

Model: Cervélo S5
Groupset: Sram Force 1
Gearing: 50t chainring; 11-28t cassette
Wheels: Lightweight Autobahn VR8 front; Lightweight Fernweg 80 rear
Tyres: Continental Competition tubulars; 700x25c
Finishing kit: Cervélo Aero Road bar, Zipp Service Course SL stem, Cervélo Aero seatpost, Pro Logo Scratch Pro CPC saddle
Weight: 6.98kg (50cm)
Price: AED51,995 (approx £10,999)
Contact: Wolfi’s Bike Shop (wbs.ae)

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Image 27 of 32

Andy’s summary:

Having ridden on the Al Wathba circuit a lot I know it well, and I immediately felt a big difference on the Cervélo S5 compared to my usual road bike.

First of all, I was taking less of a battering from the wind, which considering the depth of the Lightweight wheels was a huge surprise.

In truth, they were absolutely fine in the crosswinds. Having only 11 gears works perfectly in the UAE because the terrain here is largely flat as a pancake.

And when you do need a quick change when hitting one of the rare few small inclines at speed, Sram’s Force 1 shifting can be relied on to shift effortlessly and precisely.

It’s hard not to like a bike that flatters your efforts as much as the S5. Its low weight combined with its stiffness creates a quick response to pedalling inputs, feeling solid in both seated and standing efforts.

What impressed me most, however, was how easy it was to hold on to a good pace, even in the strong winds, re-affirming my belief in the huge potential benefits of aero.

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Image 29 of 32

Kit picks

Our standout items of clothing

Met Manta helmet | £179.99, met-helmets.com

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Image 30 of 32

‘Few helmets I’ve tested achieve such a good balance of weight, ventilation and proven aerodynamic benefits as the Met Manta.

‘At 200g (size medium) and with a really comfortable fit, I barely knew I had it on, and despite its aerodynamic prowess I never felt in danger of overheating, even in the desert.’

Santini Tono jersey and bibshorts | £79.99/£134.99, zyrofisher.co.uk

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Image 31 of 32

‘This jersey is great for the UAE. Its highly perforated Sesia micro-mesh construction is exceptionally light and breathable, not to mention aero.

‘It’s not one for riders who need to lose a few kilos, though, and with only minimal UV protection you won’t want to forget suntan lotion.

‘The bibshorts proved highly comfortable on long rides, too.’

Alé R-EV1 Strada Race Suit | £180, paligap.cc

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Image 32 of 32

‘I loved both the look and the fit of this Alé race suit. OK, I admit it, I liked the look more.

‘I know it’s subjective, but I think there’s truth in the notion that if you’re wearing something that makes you feel great, it’s a performance advantage on some level.

‘Plus it was still really comfortable even after a full day in the saddle.’

Thanks...

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Image 13 of 32

Thanks to Andy Sherwood, editor of Cyclist Middle East, for joining us on the ride and for his part in helping with planning and organisation for this trip, and to Lucy Self of Q Communications (qcomms.ae), for her help with negotiating a few logistical headaches.

Thanks also to Southern Sun Abu Dhabi for accommodating us on our trip.

Lightweight’s David Bergmann is attempting to explain to me what the word Urgestalt means.

‘It’s a very German word,’ he says. ‘I don’t think there is a direct English translation for it. I would say it’s like “an origin” or “first version”, or something like that.’

Bergmann tells me that the name harks back to how Lightweight came into being. The brand may be best known for its highly desirable (and highly priced) wheels, but its first product was far from being round.

Back in 2002, entrepreneur Erhard Wissler bought up the carbon production arm of an aerospace company, and among the assets was the mould for a bike frame.

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Image 2 of 12

He got his engineers to build it up and showed off his new Total Eclipse bike at global trade show Eurobike.

To make it look as cool as possible, he borrowed a pair of Lightweight wheels, made by carbon specialist Heinz Obermayer.

In the end, the Total Eclipse frame wasn’t a success for Wissler, but he had spotted the potential in those esoteric black wheels, and so he bought the Lightweight brand from Obermayer.

A decade later, Wissler once again turned his attention to bike frames and the result was the original Urgestalt frame, produced in 2013.

Fast forward to today, and I now find myself face to face with the company’s latest creation, the Urgestalt Disc.

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Image 4 of 12

Coming full circle

I distinctly remember that original Urgestalt. I rode it at the Endura Alpentraum, a 256km sportive that passes through Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, and takes in 6,336m of ascent.

During one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on a bicycle, I had possibly my closest brush with death when my brakes failed to work on a wet descent.

Only by digging my cleats into the tarmac was I able to avoid sliding straight over a cliff.

In my review of that bike my only real criticism, aside from the braking issue, was that I felt the frame was overly stiff and made very little concession to comfort.

Equally, though, I praised it for its incredibly light 6.1kg overall weight and how superbly it had dealt with the arduous 6,336m of climbing.

Four years on, I know at least one issue has been resolved by the addition of disc brakes, ensuring there will be no more white-knuckle descending in the wet.

Impressively, the Urgestalt Disc hasn’t put on much weight as a consequence either.

Weighing just 6.7kg, it’s only a little over half a kilo heavier than the rim brake version, and joins an elite club of disc bikes we’ve seen that dip under the 7kg mark.

One issue that doesn’t seem to have been resolved, however, is the harshness.

Lightweight claims this new disc bike is a ground-up redesign, with comfort higher on the agenda compared to the original Urgestalt.

But on my early rides I still find myself getting home with numbness in my toes from the vibration coming though the lower part of the bike, and my other contact points are suffering as well. It’s time for a chat.

‘I like a bike that needs to be controlled – super-agile and super-stiff. That makes riding more exciting,’ Bergmann says of his own preferences.

However he admits he is probably in the minority, and that most riders aren’t thrilled by the prospect of getting beaten up by their own bikes.

‘Most of the comfort you get from a road bike comes from the tyres,’ Bergmann says. ‘We have plenty of clearance for wider tyres thanks to the disc brakes, and we’ve created our own seatpost with extra compliance, so a rider is able to tailor the ride feel to their preferences.’

Time for some swift changes, then. UK distributor Vielo Sports sends me the Lightweight seatpost to replace the Deda Superleggero I’ve been riding thus far.

I dig out a set of 28mm tyres to swap for the specced 25s, and head back out to my classic training routes.

And what a transformation. The Urgestalt immediately feels much more like I’d hoped it would from the start.

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Image 7 of 12

The seatpost noticeably enhances my comfort – it’s not like I’m sitting on a feather cushion, but it is a marked improvement all the same, especially on longer rides.

But the biggest change comes from the tyre swap.

With 28mm tyres at 80psi, the Urgestalt deals with vibration dampening much more adeptly, and my numb toe issue vanishes.

The extra grip on offer also means I can brake with even more confidence in all conditions, and there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable loss of speed.

The Urgestalt Disc’s lack of weight, enhanced by the Meilenstein Clincher Disc wheelset, ensures that every acceleration is instantaneous, and climbing is a joy (as much as climbing can ever be a joy).

The feeling of leg power being transferred into speed is one I’ll never tire of, and indeed it’s when I’m tired that I’m most thankful for it.

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Image 8 of 12

Doing the triple

It’s a rare beast that can deliver on all counts of the trifecta: stiffness, weight and comfort (we’ll ignore ‘aero’ as the Urgestalt makes no such claims).

With the right seatpost and tyres in place, the Urgestalt Disc gets very close indeed.

The sensation of riding the Lightweight Urgestalt Disc is like driving a rally car. At idle things can feel a little clunky and unrefined, but a touch of pace and commitment transforms it into a thrill-seeker’s dream.

No matter how strong a rider you are, this bike will make you feel much faster.

It’s the bike Bruce Wayne would choose, but I would still advise him not to forget an ample slathering of chamois cream.

Continue to page 2 to see our First Look at the Urgestalt disc here

First look: Lightweight Urgestalt Disc

Sam Challis, 22 June 2017

When disc brakes first appeared on road bikes, a number of brands rushed out a redesigned frame in order to be quick to market.

As a consequence, many of these frames changed the character of their rim-brake predecessors, and not always in a good way.

The resulting frames were usually heavier and often less forgiving than before, owing to the extra reinforcement at the fork and rear triangle to account for the more powerful forces that disc brakes exert on a frame.

Carbon fibre wheel specialist Lightweight has taken a comparatively long time to come to market with a disc brake version of its Urgestalt road frame but as product manager David Bergmann explains, the company doesn’t see that as a disadvantage.

‘For us it’s always a little bit difficult to be quick to respond to trends,’ he says. ‘We’re different to other manufacturers because so many of our products are handmade, so the R&D takes a huge amount of time and expense.

‘It necessitates us waiting to see whether changes are fashion or a definite new direction, so we monitor the market and can learn from others’ mistakes.’

According to Bergmann, that hindsight allowed Lightweight to create a disc-specific frame that weighs a claimed 800g, with the total build as shown coming in at just 6.96kg.

To put that in perspective, the top-spec BMC Roadmachine (a disc brake bike costing nearly £9k) weighs 7.8kg.

‘Relative to our competitors, the increase in weight from our rim brake Urgestalt to the Urgestalt Disc is very small – just 10g.

Completely new

‘That being said, the Urgestalt Disc frame isn’t just the regular Urgestalt with discs bolted on – it’s a completely new frame.’

According to Bergmann, the feedback regarding the handling of the original Urgestalt was so universally positive that its geometry has been closely replicated on the Urgestalt Disc, but there are other marked changes too.

Lightweight has dropped the obsolete brake bridge over the rear wheel and slimmed down the seatstays in a bid to improve comfort – a feature Lightweight nurtures further with more generous tyre clearances.

‘We have two types of customer buying the original Urgestalt,’ says Bergmann. ‘We have the serious, very skilful rider who likes the frame because it amplifies the characteristics of our wheels – it’s quick to accelerate and very stiff.

‘But it’s also a demanding frame that needs to be controlled, so we have another customer: the enthusiast of the brand who is not so athletic, and is asking for a little more comfort.

‘Redesigning for disc brakes gave us the option to cater more for comfort in the Urgestalt Disc.’

It’s a theme that continues at the front of the bike. For additional comfort as well as sufficient stiffness, the fork has what Bergmann calls an ‘asymmetrical lay-up schedule’.

‘It’s far different to the one in the original Urgestalt,’ he says. ‘Asymmetrical in this instance means that the torsional forces of the disc brakes are braced for, but the vertical forces caused by bumps in the roads are allowed for, which adds a little dampening.’

System superiority

Something that’s unsurprising considering the brand’s heritage in wheels is that the new frame was designed to work specifically as a system with Lightweight’s Meilenstein Disc wheelset.

‘This was one of the few things that’s no different from the original Urgestalt. That frame was designed around the Meilenstein clinchers, and I think it’s crucial to the performance of both bikes,’ says Bergmann.

‘It allowed the rim brake Urgestalt’s stiffness-to-weight values just as it allows the Urgestalt Disc’s comfort and controllability.’

Key to this element of control is the Meilenstein Disc’s pentagon-shaped hubs. Bergmann explains that the heat build-up of prolonged braking on disc wheels with carbon hub shells can cause the bond between disc mount and hubshell to soften, allowing the two components to move relative to each other.

This is catastrophic to a bike’s braking performance, so Lightweight moved to the pentagon shape so that the disc mount physically cannot move inside the hubshell.

The design also weighs less, which obviously for a brand named Lightweight is a bonus.

‘Despite our name, we would rather make things 50g heavier than 50g lighter if that brings with it any compromises,’ cautions Bergmann. ‘That said, as long it’s safe we will continue to get even lighter with our products.’

Verdict: Lightweight has taken a while in getting the Urgestalt Disc to market, but with the additions of discs having added only 10g to the total frame weight, the time looks to have been well spent.

£3,989 frameset, approx. £12,899 as built, vielosports.co.uk

Genesis promises ‘all-day comfort’ from the Equilibrium Disc 20, thanks to its steel frame and carbon fork combination.

It’s certainly a versatile bike, coming as it does with 28c tyres on its Fulcrum wheels, along with Shimano’s hydraulic disc brake set-up and a dependable 105 groupset used for the lion’s share of the mechanical parts.

Frameset

The Equilibrium’s frame stands out from the norm these days by eschewing carbon (save for the 0.3% content in its frame tubes) for steel.

The Reynolds 725 tubing used for the frameset is heat-treated and butted to allow thinner metal to save weight and to create stronger junctions which increase stiffness.

Rounded profiles abound, in the best classic cycling tradition, with neat welds at the head tube and junction of the top tube, seatstays and seat tube.

A tapered head tube meets a carbon fork at the front end, which provides added stiffness.

The cabling for front and rear derailleurs and the rear brake is externally routed along the underside and top of the down tube, with the mech cables gaining a brassy barrel adjuster for fine-tuning of the set-up on the fly.

The cable for the front brake is routed through the left-hand fork leg, contributing to the classy look of the package.

For the medium-sized frameset we rode, a measured head angle of 73.2° is fairly laid back, while a seat angle of 74.1° promotes a comfortable riding position.

Mudguard and pannier mounts add to the versatility of this machine, making it suitable not only for sportives, but also for everyday commuting or even light touring duties.

Groupset

Genesis has equipped the bike with Shimano 105, which is an ideal compromise between performance, durability and affordability.

There’s 105 used for the 52/36 mid-compact chainset, plus the front and rear mechs, while the brake levers and hoods (which contain the hydraulics for the brake discs) are 105-equivalent RS505 units.

The brakes have a 160mm rotor up front and a 140mm at the rear. There’s an 11-28 CS5800, 105 cassette out the back, with a KMC 11-speed chain holding the drivetrain together.

Finishing kit

This is supplied entirely by Genesis’s in-house alloy components. A set of compact drop bars at the front have a 420mm diameter, while a 100mm alloy stem makes this set-up a comfortable reach.

The basic but functional approach continues at the rear, where an alloy 27.2mm seatpost wears a very supportive, yet comfortable, Genesis Road Comfort saddle.

Wheels

The Equilibrium runs Fulcrum Racing Sports wheels, identical to the wheels fitted to the Equilibrium 10 we tested last year.

They’re actually a cyclocross wheelset, but what they lack in sheer get-up-and-go they make up for in maintenance-free durability.

They’re weighty, but they’ll last as long as you want them to. As ever upgrading them would add more zip to the performance, though a set of Mavic Ksyrium Disc hoops – a typical upgrade purchase – would take the overall price of the bike beyond £2,000.

Clement’s 28c Strada LGG tyres feature a smoother centre for fast upright riding, with a cut shoulder for grip on varied terrain.

On the road

Steel, regardless of what anyone says, is a compromise in the 21st century. It will always be heavier than an equivalent carbon frame, even if its ride quality can outperform carbon.

So, what we notice immediately is the 10kg-plus bulk. However, this becomes an advantage to a degree on the first downhill stretch of our test loop, as the extra stability it affords the Genesis is much appreciated.

What the Equilibrium offers above and beyond carbon-framed rivals is an almost unshakeable determination to plough on through any terrain with the utmost composure and a healthy dose of comfort.

The 28c Clement rubber wrapped around semi-aero Fulcrum Sport rim allow the bike to glide over most tarmac.

Yes, those wheels really aren’t the quickest to get rolling, but once they’re up to speed they’re fine. Beyond this, they’re also a robust choice for a bike that’s built to last, built to go the distance, and to do so in such a way as to belie its bulk.

The steel construction does help to eliminate ripples in the road, and the relaxed riding position we employed with headset spacers evenly distributed afforded stress-free progress.

That progress, however, is necessarily at a lesser average speed than we’d normally demand.

The Equilibrium 20 is a bike that won’t respond as well to a good thrashing as lighter alternatives here, which might leave you feeling somewhat less rewarded for your input.

However, the 52-36 chainset and 11-28 cassette combine to at least allow some fairly big gears, which gives you some payback on rolling roads for giving it the big licks.

The hydraulic stoppers offer easy power modulation, and stacks of confidence, too. In all, the Genesis is a bike that will suit the rider who’s not so much concerned with smashing out a 100-mile PB as with enjoying the ride. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The rangier wheelbase of the Disc 20 is accounted for in some part by long chainstays, which adds the expected level of stability.

Add to the mix a 170mm head tube with a measured head angle of 73.2° and what you end up with is a bike that approaches cornering with the solidity and predictability you’d naturally demand of a bike designed for big group rides.

The carbon fork and virtually bombproof Fulcrum wheels lend a touch of stiffness to the set-up, which does equip the bike with a surprising amount of manoeuvrability, even when it comes to fast changes in direction to avoid potholes or suicidal pheasants.

Where this bike excels isn’t in its lightning-fast downhill cornering ability, but when it’s spiriting you over rough roads and rippled corners.

It does this with a directness and predictability that will cosset newer riders and allow anyone to concentrate on the joy of cycling.

It’s not what we’d call a thrilling ride – although those fat tyres and unbreakable wheels do let you get away with more adventurous, looser terrain if you fancy it – rather it’s one which leaves you content, and almost at one with the world again.

Lose the bike computer, revel in the smooth ride, and buy this bike to fall in love with the simple pleasure of pedalling.

It’s almost guaranteed you’ll finish your sportive in higher spirits and somewhat more refreshed than your riding companions.

Ratings

Frame: Stiff and strong, well built and neatly finished. 8/10
Components: Dependable 105 parts with excellent hydraulic brakes. 7/10 
Wheels: Heavy but sturdy and dependable. 8/10 
The Ride: Not what we'd call lively but fast and fun enough. 8/10

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

Ribble’s Gran Fondo has been revamped for 2017, with different tube profiles and geometry for a more relaxed, less tiring ride.

The British mail-order firm has gone all in to replicate an Italian look that matches the bike’s name, even going as far as to paint an Italian flag on the top tube.

But even if it has come from a warehouse in Lancashire rather than Veneto, all the ingredients are there for a comfortable ride at speed.

Frameset

In an effort to make the latest Gran Fondo more comfortable, less tiring and easier to handle, Ribble has stretched everything out a little.

The head tube is a touch taller than before, and the wheelbase has been extended to a measured 991mm on our size M model, too, for added stability.

The down tube is now a distinctive triangular-profile section which certainly assists with stiffness where it counts – as do the 408mm box-section chainstays.

S-shaped seatstays have the job of deflecting road vibrations before they reach your backside.

Cables are run internally through the frame, which is also compatible with electronic groupsets (an option available on Ribble’s online bike builder).

Ribble claims that the frame has clearance for 25c tyres, but we reckon there’s room for 28s should you want to go fatter.

A measured head angle of 70.7° makes this bike decidedly on the relaxed end of the scale at the front end.

It’s paired with a seat angle of 73.4°, which promotes a slightly forward-canted riding position which puts you in control while retaining comfort.

Groupset

Shimano’s 6800 Ultegra groupset is used across the build of our test bike (but, as with most of it, you can specify differently when ordering the bike).

A 50/34 chainset is attached to the Ultegra 11-32 cassette by an 11-speed Ultegra chain, plus the front and rear mechs are 6800, too.

Ultegra-equivalent RS685 shifters are found at the cockpit. As you’d expect, the mechanical parts of this bike gel brilliantly.

Finishing kit

The Italian theme is continued into the finishing kit, and includes Deda handlebars and stem, with the compact drop bars measuring 420mm in width and the alloy stem at 110mm.

For the frame size, these are bang on the money, fit-wise. A Selle Italia saddle is fixed to the top of Ribble’s own-brand 27.2mm ‘superleggera’ carbon seatpost.

Wheels

Mavic’s Aksium Disc wheels are the French firm’s bottom-end disc-specific hoops, which doesn’t mean to say they’re underperformers, just that you need to be reasonable about your expectations given their entry-level billing. 

Again, you can specify higher-spec Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels, but even if you downgrade the groupset to 105 level, the price still rises to just north of £2,000.

We’ve ridden very few tyres that can top Continental’s Gatorskins for durability, grip and otherworldly puncture resistance.

No, they’re not the quickest tyres on the market, but if you want to get round a sportive without stopping to fix a puncture, you couldn’t do much better than these 25c options.

First impression

Tip-toeing out of the house for an early morning start, one of the world’s loudest freewheels wakes the neighbour’s dogs as we coast away to start our ride. On the plus side, this will certainly let fellow ride companions know when you're behind them.

What we’re initially struck by is the deep, lustrous paint on this frameset, and the fact it comes in at this price with a full Shimano Ultegra groupset, albeit not the most recent version.

On the road

The comparatively conservative steering geometry of the Gran Fondo makes for a bike that is very happy to zip along country lanes with exceptional stability.

With some wind taken out of the 25c Gatorskin tyres, we’ve few grumbles about the level of comfort on offer here.

Offering a fairly short top tube for a size M frameset, the reach to the bars is easy, and the fairly rangy head tube takes a fair amount of strain off the wrists, too.

Yes, despite its curving seatstays and carbon seatpost, it does transmit a fair amount of vibration to your rump, but it’s nothing you can't live with comfortably.

With its long-distance ability in little doubt, we knocked out a couple of sprints before the hilly section of our test loop, and this is where the Ribble’s stiffness became a positive.

Thanks to a solid feeling at the bottom bracket area, plus thru-axles at the Mavic Aksiums’ spindles preventing the slightest bit of flex, the Gran Fondo rips out a standing sprint with aplomb.

It’s the same story on the hills, with little of your effort going to waste. This bike offers generous gearing options, with a smallest option of a 34x32 meaning there will be few climbs you won't be able to tackle in the saddle, spinning your legs in a Chris Froome style (even if not at Chris Froome speed).

The fatigue-free way in which the bike goes about its business is certainly one of its strengths.

Handling

As you might expect, the handling of the Gran Fondo isn’t electric, but then it doesn't claim to offer blistering cornering prowess.

What you do get is a calm, predictable entry into corners, the ability to hold a line, and therefore a big dose of confidence.

It takes some heaving over in particularly technical descents, for example, but it’s not alarming, and just means you need to plan ahead and try to avoid the need for mid-corner line correction.

A fairly long wheelbase is partially the reason for this, but the relaxed steering angle is the major perpetrator.

The front end does, however, offer a lot of feel for what’s going on beneath the tyre – a little too much at times, but the worst of the road vibes are ably damped out by the Deda compact drop bars, which offer just the right amount of flex to cope with typical British road surfaces.

What this all adds up to is a bike that won’t give you any nasty surprises when you’re riding among a group of hundreds of other sportive participants.

Its light weight and direct response will propel you up most hills in the big chainring, the brakes are excellent, and help you shave off speed on downhill corner approaches, and the all-day riding comfort is just as good as many more expensive bikes.

Add to this the fact that it’s fully Ultegra-equipped and if you do find yourself wanting more vim from your rides, all you’d ever need to think about upgrading are the wheels.

Ratings

Frame: Stretched out for comfort and stable handling. 8/10
Components: A full Ultegra groupset is great value at this price. 9/10 
Wheels: One area that would benefit from an upgrade. 7/10 
The Ride: A bike you could just keep going on for mile after mile. 8/10

VERDICT

A high-spec hundred mile machine that delivers great value for money and a confidence-inspiring ride that makes up for what it lacks in excitement with all-day riding comfort.

Geometry

Spec

The Bokeh is Mason’s response to their own customers after seeing their Resolution and Definition models being used in ways they hadn’t envisaged, with bikepacking being one major area.

The changes include big tyre clearance – our test bike came fitted with chunky 650x50mm tyres with room to spare.

The ability to fit both 650B or 700C wheel sizes is something we’re seeing more of, the former giving the option of even bigger volume tyres, which offer a more comfortable ride, but don’t affect the geometry or handling.

Looks-wise, the Bokeh is a winner, with a bright orange paint finish but subtle branding matched with smooth-shaped tubing that looks the part.

Using custom-formed and triple-butted Dedacciai aluminium tubing, the Bokeh presents an incredible ride that feels light enough to tackle the biggest hills and mountains around, but solid enough to be stable when loaded up.

It’s clear to see that adventures were a big factor when designing the frame with a full complement of bottle cage bosses, mudguard and rack mounts.

There’s even a boss to fit a dynamo light on the fork. Di2 cable routing is taken care of with multi-port internal cabling keeping the frame clear and uncluttered.

The Mason x Hunt wheels, designed as a collaboration between the two companies, are a great fit for the intended riding style.

Feeling fairly light and strong, whether you’re carrying weight or simply out for a short ride.

Mason offer the choice of either 700c or 650b wheel sizes – the 650b wheel option on our test bike, fitted with 50mm Panaracer Comet Hardpack tyres, is the one to pick if you want to head off-road frequently.

While the tyres proved to be fast, grippy on and off-road, and comfortable when used at around 50psi, they aren’t tubeless-ready, which is a shame.

SRAM Rival 1x has a comfortable lever shape, but the shifting is a little clunky compared to other options, with a long and often imprecise shifter throw, but the matching brakes were a highlight, with plenty of modulation and more power than we ever needed.

Ratings

Frame 10/10; Components 8/10; Wheels 9/10; The ride 9/10

Verdict: While the Mason is quite pricey, it’s easy to see where the extra money goes. The whole bike has been extremely well thought out and is sensational to ride. With buyers able to choose between 650b or 700c wheels, it really could suit all riding styles.

Spec

This may look like a run of the mill aluminium bike of middling spec, but it’s probably the fastest bike we’ve ever had in the Cyclist office.

That is largely because of the hidden motor housed within the bike’s seattube. British-based Goat Bikes has designed and assembled the bike, but with a Austrian-made Vivax-Assist system, which Goat Bikes distributes in the UK.

The Vivax-Assist is a hidden power motor within the seattube to power the cranks. The system turns a bevel fastened to the axle of the cranks and generates 150 watts of output to assist the rider in maintaining a given cadence.

Concealed motor

The motor battery and control junction are concealed in the bottle. From there the system charges, and the main power switch is turned on or off.

To activate the motor, the cranks need to already be moving, otherwise the motor will detect too much resistance and turn off. 

The motor does not work as one might assume. Instead of detecting the rider’s input and generating appropriate assistance as a Bosch motor on a e-bike would, it works to maintain a pre-set cadence.

So, if the system has been programmed to hit 90rpm, it will work to sit at that cadence regardless of the power the rider puts in. We'll discuss how to set this cadence level in our in-depth review, early in the new year.

The motor and battery weigh around 2kg in total, pushing the overall weight of the bike to 10.2kg without pedals (on our scales).

The added assistance of the motor easily eclipses the extra weight though.

The frame itself has been specially designed to tolerate the extra twisting forces of the motor within the seattube, and has necessary reinforcements around the bottle-cage battery.

Motor doping

One can’t glimpse at this system without considering motor doping, for which this model of motor has been put to use on several occasions. However, this certainly is not the idea behind the motor.

This was the system found housed within the spare bike of Femke Van den Driessche at the 2016 UCI World Cyclocross Championships, and resulted in a sanction for the rider.

The same system was found being used by a French amateur earlier this year. 

Goat Bikes doesn’t endorse any sort of cheating with the system, and brand owner Steve has described most of his clients as older riders keen to keep up on club runs.

Vivax Drive confirms that the main global customers for its motor unit are riders aged over 60.

‘Most of my customers are coming up to retiring age and definitely cycling,’ he explains.

‘This is definitely for the cyclist that wants to continue cycling and continue to keep up with the people they’re cycling with now.’ 

This bike is essentially a discreet e-bike for road riders.

We’ll be testing the Goat Race over the next few weeks to see how the motor works, how effective it is on a variety of terrains and how likely it really is that it’s ever been used in a pro peloton.

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!

For a big ride, you need a bike that covers all eventualities – something that can hang with the fast group, demolish a climb, provide descending stability and, most importantly, provides enough comfort for hours in the saddle.

These bikes do exist, and we’ve taken four built very much with those aims at their heart – three carbon and one steel.

And for this money, there’s a decent level of spec on offer, with higher-end groupsets, good wheels, wide tyres and aerodynamic touches abounding.

It’s just a matter of knowing where to look. All four of these bikes come in close to the £1,800 mark and offer a lot for the money.

The best way to test this quartet of eager mile-munchers? That’ll be some non-stop, hard miles in the English countryside, to highlight any shortcomings in the comfort department, and give us ample opportunity to wring every last drop of performance out of them…

The bikes

Genesis Equilibrium Disc 20 | £1,649

Genesis promises ‘all-day comfort’ from the Equilibrium Disc 20, thanks to its steel frame and carbon fork combination.

It’s certainly a versatile bike, coming as it does with 28c tyres on its Fulcrum wheels, along with Shimano’s hydraulic disc brake set-up and a dependable 105 groupset used for the lion’s share of the mechanical parts.

Read the full Genesis Equilibrium Disc 20 review...

Ribble Gran Fondo Disc | £1,759

Ribble’s Gran Fondo has been revamped for 2017, with different tube profiles and geometry for a more relaxed, less tiring ride.

The British mail-order firm has gone all in to replicate an Italian look that matches the bike’s name, even going as far as to paint an Italian flag on the top tube.

But even if it has come from a warehouse in Lancashire rather than Veneto, all the ingredients are there for a comfortable ride at speed.

Read the full Ribble Gran Fondo Disc review...

Kuota Kubalt | £1,899

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.

Read the full Kuota Kobalt review...

Specialized Tarmac SL4 Sport

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.

Read the full Specialized Tarmac SL4 Sport review...

The winner: Kuota Kobalt

It’s been a while since a test result was this close at the sharp end, but on balance the Kobalt just shades the victory from Specialized’s Tarmac Sport.

What you get from Kuota is a very handsomely specified bike (the latest Ultegra kit is sublime), a future-proof wheelset, and the ability to choose between full-on attack mode or a more leisurely approach to your century ride.

It’s an exceptional balance of comfort and performance. It just busts the budget we set ourselves here, but it’s worth every extra penny.

The Tarmac is stunning in many ways. Even forgetting the paintscheme, this is one bike here that rewards committed riding.

It’s not taken the laurels on this occasion for the simple reason that for most riders it might actually require too much focus too much of the time.

That said, for the money, you’re getting a bike that will hang with the fastest riders, as long as your quads are up to it.

Ribble’s Gran Fondo represents the power of the online retailer, with a high level of equipment at a tempting price.

Its handling isn’t razor sharp, but neither is it ponderous. It will transport you over a four-hour ride in comfort, but if you hanker after excitement you might want to look at the Kobalt or the Tarmac.

The Genesis Equilibrium 20 is a beauty – nothing compares to the sleek-tubed steel approach, and this is a truly cosseting machine.

It does give away 2kg to the lightest bikes here, though. Whether that’s important is down to you, but for a long day in the saddle (with not too many hills), it really will put a smile on your face.

In the four years since British Cycling launched its women’s initiative, there has been a 72% increase in the number of women holding a race licence.

This is good news for bike manufacturers, especially those serving the performance end of the market.

Canyon has been a committed sponsor of professional women’s cycling since 2016, yet until now its women’s bikes were simply ‘unisex frames’ offered with gender-specific touches such as saddle and bar choice.

In May this year, however, the German brand launched its first women-specific frames engineered ‘100% around women who ride’.

The Ultimate WMN bikes feature what the company calls its women-specific Sport Pro geometry, and at the top of the new four-bike range is this Ultimate WMN CF SLX Disc 9.0 Team CSR, resplendent in the team colours of the Canyon/Sram professional women’s racing team.

And compared to many women’s bikes, this one features an impressively high spec, headlined by a Sram Red eTap HRD wireless groupset and Reynolds Assault LE Carbon wheels.

All change

These are interesting times in the women’s cycling market. In June this year, after nearly two decades spent flying the flag for women-specific geometry, Specialized ditched its women-specific Amira and launched a new, non-gender-specific Tarmac SL6 featuring ‘new performance geometry for people [not genders]’.

Canyon has taken the opposite approach and decided that women do need specific geometry, pointing to the differences between male and female riders.

Women tend to have shorter arms, shorter stature, lighter weight and greater pelvic flexibility, all of which necessitate a gender-specific platform, the company says.

The WMN geometry found on the Ultimate and Endurace models has a slightly higher stack and shorter reach versus Canyon’s male (sorry, unisex) equivalents.

On a size small Ultimate, this equates to a 5mm difference in stack and a 7mm shorter reach. On top of that the size range of the WMN frames is now greater, going down to a 3XS for women five feet and under.

Raising the front end and shortening the reach on women’s bikes has been de rigueur since Trek launched its 2200WSD in 2003.

What is new, however, is the size-specific attention to detail. On Canyon WMN bikes, sizes 3XS and 2XS are supplied with smaller 650b wheels – a solution to problems such as toe overlap, overly relaxed head angles and compromised handling that can arise when a small frame is paired with standard 700c wheels. 

Looking the part

I tested the Ultimate WMN CF SLX after many months off the bike through injury. Feeling a bit of a fraud and slightly embarrassed that I was riding a team replica bike designed for pros, I took the Ultimate on my local loop.

At 7kg the Ultimate WMN is a thoroughbred race bike, designed for speed. It is lighter and has slimmer tubes than the equivalent unisex model, with a very different carbon layup.

The justification for this is that women are lighter than men and that they produce less overall power, so don’t need such a robust set-up.

One big plus of the slimmed down tube profiles is improved aerodynamics, especially at the front end.

Canyon claims that the Ultimate WMN is 3% more aerodynamic than the unisex model, and while I can’t verify that figure, the bike certainly sliced through the air at high speed, making light work of the raging headwind that was my companion along the route.

My assumption was that this Ultimate ‘lite’ approach would result in some loss in stiffness, but this wasn’t the case. The bike was surefooted yet responsive and accelerated instantly, especially out of corners.

Having previously ridden Canyon’s Endurace WMN model and been impressed with the compliance of the frame I expected the Ultimate WMN to be a bumpier ride but it wasn’t, even on the rutted lanes of Surrey.

The 28mm tyres (which one Canyon mechanic says can be run as low as 60psi) floated over the potholes.

Despite the slightly more upright geometry, this Ultimate WMN still puts the rider in a fairly aggressive position that some women might find daunting.

For me, it’s something to celebrate because there are so few true race machines for women. The adjustments made to the front end and the reach are subtle and intelligent – just enough to make the bike comfortable, without moving it out of the performance arena.   

Dressed to thrill

This is a high-end bike with a pricetag that is five times the value of my car, so there is no room for compromises when it comes to the spec.

The 41mm Reynolds Assault LE Disc carbon wheelset is a thing of beauty, yet claims to be so versatile that even off-road riding is an option, although I didn’t test that theory myself.

Canyon has taken a leap and included disc brakes throughout the range. Two years ago, this would have been a risky move, but if discs are good enough for Marcel Kittel they’re probably good enough for me.

Worlds apart

Sure enough, I found the Sram Red eTap hydraulic disc brakes to be powerful yet easy to control and a world away from the binary braking performance offered by the rudimentary disc brakes of yesteryear.

Neat features of the braking system are the ‘Canyon-adjusted lever reach’ and the reduced diameter of the hoods, both designed to accommodate smaller hands and eliminate that heart-in-mouth feeling when the brakes are out of reach.

The sleekly curved H31 aero cockpit is impressive and annoying in equal measure (in that you’ll have to invest in yet another Garmin mount).

It weighs just 335g for the 42mm version, and it comes in size-specific widths. The standard integrated stem is 100mm, but Canyon allows you to specify the dimensions of the integrated stem and bar and swap it out when you buy.

To some this will be worth the effort in helping to nail down the perfect set-up, but others will consider it unnecessary faff for a few seconds of aero gain over a lifetime of cycling.

Despite the name being a bit of a mouthful, the Canyon Ultimate WMN CF SLX Disc 9.0 Team CSR is an outstanding and beautiful machine, and a 2018 version with a revised paintjob (but otherwise the same) was expected to launch at the end of November.

It’s a bike that will improve comfort and performance for many women riders, especially those who struggle to find smaller performance bikes. But let’s be clear, many men would favour this set-up too. Hey, if the bike fits…

Spec

Its name makes it sound like a classic Italian brand, but Tifosi is thoroughly British. Founded in 1999, it used to be known for producing robust, good value workhorses designed to cope with UK riding conditions. Note the phrase ‘used to be’.

‘About three years ago we sat down and had a discussion about where Tifosi needed to go,’ says Josh Lambert, Tifosi’s technical specialist.

‘We couldn’t lose sight of what Tifosi stood for, but we wanted the brand to move forward. Our local team, Spirit Racing, now called Spirit-Tifosi, is an excellent youth development team that was in need of a bike, so we designed one for them.’

The result was the Tifosi SS26, which Cyclist tested back in 2016. Lambert likens it to ‘a sort of phoenix from the ashes’ that represented how Tifosi wanted to develop.

The SS26 kickstarted Tifosi’s ‘race programme’, the initiative the brand has used to steer its transition in focus from modest workhorses to thoroughbred race bikes over the last few years.

‘You hear a lot about the “trickle-down” of technology, but for us it was the other way around.

‘We had that solid base and have used it as a platform to refine and build up from,’ says Lambert.

On the backburner

If Tifosi’s race programme was on the main hob, the new Mons was on the backburner – always present but not the brand’s main focus.

‘The Mons was this little sketchbook project of mine,’ says Lambert. ‘I pitched it to the managing directors at the start of our transition and they said, “It isn’t a priority but it fits with where we want to go, so see what you can do.” We had it on the go for ages.

‘It just so happened that as we were developing the race programme we learned more and more about the best construction processes and what materials were best to use, so the Mons, simmering away on the periphery, kept getting lighter as a byproduct of our learning curve.’

That curve must have been steep indeed, because the Mons tips the Cyclist scales at a mere 4.91kg.

Considering the exotic componentry adorning the bike that weight is understandable, yet Tifosi claims a frame weight for the Mons of only 780g.

That’s on a par with many of the lightest frames on the market, so Tifosi is in good company. And it could have gone even lighter still.

‘The top layer of unidirectional carbon fibre has no structural relevance. We could peel that back and take almost another 100g off the weight, but the bike wouldn’t look as pretty,’ says Lambert.

‘For the Mons we employed some consultants whose sole task was to advise on lightweight carbon layup techniques.

‘The frame is predominantly built up with Toray T1000 fibres, balanced with T800 to make it less brittle, but there are eight different fibre types in the whole design.’

Comfort factor

The decision to go with carbon wasn’t simply about creating the lightest bike possible.

Lambert explains that despite the brand’s move towards a more performance-oriented focus, it didn’t want to lose sight of its original ethos – that of creating desirable bikes with a ride quality good enough to ride every day.

‘Believe it or not, light weight wasn’t the only priority for us,’ Lambert says. ‘The Mons isn’t supposed to be an out-and-out racer – for that we have the Auriga, which is aggressive and aero enough for use in competition.

‘The Mons trades in a little stiffness in return for comfort and light weight.’

Built to ride

Remarkably this build is not just for show either. You will be able to buy this exact model for yourself, complete with AX Lightness wheels, Fibre Lyte carbon chainrings and all, and each Mons purchase includes a custom paintjob from London-based paint shop Cole Coatings.

‘The nature of the techniques used by Cole to apply the finish means that each scheme is unique,’ says Lambert.

‘We think that echoes the ethos of the bike – minimalist, yet special.’

If the ride of the Mons reinforces its promise on paper, we’d have a hard time disagreeing with that.

£9,000 | chickencyclekit.co.uk

Cyclist: While many companies claim to have invented the carbon fibre bicycle, there is general consensus that you made the first fully carbon fibre frame to be raced at the Tour de France. How did that come about?

Craig Calfee: The potted history is I got my start with carbon fibre working for a company making composite shells for racing rowing boats.

I built my first all-carbon fibre bike in 1987 as a result of crashing my steel Schwinn, and two years later I’d hired a machinist and we’d started trading under the name Carbonframes [Calfee now sells under his own name].

We were watching the 1989 Tour de France and Greg LeMond was riding his rebranded TVT and we were really ragging on it, saying how we could make a better bike because this is just glued carbon tubes in aluminium lugs, but we figured he had a sponsorship deal.

But then this guy who brought in Time pedals to the US, sponsoring Greg at the time, saw our bikes and said we should send one to Greg’s dad because they were looking for custom carbon bikes for the whole team.

So we did, he loved the look of it and we went from there. The team ended up riding my bikes in the 1991 Tour.

Cyc: At the time, very few other riders would even go near carbon. What was different about LeMond?

CC: Greg was an open-minded guy, but the thing that convinced him was descending on my bike.

He’d just finished an uphill TT at Paris-Nice, the first time he’d ridden it. I saw him at the top and he said, ‘Well it climbs great, but the real test is how it descends so I’m going to take it down the backside of the mountain and meet you at the hotel.’

I ended up hanging out at the bottom with his mechanic, Julien DeVries – he’s Eddy Merckx’s old mechanic, kind of conservative – and he’s like, ‘Are you sure this is safe? We can’t afford to lose Greg.’

He was pretty stern and quiet while we waited. The image of Greg flying down a mountain on a bike made by some long-haired guy from San Francisco didn’t appeal to him, but then Greg rolls in, this big smile on his face.

Julien turns to me and says, ‘You’ve got it made now, Craig.’

Cyc: The name Carbonframes or Calfee has never appeared on any WorldTour down tubes. Why is that?

CC:  Well, Greg bought the 18 frames for the team out of his own pocket. He had his own bike company and was the team’s bike sponsor, so my frames had his name.

We did agree to have a little sticker of ours on the left chainstay, though.

Years later Patrick Lefevere asked us about sponsoring Team Domo. We were closing in on a deal for three years – 100 bikes.

Or that’s what I thought. Lefevere says, ‘So that’s 100 bikes per year,’ and I’m like no, my frames will easily last three years. You can just repaint them.

He says, ‘No, we need 100 per year. We need something to sell to pay the salaries over winter.’

I got it, but for us it wasn’t financially viable, so it never happened. Now you’ve got to add in $2million on top of a deal like that.

I’d rather put money into my bike designs.

Cyc: What designs have you been working on recently?

CC: I got pretty excited about a small-wheeled bamboo e-bike we made, which we’ve geared for about 40mph.

Imagine having quick, long-range transport that isn’t oily and dirty and can fit in the hallway of your public building or next to your desk.

Also bamboo is a great material. I’ve been in Eritrea with Team Rwanda, teaching them how to repair carbon frames, but you think how useful bamboo could be for building bikes in such places, where getting other materials is a logistical nightmare.

We’ve also been looking more and more at suspension in road bikes.

We have rear damping in our Manta RS bike already, and we’re working on something for the front. I think full suspension is where the future’s at.

Cyc: Really? What makes you say that?

CC: It’s pretty simple. When you’re on the bleeding edge or your bike handling skills and the road surface are questionable, suspension will make you crash less often and you’ll win the Tour de France more often.

Look at riders in winning positions who’ve crashed out of big races and it’s pretty much always down to lack of traction.

Suspension gives you more traction, which makes you faster and safer. It’s why motorbikes and cars have it.

It also decreases rolling resistance so is more comfortable, meaning less rider fatigue and more energy saved. It makes total sense.

Cyc: Suspension has been orbiting cycling for a long time but as yet hasn’t found its own traction. Why is that?

CC: A good analogy is motorbike racing. Telescopic forks on racing motorbikes is a pretty bad design for suspension and there have been tonnes of better solutions.

But they never catch on because that rider has been riding that type of fork since he was 12.

He might agree an alternative is faster, but when they’re hanging it all out there they know that crappy old fork’s limits and that makes them faster.

They don’t have time to relearn that muscle memory. It’s tough to make that mental shift, and that’s one of the big hurdles in cycling.

But people told me my carbon fibre bikes would never catch on, so believe me when I say traction enhancement will be on every bike in the Tour de France one day. 

Cyc: Do you see anything on the horizon with new material technology?

CC: The big one is graphene, which people are trying to use in the matrix material to make carbon fibre more damage-tolerant.

That’s the one place carbon fibre could use some improvement. As far as I know, no one in bikes has managed to utilise graphene very well yet – it’s not quite ready for prime time.

So I don’t see any big breakthroughs coming any time soon, but certainly there will be improvements in carbon laminates.

Cyc: We’ve heard graphene can filter seawater for drinking…

CC: Now there’s a story – a bike that makes water! But in all seriousness I think the bicycle has consumed more human hours of concentration and engineering than any other technology on the planet.

Millions of inventors, tinkerers, home mechanics all staring at bikes for over 100 years, trying to think of better ways of doing something.

But a lot of things have trickled down from bikes into other areas, so it’s all good.

One of the oldest names in mainstream cycling, just about every old cycling fanatic can tell you a story about a Cinelli product they owned and adored.

Converting that past adulation into ongoing business is never an easy task, yet it’s just what Cinelli has managed with panache.

Still making a fabulous range of components, the company has expanded frame options over the years and lately, with steel once again rising in popularity, it has added new models to its stable, including the Nemo Tig.

Constructed from tubing provided by sister company Columbus, it makes for a thoroughly Italian affair.

Chicken Cycles offers the Nemo in two formats, either as a frameset or a complete bike. The former option allows you to tailor the build to your budget and requirements, but plumping for the latter shows what is possible if you’re prepared to spend a bit.

Cinelli has taken a less traditional route for steel and designed it for the needs of a racer, giving a much more contemporary look with larger diameter tubes and a pressfit 86.5mm bottom bracket.

With its triple-butted, oversized tubeset, Cinelli has done a great job as it’s a firm ride but not overly so, despite the increase in tube diameter.

Those who try the Nemo and compare it to carbon will be pleasantly surprised as it delivers much of the focus but without the punishing ride.

Intriguingly, though, the front end doesn’t always feel the most direct, which we put down to a couple of things: the tyres, while good, aren’t true race options; and the positivity of the rear end that makes the front feel slightly lacking.

The Nemo is available in both frameset and complete build, so you can choose just where to invest your cash or use Cinelli’s experience.

In this case, we went with the factory option that builds the Italian theme – Campagnolo Chorus groupset, Miche SWR RC 36 wheels plus Cinelli carbon components.

Without doubt it’s the wheels that stand out the most with carbon construction and a feel to them which led all our testers to comment on the ride quality.

Ratings

Frame 8/10; Components 9/10; Wheels 9/10; The ride 8/10

Verdict: Cinelli has come up with a focused bike that certainly wasn't created by committee. The result is a highly capable machine which, while working well, has curiously lost some of the soul that can make steel so appealing. Nevertheless, it's very agreeable machine if you're after a bike with a racing edge.

Spec

Award-winning framebuliding duo Caren Hartley and Matt McDonough have teamed up to form new bike brand Isen Workshop launching their first frameset, the handmade Isen All Season Road.

The rather stunning steel bike, brainchild of the London-based duo, has already seen its first batch of 30 frames sold within a week, and it is no surprise when you see the bike and its price.

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Isen has sourced its steel tubing from the world-renowned Reynolds, Columbus and Dedacciai, colouring the traditional-looking frame in a rainbow of colours reminiscent of spilt oil on a rainy day.

The bike has also remained en vogue with the industry's current love of endurance and audax bikes with clearance for 35c tyres, as well as coming with mudguard mounts and flat mount discs.

Being built to be ridden in all scenarios using top-quality steel tubing that is is handbuilt in London, you would expect the price for the frame to be steep.

However, Hartley and McDonough have managed to retail the frame at £1,500, which goes a long way in telling you why these frames are selling so well.

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Hartley and McDonough have made their names as some of the biggest framebuliders in the UK thanks to their work with their own respective brands.

Matt McDonough has been carrying the torch at Crystal Palace based Talbot frames since 2013 while Caren Hartley has been producing award-winning frames under the self-titled Hartley Cycles for the past decade.

The frameset will be officially launched at Herne Hill this week. 

London-based Bowman Cycles is a small but growing manufacturer, and that size gives some distinct advantages as latest trends and new technology can quickly be adapted to and rolled into its offerings.

It’s therefore interesting that the fourth machine off the design table should be one that hits an old niche, that of the mudguard-compatible, lightweight, winter machine that can be used all year.

It shouldn’t come as any sort of surprise though that Bowman has gone back to basics and created a thoroughly modern take on the do-it-all bike.

In fact, it's gone one step further, stating that it ‘combines the year-round dependability with enough zip to keep racers happy – a unicorn.’ That’s quite a mission statement!

Built using stainless steel, it’s a triple butted 17-4PH tubeset that works into a £1,600 frameset with a full carbon fork, so it’s not exactly a budget option, yet our version has been built with a choice set of components to make sure the end price is kept sensible.

As such it features the budget-conscious 11-speed Campagnolo Athena groupset and excellent Zonda C17 wheels. Keeping the Italian theme are Deda bar, stem and seatpost.

Primarily, Bowman sells framesets, so it’s easy to create a spec that best suits your preferences and needs. Despite the low-end groupset, the total weight is still only 8.5kg for the complete machine.

Bowman has spent money where it matters in the wheels and tyres and held back on the groupset, which can more easily be upgraded in stages as time goes by.

Out on the road, the frame’s qualities really show through. It’s a wonderfully nimble and lithe frame carrying the characteristics of quality steel: mild-mannered, big bump-damping, and comfy, with the positives you’d want from a race machine.

So it’s quick to respond, the weight is acceptable and it handles beautifully. While it wouldn’t be our inclination to agree with a manufacturer, it would seem that Bowman has created that mythical beast of a zippy all-rounder.

Ratings

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

Verdict: Seriously impressive work from Bowman, the stainless-steel frame offers durability and an inspired ride that wowed our testers, who loved its combination of road feel and comfort along with a purposeful edge that encourages you to push yourself; plus you can spec it any way you desire.

Spec