Don Walker points to the Russian writing on the driveside seatstay of his bike and smiles: ‘The Cyrillic says, “Handmade in Louisville, Kentucky, by American Capitalist Pig”.’

Even by the esoteric standards of handbuilt bicycles, this bright red machine is a masterpiece. It has been built by Walker, a 27-year veteran of the handmade bicycle scene, and is part serious collector’s item, part detailed homage to a bygone era of track racing and part comment on world politics.

‘The inspiration was the Masi track bike ridden in the Seoul 1988 Olympics team pursuit by Viatcheslav Ekimov,’ says Walker.

‘Ekimov was Russian, and it was the Reagan-Gorbachev era – the tail end of the Cold War. The world was a very heated place and there were lots of countries threatening to boycott Seoul.

‘In fact, it ended up being the last time the Soviet Union competed in an Olympics. The USSR dissolved in 1991.’

The Soviet Union wasn’t the only thing that was dissolved in the 90s. At one time bikes such as Walker’s creation were commonplace on the boards.

Known affectionately as ‘lo-pros’, they were built around a 650c front wheel paired to a 700c rear wheel. That meant the frames had outrageously sloping top tubes, as the long rear stays had to join up to the stumpy front fork.

The idea was twofold. Not only was the lead rider much lower down than with a 700c front wheel, but the smaller front wheels meant those following were able to tuck even tighter behind for a more aerodynamic pursuit train.

It clearly worked for Ekimov and his team, who took gold in 1988, but by 1997 the design had been outlawed after the UCI introduced a rule stating that both wheels must be the same size.

Happily, in the world of handbuilt bikes UCI rules don’t apply, so when long-time friend and amateur track rider Matt Haldeman came to Walker looking for a new bike, the Kentucky builder was only too happy to help. 

The low-down

‘I haven’t built a lo-pro bike since the 1990s, and I certainly haven’t done this type of fork and stem before,’ says Walker.

‘It’s also the first time I’ve done bi-lam construction. So with all that learning, trial and error and metal manipulation, I’d guess this was a 60-hour project.’

Most people will recognise a bi-lam construction (an abbreviation of bi-laminate) from seeing a mixed material frame, where a metal head tube is joined to a short section of metal down tube and top tube, which are then sculpted to look like traditional cast lugs before having carbon tubes slotted in.

The main difference here is this bike is all steel, and the bi-lam joints have been fillet brazed for a uniform look, where most mixed material bikes are TIG-welded.

More curious to the eye is the front assembly. It’s almost lost in the bike’s aggressive stance, but look closely and the stem and fork crown are one homogenous part.

The fork steerer is lopped off at the top of the head tube and secured with a stem cap, leaving the centre of the bullhorn bars barely a hair’s breadth from the top of the tyre.

‘The tubing is vintage Columbus KL, and the fork is period-correct Columbus Air. But I had to fabricate the crown stem from scratch.

‘It was trial and error with a 1.75-inch by 0.75-inch chromoly steel tube – fit and file, fit and file – then machine the other end to accept the stem clamp. It was all designed off the old photos of Ekimov’s Masi.’

As a labour of love, that would be enough for most builders, but Walker still wasn’t satisfied. He needed to get hold of the right components, and create the right paint scheme.

Riding through walls

Sourcing the components was almost as lengthy a process as building the frameset. The period-correct 3T Moscow bars, Selle San Marco Rolls saddle and flute-less Campagnolo cranks were one thing, but he nearly hit a roadblock with the seatpost and wheels.

‘They’re both 1980s Campagnolo, and truth be told the seatpost is wrong because we didn’t take into consideration the length of the aero portion.

‘This is as low as it can go, which is too high for Matt! And we just couldn’t find the right wheels, so we had to borrow these from a bike ridden by ex-pro track rider Steve Hegg. They still have his original tubs on.’

However, of all the details it’s the graphics that have Walker most excited. On the down tube is Cyrillic for ‘Walker’, there’s ‘Matislav Haldimanikov’ on the seat tube; the occasional hammer and sickle, and then there’s the man himself…

‘There was no way around it, the headbadge had to be a hammer and sickle, while pictured on the seat tube is Mikhail Gorbachev with another Cyrillic inscription.

‘Reagan said to Gorbachev in a famous speech, “Tear down this wall!” so the translation reads, “We don’t destroy walls, we destroy world records”.’

Perhaps no American Capitalist Pig has ever uttered more noble words.

The Specialized Tarmac isn’t just a model of bike – it’s a dynasty. The line began in 2003, and since then the various iterations of the Tarmac have claimed victories at every Grand Tour, multiple World Championships and Olympic Road Races, and even a handful of the cobbled Classics.

While on the surface the new Tarmac may look similar to its predecessor, with a near identical geometry for a 56cm frame, every single tube has changed in shape.

Perhaps most notably, the seatstays have dropped in height and are now reminiscent of the back end of the Venge ViAS.

The seat tube also uses a more aerodynamic D-shaped cross-section along with a cut-out for the rear wheel, which Specialized claims has contributed to a considerable reduction in drag.

The result is that Specialized’s ‘Win Tunnel’ (see what they’ve done there?) data shows this new Tarmac to be equal with the previous generation of Specialized Venge in aerodynamic terms.

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Image 3 of 22

‘Our tests show the new Tarmac saves 45 seconds over 40km compared to the current generation of Trek Émonda or Cannondale SuperSix,’ says Chris Yu, Specialized’s director of integrated technologies. Of course, we’ve only got his word for that.

One-stop solution

The gains in aerodynamics reflect a wider desire to make the bike more versatile for Grand Tour pros – a one-stop solution to racing.

‘The dynamics of pro racing have changed over the years,’ explains Yu. ‘Every 10km the decision on which of our previous bikes was most suitable would switch.

‘So that’s why we have taken the decision to make a bike that is appropriate across all different types of stages and terrain.’

With a weight of 733g in a size 56, the Tarmac could claim to be one of the lightest-ever aerodynamically orientated frames (30g lighter than Pinarello’s F10 X-Light in a size 53).

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Image 4 of 22

The revised model is about more than just the frame, though. Every component is a Specialized product, save for the drivetrain and brakes.

In that sense it’s important to consider the way in which the Tarmac has been adapted to its componentry – and specifically the tyres.

The S-Works Tarmac comes specced with a 26mm Turbo Cotton tyre that measures 29mm in profile when coupled with the Roval CLX 50 wheels (the bike is capable of fitting up to 31mm tyres).

This is a shift not only in design but in the identity of the bike, opening up more varied types of terrain, be it cobbled Classics, gravel tracks or smooth roads.

I used the S-Works Tarmac on all these surfaces, and it never failed to impress. 

On the Tarmac

I rode the previous generation of the Tarmac, the SL5, a great deal, and came to consider it a benchmark by which to judge other endurance racers – specifically when it came to handling.

As such, seeing it so drastically changed, and hearing that the handling had been altered, left me a little apprehensive.

At first the new Tarmac felt very different. The wider tyres, more rigid design and more aerodynamic curves made it faster, racier and a little less compliant than I expected.

Over time, though, it became clear that the SL6 was an improvement over its predecessor.

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Image 5 of 22

Aerodynamics are tough to quantify without a wind-tunnel, but the Tarmac definitely held speed well at around 40kmh, and felt more akin to a fully aero road bike in pure speed terms.

However it was the rigidity of the new frame that struck me the most on my initial ride.

I just wanted to repeatedly stamp on the pedals and sprint all-out (just look at Sagan’s finish line sprint at the Worlds to see how well it copes under thousands of watts).

Pulling away from traffic lights I occasionally found the front wheel lifting off the ground, so eager was I to eke out every watt I could.

Well tuned

That stiffness seemed well tuned from front to rear, and I was a little shocked by how rigid the bottom bracket was. Under pressure it seemed not to flex at all, but to transfer power directly to the road.

That stiffness coupled nicely with finely tuned geometry to create supremely precise cornering and ample stability on descents.

Indeed, handling was a big target for Specialized with the new Tarmac, and the manufacturer worked closely with its WorldTour teams to target sharper handling and better feedback from the road.

The consequence was a revised approach to scaling geometry to sizing, and doubling the number of plies in the carbon to tune the behaviour of the material itself.

Specialized, unsurprisingly, claims team members have all reported an improvement in handling. For my part, I was startled by how palpable that change was.

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Image 7 of 22

To put it in the clearest way I can, the Tarmac made me feel as though I could make any corner at any speed.

That stability and confidence equally lent itself to riding on gravel or chalk roads, and I found myself confidently sprinting off-road on terrain I wouldn’t usually dare to take a road bike onto.

Much of the credit has to go to the wide Turbo Cotton tyres. They feel and perform fantastically, but the caveat is that they’re best preserved for dry summer days, a point brought home to me by five punctures on wet roads.

Specialized pricing

If there is one complaint, it’s with the pricetag. At £3,250 for the frame, to reach the RRP of £9,000 leaves £5,750 to cover the Roval wheelset, Shimano groupset and own-brand finishing kit.

By my calculations, buying the fully built bike doesn’t offer much discount from getting the components separately at full retail price.

In that financial sense, Specialized’s 2018 Tarmac Pro is a much more appealing bike. With Roval’s slightly-lower spec CL 50, Ultegra Di2 and a slightly lower grade of carbon, it comes in at £5,400.

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Image 8 of 22

I’m sure there’s a slight performance cost, but it will likely be hard to discern.

That’s where my criticism of the S-Works Tarmac ends. There are no elements of the design or spec I could imagine wanting to tweak. Like a budding juvenile infatuation, I wanted to spend absolutely all my time with the Tarmac.

My rides were longer, faster and my riding companions inexplicably slower when I was aboard the Tarmac.

Spec

Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6: Launch and first ride review

30 June 2017

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Image 19 of 22

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

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

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

Aerodynamics

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

Aerodynamics is probably the most drastic switch. Having not been targeted before in the Tarmac class, Specialized's Win Tunnel data shows this new Tarmac to be equal with the previous generation of Specialized Venge in terms of aero gains.

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

Tube shapes

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

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Image 12 of 22

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

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

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

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

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

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Image 6 of 22

Versatility and handling

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

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

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

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

Sizing specific

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

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Image 14 of 22

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

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

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Image 3 of 22

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

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

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

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Image 4 of 22

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

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

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

First Ride Review: S-Works Tarmac SL6

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

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

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

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Image 2 of 22

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

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

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

Holding Speed

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

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

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

Handling

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

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

Comfort

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

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

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

All-rounder

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

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

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

Tom Ritchey is one of those cycle industry people who is easy to like – he’s been designing and making bikes for more than 40 years, they’re not heavily marketed, and they’re beautifully functional with excellent design and detail.

This is the UK exclusive first test of the updated Road Logic, the V2, but the changes from V1 are characteristically low-key. 

Ritchey has noted the trend for wider tyres so tweaked the frame to fit tyres up to 30mm wide.

Adapting the carbon fork wasn’t quite so simple, so that’s a completely reworked design.

A modern take on the classic steel frame, Ritchey has designed the internal and external shapes of the tubes, along with a triple-butting process that takes away material where it’s not needed to reduce weight, but kept it where required for weld strength.

As the main part of the Ritchey business is producing components, it’s no surprise that the Ritchey name appears on all parts bar the 105 groupset and inner tubes.

With a frame price of £1,119 and this complete bike at just under a grand more, it’s easy to see that the cost has been kept low and that’s reflected somewhat in the 9.2kg weight.

Without doubt, the weight is noticeable on the road as soon as it goes uphill or when sprinting, but at all other times you’d struggle to notice.

In fact, you’re more likely to pick up on the benefits as the Logic is extremely stable at speed, comfortable on choppy surfaces and eager to change direction when asked.

We swapped out the stem to a longer WCS C220 for fit reasons but otherwise ran the stock build. Having ridden and loved the previous version, the V2 didn’t quite match expectations, and we lay the responsibility at the door of the tyres and wheels.

The wheels are respectable and strong but weigh 3.2kg as fitted (including tyres and cassette) and that mass makes a big difference.

Sadly, the Tom Slick 27c tyres weren’t really up to scratch on a bike of this quality and didn’t encourage the lively performance we know the frame wants to offer, but swapping them for a lighter set would help get the most out of a fantastic frame.

Ratings

Frame 8/10; Components 7/10; Wheels 6/10; The ride 8/10

Verdict: The updated Road Logic keeps the same character, but wider tyres mean you can enjoy the beautifully crafted combination of comfort and poise across more surfaces. A fab all-rounder that can handle fast riding or simple cruising, but begs for a more expensive build to get the most out of it.

Spec

Salbutamol, The asthma medication that has been found to exceed the permitted limit within Chris Froome’s urine, is not one that we normally associate with undue performance gains.

Salbutamol is most often marketed as Ventolin, and most usually contained within a blue inhaler called a reliever inhaler. It is the most innocuous of asthma treatments and does not require a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) form as it has found to have little or no performance-enhancing effects in athletes unless they are asthmatic.

There is, however, a maximum dosage set out WADA of 800 micrograms per 12 hours, or 1600 micrograms per 24 hours.

This is the limit which Froome is believed to have exceeded – which we will return to later.

Reliever, not enhancer

Salbutamol is part of a group of bronchodilators, which sit below a family of stronger corticosteroid drugs - these include budesonide and usually come in a brown inhaler called a preventer inhaler.

The function of a bronchodilator is purely to alleviate asthmatic symptoms, constriction of the airways, by relaxing the muscles in the lungs and widening the airways.

Salbutamol is usually prescribed without the requirement of any specific tests, but rather any form of breathing trouble or bronchial inflammation will warrant a doctor’s prescription.

Corticosteroids, by contrast, usually require a more serious condition and for use in sport require an ‘asthma provocation test’.

For this the athlete will see a specialist pulmonologist, who does something called flow volume loop testing – a test done at rest and then during exercise to see if there is any demonstrable narrowing of the airways.

Dosage

Pictured here is my own salbutamol inhaler. Assuming Froome has the same inhaler, it delivers 100 micrograms per actuation. The quantity found in his urine was 2000 nanograms per ml.

That would be only 2 micrograms within each ml of urine, but would suggest a dosage of around 16 puffs during a 12 hour period.

Clinically it’s not recommended to take more than 8 puffs in one day, which would be 800 micrograms, and the recommended dosage is 2 puffs - 200 micrograms.

This is partly due to possible side-effects such as increase in heart rate, but also as over-reliance on a preventer inhaler suggests poor control of the condition.

Symptoms requiring such heavy use of an inhaler would suggest the need for elevated treatment – long acting agonists or more potent steroids, for example.

This is most likely the reason why WADA set an upper limit for the drug, to discourage dangerous dosage and poor control of the condition rather than performance enhancements. 

Exceeding the limit

Conceivably, an athlete such as Froome may exceed the maximum dosage to alleviate symptoms of an asthma attack more quickly.

When people are admitted to hospital with acute exacerbations of asthma, for example, doctors may give 2500-microgram doses of salbutamol through a nebuliser, 1-2 hourly for the first 24 hours of admittance – a vastly greater quantity than the WADA maximum limit.

That greater dosage does increase the risks of possible side-effects such as tremors and elevated heartrate. There is also much more concerning condition called paradoxical bronchospasm.

This is where the use of salbutamol constricts airflow even more during treatment. These side effects are the reason some athletes side for terbutaline, which is also a bronchodilator but requires a TUE.

As the dosage is released through the actuation of the inhaler, rather than in a pill or liquid form, it’s conceivable for the dosage to be metered incorrectly.

Another unknown in Froome's case is that the microgram dosage he inhaled doesn't necessarily equate to the nanograms of salbutamol in his urine. Some studies have shown that disproportionate spikes in salbutamol levels can occur in the body after inhalation.

This is what was argued by Diego Ulissi during an investigation for an adverse finding of salbutamol in his urine in 2014, and a reason he did not receive a full sanction.

Specialized has executed a worldwide mass recall of its 2018 Allez, Allez Elite and Allez Sport model bikes with immediate effect.

In a notice published by director of engineering Mark Shroeder, the brand announced that 'after careful examination' it would be recalling the bikes due to 'a manufacturing defect in the fork crown which potentially affects safety'. 

The statement then continued to ask all riders to immediately stop using the bike and for dealers to cease sales of the product. 

Despite the brand stating that no rider has experienced injury due to the fault and no regulatory agencies underlining the issue, Specialized are prepared to replace the forks of all bikes within the range.

Replacement forks are already in production, painted to match existing frames however, a prior warning has been made regarding the timeframe to which these replacements will be made due to the size of the operation.

The brand then go on to apologise for the inconvenience caused by this recall stating, 'we fully understand and are working hard at finding solutions to minimise rider inconvenience'. Priority will be made for existing owners of the bikes before attention being made towards distributors and dealers.

Owners of the bikes are urged to consistently check the Specialized website for any updates or call the Specialized rider care hotline.

The Specialized Allez range is amongst the most popular bike models worldwide meaning that this recall could be of unprecedented scale for the bike industry.

First launched in 2003, the Specialized Roubaix paved the way for a new genre of race-ready road bikes that offered greater comfort and stability with a more relaxed fit.

Since then, it has been victorious over the hallowed cobblestones of its namesake event an impressive five times, and now Specialized has given the Roubaix its most significant update in over a decade.

Immediately noticeable is the absence of the signature Zertz elastomer inserts – the rubbery bits on the fork legs and seatstays aimed at reducing vibrations.

What Specialized has replaced them with is far more radical, as the new bike comes with a suspension system between the head tube and the stem, which Specialized calls Future Shock.

It’s basically a spring, and it delivers up to 20mm of vertical travel at the handlebars.

Future Shock

To explain the introduction of Future Shock, Chris Yu, head of applied technologies at Specialized, says there isn’t just one kind of compliance, there are two: splay and axial.

Splay refers to something bending (a seatpost flexing, for example), while axial compliance refers to something moving directly up and down along its axis (such as a mountain bike suspension fork).

‘Flex [splay compliance] can be effective in terms of the rider’s sensation of comfort, but at the front end of the bike, where stiffness is so critical to handling and performance, it’s not the most efficient solution,’ Yu says.

That thinking led Specialized to the idea for an axial suspension unit, but critically it had to be placed above the head tube, rather than below it.

That’s because in this location it’s not supporting your entire bodyweight but rather just a percentage of your upper body mass, thereby enabling the benefits of axial compliance without undesirable compression.

In other words, it’s designed to dampen bumps at the hands, while preventing the bike’s front end from bouncing up and down like a pogo stick. That’s the theory, but does it work?

The first thing anyone does when meeting the new Roubaix is to press on the handlebar to see how much it moves up and down.

The answer is quite a lot, which made me wonder just how stable it could be when riding aggressively out of the saddle or under hard braking. 

Pudding proven

I shouldn’t have worried. The movement of the Future Shock is barely perceptible most of the time – in a good way.

During my early tests I often found myself pedalling along and looking down at the little rubber cover to see if I could actually see it move. And I always could. It moves almost continuously, even over the smallest imperfections in the road surface.

What that means in terms of comfort is the Future Shock does a great job of smoothing out the bumps, big or small, yet what was most surprising was that even concerted sprint efforts didn’t create an unsettled or disconnected feeling at the bars.

When I went from a seated to a standing position on a steep climb, I would momentarily be more aware of its presence, but it never felt like the bike was robbing me of any power transfer.

In terms of stability and precision through turns, this Roubaix feels far more agile than the previous model.

The geometry is a noticeable step away from its predecessor, moving slightly closer to its racy sibling, the Tarmac.

Specialized has lopped 30mm off the stack height and given it 10mm extra reach, while the shortened chainstays and slightly steeper head angle have also reduced its wheelbase.

The bottom bracket is lower too, all of which brings this bike much closer to what I’d expect from a race-level machine.

Specialized also claims to have made this new platform considerably stiffer, while keeping the weight about the same as before.

That, and the fact that the whole system has spent time in the wind-tunnel to ensure it’s now slipperier than ever, does bear fruit out on the road.

There’s no doubt this latest Roubaix is a very different beast to the older model. The chance for a more aggressive riding position will widen its appeal, and it feels snappier and more responsive.

It’s reassuringly solid when tipped into corners at speed, and if there is a downside to how smooth the front end feels it’s perhaps a slight loss of the sense of connectivity with the road surface, but it’s really only fractional.

Bum deal

With all the focus on the front on the bike, it would have been easy to ignore the rear, but Specialized hasn’t.

The appearance of its slightly odd CG-R seatpost may be divisive but the amount of flex it delivers is appreciable, aided by its lower clamping point, which elongates the amount of seatpost that’s able to bend.

All this damping, alongside clearance for up to 32mm tyres, lends the impression that this is a do-it-all gravel bike, yet Specialized is adamant that this is not the case (the Diverge is in its stable for that).

The Roubaix is about going fast comfortably. And to that end I can attest that it does its job impeccably.

Granted, this is the S-Works variant of the Roubaix, a moniker that Specialized only bestows upon its highest-level products. However I also spent some time aboard the Expert-level Roubaix too, and the functionality was equally impressive.

The S-Works boasts a top-drawer spec, allowing it to achieve a weight of 7.30kg, which for a bike with a front shock and disc brakes is mightily impressive.

While I’m on the subject of spec, it feels odd to be concluding a bike review without mentioning the groupset and wheels – so I won’t.

I’ve previously reviewed both Sram’s eTap wireless shifting and Roval’s CLX 32 Disc wheelset, both of which delivered exemplary performance then, and now, and are fitting for a bike that will set you back a tidy £9k.

When the new Roubaix launched, I admit I was uncertain about the Future Shock suspension, but now I say to all cynics, ride it before you jump to conclusions. It’s no gimmick.

Spec

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.

Image 2 of 10

Image 2 of 10

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.

Image 3 of 10

Image 3 of 10

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.

Image 4 of 10

Image 4 of 10

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 road bike market is heavily bound by tradition. People are wary of change, and innovation develops at a glacial pace, so it’s refreshing when a bike appears that flouts the accepted norm of how a road bike should look. One such bike is the new 3T Strada.

Created by Gerard Vroomen, the co-founder of Cervélo, the Strada is sleek and aggressively aerodynamic, yet it comes with elements more usually seen on ‘all-road’ bikes: wide 28mm tyres, disc brakes and a 1x drivetrain.

It’s a peculiar combination, and Vroomen knows it. ‘I’ll admit the Strada has garnered a mixed reception,’ he says. ‘Although if I wanted a normal reception I’d have made a boring bike.’

The project was conceived when Vroomen realised he didn’t want to choose between aerodynamics or comfort in a bike.

‘The tyres have the biggest influence on comfort, so we settled on 28mm tyres and built the bike up from there, since 28mm tyres offer the best balance of volume without impacting frontal area or weight too much,’ he says.

Vroomen clearly knows a thing or two about aerodynamics, yet that didn’t stop him making use of both theoretical analysis and wind-tunnel testing on the tube shapes.

Despite not providing any numerical comparisons, Vroomen says the Strada compares very well against its rivals, which he attributes to its focus.

‘When brands offer rim and disc-brake versions of frames, they need an interchangeable design. That introduces a number of compromises, for example a less than perfect fork crown height,’ he says.

‘The fork crown is one of the worst areas aerodynamically, so if you don’t have to provide for a rim brake the crown can be sucked up towards the bottom of the head tube.’

The decision to opt for a 1x drivetrain was driven by a similar motivation. ‘Another terrible area for aerodynamics is around the bottom bracket, with the frame, crank, chainrings, front derailleur, water bottles and a rider’s legs leaving little room for the air to pass through.

‘A single-ring drivetrain eliminates the front derailleur and one chainring, reducing frontal area and creating space for unobstructed airflow. Plus it frees up the design of the seat tube to shield the rear wheel even better.’

One-ring wonder

A single chainring may improve aerodynamics but it inevitably limits gear selection. Irish ProContinental team Aqua Blue will be racing the Strada next year, and opinion is divided over whether or not the team will be at a disadvantage.

‘What people fail to understand is that there is no bike in the peloton that is the perfect choice 365 days a year,’ says Vroomen.

‘For some races a 2x drivetrain may be advantageous, but for others a 1x system is definitely better.

‘No one questions riders at Paris-Roubaix throwing away all those watts to drag from a front derailleur and inner ring that they didn’t use all day, because that’s how we’re used to bikes looking.

‘It’s just because this change is so visible that people are questioning it.’

The issue is the cassette. With only one front ring the cassette can either have balanced gaps between each gear ratio but a poor overall range, or a good range with big jumps between gears.

It’s an issue 3T has gone some way to addressing with its new Bailout and Overdrive cassettes, which both contain a range of sprockets from 9-32t but in different configurations.

‘The Bailout is for the majority of riders,’ says Vroomen. ‘It has balanced gaps from 9-26, then jumps to 32. If you’re in trouble you can “bail out” to the 32.

‘If you’re OK then you’d be in the 26 sprocket or bigger anyway. The Overdrive is for racers – it can be paired with a bigger chainring because pros don’t need a gear for when they blow up but still need to get home, as they can just get in the team car.

‘Their concern is fine-tuning their climbing gears, so they have a 28-tooth sprocket because that’s a likely gear to use for 10km up an 8% climb.

‘We’ve kept the spacing smaller on that side of the range with a big jump at the top end, from 11 to 9 teeth.’

The system may be controversial and as yet unproven, but the logic is sound. We look forward to putting it into practise with a review in a future issue.

It all began on Saturday 30th January 2016. That was the day U23 rider Femke Van den Driessche’s spare bike at the Cyclocross World Championships was inspected and a motor was found inside. It was unprecedented, and has changed the way we think about cheating in cycling.

The system she used was a Vivax-Assist motor. The motor, situated in the seattube, works by turning a bevel gear fastened to the crank axle and gives a power boost of around 100 watts.

It is a technology that has been in development for years – largely aimed at a market of older riders keen to maintain their normal riding pattern while losing fitness.

Since the curious incident of Van den Driessche, we’ve seen two further incidents of a Vivax system used in competition for unfair advantage, both by amateurs.

But how much of an advantage does such a concealed Vivax motor really offer?

We put the Goat Race with the Vivax-Assist within it up - ridden by me - against a Bianchi Oltre XR4 - ridden by my colleague James Spender - on a steep hill-climb, both with and without the motor activated to see what difference the motor offers

Goat Race Ultegra (with motor), £4,999

We didn't use power meters, or timing on the climb, but instead looked at how the system feels, and looks to the competition, when used against a conventional bike.

Head-to-head

As we established when first testing the system, it requires more practice and skill than a more complex pedal-assist system. It also requires an aluminium frame or an internal aluminium sleeve to secure the motor in place.

While the motor is not in use, it engages a freewheel, but the bevel itself must still be turned by the force of the axle. It’s a tiny level of resistance, but one that might be palpable over 100km of riding.

There is also a heavy battery unit that must be attached to the motor. In this case it’s concealed within the water bottle.

Consequently there are a few sacrifices to a concealed motor.

The bike we’ve tested is the Goat Race, UK-based Goat Bikes has designed and assembled the bike with the Austrian-made Vivax-Assist system integrated within it.

Goat has made a fine aluminium bike, very well adapted to the motor, but with the added weight and lower quality material this certainly isn’t a World Class bike when the motor is off.

It weighs 10.2kg but has a concealed motor which can give over 100 watts of assistance.

The Bianchi, by contrast, comes in at 6.8kgs with aerodynamic tube shaping and stiff deep section Campagnolo Bora wheels.

Bianchi Oltre XR4 Super Record, £9,500

The motor has 200 watts capacity, but owing to the cadence-based boost and presumably some transitional losses, we’ve generally perceived the boost to be closer to 100-120 watts.

It’s nowhere near as powerful as the enormous Bosch motors we see in e-mountain bikes and in the emerging class of e-road bikes.

On a good day, James is a little more explosive than me, and so I’d expected him to edge ahead of me without the help of the motor, especially on the lighter and stiffer Bianchi.

With the motor on, though, we expected it would be enough to bridge the gap between both our bikes and our physiologies. The interesting measure was to find out by how much...

On a short steep climb like this, though, the motor is pushed to its limits in terms of torque, and the extra weight of the Goat does have all the more influence.

Turbo charged

While there’s no question that the motor makes the Goat faster, the important question is how dramatic such a boost is. Could WorldTour mountain attacks or sprints up the Koppenberg really be explained with a concealed motor?

While there are watts on offer, the power difference required to sprint away from World Class riders is substantial, and does the Vivax offer that sort of boost?

Equally, could it let an amateur rider compete with professionals?

As our video suggests, there is certainly an advantage to be had, with a two bike length deficit turning to a one length lead. But three bike lengths over a few hundred metres isn’t enough to split a WorldTour field, or allow an amateur rider to compete with elites.

Of course the motor requires a certain skill, and by resetting the cadence that the system works toward (more on that here) I could maybe match the lower cadence demands of a climb like this.

With the specific output of the motor requiring a smooth rotation of the cranks my climbing style looks a little unusual compared to my first run and could give away a cheat on close inspection.

The noise, however, was not a giveaway, as the Vivax-Assist is far quieter than its predecessor, the Gruber-Assist.

On the whole, though, it remains difficult to imagine top pro cyclists relying on a concealed motor system such as this – given the relatively conservative gains in power versus the numerous disadvantages and the visible difference in pedalling technique that might give the motor away.

But, of course, stranger things have, and do, happen.

Cervélo is no stranger to innovation. From the days when founders Gerard Vroomen and Phil White created the otherworldly Baracchi TT bike as their college graduation project, the brand has been at the cutting edge of design and performance, and the R5 has traditionally set a benchmark for what’s possible in terms of weight.

But these days its competitors are matching it for lightness, so Cervélo has had to rethink its approach to its flagship.

‘Ongoing feedback means that when it’s time to update a product, we have a list of concerns we want to address,’ says Philip Spearman, product manager at Cervélo.

‘For this version of the R5, we knew that we wanted to prioritise stiffness, handling, fit and usability.’

That’s an interesting list. Usually when we receive a new bike, its maker boasts of improved weight, comfort and aerodynamics, but Cervélo has gone for raciness.

‘To address the variability in fitting demands, we deviated from the traditional “Elite” fit and lowered the stack by 8mm to offer an option to those riders who need a lower hand position in what we call “Pro” fit,’ says Spearman.

‘But to avoid alienating those riders who liked our previous fit, we lowered the stack along the steering axis as well as the BB drop. So installing 8mm of spacers moves the R5 Pro fit back to our traditional Elite fit.’

Put simply, Cervélo has lowered the front end, offering the potential for a more aggressive riding position.

But this has been met by a lowering of the bottom bracket, meaning the rider’s centre of mass is lower too, which should result in the R5 being more stable.

In a move to further improve stability, Spearman claims the manufacturer has placed a lot of importance in ‘matching front trail and rear trail’.

The latter is a new concept to us – what with the rear wheel not having a steering axis – but Spearman assures us that it really does exist.

While the science of rear trail and its effects on a bike’s performance are mind-bendingly complex, a reduction in trail at the front thanks to an increased fork rake, with a corresponding increase in chainstay length at the rear are more straightforward.

The old wisdom once suggested that longer chainstays meant for a flexier rear end, but Cervélo claims the new R5 has an increase of 20% ‘torsional’ stiffness and 15% bottom bracket stiffness, all for the same weight.

So, in summary, the R5 is longer, lower and stiffer than its predecessor. Does that make it better?

Working stiff

From the first pedal stroke the Cervélo R5 had the responsiveness of a WorldTour frame. I immediately found it offered feedback from the road, coupled with an extremely efficient transfer from power to speed.

In terms of fit, the shorter head tube wasn’t as noticeable as I thought it might be. While it’s 13mm shorter than before (151mm for this 56cm), it’s tempered by the lowering of the BB from a 68mm drop to a 72mm drop.

I didn’t feel like the front end was too low – for me, it seemed to sit in an endurance racer sweet spot.

From the second I slung my leg over the frame, the position seemed to just work, while the geometry complemented that low-slung position with a sharp but stable handling quality.

I found myself flying down descents at alarming speed, and had to check my enthusiasm at times. That caution was also a consequence of the liveliness of the rear end, though.

From the outset, I found the rear of the bike bounced aggressively and unpredictably beneath me on rougher road surfaces.

It’s a consequence of all that added stiffness, and the price you pay for improved speed and acceleration.

To soften the back end, I had to reduce tyre pressure slightly, but thankfully the new R5 can accept 28mm tyres, which takes care of some of the comfort issues.

Happily, considering the fact that the increase in stiffness hasn’t increased its weight, the bike feels as light as its predecessor, with the same responsiveness on the road.

At the same time it’s a very different bike to the old R5, which tended to soften the road slightly more, and even have a certain dead feeling to it.

While aerodynamics weren’t near the top of Spearman’s lengthy list of priorities, the redesigned ‘Squoval’ tube shapes and D-shaped seat tube have certainly played some part in reducing its drag compared to the previous generation.

The bike comes together as a thoroughly fast package. It’s never quicker than when descending, where the tuning of the frame around stability and handling has paid off in bounds.

It feels thoroughly well seated but every bit nimble enough to take corners at speed.

Yet despite all of its various merits, the Cervélo R5 doesn’t leap ahead of the competition as it once did. It’s a very well rounded endurance racer, but it’s got some very stiff competition.

I found it hard to isolate what exactly makes the Cervélo stand out from the likes of the top-level Trek Émonda or the Specialized S-Works Tarmac.

It’s not specifically lighter, faster or better handling than its rivals, and it’s a little on the harsh side.

That said, despite being shod with incredibly pricey Enve 3.4 wheels, the R5 is considerably cheaper than the competition – £2,000 less than the top Émonda or Tarmac, and in a similar bracket to Canyon’s top-spec direct-to-market bikes.

Cervélo’s new R5 is certainly a step on from its previous R5, which itself set a pretty high benchmark.

Is it the best bike on the market? No – but it’s not far off. And despite its hefty pricetag, it actually represents excellent value for a thoroughly world-class bike.

Spec

The Crossrip has a relaxed approach to road riding, and is claimed to be ‘sure-footed when roads get rough, quick in traffic and comfortable over the long haul.’

A bike that has a built-in ability to venture on to dirt and gravel sounds great in theory. So what’s it like in reality?  

Frameset

The frame is made from Trek’s 200 Series aluminium, which is produced in such a way as to keep weight to a minimum while maximising its strength in key areas.

The front frame triangle is noticeably more all-road than pure road, but the sloping, tapered top tube necessitates a longer length of exposed seatpost which helps to deal with road vibration admirably.

Mounts for mudguards and a rear rack add much needed adaptability for anything from commuting to club runs, to social rides to weekends away.

The cabling is internally routed, which we’d say is a prerequisite for any bike designed to be ridden through the worst of the British weather.

The Trek’s measured head angle of 70.3° is positively laid back, and when allied to a seat angle of 73.8°, the overall impression is of long-distance comfort more than exhilarating steering input.

The Crossrip’s welds are particularly fine, too – often an area that can look unsightly on mass-produced alloy frames.

There’s plenty of scope for adjusting the riding position, as well, with 30mm of spacers to play with on the steerer.

Tyre clearance amply accommodates the fitment of our test bike’s 32mm rubber, but with mudguards in place, we dare say this might reduce slightly – you’d still be fine with 28c tyres, though.

Groupset

The Crossrip approaches winter with a no-nonsense, 10-speed Shimano Tiagra groupset. This entry-level range supplies the 50/34 compact chainset, a cassette with an 11-34 spread of ratios, both the front and rear derailleurs, plus the shifters/brake levers.

There are also cyclocross-style, bar top-mounted Tektro levers for when you’re riding on the tops and need to scrub off a little speed.

The Crossrip takes the mechanical route for its braking system, with a Spyre TRP system in charge of hauling up its 10.52kg bulk.

Finishing kit

The alloy Bontrager finishing kit has a trick up its sleeve. The handlebars have the firm’s IsoZone padding at their tops and drops – adhesive pads fitted to the bars before the tape is applied, to provide extra vibration damping.

Those 400mm diameter bars are clamped to the steerer by a very short 80mm alloy stem – we’d probably size-up to provide a slightly more stretched-out riding position.

The stem is compatible with Bontrager’s Blendr system, meaning you can clip a light or computer mount to it.

A 27.2mm alloy seatpost also allows for enough flex to dial out any particularly harsh vibes that might otherwise make it to your chamois region, and is topped by a very sumptuously padded Bontrager Evoke 1 saddle.

Wheels

Bontrager’s tubeless-ready, disc-specific 32-spoke rims might not make for the most rapid wheels we’ve ridden this year, but they are laced to the firm’s own hubs which feature sealed bearings, so should prove maintenance-free all through winter.

Bontrager’s 32mm H5 Hard-Case Ultimate tyres are actually designed for Trek’s hybrid bikes, which speaks volumes about their durability.

Don’t expect to corner at silly lean angles on them, but do expect not to have to change them for a few years.

There’s built-in puncture protection, and they’re equally at home on bike paths and light, hard-packed gravel as they are on tarmac. 

On the road

Noticeably the most laid-back of our bikes in terms of its steering geometry, the Trek instantly cossets with a slack head angle and easy riding position, giving the impression that a soggy commute might be something approaching a joy behind its handlebars.

It’s biddable, and the tread of its all-road tyres just shallow enough to promote confidence in cornering.   

Given that the Crossrip is designed to ply its trade on a variety of surfaces, it could very easily have turned out to be a Jack of all trades, yet master of none.

In fact, it’s master of at least a handful. The easy-going riding position is firmly in the adventure bike bracket, which is what the Crossrip most closely resembles on first glance.

Its low standover height makes it user-friendly in traffic, and makes it easy to get a decent fit, too.

The two standout features for us in general road use are its comfort and its versatility.

The saddle is moderately firm, yet deeply padded, isolating your rump from any harshness. Taking a whiff of air out of the bike’s voluminous 32c tyres also gives you the upper hand in controlling ripples and high-frequency vibes.

Although it might seem like a small thing, the extra padding beneath the handlebar tape makes the Crossrip much easier to ride fatigue-free.

Although more often seen on CX bikes, the Tektro shorty levers on the bar tops really come into their own when you’re stuck in traffic. This bike really is well suited to daily urban use.

Being able to easily reach the brakes from three hand positions (drops, hoods or tops) makes for a stress-free journey.

OK, the mechanical disc set-up doesn’t quite match the bite of Shimano’s hydraulics, but there’s ample stopping power.

Handling

Once we’d reduced the tyre pressure to 70psi, the Crossrip’s handling improved greatly – not so much in its ability to steer quickly into turns and corner on a sixpence, but more in the way that its tyres perform with a little extra predictability and confidence.

The hybrid-spec rubber wrapped round the Bontrager rims is perhaps better suited to bike paths and parks, but it’s certainly going to prove long-lasting, even on tarmac.

With a wheelbase well over the metre mark, the Trek’s handling was never likely to set the world on fire, but what it lacks in sharpness it more than makes up for in stability.

In fact, venturing on to a few fire roads and paths reveals its real handling prowess to lie in the fact that it performs well no matter what surface you’re riding on.

Its long bottom bracket drop also contributes to a feeling of firm-footedness, compounded by the sensation of a low centre of gravity.

A bike weighing almost 10 and a half kilos has rarely been more commendable to the road rider – and if tackling the odd ride on light off-road terrain with a few mates at the weekends is on the cards this winter, you’d be well advised to look at the Trek as a do-most-things alternative to a full-on adventure bike.

While it perhaps won’t destroy the massed ranks of the club run, it’ll smash the commute, and make you feel like you’re riding a two-wheeled tank while you’re at it. 

Ratings

Frame: Easy-going geometry and beautifully smooth welds. 8/10
Components: Solid, reliable Shimano Tiagra groupset. 7/10 
Wheels: Tubeless-ready and sturdy enough for winter roads. 8/10 
The Ride: Stable and comfortable rather than thrilling. 8/10

Verdict

The standout features are comfort and versatility, and while performance is far from thrilling, it's the epitome of a reliable, go-anywhere winter machine

Geometry

Spec

With carbon dominating the road bike market, and aluminium the preferred choice for budget-minded racers, it’s easy to overlook the virtues of steel as a frame material.

Strong and cheap but also heavy, it tends to be associated with cheap ‘bike-shaped objects’.

But much like vinyl records and paperback books, steel bike frames have a certain kind of retro appeal – especially for the more romantically inclined cyclist who likes to reminisce about the sport’s golden age.

In fact, partly thanks to events like L’Eroica that celebrate vintage bikes and kit, steel is now more popular than it has been for years, and custom frame-builders are turning out beautifully crafted frames that are as much works of art as high-performance machines.

At the more affordable end of the market, it’s possible to buy quality off-the-shelf steel bikes that blend retro chic with modern technology to provide some of that old-school charm with the benefits of low weight and top performance.

To find out if they ride as well as they look, we took three such bikes – one British, one Belgian, one American – for a day out on the London to Brighton route, one of the oldest challenges in cycling, featuring city streets, rolling country lanes and a few hills along the way…

Keeping it real

When looking at steel bikes, it’s worth considering exactly what we mean by ‘steel’.

At the cheapest end of the market (supermarket special bikes under £100), it could be ‘mild steel’, better suited to use in gas pipes or scaffolding, but at the top end, frame builders use highly refined alloys which are then put through complex heat-treatment processes to increase their tensile strength. Hence the huge price difference.

One of the famed qualities of steel is its comfort, but this is not an inherent property of the metal, more a benefit of its great strength.

This allows builders to use narrow tubes in thin-gauge metal that can flex under load without fatiguing – the very highest quality steel can be drawn into tubes just 0.4mm thick while remaining strong enough to support the rider’s weight and forces of riding.

Aluminium, on the other hand, will soon fail if allowed to flex too much, so has to be built into fatter, thicker, stiffer tubes.

As with aluminium, modern technology also allows frame builders to form steel tubes into non-round profiles, with shapes that provide extra stiffness where needed (such as the bottom bracket area) without needing extra material, further helping to keep weight down.

The bikes

Ritchey Road Logic | £2,100

Tom Ritchey is one of those cycle industry people who is easy to like – he’s been designing and making bikes for more than 40 years, they’re not heavily marketed, and they’re beautifully functional with excellent design and detail.

This is the UK exclusive first test of the updated Road Logic, the V2, but the changes from V1 are characteristically low-key. 

Read the full Ritchey Road Logic review

Bowman Layhams | £2,800

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.

Read the full Bowman Layhams review

Cinelli Nemo Tig | £3,999.99

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.

Read the full Cinelli Nemo Tig review

The winner: Bowman Layhams

Once the mainstay of bike manufacture, steel has taken a back seat for the past couple of decades as aluminium and carbon have taken over.

So it’s interesting to note that all three of our bikes use the age-old material in new and different ways; these are much more than just rehashes of old bikes with a fancy new finish.

They also tackle different niches in different ways, so what ties them together is the material.

Our retro-themed ride proved not only a great day out but an excellent way to test the bikes, from the stop and start of town riding to the pounding along of the weekend warrior with a few steep inclines and frantic races to boot, each bike tackled it in their own way.

For those looking at a subtle machine, that they can upgrade and grow into, then the Ritchey Logic hits the spot.

It’s mild mannered and with just enough zip to allow you to keep pace and have some fun.

Interestingly, the Cinelli Nemo is at the other end of the same spectrum with its more race-focussed aspirations and construction.

Sitting somewhere in the middle is the Bowman Layhams that can be dressed up as an all-day cruiser, as a winter-hack-come-fancy-commuter or as a sportive racer.

It’s such a versatile and accommodating frame that it’ll do the lot quite brilliantly.

The RDX is Dolan’s all-new do-everything aluminium frameset, around which you can specify the groupset, finishing kit, wheels – and even flat bars, should you wish – to suit your requirements, and more importantly, your budget.

The RDX’s frameset is constructed from aluminium. We’ve plumped for the 50cm variant, on the basis of its effective top tube measurement being closer to that which we would normally ride.

It’s worth comparing your current bike to Dolan’s sizing chart on their website to make doubly sure before you hit the ‘order’ button.

Cabling is entirely internally routed, out of harm’s way. Both the top tube and down tube feature teardrop-shaped profiles, while deep section chainstays flare from the bottom bracket.

Where are the welds?

The most stunning thing to be noted about the Dolan’s frame is that the welds are virtually invisible, apart from at the bottom bracket.

It’s a truly wonderful construction, and coated in a deep, lustrous paint finish.

On a practical note, the RDX also comes ready-fitted with Flinger full-length mudguards, replete with rear reflector, so it’s ready to ride into the murk from the moment it’s unpacked from the box.

Its steering geometry also hits the mark, with a measured head angle of 71.9° offering a lightness of steering lacking in the Trek, while the very steep 44.9° seat angle cants you forward over the bars to give immediate control.

You could run wider tyres if you were to remove the mudguards, but it’s wearing 25c Mavic rubber, which is probably the minimum diameter tyre most of us would be running through winter.

Groupset

Where Dolan’s online business model really comes into its own is here – the RDX has a full R8000 Ultegra groupset – on a bike whose cost is very much in the ‘budget’ category!

There are Ultegra logos to be found on the 50/34 chainset, the 11-30 cassette, on the front and rear mechs.

The shifters are RS505 items – equivalent to Shimano’s 105 groupset kit. They operate Shimano’s excellent RS505 hydraulic callipers, which bite on 140mm Aztec discs front and rear.

Finishing kit

The alloy finishing kit on the RDX comes from a number of manufacturers, but as with most elements of the bike, you can change its specification when you order.

Our test bike wears 420mm diameter Deda handlebars (which we might have changed for 400mm items to better suit the size 50 bike’s dimensions), and a 100mm Deda stem, which sets us out in a near-perfect riding position, vindicating the decision to go down a size on the frame.

An Alpina stem wears a Selle Italia X1 Flow saddle, whose flexibility contributes a sizeable amount of comfort to the ride.

Wheels

Mavic’s 30mm deep-section Cosmic Elite UST Disc wheelset – at £419 – might seem a bit like taking a gun to a knife fight… but if you’ve the budget to spare, why not?

Yes, the white graphics are going to take some cleaning, but the wheels spin up quickly enough to offer some fun on your ride home, or a Sunday social spin.

Their 17mm internal width will take anything from the 25c Mavic Yksion Pro rubber fitted to our test bike, all the way up to a 32c fitment.

The Yksions will take pressure up to a maximum of 100psi, but for optimum control on damp roads, we’d opt for closer to 80-85. 

On the road

The Dolan is instantly at home on the road. Some vibrations are noticeable early on, and inherent in the alloy construction, but for now it seems that the carbon fork is doing its best to take the sting out of them…   

The triple-butted frame, while undeniably super-compact in our size 50 test bike, is as zingy as some of the best performance-bred alloy we’ve ridden.

As soon as we up the pace, most of its inherent vibration fades away, to be replaced by what we’d tentatively term ‘proper bike handling and speed’.

Key to the way in which the RDX delivers more than a modicum of pleasure is the kit it’s been festooned with.

Shimano’s latest Ultegra package features near-instant delivery of power from the cranks to the rear wheel, its 505 hydraulic brake set-up hauls you up in no time when it’s urgent, or moderates speed perfectly when you’ve over-cooked it or just want to slow for traffic lights that are about to change.

Plus, the way in which the whole groupset package gels to provide faultless gear shifts is a huge positive. The smallest ratio on the big ring of 50-30 means we weren’t often forced to select the 34-tooth chainring, even when climbing.

And on the few occasions when our aspirations outstripped our ability, even frantic downshifts under load didn’t faze the drivetrain.

The biggest surprise of all is that we’ve every confidence that this bike could quite easily be the only bike you’d need not just for winter, but all year round.

It’s not unfavourably heavy, and you’ll struggle to find a better equipped road bike for the money.

Just remove the mudguards and stash them in the garage come March next year, and you’d be ready to take on some drier roads and really push its limits.

Handling

Hands up here, we’ve never been the biggest fans of Mavic’s Yksion Pro rubber. While it does have longevity and decent puncture protection on its side, it’s always felt a bit lacking in outright grip.

That said, in this package, and for the conditions we’re suggesting this bike is good for, the 25c rubber is a pretty safe choice.

Take a little wind out of them, to around 85psi, and they provide a good-sized contact patch for confident cornering, although not what you’d call banzai bend-swinging.

With a steering angle just the right side of ‘endurance bike-spec’, the response to rider input isn’t instant, but it’s far from ponderous.

A narrower set of bars would aid this further, but we’d keep the 100mm stem for the comfortable reach it gave us to the drops.

We left all the spacers under the steerer, for long-distance comfort, but there’s 30mm to play with if you’re looking for a more aggressive set-up.

Worthy of mention when you really do get the hammer down, or attack a big-ring uphill stretch of road, is that the Flinger 'guards fitted to this bike provide adequate clearance to prevent rubbing from the tyres.

The rattle – and associated fear of disintegration – that is the calling card of many a mudguard is thankfully absent, giving us full confidence to carve some downhill turns with exceptional accuracy.

Put your faith in the RDX and it repays you with a willingness to please that we really weren’t expecting when we wheeled it out of the garage.

Ratings

Frame: Virtually invisible welds show attention to detail. 9/10
Components: Full Ultegra is astonishing to find at this price. 9/10 
Wheels: Mavic Cosmic Elites are another top-value inclusion for your money. 9/10 
The Ride: Endurance-focused but far from ponderous. 9/10

Verdict

This is a great bike not only for the winter but for year-round riding. You'd struggle to find a better equipped road bike for the money

Geometry

Spec

What is it?

Aimed mainly at crit racers or anyone who just doesn’t want to be last to the coffee stop on the club ride, the Aithein EVO is a bike designed for sheer unadulterated speed.

As the name suggests, it’s an evolution of the longstanding and popular Aithein alloy frameset, revamped from the ground up to bring it bang up to date.

The frame is still constructed of Kinesis’ own Kinesium alloy, superplastic-formed into shapes that provide optimum stiffness where required while keeping weight low.

And the redesigned down tube now allows for fully internal cable routing, while the head tube angle has been slackened by half a degree to tweak the bike’s handling, making it slightly more forgiving in tight, fast corners.

Perhaps the most significant change is in increasing the spacing to allow the fitting of wider tyres – up to 28mm, in fact, with all the benefits to increased grip and comfort that brings.

Elsewhere the pressfit bottom bracket has been replaced with an external threaded type, increasing stiffness in that key area.

The new frame is available in two colour choices, both of which look absolutely stunning in the flesh – the black option you see here which has a smart anodised finish, or a glossy, metallic ‘candy red’ that is sure to appeal to those who like to stand out from the crowd.

What components does it come with?

We opted for the latest generation of Shimano’s Ultegra groupset for our test bike. If racing is your thing, it offers all the performance you could need, with smooth, precise and reliable gear shifting and powerful, easily modulated braking.

Finishing kit is high-quality Ritchey WCS carbon parts, and we particularly like the handlebars with a short-reach, shallow drop that makes them comfortable in all hand positions.

You could opt for cheaper alloy parts to bring the overall price down but we reckon these are a great match for the frame.

How about those wheels?

Our test bike came with a set of Reynolds Assault tubeless-ready carbon clinchers. With their 25mm external width, they’re an ideal choice to fit the wider tyres that the frame has been designed to accommodate, while their 41mm rim depth and what Reynolds calls ‘Enhanced Swirl Lip Generator’ technology, means they’re designed to cut through the air with superior aerodynamic efficiency.

They’re also impressively light for aero wheels at a claimed 1,515g for the pair, and incredibly stiff. Since Reynolds wheels are supplied by the same UK distributor as Kinesis Bikes, it’s easy to pick up a set when you order your frame – retail price for the wheelset is £1,300.

The Challenge Paris-Roubaix tyres in 27mm width, are designed – as the name suggests – to provide a fast, comfortable ride on even the roughest roads.

Their 300tpi SuperPoly casing – the same as Challenge use in their tubulat tyres – is light and supple, giving them a racy feel, while their tan sidewalls give them a stylish retro look.

How much will it set me back?

The Aithein Evo is available as a frameset only, at £729.99 so how you build it is entirely up to you, depending on your personal requirements.

What we have here is an example of what’s possible to achieve if you have a budget of around £3,000, but a large chunk of that has gone on those stunning Reynolds carbon wheels.

Swap those out for a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elites – a great lightweight all-rounder – and downgrade the Ultegra groupset for 105 and you’re looking at a total build price closer to £1,500.

Spec

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

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

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

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

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

Shock tactics

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

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

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

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

It’s called progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wishful thinking

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

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

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

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

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

Mongrel bikes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone’s a winner

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long-term benefits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part of the process

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

1. Discs and thru-axles

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

2. Suspension

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

3. Tyres

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

4. One-by (1x)

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

There are many routes into framebuilding. Some people quit jobs in the City and set up in their shed. Others come at it from engineering courses, fine-art degrees or circuitous routes via aeroplane maintenance.

Some just do it in their spare time and it turns out they’re rather good at it. Aaron Barcheck is none of these.

‘I got into framebuilding straight out of high school,’ says the Colorado-based builder.

‘I went to the United Bicycle Institute [UBI], built my first frame, got a job at Dean Titanium Bicycles in Boulder straight after, worked there for seven years then started Mosaic in 2009.

I think that kind of experience is key in framebuilding. I started at the bottom, doing facing, chasing and reaming, sticking decals on frames, and I worked my way up, bit by bit.’

Barcheck says this with an easy grin, but as he starts to explain this titanium-tubed RT-1 it becomes clear his laid-back demeanour conceals an incredibly dedicated individual.

After all, it’s no small feat to make TIG welded joints appear as if they’ve been fillet brazed.

‘At Mosaic we’re certainly known for our TIG welding. It’s my speciality and what sets us apart from everyone else.

‘I know they’re covered up a bit by the paint but I can assure you they’re nice and smooth underneath. There’s no filing those stack-o-dimes.’

The ‘stack-o-dimes’ Barcheck is referring to are the dozens of tiny overlapped puddles of filler metal that encircle the joints on a TIG weld. The smoother and more uniform those puddles, the more skilled a welder is considered to be.

The most obvious place people look for evidence, he says, is at the head tube and seat tube cluster, but the best demonstration of a framebuilder’s talent is observed at the bottom bracket cluster, where the angles are acute and the space to work in minimal.

On the RT-1 this area is as close to perfect as possible, so it comes as no surprise that Barcheck has a clutch of awards to his name including Best Gravel Bike at this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show. It’s somewhat fitting given his first creation.

‘That UBI frame was a cyclocross bike. I’d never welded, never machined, and in the end I had to chop the stays out and replace them because there wasn’t enough tyre clearance.

‘It’s been refinished a number of times, but you’ve got to start somewhere. I rode it for a few years and it still sits in my office. Every now and then I wheel it out to show people what crappy welds look like!

‘At the end of the day it’s just TIG welding and I just have a knack for it, but if you want to get arty about it, I guess it’s like writing with an ink pen. You never actually touch the paper.’

Tuning in

When it comes to materials, Barcheck’s first love is titanium: ‘It’s one of the most versatile materials there is. I mean, you can make lightweight, awesomely stiff, poppy race bikes with it or you can make compliant gravel bikes, full-on cross racers, commuter bikes.

‘You get that snappy feel when you put the power down combined with that smooth ground feel. It’s the best of all worlds.’

To create that feeling, Barcheck has used a mixture of oversized double-butted and plain gauge 3Al-2.5V tubes on the RT-1.

Some of the tubes have been custom made to be exceptionally light and stiff by combining wide tube diameters with thin wall thickness. In this way all Mosaic’s custom frames, of which the RT-1 is one, are rider-tuned.

‘If you’re a 65kg rider you need to be riding an entirely different tubeset to a 95kg rider. That will change the weight of the frame a bit, but we don’t focus too much on that – it’s about fit and frame characteristics. I’d take that over a few hundred grams any day.’

Still, the RT-1 comes out at around 1.2kg per frame (size dependent) meaning this full build, dressed in Enve 2.2 wheels, custom-painted Pro Vibe finishing kit and mechanical Dura-Ace 9100, weighs a hair over 7kg. That doesn’t include the frame pump, though.

‘That Silca is probably the world’s most expensive frame pump, especially now it’s been painted. Traditionally we just offered raw, etched titanium frames but this year we’ve got a paint programme.

‘I’m sure some people still think painting titanium is sacrilegious, but I love the contrast between the metal and the paint, and the pump just fitted so well with our approach.

‘Living in Boulder, the terrain breeds a certain type of bike – no-nonsense – so on this calliper version you can easily fit 28mm tyres, and on the RT-1 Disc, 30mm.

‘Really all you’d need is a clutch on the mech of this thing and you’ve got yourself a lightweight mountain bike.

‘It’s cool. Bike designs are getting progressive again. Different tyres and gearing have opened up whole new scenes, like gravel, and Mosaics are evolving alongside that.

‘You can really beat this thing up and it will still stay with you for life.’

Commuting, fast group rides, all weathers and big distances when the need arises… Pinnacle reckons the Dolomite 6 can do it all.

Wearing a Shimano 105 groupset and hydraulic brakes while currently reduced to £1,150, on the face of it the Dolomite 6 represents a lot of bike for your money. 

Frameset

The heat-treated aluminium alloy tubing is double and triple-butted for optimum strength-to-weight.

The ends of the tubes are rolled at their junctions in key areas, allowing the frame to employ a make-up that’s as light as can be where strength isn’t critical, yet durable and stiff in high-stress regions.

A 140mm head tube is matched to a sloping round-profiled top tube that provides a standover height of 743mm – plenty for all but the shortest of legs, in this the smallest frame size available.

The angle of the top tube makes for a compact rear triangle, which should make the most of power inputs.

Rangy chainstays, however, provide an amount of give in the set-up, boosting the comfort levels available.

The slope of the top tube also necessitates a long extension of 27.2mm seatpost, which again serves to dial out harsh vibrations from the road.

Although our test bike came with 25mm diameter tyres, Pinnacle claims there is clearance for 28mm rubber when the bike is fitted with mudguards (there are mounts for this, as well as for a rear rack), and as wide as 32mm without guards.

Brake and gear cables are routed through the frame, out of harm’s way, and we were particularly impressed to see a neatly routed front brake cable entering the fork top and exiting on the inside of the blade, rather than the oft-used (and clumsy) cable-tie arrangement that blights the aesthetics of many a disc-equipped road bike.

Groupset

Shimano 105 equipment makes up the lion’s share of the groupset, and there isn’t a better compromise between cost, performance and durability than this mid-level kit.

It accounts for the 50/34 compact chainset, the front and rear derailleurs, plus an 11-28 cassette.

The shifters are Ultegra-level Shimano RS-685 items, while the brakes themselves are RS805 calipers which bite on 140mm rotors front and rear.

Finishing kit

The Pinnacle wears a set of own-brand 420mm diameter alloy handlebars, matched to an 80mm Pinnacle Pro alloy stem.

It’s a short reach, but the taller hoods of the hydraulic shifters make for a longer stretch to the controls than with a standard caliper brake set-up.

An unassuming, yet effective, alloy seatpost has a diameter of 27.2mm; atop it, you’ll find a decent Pinnacle Race saddle, which is easily adjustable by way of a twin-bolt set-up.

Wheels

The bike’s Alex Draw 1.9S rims have an internal diameter of 19mm, so will easily accommodate a set of 32c tyres.

These disc-specific rims are also compatible with road tubeless tyres, giving the versatility to run them with inner tubes for fasting rolling performance.

Continental’s Grand Sport Race tyres, in 25c form here, are at the lower end of the German tread-masters’ performance road range, but they’re able winter companions – we’ve ridden many, many miles on these over time, with no cause to reach for a spare tube and minipump.

On the road

Although Pinnacle suggests its size S model is suitable for riders up to 5ft 7in, it was instantly a good fit for our 5ft 8in frame – if you’re short of leg, however, the low standover height afforded by the sloping top tube will give you a bit of wriggle room.

Either way, it’s worth visiting a branch of Evans to make sure you’re not between sizes.

Any fears of a buzzy ride from this alloy-framed mile-muncher are dismissed early in the day, as the combination of a long 27.2mm seatpost, carbon fork, and long chainstays allow us to make progress in comfort, with barely a vibe reaching hands or rump.

Running the Continental tyres at 85psi also makes a discernible difference, as minor road imperfections are simply rolled over with little fuss.

As we would hope and expect, the Shimano 105 groupset gels nicely, providing snappy gear shifts on the 11-28 cassette, and very well metered braking performance in damp conditions.

Although it weighs a relatively bulky 8.88kg, that figure doesn’t provide the whole picture.

The head tube is a relatively lengthy (for this size frame) 140mm, giving a comfortable riding position throughout testing, and crucially plenty of leverage when the need arose to shift our backside from the saddle (a surprisingly comfortable perch) and stamp on the pedals with a little more urgency in order to summit a local climb.

This isn’t a climber’s bike, specifically, but we can confidently say that it doesn’t feel like it’s nudging nine bags of sugar when it’s pointing up a hill.

The relatively close spread of gears on the 11-speed cassette gives you plenty to play with, while also supplying a big enough gear to make quick progress on rolling roads, too.

Handling

With a wheelbase that’s on the cusp of a metre, the handling characteristics of the Pinnacle tend towards the ‘stable’.

This is by no means a bad thing, as the bike is comfortable enough for a full day in the saddle, and approaches corners with encouragement and confidence.

The measured head angle of 72.2° is tempered slightly by the relatively long head tube.

With a riding position that’s just the right side of head-down, bum-up, the Dolomite provides a neutral ride that doesn’t have any nasty surprises up its sleeve.

The 25c Contis behave perfectly well, especially in damper conditions, where their wide footprint filled us with confidence to carve rapid arcs on our favourite local descent, while accidentally running over a manhole cover mid-corner gave no cause for alarm.

The brakes shine, offering progressive stopping power when it’s not an urgent request, and hauling up the rolling mass swiftly when we grab a handful of lever.

We reckon that, given there’s ample clearance for them, a set of 32c tyres would make this set-up even better suited to all-weather, year-round road use.

What the Pinnacle boils down to is a commendable road bike that will suit newer riders, as well as those looking for a dedicated rotten-weather workhorse.

And come the springtime, we wager you’d still be happy to swing a leg over its matt black top tube for a handful of early-season training rides.

Ratings

Frame: Strong and stiff but comfortable too. 9/10
Components: Mostly Shimano's superb 105 groupset. 8/10 
Wheels: Wide enough for fat tyres, and tubeless-ready too. 8/10 
The Ride: Stable but with a bit of zip through lively corners. 8/10

Verdict

This is a great bike not only for the winter but for year-round riding. You'd struggle to find a better equipped road bike for the money

Geometry

Spec

The link between cycling and socio-economics is unmatched by any other sport. In the mid-1800s bicycles were essentially playthings of the rich, but by the turn of century they had become essential tools for the poor.

Cycling was working class, and those early two-wheeled pioneers we now look back on as great champions were once farm boys, chimney sweeps and caretakers.

Riders took to the Tour de France not to win accolades but to earn money – every day spent riding a stage came with its own food allowance several times the average weekly wage. The bikes were pig iron, the roads no more than cart tracks.

It’s all a far cry from today, with our smooth tarmac and hi-tech carbon fibre bikes. Yet look through the catalogue of a major bike brand – especially an Italian marque – and near the back you might find they’re still making bikes more akin to those of yesteryear.

So while at Cyclist we’re typically in favour of aerodynamic speed machines that weigh less than a small dog, we decided it was time to honour the origins of our sport by testing three of these modern-vintage bikes over some old-fashioned roads.

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Image 2 of 34

New for old

We’ve had conversations about what ‘modern-vintage’ means, and here’s what we’ve come up with. The ‘modern’ bit means each bike on test is being mass produced today – there’s no new-old-stock, retro-fit or custom.

‘Vintage’ means they’re made from round tubed, skinny steel with horizontal top tubes and steel forks, just as bikes were made for many decades.

The components are modern out of necessity – they just don’t make rod-actuated rear derailleurs like they used to – but elsewise modern-vintage bikes are as close as you’ll find to the type pedalled by Coppi, Bobet, Anquetil and Merckx.

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Image 3 of 34

One thing that didn’t need debating was where to test these bikes’ abilities. It just had to be on the sprawling roads of Tuscany, home to L’Eroica sportive and the Strade Bianche race, and on whose rolling hills and chalky tracks a golden age of cycling still resonates.

Guiding us on this adventure is Chris from cycle tour company La Corsa. His broad Scottish accent is not what you might expect to find in this Italian back country, but having married a Florentine and turned a career as a squash player into that of a bike guide, he knows this area like no other English-speaking local and is perfectly placed to advise us against social faux pas such as ordering espressos at the same time as our sandwiches.

‘There is only one thing you could have done worse, and that’s order a cappuccino.’

Passing off

My ride partners today are Simon and Nick, and with all three of us riding the same size of bike, deciding who’s on which bike has the potential to be something of a bun fight.

Yet when we unzip the bike bags at Borgo Sicelle, a picture-postcard villa serving as home and service course for our stay, we each gravitate towards a different bike without so much as an arched eyebrow.

Within a few minutes Simon is weaving in and out of the pool’s sun loungers on the De Rosa Nuovo Classico and Nick is busy checking his jersey colour matches the metallic-lime paintjob of the Condor Classico Stainless.

I must confess I had designs on the De Rosa, but having soaked in the views on the hour’s drive from Pisa to Castellina in Chianti, I feel it’s only right to go as far back in time as possible, which is exactly what the Bianchi L’Eroica is trying to do.

If you haven’t heard of it, L’Eroica is now a worldwide sportive franchise that started life in this area of central Italy – Gaiole near Siena – as a renaissance festival for old-school cycling. Central to its philosophy is the rule that only bikes built before 1987 can be ridden.

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Image 5 of 34

However, there is one exception, and it’s my Celeste-coloured Bianchi L’Eroica, which the Italian firm has managed to get the organisers to ratify despite it being newly minted.

It even comes with its own certificate to prove it, although Chris suggests you may need a fair bit of luck getting a L’Eroica commissaire here to accept it. Apparently they’re pretty dyed in the wool.

To this end, my Bianchi has non-indexed down tube shifters, which to begin with makes finding a gear about as accurate as a carnival ring toss in a force-nine gale.

Made by Dia-Compe, an entry-level Japanese manufacturer that’s been busily making everything that no one else will make since 1930, the shifters do have an endearing ratchet mechanism that acts as a kind of brake to stop the cable untwizzling under tension.

Anyone who remembers down tube shifters of old will know how often you had to wind up the little pre-load wingnut to stop this from happening, so in certain respects my primitive shifters are highly advanced.

Simon and Nick both have integrated gear/brake levers, the De Rosa’s courtesy of Campagnolo Super Record and the Condor’s from Shimano Ultegra.

They also have modern dual-pivot calliper brakes, while mine are old-fashioned centre-pull. They’re finicky to set up, requiring two spanners (remember spanners?) and a tissue to mop up the blood from my finger after an altercation with a frayed cable. 

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Image 6 of 34

Style over substance

It’s clear from our opening descent through the Chianti hills that my brakes aren’t very good.

I do eventually slow, but the way in which Simon drops me suggests his Super Record brakes are far superior, allowing him to duck late into apexes with confidence, and fly out the other side.

Nick is at it too, and my shortcomings are only compounded by my 48x13 top gear.

When we regroup, Simon declares the De Rosa a fantastic descender. While polished lugs and pantographed fork look the vintage part, the De Rosa’s stout 153mm head tube and short 408mm chainstays are every inch the modern racer’s geometry and seemingly perfect for the twisting descents. That’s not the only inch that matters, however.

The big draw in Tuscany is the sterrati, the dusty chalk tracks that have set L’Eroica and the Strade Bianche one-day race apart from every event outside the Flandrian cobbles.

Despite generally benefitting from untold hours of blistering sunshine, it rained heavily across Tuscany yesterday and the graveliness of the sterrato we’re now on is all the better for it.

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Image 8 of 34

Two of our three bikes, however, are not, and it’s all down to what’s going on inside the head tube.

Today head tubes have more in common with those massive Italian pepper pots, but once upon a time they were one-inch diameter affairs, where the fork and headset were secured by two locknuts threaded onto the steerer.

Happily for Nick, Condor built his Classico Stainless around a 1 ⅛in head tube with modern threadless assembly.

Unhappily for Simon and me, De Rosa and Bianchi have been more historically accurate and furnished our bikes with one-inch head tubes and threaded headsets.

Thus by the third stretch of rutted track the front of our bikes sound like jars of marbles, the locknuts having disregarded their functional designation and shaken loose.

It’s been such a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of a threaded headset that I’ve forgotten to pack the requisite spanners, so from here on in Simon and I resort to what Nick calls ‘God’s own spanners’.

That is, our hands. It kind of works… a bit. If there’s a plus side, though, it’s that our bicycles are definitely the prettier for their mechanical limitations.

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Image 9 of 34

Threaded headsets mean quill stems, and while the Condor is pretty, we all agree its modern front end is incongruous with the rest of the bike’s aesthetic.

Someone once told me your stem should never be fatter than your top tube, and I think they’re right. 

Local favour

So far the vote is with the modern gear on the Condor and De Rosa. My old-school brakes have admittedly now bedded in, and I’m coming to terms with having to select a gear long before the start of a climb, and having to sit down during shifts on said climbs.

However, beyond that, all the touch points of the Bianchi feel lacking.

The cloth bar tape is period-correct but scratchy, as well as offering zero cushioning, the skinny nature of the brake levers and traditional bend of the bar mean holding the hoods is like pointing two pistols at the floor, and there’s a noise like a creaking tree coming from the Lycra of my bibs sliding on the polished leather of the Brooks saddle.

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Image 13 of 34

Despite all this, I’m falling for the Bianchi. Stopping in the beautiful town of Castelnuovo Berardenga for espressos, we’re faced with an army of cyclotourists on carbon fibre Bianchi Intensos.

By rights these are more accomplished bicycles, yet all eyes are drawn to my L’Eroica. Chris translates some chatter from two grizzled cafe patrons, who are praising the bike as some kind of well-kept classic.

In many respects that’s enough of a validation  that nothing else matters. But that’s not all. On the scales it weighs a healthy 9.39kg, a figure I usually baulk at, but on these roads it makes for a supremely smooth ride.

It seems to cut into the looser gravel to find traction in corners, and the steel fork bends like a leaf spring over bumps.

The De Rosa is the lightest here at 8.61kg, the Condor 9kg on the nose, and it seems these generally higher weights together with the natural flex of skinny tubes are presenting comfortable rides and stable platforms on which to descend. Climbing, though, is another matter. 

Where in the world

I’ve been lucky enough to ride bikes all over Europe, and while France and Belgium boast excellent cycle paths, and Spain has stunning weather, I’ve found nowhere that compares to this corner of Italy.

So great is the love of bikes that the road signs here encompass specially added – and permanent – turn-by-turn directions for the L’Eroica route. As Chris puts it, ‘L’Eroica put this area on the map,’ and its inhabitants seem thankful for it.

Motorists are few and courteous, and as we ascend a chalk track towards the Castello di Brolio I’m reminded of another pearl from Chris: if you know where you’re going you can spend weeks here and never do the same climb twice.

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Image 10 of 34

The crest of the hill on which the castle is perched peers over a huge expanse of vineyards and arable land, bisected by rows of cypress trees flanking ancient roads.

It’s enough to make a visitor weak at the knees, and as I watch Nick disappear further up the climb with his stainless steel frame glinting in the sunshine, my knees do very nearly give way.

Nick is a climber by nature, and Simon isn’t far off, and while I’d tentatively throw my hat in the rouleur ring the constant slipping of my tyres and sudden feeling of my legs dropping through thin air isn’t just down to my lack of climbing prowess.

I have a special place in my heart for Vittoria, and its new Corsa G tyres are some of the best around, but these Zaffiros just aren’t cutting it up the climb – as demonstrated by the way Simon and Nick are putting the power down through their Continental rubber.

Simon is definitely the better off of the two on 25mm Grandsports, but on 23mm GP4000 IIs, Nick is still finding good traction.

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Image 12 of 34

At the top a quick eyeball suggests that even though Nick and I have the same Ambrosio Excellence rims, my tyres have come up substantially skinnier, and a few fingernail scrapes and thumb squeezes of either tyre indicates that his tread and carcass is a damn sight tackier and more supple than mine.

Beyond the vintage style components, this is my first real complaint of the day. The Bianchi costs £2,700, is designed explicitly for L’Eroica and yet comes with 60tpi, 23mm entry-level tyres.

These are fine if you’re commuting or training, but I can’t see they have proper application here, which is the area that gives the bike its name in the first place, after all.

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Image 16 of 34

Soul endeavour

Cycling in Tuscany is possibly one of the greatest experiences you can have on two wheels. Take it slow and steady and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable ramble, but hit it hard and there’s plenty of terrain to test guile and mettle.

However, the day-to-day reality for these bikes will more likely be one of relatively smooth tarmac and a bit of rain back in the UK.

We’re unable to critique them in the wet, but as the sun grows a heavier orange and the last of the chalk roads surrender to asphalt, we’re provided terrain to test the more general abilities of our steeds.

Simon disappears down a descent, which would suggest his De Rosa really is something of a marvel as a road bike, followed by Nick, whose comfortable-looking progress speaks to his Condor’s well-rounded persona. I, on the other hand, need a boost to get back on to their breakaway tails, and as if to remind me why we chose Tuscany, the countryside smiles on me.

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Image 14 of 34

While mopeds are de rigeur in Italian cities, in the countryside one vehicle reigns supreme: the Piaggio Ape, a curious three-wheeled truck whose engine sounds like a hairdryer full of bees.

A beckoning hand out of his window tells me he realises I need a free ride, and he helps me to urge the Bianchi home. We won’t be setting any records out here, but then getting motor-paced by a farmer in a miniature truck isn’t something you can quantify on Strava.

It’s a timely reminder that while experiences like these may come from a bygone age, there’s nothing stopping us revisiting them. The tools, the people and the places still exist – it’s just a matter of getting out there and finding them.

The bikes

Condor Classico Stainless

English-designed, Italian-made and mirror-finished

Model: Condor Classico Stainless
Frame and fork: Fillet brazed Columbus SLX and XCr; 1 ⅛in lugged Columbus XCr
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 6800
Gearing: 52/36t chainset; 11-28t cassette
Wheels: Ambrosio Excellence rims on Shimano Ultegra 6800 hubs
Tyres: Continental GP4000 II 23mm
Finishing kit: Fizik Cyrano R3 bars, R1 stem, R3 seatpost, Fizik Aliante VS saddle
Weight: 9.00kg (56cm)
Price:£1,800 (frameset), approx £4,500 as tested
Contact: condorcycles.com

Nick's summary:

I absolutely love this bike. If this is what steel is like, I’m a convert. I spent all day trying to pick holes in the Classico, to find even the slightest chink in its Columbus armour, but I failed.

When I first picked it up it felt heavy, but that apparent heaviness just didn’t come across when pedalling uphill.

A sprinter could bemoan a slightly flexy frame, but given the tubes are so skinny that’s hardly a surprise, and the bike was more than stiff enough for me.

If I can fault it at all it’s that I would have enjoyed an even higher-end build. Condor sells this as a frameset so anything is possible, but the colour really draws attention and the components should back up the statement the frame is making.

It would look even more amazing with Campagnolo Super Record and Mavic’s new Open Pro rims with stainless spokes laced to shiny hubs. Considered as just frame and fork, though, the Classico is fantastic.

Bianchi L'Eroica

Cycling’s oldest marque creates a pre-1987 road bike out of the box

Model: Bianchi L’Eroica
Frame and fork: Lugged Columbus Zona; 1in threaded lugged steel
Groupset: Campagnolo Silver Vintage 10spd, Bianchi aluminium chainset, Dia-Compe brake levers and 610 callipers, Dia-Compe W-Shift down tube shifters
Gearing: 48/36t chainset; 13-29t cassette
Wheels: Ambrosio Excellence rims on Bianchi wide flange hubs
Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro Pro 23mm
Finishing kit: Bianchi Classic bars, Bianchi alloy stem and seatpost, Brooks Team Pro Classic saddle
Weight: 9.39kg (55cm)
Price:£2,700
Contact:bianchi.com

James's summary:

On the one hand, the L’Eroica is pretty terrible. Braking is more a promise than a reality, shifting is like picking up pennies with your elbows and the saddle weighs the same as a side of beef.

Yet that misses the point of this bike. It has been designed to be within the rules of L’Eroica, so the Bianchi necessarily packs period-correct features such as down tube shifters, centre pull brakes and cloth bartape.

Once I’d embraced this, the L’Eroica and I got on famously. Everything about it felt challenging, but with that came a wonderfully visceral feeling of involvement.

That said, there are two things I can’t shake. Why didn’t Bianchi spec 25mm or 28mm rubber given this bike is designed for the rough and tumble of L’Eroica? And is a replica really necessary?

For this money you can buy some truly stunning vintage Bianchis second hand, and that’s where I’d be tempted to start shopping.

De Rosa Nuovo Classico

The pre-eminent framebuilding dynasty still knows its roots

Model: De Rosa Nuovo Classico
Frame and fork: Lugged Dedacciai 01; 1in threaded lugged steel
Groupset: Campagnolo Super Record 2013
Gearing: 52/36t chainset; 11-25t cassette
Wheels: Fulcrum Racing Zero
Tyres: Continental Grand Sport Race 25mm
Finishing kit: Deda Speciale 26 bars, Deda Murex stem, Deda RS01 seatpost, Prologo Scratch 2 T2.0 saddle
Weight: 8.61kg (56cm)
Price:£2,550 (frameset), approx £5,500 as tested
Contact:i-ride.co.uk

Simon's summary:

I know it’s not all about looks, but you really have to hand it to De Rosa – the Nuovo looks absolute dynamite in this rosso red.

I could spend all day chatting about the beautifully embossed details on the fork crown and bottom bracket, the polished stay and lugs and its perfectly poised stance, but there is a lot more to it.

I’ve ridden bikes from all the usual materials including steel, but this build struck a perfect balance of smoothness and spring.

The steel fork adds around 400g to the build over a carbon one, but the payoff was that the De Rosa descended with aggression, partly due to the extra weight, but also due to the roadholding the fork offers – I could really feel it working underneath me to soak up bumps and hug rough surfaces.

It flexed just enough to track corners in a way I normally only experience on a mountain bike.

What would I change? Just a couple of aesthetic issues, really: lose the Fulcrum wheel stickers and opt for polished finishing kit, not matt. And maybe a polished fork like the Condor’s.

Kit picks

Zefal Vintage bottle cage | £12.99, chickencyclekit.co.uk

Bikes such as these are all about the small details, so while it might seem fussy, bottle cage choice is important, as you definitely need water in Tuscany, and a skinny steel bike will be completely undermined by anything other than a proper metal cage.

All the better if it’s finished with little wraps of leather. Bellissimo.

Ashmei KoM jersey | £129, ashmei.com

As far as dressing for the conditions goes, this jersey was on point. Our early start was cool and the KoM kept me warm, but as the temperature climbed I didn’t overheat.

Ashmei says that’s down to the merino wool mix. All I know is it’s incredibly comfortable. And most importantly, it matched the De Rosa’s Rosso red perfectly.

Quoc Night shoes | £219, quocpham.com

I like the look of lace-up cycling shoes but often find they bite into the foot. I had no such issues here, possibly due to the lacing pattern that doubles over in two areas up the foot to give more solid anchor points.

The supple uppers had that cossetted trainer feel, while the composite sole felt stiff enough for efficient pedalling.

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Image 11 of 34

Thanks… 

Tuscany is an intricately woven web of roads and tracks, so we couldn’t have managed any of this without the expertise of Andy Mackie and Chris Small from cycle tour operator La Corsa, who know the roads like locals and the numerous cafes, bars, restaurants and villas like a pair of human Trip Advisors.

La Corsa runs trips encompassing everything from the Strade Bianche and L’Eroica sportives to week-long cycling holidays and single-day private tours, and packs a fleet of top-end De Rosa Idols for its guests to ride. See lacorsa.cc for more details.

‘I try to ride on the top tube like Froome. I can do it, but it’s not easy. Everything about it is better though.

‘When he first did it last year they said he decided on the day, but I know that he was practising and in the wind-tunnel long before, working out the most aerodynamic positions. But still, when I see him ride like this, I am afraid.’

For a man claiming to be apprehensive of speed on two wheels, Fausto Pinarello’s entrance is a curious one.

On my arrival at Pinarello’s HQ – a building with the character of an invading chrome-glass spaceship in the midst of an industrial estate – I have been ushered through a moodily lit foyer into a cavernous, blindingly white hangar.

There, over the zizzing of air-tools and the beeping of forklifts, a human-shaped blur rushes into view to the unmistakable whine of an electric motor. He’s riding a Segway.

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Image 4 of 18

‘It does 21kmh,’ says Fausto, in reference to that most inevitable of questions. ‘This is my second one. The first I killed in three years.

‘I did 5,000km around the factory on it – now imagine if I had to walk. Sometimes I even commute in on this. I live very nearby. But this place really is my house.’

That dad built

You’ll get pretty far down the list of Italian bicycle archetypes before you find one that Pinarello – both man and company – doesn’t embody.

Only there is a twist. Yes, founder Giovanni ‘Nani’ Pinarello was a moderately successful racer, the eighth of 12 brothers from working-class farming stock who learnt the rudiments of building steel frames at the age of 15.

But from there his pathway to success came through unusual means, and he founded his company in even stranger circumstances.

A promising junior, Nani failed to make a mark in the pro peloton until 1951, when he came dead last in the Giro d’Italia.

At the time, as with the Tour’s lanterne rouge, winning the maglia nera was considered a huge honour. So it was that Nani Pinarello became a household name – all the more so when the race’s organisers put paid to the black jersey the following year, claiming tactics were getting out of hand.

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Image 5 of 18

Riders were hiding in barns, deliberately puncturing their tyres and riding on despite horrendous injuries just for the chance to finish at the back.

Inevitably, though, Nani’s ‘fame’ was short-lived and the following year he was asked by his team, Bottechia, to step down in exchange for 100,000 lire.

A talented rider named Pasqualino Fornara had just been released by Bottechia’s arch-rival, Bianchi, and the team wanted him to ride the 1952 Giro in Nani’s place.

Heartbreaking as it must have been, the 29-year-old resolved to use the money to open a bike shop in his home town of Treviso, in which the company still resides, and in 1953 Cicli Pinarello was born.

‘By the 1970s and 80s my father was selling 30,000 bicycles a year,’ says Fausto. ‘But the big breakthrough moment for us was the Columbus SLX Montello bike. It cost one million lire, which in 1985 was a good month’s wages.’

In a shrewd move, Pinarello sponsored Indian-American Alexi Grewal in the 1984 Olympic Road Race, and Grewal obliged by pedalling a Montello to an exciting victory, narrowly beating Canadian Steve Bauer.

The replica and commemorative models all but sold themselves, and overnight Pinarello became one of the most prized marques in Italy.

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Image 6 of 18

He who dares

That might sound like a stroke of luck, but Pinarello has always sought to make its own.

While Pinarello senior had built steel frames as a teenager for local brand Paglianti, these were largely city bikes, so recognising his own shortcomings as a race bike telaista he employed others to make his products.

What he did know, however, was the value of good marketing, and he recognised the pro peloton as the best vehicle for achieving it.

Within seven years Pinarello was sponsoring its first pro team, Mainetti, and in 1961 it had its first high-profile win at the inaugural ‘junior’ Tour de France, the Tour de l’Avenir (with Italian amateur Guido De Rosso).

Two Tour stages followed in 1967 with Marino Basso, then a 1975 Giro win by Fausto Bertoglio, but it was the Vuelta/Giro double in 1981 by Giovanni Battaglin that kicked off more than three decades of astounding dominance.

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Image 7 of 18

‘I’ll show you the bike,’ says Fausto, leading the way past great racks of Dogma frames and hundreds of forks to beneath the factory’s mezzanine level.

‘The’ bike turns out to be a collection, which Fausto explains has been pulled from the archives for another Pinarello-sponsored enterprise, the Granfondo Pinarello, 20 years to the good and counting.

‘Battaglin rode this on the queen climb of the 1981 Giro, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo [Stage 19], and that stage decided the race.

It is a very hard climb, so father and the mechanic decided to a make a triple chainset, which they prepared the night before by hand,’ he says, pointing at a Pinarello pantographed chainset.

Whether it was the chainset, the legs or a combination of both, Battaglin was able to drift away from rival Giuseppe Saronni in a move that would ultimately pave the way to the maglia rosa and double Grand Tour glory.

‘He did the double but we did the triple that day.’

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Image 8 of 18

Thirty-six years on and Pinarello’s palmarès reads more like a list of races in general than specific race victories.

Wins at Paris-Roubaix and the men’s Tour of Flanders still elude the company, but it’s more than made up for with World Championships (Diana Ziliute and Rui Costa, road race, 1998 and 2013; Wiggins and Vasil Kiryienka, time-trial, 2014 and 2015), a huge haul of Tour points jerseys from Erik Zabel around the turn of the century, two Hour records (Miguel Indurain, 1994; Wiggins 2015), and the small matter of 14 Tour de France victories.

Admittedly, a few of Indurain’s winning bicycles were actually made by Dario Pegoretti and only rebadged as Pinarellos, but Fausto meets a comment suggesting as much with a shrug and a smile. ‘This is what they all did then – custom bikes.’

Eastern promise

Fausto Pinarello started working full time at the company aged 25, in 1988, the year Pedro Delgado won Pinarello’s first Tour.

He took over the reins in the early 2000s, enjoying some the company’s most illustrious years. Again, some luck. And this time he agrees.

‘I said to my father about 10 years before he died, one of the last times he could understand me, “Hey, Papa, I think you are the luckiest guy in the world!”

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Image 9 of 18

‘He asks me why and tell him, “Because you have someone like me that came to work for you at 17 years old, and I take on the company and I try to make it grow.”

‘There is Ernesto [Colnago], but he wants to sell. There is De Rosa, the three brothers, but they must at this moment look to strangers to take over the business started by their father.

‘Wilier I think are just more of a commercial company anyway. Then others like Fondriest and Battaglin, they came from racing backgrounds maybe with not that much business acumen.

‘Merckx said to me once that his son Axel made more money than he ever did.

‘I am 55 now and to do this for 39 years you need passion, and luck. Good people to tell you to go this way and that way.

‘That’s why I can say I’m lucky because I always find the best people. Like in the same way you meet the love of your life. Luck.’

Some of those ‘best people’, by Fausto’s own admission, have been found in the Far East.

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Image 10 of 18

‘He believes Pinarello was the last big Italian outfit to leave the local workshops in favour of Taiwan in 2005, and while he does admit a soft spot for Italian-made steel, he sees no reason to look anywhere other than abroad for bikes today.

‘If I could I’d love to make steel bikes here again, but to make them like we used to 50 years ago is not possible for a company our size.

‘Small companies can do this, but they can count the frames they make per day on their fingers. So no, it wasn’t hard to move production to the Far East. They learned carbon technology from the Americans, and now they are the best.

‘People say you can’t do custom this way, but look, we have 14 sizes of Dogma, and those same people cannot say they can do monocoque construction, which for me is the best.

‘This is what I always say: I don’t care where the technology comes from for my products, I just want the best technology, and right now that comes from Taiwan.’

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Image 11 of 18

The bike’s the business

Today, the Pinarello facility stands as a monument to the new age of cycle manufacture.

On one side of the factory floor frames and forks delivered from Pinarello’s partner factories in the Far East are unboxed and racked up, still in their raw matt black state.

A team then scrutinises each piece, rejects anything with a flaw that can’t be polished out then passes them over to be prepped and painted.

The other half of the space is given over to the storing of components, such as groupsets and wheels, assembly of bikes for shops or events and the storage of Pinarello’s finished products.

It’s an incredibly slick operation of laboratory-level fastidiousness, and while some misty-eyed cyclists will lament this set-up, others will see it as cutting edge.

‘We have about 500 frames in production at any one time. We ship 1,500 frames per month from here [lower-end models are asssembled in factories in the Far East] and, currently, 99% of those are Dogma F10s.

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Image 12 of 18

‘Its success is incredible. We have two designers here and two in the UK who do our CFD – they also work for British Cycling – and they’ve helped lower the weight and make it more aerodynamic, but improving on the F8 was hard.

‘People talk about going lighter, but I say to do that safely you have to reduce the sizes of the tubes, and that would be like going back 10 years, all for the sake of 100g. We arrived at 800g, 850g and for me that is enough. I want to be able to sleep at night.’

Fausto says that in 2015 the company shipped 10,400 Dogma F8s, but this year he expects the F10 to eclipse 13,000 units.

All top-end Dogmas come through here, from the disc brake F8X to the new K10S Disk with its electronically controlled rear shock and the extra-light Dogma F10X, as ridden by Chris Froome this year.

Which begs the question, why should Froome ride a lighter bike when he already needs to add ballast to a regular F10 to hit the 6.8kg UCI weight minimum?

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Image 13 of 18

‘He is always looking for the lightest bike that is also the safest – that is the racer’s mindset,’ says Fausto matter-of-factly. ‘It’s a mental thing.’

Fausto’s expression is one that suggests he’s sure the logic is in there somewhere, but given the ride Team Sky have given him as he has handed out their bikes, plus millions in sponsorship, it’s a recipe that definitely works.

Victory parade

A few of Pinarello’s race-winning bikes

Tre Cime Acciaio

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Image 15 of 18

When all around him were riding doubles, Pinarello made Giovanni Battaglin this triple chainset steed on which to tackle the Tre Cime di Lavaredo during the 1981 Giro d’Italia.

Engineers machined the Campagnolo 53/44t Record chainset to fit a third 36t chainring, but without affecting the rider’s Q-factor (adding an extra inside ring would usually have forced the chainset outboard).

This gave Battaglin a smallest gear of 36x24 – enough to win the stage and claim the maglia rosa, which he kept until the finish two days later.

Espada Carbon

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Image 16 of 18

Designed by Elvio Borghetto – the same man who executed Battaglin’s triple chainset and who still works at the company – this bike helped Miguel Indurain become the first rider to break 53km when he successfully attempted the Hour record in 1994.

‘It was very sad that the UCI banned this frame shape,’ says Fausto Pinarello. ‘If the rider doesn’t have good legs then he will not win, but could Bradley have gone further in his Hour with this bike? I think it is very possible.’

Bolide HR

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Image 17 of 18

Based on Pinarello’s Bolide time-trial frame and created in conjunction with aerodynamicists at Jaguar, this is the bike that currently holds the Hour record at 54.526km, set in 2015 by Wiggins.

By re-engineering the fork to be tighter to the front wheel and the bars to create less low pressure behind the elbow, the bike was said to be 7.5% quicker than the road-going Bolide.

Much of the cockpit was 3D-printed in titanium, and the frame was made in true one-piece construction to optimise weight and stiffness.

Dogma F8

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Image 18 of 18

As pedalled by Chris Froome on the Champs-Élysées in 2015, this commemorative yellow edition of the Pinarello Dogma F8 still bears Froome’s race number and timing tracker under the saddle.

Fausto Pinarello says the company doesn’t paint these bikes in advance as it’s bad luck, however he has ridden it a few times. ‘I had to ride it from the Champs-Élysées back to the hotel.

People were like, “Wow, it’s the bike!”, but I just thought, “How can Chris maintain this position with such an amount of drop?”’

Faustian bargain

Last year Pinarello was sold to a private equity fund. So what does this mean for the company? 

In December 2016 news broke that Pinarello had sold a majority stake in the company to a private equity fund part-owned by the LVMH group, a conglomerate made up of Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon and Hennessy. So what does this mean for Pinarello?

‘I’ve done a deal and I’m in the minority, but I still own the company, I put my money in my company because I trust my company,’ says Fausto Pinarello.

‘Our new partners are good at marketing and distribution, and it sends a message, a profitable message. No, there will never be a Louis Vuitton Pinarello bike! It would be easier to have a Pinarello Louis Vuitton handbag.

‘So not much will change. Next year there will be a new aero frame and a new all-round frame for 2019, and we will keep working on front suspension.

‘The only thing that did change was that last Christmas, instead of everyone being given the customary prosecco, we all received Dom Perignon [also owned by LVMH]. That is good, not bad!’

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