There will always been some disagreement over what people call ‘cheap’ but with the advent of the Cyclescheme and other similar purchase offers, most really serious road bikes kick off around £1000.

We took a quick straw poll in the office and when most of us took the first proper steps towards becoming cyclists, we each spent around £500 on our first bikes.

Some researched their purchase for months, others went straight out to their local bike shop and asked the staff for their advice. But what came out, time and time again, was that number - £500. I

t's here that road bikes begin to look like serious racers: the gear shifters are combined with the brake levers so your hands can stay in one comfy position, the frames are made of lighter materials such as butted aluminium, and perhaps even carbon fibre.

You can pick up a bike for less but often they're heavy, inefficient and will grumble if you really up the mileage. They'll be fine for fair-weather weekend riding, but start training for a sportive and their shortcomings will soon show. 

With that in mind, we decided that to us ‘cheap’ road bikes are anything under £1000, but above £500, so (in no particular order) here’s a rundown of our favourite plus a buying guide at the end to help you with sizing, what questions to ask, what accessories to buy and how to go about planning your first big ride.

Here are the six best cheap bikes up to £1000.

Pinnacle Laterite - £420

A proper road bike for an improper amount of cash. To complain about any rough edges on the Pinnacle seems churlish given its tiny headline price. Based around a compact 6061-T6 heat-treated aluminium frame, its carbon fibre fork cuts weight and boosts shock absorption.

Running a 16-speed Shimano Claris drivetrain, this shunts the gears with an authoritative clunk and provides a moderate range via its compact chainset and 11-28t cassette. With 25c decent Schwalbe Lugano tyres, plus space for mudguards and a rear rack, it’s a great introduction to drop bar riding.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £420

Triban RC520 - £730

Part of an updated range offered by European sports warehouse Decathlon, the Triban RC 520 represents incredible value. With a short top tube and upright front end, its frame and carbon fork are designed for endurance.

But it’s the superlative 11-speed Shimano 105 R7000 groupset and hybrid mechanical-hydraulic brake calipers that really set it apart. Backed up by lightweight wheels with cartridge bearings and tubeless-ready tyres, it's also ripe for future upgrading. With a cheaper model, and gravel-spec edition also in the range, both are equally good value.

Read our first ride of the Triban RC 520

Buy now from Decathlon for £729.99

Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 - £800

Consistently well-reviewed since its launch, the latest version of Canyon’s entry-level racer benefits from a lightweight aluminium frame that weighs only 1,350g, and a total weight of only 8.7kg. Decked out with a complete 10-speed Shimano Tiagra groupset, this provides a huge 11-34t cassette that’s good news for both beginners and big-mountain riders.

Providing excellent power, even the brakes, often the first part to be swapped out, are included. Rolling on Mavic Aksium wheels and Continental Grand Prix SL 25c tyres, it’s very hard to find any weak link in its build kit.

Buy now from Canyon for £800

Boardman SLR 8.6 - £550 

Bearing the name of noted British time trialist Chris Boardman, and sold through Halfords stores, this machine has been many riders first proper road bike. They’ll have bagged a good-un too.

With a light frame rolling on decent wheels and tyres, the SLR 8.6 allocates its funds wisely. Its 16-speed Shimano Claris gearing might be basic, but it’s reliable and with its cabling running beneath the bar tape, neat too. With a modicum more pizzazz than you might expect, getting it up to speed is rarely a chore.

Buy now from Halfords for £600

Cannondale CAAD Optimo Sora - £750

For our money the best looking bike you’ll find for anything like this money. But the Cannondale CAAD Optimo isn’t just pretty, it’s properly racey too. With geometry borrowed from the brand’s dearer bikes, a low front end keeps it purposeful, while a light frame and entirely carbon fork do nothing to sandbag its progress.

Fitted with a Shimano Sora 2x9 drivetrain, a basic crankset and brakes don’t put too much of a dampener on performance, while the contact points and paint are both above average for the price.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £750

Trek Domane AL 2 - £595

The Domane serves up speed over distance. Based around a fully-featured 100 Alpha aluminium frame and carbon fork, the Trek mixes stiffness with smooth riding characteristics. With endurance geometry, it rolls on Bontrager tubeless-ready rims and wide 28c tyres, both of which boost the bike’s comfort credentials.

Finished with Shimano Claris R2000 parts, its wide 11-32t 8-speed cassette ensure even the biggest hills won’t stall your progress. Great looking, hidden fender mounts don’t mar its appearance, and while the external cabling might be old-school, it makes servicing easier.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £595

Cube Attain Pro - £849

With geometry that balances speed and endurance, Cube’s Attain also manages a low overall weight despite its disc brakes. The foundation of this feat is its lightweight aluminium frame and skinny full-carbon fork.

With features like flat-mount brakes fittings and bolt-through axles, it’s more than worthy of later component upgrades. Not that the stock kit is anything other than excellent.

With Cube’s own disc wheelset and Continental Ultra Sport tyres, the bike is fast to get rolling, while keeping it moving is Shimano’s reliable 9-speed Sora drivetrain.

Buy now from Tredz for £849

Pinnacle Arkose R1 - £900

First released as a gravel bike, this road-going Arkose is a capable endurance machine that can be converted for off-road duties too. Using Shimano’s ace 10-speed Tiagra groupset to provide a huge range of gears, 28c tyres also boost its ability to tackle a range of terrain.

Stable to the point of seeming as if on autopilot, a front bolt-through hub and a robust carbon fork let it plough across bumpy ground. Not quite as nippy as a pure road bike, its ability to take mudguards and racks will appeal to touring riders, while great paint and internal cabling will be welcomed by everyone.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £900

Getting the perfect fit

Getting the right size is one of the most important aspects of buying a new bike. With a wide range of sizes available, often with small jumps between them (2cm in most cases), it can be a daunting prospect.

Fortunately, a good bike shop should take care of you. A word of warning: be careful when referring to bikes by their frame sizes. Some manufacturers measure things differently, but our handy geometry chart on each bike review should give you a starting point.

The main two things to worry about are saddle height and reach. There are lots of different methods to work out your correct saddle height, but as a general rule, when your foot is at its lowest point your knee should have a 30-degree bend, as that’s the angle that gets your big glute muscles firing.

The reach is something that you need to get a feel for, but if you’ve never ridden a road bike with dropped bars before, this can feel quite stretched and will take some getting used to.

It’s almost always the case that when your saddle is the correct height, you won’t be able to remain sat on it and have your feet flat on the floor. The reality is that you never really have to do this. If you’re nervous about it, plan ahead for your stops so you can pull up at a kerb and rest your foot on that.

Choosing your pedals 

A lot of new bikes don’t come with pedals, so your first big decision is whether to go for flat pedals or clipless. Flat pedals may be more versatile (because you can use them wearing regular shoes), but they’re inefficient.

Trainers flex a lot at the sole, so you lose a lot of pedalling power wearing them – it’s like trying to knock in a nail with a rubber hammer.

Clipless pedals (so-called because they replace traditional toeclips and straps) work by binding to a cleat that’s screwed onto the sole of the shoe. The shoes that go with clipless pedals have far stiffer soles to make pedalling more efficient and a lot more comfortable.

There are two distinct patterns of clipless pedal– two-bolt (Shimano SPD), and three-bolt (including Shimano SPD-SL or Look).

Two-bolt cleats are usually recessed into the sole of the shoe to make walking easier – these are favoured by mountain bike riders. Walking is possible in three-bolt cleats, but you may look like a penguin. Also check that your shoes are compatible with your pedals – the shop will be able help with this.

With a little perseverance, once you’ve got the hang of clipless pedals, you’ll be able to release your foot far quicker than you could pull your shoes out of old-fashioned toeclips.

Ask the right questions

Before you go and take a look at what your local bike shop has to offer, it pays to do your research and have a good think about what you want from your purchase. Mudguards and a rack? Rim or disc brakes?

Is the bike going to be used mainly for commuting or leisure riding? There are so many different models to choose from, that if you don’t have a good idea of what you need from it, you’ll likely end up totally bewildered. It also helps the shop, as they know what they can safely recommend, rather than relying purely on guesswork.

Most shops will include a servicing package to help keep your bike in good shape and will probably offer a discount on accessories. If you’d like to swap some parts on the bike straight out the box, ask – but don’t count on the shop doing it free of charge. If it’s an own-brand stem, they might not have one in stock, but things like cassettes or tyres are normally done for the cost difference.

Sale bikes can be great, but don’t compromise on getting the correct size for a groupset upgrade. You’ll be much happier – and faster – on a bike that’s comfortable. Second-hand bikes can be a bargain but are a minefield: unless you know the pitfalls to avoid, we’d recommend steering clear.

Essential extras

When buying a new bike you’ll have to reserve a portion of your budget for essential kit. Luckily, most shops will cut you a deal if you buy these at the same time. Expect to spend about £50 for a decent helmet, and try several makes and models to find the best fit.

Whether you’re planning to ride on your own or with friends, you’ll need enough small tools to be self-sufficient. You will get a puncture at some point, so practice changing an inner tube at home until you’re confident you’ll be able to do it on the road when all your friends are watching (and heckling).

The minimum kit we’d recommend would include a set of tyre levers (Topeak Shuttle levers, £5.99, extrauk.co.uk), two spare inner tubes (around £5 each; ensure you get the correct type – road bikes use Presta valves), a pack of glueless patches (Park Tool Super Patch, £3.49, madison.co.uk), and last but not least, a mini pump (Lezyne Gauge Drive HP, £40, upgradebikes.co.uk).

Some big brands such as Bontrager and Specialized do a kit that includes all these items, and a saddlebag to stow them in. Buy a multitool – look for something that includes 3, 4, and 5mm allen keys (Topeak Mini 20 Pro, £29, extrauk.co.uk). It’s worth getting a bottle cage and a sports bottle, too.

Plan your first ride

Once you’ve got the bike all your kit together, you’ll be keen to get riding, but it pays to spend some time planning your first outing to avoid potential problems that may arise. Twenty miles is a good distance to start with – you don’t want to risk running out of food, water and energy, or discovering a fault in your bike when you’re a long way from home.

If you don’t know the best roads for cycling in your area, the Strava website is useful – it has a great ride-planning tool that makes route suggestions based on their popularity with other cyclists. You can then use the Strava app on your smartphone to navigate, while recording your journey.

This is also a good time to think about how the bike feels. Is the saddle a little low? Get your multitool out and shift it up a little. Short test rides are good for working out any small adjustments like this you need to make.

Anyone who followed cycling in the 1990s will remember Cannondale’s oversized aluminium CAAD (Cannondale Advanced Aluminium Design) bikes winning races well before carbon rolled into town. The all-conquering Saeco-Cannondale squad and its flamboyant leader, Mario Cipollini, helped make these bikes iconic.

That race heritage has remained in place ever since. Cannondale, unlike many brands, has not relegated aluminium bikes to the bottom of the heap as cheaper, entry-level alternatives to carbon.

Instead, it has continued to invest in and develop its alloy line-up, consistently updating the design and materials required to keep these bikes on pace with what’s expected of a race bike.

New for 2020 comes the 13th generation of CAAD, which promises to prove that aluminium needn’t play second fiddle to the black stuff when it comes to speed, weight and comfort.

‘Every new CAAD improves on the preceding version, but the 13 represents a pretty radical new direction,’ says David Devine, Cannondale’s global product director. ‘We focussed on elements that really improve the ride, namely drag reduction, comfort and wide-ranging capability, while not increasing the weight.’

The result is a completely new look for the CAAD13 and a big departure from the more traditional, predominantly round tube shapes. It’s hard not to spot the similarity with the latest SuperSix Evo, which Cannondale released a matter of weeks before launching this bike.

Buy the Cannondale Caad13 Disc from Tredz for £4,799.99

Modern race bikes are all beginning to converge on a similar look, namely truncated airfoil tube profiles, dropped seatstays and an aero cockpit. And just like its carbon brethren, the CAAD13 has all these traits.

The geometry and riding position also mimic the SuperSix Evo, to maintain the racy feel the CAAD is known for.

Not just looky-likey

The challenges of sculpting these aero tube shapes in aluminium are many. Cannondale’s engineers have delivered a modern masterpiece in terms of material manipulation with the CAAD13, using what it calls SmartForm.

The intricately formed aero tubeset, seatpost and cockpit combined achieve a 30% reduction in drag compared to the previous model, according to Cannondale.

The cockpit is directly descended from the full-aero line of Knot products Cannondale developed for its wind-cheating SystemSix race bike. A key difference, though, is this version also uses Cannondale’s Save technology – essentially an adjusted carbon layup – to improve comfort.

A neat feature of the bar/stem is that, despite having the looks and aero benefits of a one-piece design, it is in fact separate parts, allowing individual components to be swapped easily and offering 8° of bar rotation to fine-tune riding position.

It’s a similar mix of aero and practicality at the seatpost. The Knot 27 post is a truncated airfoil profile, like many of the frame tubes, but Cannondale suggests it is extremely compliant – even more so, it claims, than the super-skinny 25.4mm Save carbon post used previously. The result, according to Cannondale’s tests, makes the CAAD13 twice as vertically compliant as the 12.

I would agree that the bike feels comfier than its predecessor, but twice as much? I’m doubtful. I’d say maybe 50% at a push. But regardless, it shows that the best aluminium bikes (of which this is undeniably one) are a far cry from the harsh, filling-rattling beasts they’re often believed to be.

Tyred out

While we’re talking comfort, we know that tyre width and pressure are key determinants of road bike comfort, and Cannondale has utilised these by increasing tyre clearances to a suggested 30mm maximum.

However, my view is that this is on the conservative side. There appears to be plenty of room for a little bit wider – certainly up to 32mm – if you so desire, which means there’s potentially some additional versatility to be unlocked with a simple switch of rubber.

Or, to look at it another way, you could still run wide tyres with full mudguards, as the CAAD13 also has all the necessary mounting points.

Buy the Cannondale Caad13 Disc from Tredz for £4,799.99

The new Hollowgram Knot 45 wheelset – from Cannondale’s in-house brand – are the very same wheels fitted to the top-end SuperSix Evo models (bikes that cost twice as much), and they are superb.

I don’t need a wind-tunnel to tell me these wheels are right up there among the best I’ve tested in terms of how well they slice through the air, accelerating and carrying speed with reassuring ease and looking stylish too. It certainly feels like you’re getting a lot of wheel at this price.

Which brings me nicely on to the main benefits of choosing an aluminium frame. There is, of course, some additional peace of mind brought by the extra robustness of a metal frame over carbon, should you be fearful of crashing at some point, but mostly it means you can have top-drawer components such as the Sram Force eTap AXS wireless shifting and top-of-the-range carbon wheels without an eye-watering overall price. And the sacrifice to performance out on the road is not as noticeable as you might think.

If it were possible to ride the CAAD13 blindfolded (we don’t recommend it) I’d wager few people would notice immediately that they were riding an aluminium bike.

Yes, there’s a slight weight penalty. The claimed frame weight for a size 56cm is 1,150g and this bike tipped our scales at 8.41kg, which is a way off the SuperSix Evo weight, and it does become apparent on a long drag or very steep ascent when gravity tugs you back that bit harder.

But let’s keep some context here. It’s a huge way off in price, too. The CAAD13 is close to half the cost of the upper end of the carbon spectrum (from Cannondale or many other brands) but I’d say you’re getting maybe as much as 90% of the performance.

Cannondale’s latest CAAD upholds the brand’s mantra that aluminium bikes are a truly viable alternative to carbon fibre. It’s a highly versatile machine that happily fits the bill as anything from an everyday workhorse to a full-bore racer.

• Want more in-depth reviews of the latest bikes and must-have kit? Subscribe to Cyclist magazine today and try 3 issues for JUST £5 (saving 84% on RRP) and get a FREE Ass Saver as a welcome gift.

Spec

Buy the Cannondale Caad13 Disc from Tredz for £4,799.99

There was a time when racing on a bike that wasn’t custom made simply wasn’t done. You went to your chosen framebuilder and they would determine the best tube lengths and angles to suit your body and riding requirements.

Of course, that was in the days of steel and aluminium. When carbon came along, custom geometry was all but sacrificed at the altar of lightness and stiffness.

There are some carbon brands, however – brands such as Dublin-based FiftyOne – where custom geometry is still considered a necessity. FiftyOne founder Aidan Duff says, ‘In the 1997 Tour de France, for instance, 100% of the peloton would have been on custom-built machines. The bikes were built specifically for them with every millimetre and angle there for a reason.’

Duff has a couple of serious international race results under his belt, so knows a thing or two about riding fast. He started FiftyOne in 2015, having already worked in the bike industry for more than 15 years, and claims that each frame he builds is a labour of love.

‘We only manage to produce about 100 bikes per year,’ he says. ‘It’s painfully labour-intensive and each frame takes about 10 days to make.’

The frames are made using mostly Enve tubing, measured and mitred by FiftyOne and then wrapped together using sheets of carbon fibre (for a full insight, check out our profile of the company).

While each frame is produced to the customer’s geometry, the signature of Duff’s approach is an agile and aggressive front end with a shorter trail than conventional endurance road geometry, coupled with a longer rear to increase comfort and stability.

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To put that in perspective, our frame (which wasn’t produced bespoke for us) has a trail of 53mm and a set of 420mm chainstays. That’s 3mm less trail and 15mm longer chainstays than a Specialized Tarmac, which in geometry terms is fairly significant.

In practice, having less trail should make for a very responsive front end, but it relies on the skill of the designer in question to not sacrifice any confidence in its handling.

‘What we have found is that most of our customers are buying their first custom bike and trading up from, say, a Colnago or Pinarello,’ says Duff. ‘They may not really know or understand the implications of a head tube adjustment or a shallower trail, but they know what they want from the poise and stance of the frame, so we work together on giving them a geometry that suits them and offers them handling confidence.’

Handling the hype

Whenever I took the FiftyOne Disc out for a ride, it was very much a magnet for attention. If I left it outside a cafe during a coffee stop, I would emerge to find a small crowd gathered around it, such was the admiration it fostered. That was partly down to the clean lines and unique seatstay design, but primarily it was the incredible custom paint.

Photos don’t do it justice. The paint scheme is so well composed and neatly finished, it’s reminiscent of a Pegoretti custom steel frame. It’s as much a piece of personalised art as it is a custom bike. For FiftyOne the paint scheme is a hugely personal and deliberate project, informed by a long process of back-and-forth between the designer and customer.

On the road, the FiftyOne Disc felt very much the luxury bespoke carbon build. On flat terrain, I’d be hard pressed to split it from the Parlee Z-Zero Disc I tested last year. It has the same responsiveness, the same sense of feedback from the road coupled with an impressive degree of comfort at the rear.

It was when I rode into the mountains  – or more specifically when I was descending them – that the bike really set itself apart.

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Descending is central to this bike’s character, and it’s a subject Duff feels passionately about. ‘FdJ have sent Thibaut Pinot to sports psychologists because of his [poor] descending, but have never questioned what changes they could make to his bike’s handling,’ he says. ‘We could have him descending like Alaphilippe.’

I was lucky enough to get a few weeks riding on the FiftyOne Disc in the Alps, and carving down 15% inclines was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. A bike that handles well will trace the line you’re going for with accuracy, predictability and minimal effort.

But if anything, the FiftyOne goes one better: it seems to see the line you want to take and goad you on to push a little harder.

Sharp bends felt like sweeping curves, such was its cornering prowess, and yet it also proved remarkably stable on long, straight descents, so that 80kmh felt like 50kmh.

Part of that is down to the 30mm tyres, which offer a huge amount of grip and confidence. The wide tyres felt just right (there is clearance for up to 32mm tyres) and they meant I was able to ride over gravel and scarred tracks without fear of punctures, and in relative comfort.

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For me, the Goodyear Eagle All-Season tyres were a little wooden, and I’d be tempted to switch to something a little more supple, such as Schwalbe S-One tubeless 30mm tyres. Other than that, the only alteration I’d make to the bike would be a slightly stiffer rear end and bottom bracket.

Duff built this frame with comfort dialled into the rear, but if it had been built specifically for me I would have asked to sacrifice a little comfort and even some weight to have a more rigid rear for super-steep inclines or signpost sprints.

Sadly my pockets aren’t quite deep enough to afford a FiftyOne created to my own desires, but if my lottery numbers ever come up, then this framebuilder would certainly be on the list of custom bikes I would consider (some of the others being, in no specific order, Bastion, Moots and Parlee).

To put it simply, some people want a bike that tells a story about someone else – a Tour winner or an historic bikebuilder, perhaps. The FiftyOne sets out to tell its owner’s story, built to their needs and painted to their tastes. And it does that exceptionally well.

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Spec

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Over the past 10 years, Matthew Sowter has built a glowing reputation for his Saffron custom framebuilding business. His beautiful handmade steel bikes have won dozens of awards and a number of his creations have graced the pages of Cyclist.

A glance at the Naked Columbus XCr, with its poetically neat welds and impeccable finish, would suggest another Saffron Frameworks classic, yet this frameset represents a significant departure for Sowter.

Before now, every Saffron bike was a one-off, built bespoke to the customer’s requirements. ‘It’s a very difficult way of working and at times not very efficient or economical,’ says Sowter. ‘Plus it takes a certain breed of rider to come to us and order.

‘People think you need to have an understanding of how steel performs and the different construction methods or tube types. You don’t get an idea of what it will turn out like until the frame is finished, either. There’s a perception that buying custom steel requires a level of confidence and trust that a lot of riders don’t have.’

With that in mind, the Naked Columbus XCr forms part of a new four-bike range (two designs offered with rim or disc brakes) in which Sowter has fixed a number of details: the construction method, the tubeset, dropouts and braze-ons.

It gives Saffron enough parameters to show prospective customers what the bike will look like, and give them a good idea of how much it will cost, although Sowter is yet to settle upon a final frameset price at the time of writing.

‘It is still custom. We still make the frame to the customer’s specific geometry, but having some of the details decided beforehand makes the process less intimidating and time-consuming,’ says Sowter. ‘We’ll turn these projects around in two to three months, whereas our usual waiting list is seven to ten months.’

The Naked Columbus XCr has unsurprisingly been made with Columbus XCr stainless steel. Sowter says its high tensile strength means tube walls can be thinner to reduce weight without sacrificing the stiffness of its non-stainless equivalent.

The frame is TIG welded because Sowter says it is the lightest way to join tubes, and can be left bare – fillet brazing would be need to be painted to protect it, which would add weight.

‘Really what we’re trying to do is strip everything away with the bike, so it’s left with nothing overcomplicated or decorative,’ he says. ‘I’ve ridden many different types of tubesets, used different construction methods and geometries. In a way, this is us saying what we think works for a high-performing, lightweight steel frame.’

The scales back up Sowter’s claim – 6.58kg would be impressive for a built-up carbon frame, so to achieve that weight in steel is an incredible feat.

Sowter wanted the components to accentuate the bike’s light weight, and as a result the wheels, bars, stem and seatpost all come from German carbon wizards AX Lightness. The wheels (tubulars) have a claimed weight of just 790g, and the other AX components come in at less than 400g combined.

It makes for an insanely light but heart-stoppingly expensive bike – as a reference, our build price came to £6,614.68 without the frameset. But weight isn’t everything.

Light and shade

After only my first few kilometres on the bike it became apparent to me that extreme light weight manifested in steel is a totally different proposition to a carbon equivalent. Very lightweight carbon constructions, as a consequence of their stiffness, can tend to be skittish.

By contrast, the Saffron felt buttery, as if the lightness of the steel helped dampen the road surface instead of being more easily disturbed by it. It was floaty, not flighty.

The comparatively skinny stainless steel tubes and low-profile wheels only enhanced the frame’s feel, as they proved almost impervious to gusty conditions.

On one ride it was as if I was riding in my own personal eye of a storm – I could see and feel high winds swirling all around me, heaving at trees and wobbling lampposts, but the bike was never buffeted or tugged from the line I had it on.

That’s not to say it was a docile ride. Being more naturally springy than carbon meant it didn’t leap off the line as quickly, but instead it felt like the steel harnessed its flex and returned that energy in the form of forward momentum.

It felt lively to ride, and on long, steady climbs its light weight was like having an extra gear or really good legs. It was the feeling of simply being faster than usual. However, there was a penalty to be paid for that lightness, which revealed itself in the lack of stiffness.

Whenever I had to stand up to punch over sharp rises in the road, I could hear the fizz-fizz-fizz of brake pads touching the wheel rim during each pedal stroke. Likewise, putting my weight forward in signpost sprints induced flex that made the front-end handling a little vague.

Steel will never be able to compete with carbon in pound-for-pound stiffness, but my criticism here isn’t levelled at the frame itself, but rather at the components. The AX Lightness kit simply couldn’t cope with the forces being applied through it.

It has to be said that I’m possibly a touch heavier than your average cyclist. And while I’m within the suggested weight limit for the Ultra 25T wheels, they flexed and twisted worryingly whenever I put them to work on the short, punchy hills that pepper my test routes around Dorset (and they gave me a real moment of terror when the brakes failed to do their job on a fast descent in the wet).

Perhaps I’m asking too much from a rear wheel that weighs less than 500g, but the experience left me torn about my feelings towards this bike.

Sowter wanted to highlight just how light steel can be (he claims this frame is 1.58kg, which is very light for steel), so it made sense to go for the lightest finishing kit available, but I would happily cede a kilo or so to build the frame with some slightly more conventional components, stiffen things up and, in turn, improve the bike’s everyday rideability.

If weight is all you care about, carbon is probably still the way to go. But if ride quality, fit and pure good looks are equally important, then anyone opting for Saffron’s latest design will undoubtedly be left supremely impressed.

Spec

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Winter comes every year but it still takes people by surprise. Not wrapping up your bike, or yourself, will end in a worn out groupset and worn out legs. We’ve put together a little guide with some ideas of what to pay extra attention to.

How to prepare your bike for winter cycling

Tyres: Schwalbe One TLE

When the roads are slippy you want your tyres to be grippy, and they don’t come much more grippy than these. They’re not cheap, but they’re likely to be longest-lasting.

Plus you can set them up tubeless: Rolling with a generous squirt of sealant inside, they’ll be able to seal most punctures before you even know they’re there. Plus they aren’t too heavy, so there’s still some joy to be had from them. Get them in a wide size, and you’ll be ready to roll through the worst winter conditions.

Read our review:Schwalbe One TLE

Buy now from Tweeks

Saddlebag: Apidura Backcountry Tool Pack (0.5L)

Even if you do go tubeless, punctures are more likely in winter as the rain washes foreign bodies on to the side of the road, where they’re primed to bring misery. A decent-sized waterproof saddlebag is your best friend when carting around all the relevant tools and inner tubes to prevent you getting caught short. This Apidura saddlebag even has an integrated light loop for and is quick to remove.

Buy now from Apidura

Mudguards: SKS Raceblade

Mudguards aren’t cool in some parts, but we know of plenty of clubs that wouldn’t let you ride without full mudguards after October. What’s more, they’ll make it you ride at the back while you spray a line of grime up the back of your best jersey. Avoid the shame by clipping a pair of SKS Raceblades on.

Read our review:SKS Raceblade

Buy now from Evans Cycles

Bar Tape: Specialized S-Wrap HD

Winter riding can be tricky enough without adding thin and slippery bar tape into the mix, which is why it can pay to replace it when the temperature starts falling. S-Wrap HD bar tape has a non-slip surface that makes sure nothing comes between your hands and the bars, while the elastomer gel backing reduces road buzz. Plus it looks cool!

Buy now from Tredz

Lights: Lezyne Hecto Drive 500XL/KTV Light Set

the Hectro Drive front light will pump out 500 lumens from a very neat package and will last up to 20 hours on the lowest setting. Equally quick to attach and compatible with aero-seat posts, the KTV’s two LEDs sit in an IPX7 waterproof case. Offering up to 270° of visibility and a 10-lumen output will ensure you get seen by any cars approaching from behind.

Read our buyers guide to the best winter bike lights

Buy now from Wiggle

Cables: Jagwire Road Pro Complete Road Bike Brake and Gear Cable Set 

It's amazing how far water and dirt can penetrate your bike during a wet, muddy ride. Even sealed-in components such as brake and gear cables can suffer after a good soaking, affecting your ability to stop or shift in a timely fashion.

The liners in this kit from Jagwire will help keep cables clean while the compression-less construction boosts braking power and shifting accuracy.

Buy now from Chain Reaction

Drivetrain: Pedros Chain Pig Machine II

Your bike’s drivetrain will suffer more in the winter. Whether from rain or salt on the road, it’ll both get muckier and dry out quicker. One solution is to change to a thicker ‘wet’ condition chain lube.

While this can work if you’re lazy, doing so will soon see your drivetrain get black and gunky. A better solution is to clean regularly with a dedicated chain cleaning device and simply apply your regular lube a bit more frequently. This one from Pedro wins by looking like a pig.

Buy now from Wiggle

For years aerodynamics just meant riding in the drops. Then it meant cutting off your ponytail and wearing pointy hats.

Then it meant deep section wheels and soon-to-be-banned riding positions.

The common theme was taking things in isolation, optimising parts of a bike or rider without much consideration for the way all these elements interacted.

Then Cervélo came along, and by 2007 it had a life-sized, poseable model of its Team CSC-sponsored rider, Dave Zabriskie.

As the company’s co-founder Phil White told us, ‘We took Dave to this place in LA and had him 3D-scanned. Now we have foam Dave and virtual Dave.’

With foam Dave on wind-tunnel duties, positioned atop whatever rig Cervélo was testing, and virtual Dave doing the same in the theoretical world of CFD, Cervélo was a pioneer of the rider-bike system concept, where aerodynamics is treated as a holistic whole.

With such methods comes this third generation of the S5, a direct descendant of what most consider to be the first aero road bike, the aluminium Soloist of 2002.

And Cervélo has created a marvel, albeit a highly divisive and, in my opinion, brilliantly compromised one.

The S5 smacks you between the eyes like an angry Eubank. The first person I showed it to described it as ‘fugly’.

But, like Chris Eubank, this bike’s eccentricities are its main sell.

For nearly ten grand you want your superbike to look super and, love it or hate it, the S5 looks like the kind of bike that should only be ridden with flames coming out of your shoes.

Each piece segues seamlessly from the last, the frame wrapping around the wheels and rearing up into that stem.

Called to the bar

Instead of the standard-issue single tube, the S5’s stem comes up to meet the bars in a V-shape, with a large triangular gap in between (about which a second friend remarked, ‘Is that where it feeds on plankton?’).

The handlebar sits on top of the V’s prongs and is bolted in position from below.

Cables and hoses run through each prong (in a way Cervélo says improves shifting for mechanical groupsets thanks to the relaxed bends, and makes assembly and maintenance easier), and a shim between the stem-bar intersect means the bar angle can be adjusted between 0°, 2.5° or 5° from the horizontal.

However, says Cervélo, ‘We recommend leaving the bar at 0° to achieve maximum aero advantage’.

Cervélo says that advantage is tantamount to a 42g saving in drag, meaning a real-world saving of 5.5W to the rider.

That’s hardly staggering given that generation two of the S5 saved 28W over the first, which is indicative of how far bikes have come and how hard it is now for engineers to squeeze out further gains.

And to put the V Stem’s contribution further into perspective, an S5 with Cervélo’s last generation of aero bar with exposed cables adds 30g of drag. How so?

Well, in simple terms, it’s because air can flow through the V stem (not around as per regular set-ups) and through the rider’s legs.

Does it actually work? The proof is in the blisteringly fast pudding.

Easy speed

There are a number of things that make this bike quick besides the V bars: the main tube shapes, now larger in dimension with the relaxation of the UCI’s 3:1 ratio rule; the wheel cutouts; the external steerer; the narrow profile – and they all add up to a bike that is the personification of aero-rapidity.

I found myself cruising past riders who were clearly putting in considerable effort, and regularly bagged Strava medals on rides that weren’t exactly performed with intention.

Everything from the first crank stroke through to easily maintaining 41kmh on the flats felt effortlessly quick (usually I’d be happy with 38kmh).

The S5 also made light of headwinds, where I could almost feel – or at least imagine – the bike slicing the air with blade-like finesse.

However, the S5 does not enjoy blustery conditions, and nor does it thrive on technical roads.

To its credit the bike is relatively comfortable all told, and could be more so, as it will fit up to 30mm rubber, but it is found wanting in the cornering and handling departments.

Buy now from Sigma Sports here.

Compared to a more rounded race bike its handling sits in the early stages of languid, and although stable at speed (Cervélo has lowered the bottom bracket a touch to encourage stability) the S5 doesn’t duck and dive as I’d like or track the road anything more than ‘quite well’.

I think both of these things are unavoidable upshots of what Cervélo has set out to do, namely to provide greater stability by lengthening the trail (as a general rule, longer trail means more sedate handling) and to increase head tube and BB stiffness by 13% and 25% respectively.

That’s great for sprinters and those who live by smooth roads, but less great for tackling fast, bumpy corners.

For the rider I am and where I ride, I feel the S5 could do with a touch more frame flex to promote grip at the tyres, and shorter trail (the trail is 57mm incidentally, and I would call 53mm short).

That said, more assured cornering could be had on 28mm or 30mm tyres run at lower pressure than my chosen 85psi for these 25mm tyres.

So perhaps that’s a moot point. But what’s impossible to ignore is how the S5 handles in windy conditions.

Flicking the V

If the wind is relatively consistent then the S5 is great, but when the going gets gusty, the S5 gets pretty wavy.

It’s not an insurmountable problem – vigilance to conditions, such as looking out for gaps between buildings or hedgerows, pays dividends – and crosswind instability is a problem that befalls all aero bikes to some degree. It’s just in the S5’s case it is that much more pronounced.

However, in a strange way all this only makes me like the bike more, because there’s only one thing the S5 cares about: speed.

And it doesn’t mind who it upsets to get there. V Stem? More like a V-sign to anyone doubting how much fun a fast bike can be.

Buy now from Sigma Sports here.

Spec

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Cervélo launches new S5: disc brake only aero road bike

Cervélo redesigns its aero-road S-series for 2019; the bikes will be ridden by Team Sunweb

Words Sam Challis, 1st October 2018

Cervélo was the pioneer of the aero-road genre with its Soloist back in 2002, so in the development of the newly-launched S5 and S3 the brand had more than 16 years of experience to draw from.

The entire chassis of the new Cervelo S5 has visually moved on from its predecessor but the most striking change occurs at the front end.

A V-shaped twin stem flows back from an aero bar into an external fork that sits in front of and over the head tube.

The new design apparently makes the S5 42 grams of drag more efficient than the outgoing design, when measured with a rider.

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Image 14 of 23

While Cervélo claims this reduces drag by creating unimpeded airflow along the toptube, the primary motivation for the design was internal cable routing.

It means the cables can run more smoothly into the head tube, which thanks to the external fork design is hollow except for a threaded rod that pre-loads the headset, so the cables can pass through the centre of the headset bearings and on into the rest of the bike.

Despite its highly integrated appearance, the cockpit it fully adjustable with 30mm of stem height available, along with stem lengths from 90mm to 130mm and bar widths from 38cm to 44cm.

Even bar angle can be adjusted in increments of 2.5° via a sequence of shims.

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Image 15 of 23

Elsewhere there are the usual claimed improvements in stiffness and weight - a 56cm painted frame weighs 975g, and according to Cervélo the S5 is now 25% stiffer at the bottom bracket and 13% stiffer at the head tube, the latter largely thanks to the aforementioned new design.

The Cervelo S5’s geometry has been considerably adjusted too, being tweaked to share the latest Cervelo R5’s measurements.

In general the bike is longer and lower, thanks to feedback from the WorldTour pros that have used the old S5, while handling has been relaxed and the bottom bracket lowered to promote stability.

A new set of WorldTour riders look stand to gain from that feedback as it has been confirmed that Team Sunweb will ride the bikes for the 2019 season.

Four builds will be offered with prices ranging from £4,899 for Shimano Ultegra to £9,699 for Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. There will be a frameset-only option available too for £4,299.

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Image 5 of 23

Another little detail would be the S5 is now disc-brake only, as is the S3 for now. Rim-brakes will eventually be offered for the lower-spec bike but it is clear where Cervélo is placing its bike design priorities.

The S3 is slightly more conventional in appearance than its radical big brother but still features fully internal cabling and an updated frame design that Cervélo says saves 102g of drag over the previous S3.

Cervelo S5 review - 2016

Peter Stuart - February 2016

The updated Cervélo S5 is the hot favourite to be Cav’s weapon for 2016, but does it still lead the pack?

When Cervélo released the S5 four years ago it felt as if the brand had lifted bike design to new heights. Scientific white papers, wind-tunnel tests and stiffness analysis all played a part in a grand engineering project aimed at creating the most aerodynamic bike ever. In that sense it was a success, but it alarmed some onlookers with its abominable curves and aggressive tube shapes. This revision is undoubtedly more handsome, but Cervélo now has some formidable competition in the fight to lay claim to the fastest bike on the market.

Trek and Specialized have taken integration to the next level by hiding cables and brakes from the wind on the new Madone and Venge ViAS respectively, but with the S5 Cervélo has tried to keep things simple. 

‘We’ve always sought to make the bike fit standard components,’ says Phil Spearman, product manager at Cervélo. ‘We have a catchphrase: “Hide the brakes from the wind, not from the mechanic.”’ 

Anyone who has ever owned a bike with ‘hidden’ aerodynamic brakes will know that while concealing them does wonders to reduce drag, it’s a headache when it comes to replacing cables or making minor adjustments. Cervélo instead wanted a bike that was completely up to date but still fundamentally traditional.

The handlebar may be the best example of this juggling act. Yes, it looks a little like the skull of one of the alien invaders from Independence Day, but its design manages to be both aerodynamic and practical. 

‘One of the final frontiers for us in terms of aerodynamic gains was the handlebar,’ says Spearman. ‘Any time you have a round surface in the wind it costs you, and the drag on the handlebar is surprisingly huge.’ Compared to some other aero bars it looks strange, but it works happily with a standard stem so it’s more versatile than most one-piece aero cockpits, and its design also makes it more comfortable than some other aero bars when sprinting in the drops.

As for the rest of the frame, Cervélo had a tough time squeezing out any additional aero advantages compared to the previous version. While this new model claims to save an extra five watts of power at 40kmh, the true performance gains have been made through practicality rather than tube profiling. For instance the head tube is lower, meaning the rider will naturally adopt a lower, more aerodynamic position. The new bike will also accept 25mm tyres, which are considered to be faster than 23mm when paired with the right rims. This was a big gripe with the previous model, which was restricted to 23mm tyres. 

The cutting edge

The S5 is an elite class of superbike. Clip in and immediately it delivers an overwhelming sense of speed, responsiveness and rigid power delivery. It’s lighter and lower slung than its predecessor, so feels substantially more aggressive. It skims over the tarmac, leaving only a low rumbling noise behind.

Aerodynamics can be difficult to quantify in the real world, but a bike like the S5 really proves the merit of cutting drag from a frame. I could talk about my power numbers and average speeds, but the most visceral display of the aerodynamic wonders of the S5 came when I was riding into a blistering headwind. With gusts of 65kmh on a long solo ride, I remember looking down expecting to see 20kmh on my computer screen, but the S5 resiliently hovered at around the 30kmh mark. While I’m not suggesting the frame gifted me a whole extra 10kmh, it was clearly contributing some free speed. What’s more, the S5 feels every bit the race bike.

The previous S5 had a tall head tube that often invited mockery from committed racers, as it seemed at odds with the bike’s racy intentions. The reason for it was to improve aerodynamics, but it wasn’t always easy to dial in an aggressive fit to the bike’s geometry. The head tube was also less rigid than rival frames, exacerbated by the comparative stiffness of the bottom bracket, which sacrificed some of the handling precision. The front end is now unquestionably stiff, and the S5 has that pleasing sense of propulsion when throwing it from side to side as it hums up to speed unabated. The handling, equally, is accurate and well balanced – as long as it’s a calm day.

Aerodynamic frames and sidewinds do not mix well. The Cervélo S5 probably boasts the most dramatically flattened tube shapes on the market, so it’s no surprise that it suffers in a crosswind. During one 70kmh descent on an A-road, I rode past a gap in the hedgerow and found myself scrambling to stay in my lane as the bike was blown across the road. Only part of that is down to the frame. After switching the wheels to a set of Bontrager Aeolus 5s (slightly shallower at 50mm and with a more rounded profile) stability was significantly increased. 

My mother asked me why I was taking a hammer to a £7,000 bike.

The only other flaw I found with the S5 was with the steerer insert, the anchor point for the top cap bolt that’s used to pre-load the headset. In modern bikes we might expect an expander bung to press directly into place within the steerer tube, but Cervélo uses an aluminium insert that’s glued into place. While that shouldn’t be a problem, the insert on this bike drifted out of place and proved difficult to reposition. 

Bashing it back into place during a visit to my family over Christmas, my mother asked me why I was taking a hammer to a £7,000 bike. I really had no good answer. Eventually I managed to fix the problem with the right tools and some epoxy, but this kind of thing really shouldn’t happen with a bike of this calibre.

Pro favourite

Those issues aside, the Cervélo S5 really is every bit the superbike, as revealed by the enthusiasm of the pro teams that ride them. The MTN Qhubeka pro team had the choice between a lightweight endurance frame (R5) and a more hefty aerodynamic one (S5), and riders such as Tyler Farrar, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Steve Cummings have stuck religiously to the S5 in all situations. In 2015 the new S5 was even their choice for the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders, something we would never have seen with the last iteration.  

A big part of the increased enthusiasm for the bike is a step forward in comfort, which is largely thanks to the tyres. The switch to 25mm has transformed the feel of the bike. Combined with the more decisive handling and lower-slung position, the new S5 has gone from an exercise in scientific precision to a fully rounded race bike. I also enjoyed climbing on it, as its stiff response had me edging my power up bit by bit. At a little over 1kg for the frame, it’s certainly no heavyweight either.

Cervélo has taken a different tack to its rivals. While Trek, Specialized and Scott have been busy in the wind-tunnel trying to find more aero gains, Cervélo has taken a bike that was already the epitome of aero and made it a better all-round ride.

Spec

What makes a good bike? According to Focus, it’s making sure that ‘each element of the frame has a purpose’.

And how many elements is that, you say? It’s 56 different individual pieces if you include every part the German brand has redesigned for the Izalco Max frameset.

It’s a redesign that went right down to the flanges on the proprietary thru-axles – and 671 individual carbon plies per frame, each designed to help hit the numbers Focus was after. And boy does the company have a lot of them to share.

I’m not going to ‘enlighten’ you with them all here, suffice to say this latest iteration of the venerable Izalco platform is stiffer, lighter and more comfortable than its predecessor in every way.

But there is one stat that is telling of the direction the brand has taken with this new bike. It’s now a full 90 seconds faster over 50km pedalled at 200W than the outgoing model.

Winds of change

That is significant, and if nothing else the manufacturer should be praised for bringing us a number-based factoid that we can actually understand and relate to. No ‘three watts less drag at 48kmh at 15° yaw’ here. Who rides at 48kmh except down a hill or in a chaingang?

According to Focus’s lead engineer, Fabian Scholz, the target for the new Izalco Max was increased speed, ‘because weight is only one way to make a bike fast, and we understand how to build a lightweight frame, so we started to improve the aerodynamics’.

At a glance, though, you could be forgiven for thinking the Izalco is something of a ‘normal’ road bike.

The cables are more or less fully hidden, but that’s the case with many standard road bikes now, and although the tubes are purposefully shaped they do not scream aero in the way the new BMC Timemachine or Cannondale’s SystemSix do. These are bikes that wouldn’t look out of place on a time-trial start line.

Aero bikes, then, seem to be splitting off into two camps. There are the more and more outlandishly shaped (in my opinion currently spearheaded by the Cervélo S5, which looks quite unlike any other bike on the market). And then there are the understated aero bikes, those organically smooth machines such as the Ridley Noah, Giant Propel and Scott Foil.

If nothing else it’s proof that designers are really trying, but it’s also proof that aero need not be complicated.

Consider the latest Venge – it hardly looks aero, yet Specialized claims it is eight seconds faster than the gull-wing-barred, high-sided, tyre-hugging Venge ViAS it replaced.

In pure aesthetic terms I consider this a big plus for the Izalco. The more normal a bike looks, the better it will age, and also the more graceful I think it appears on the road.

I do enjoy the fantastical world of time-trial bikes and those ultra-aero looking bikes listed above, but putting myself in the shoes of an owner I can only see their futuristic nature being their undoing, as time marches on and new design trends emerge.

And what’s more, this KISS philosophy – keep it simple, stupid – seems to have done little to hold the Izalco back.

Slight twitch

The Izalco really is a ‘push and swoosh’ bike. A mere few turns of the cranks and it surges into action, reminding me of something a Specialized engineer once said – that ‘reducing the drag at 0° yaw is what gives people the “holy shit this thing is fast” feeling’.

The inference here is that you could make a bike feel immediately aero, even if the bike didn’t ultimately perform that well in real-world conditions.

I’d stop short of uttering swear words on the Izalco, but there is a real sense of zing to the bike, and I would put it not just at the feet of the aero design, but also its weight.

Focus claims the frameset has shed 182g over its predecessor, and this build weighs 7.37kg. Not UCI rule-bending, but in the current disc brake-aero bike market that is on the lighter end of the spectrum (a similar-spec BMC Timemachine, for example, is nearly 8kg).

That low weight really helps this bike out where other aero bikes suffer, which is in climbing and in swift changes of direction. There is a lightness to the controls and climbing feel more akin to a regular, stiff, lightweight racer than your average aero bike.

However, it’s the controls where I had to meet the Izalco halfway, because for all of that lightness of touch – and indeed the quite long 997mm wheelbase, a number usually indicative of a pretty neutral-handling, steady bike – I felt the Izalco was somewhat twitchy.

I had to be more cautious during my early rides than on other bikes I’ve tested recently, specifically when sprinting, where the bike wanted to pull itself off line when I was wresting hard on the bars.

The solution to that, I found, was to put my weight further forward than usual over the front axle, and in the end we grew to accept this about one another. But it remains that I have ridden bikes with better all-round handling, although I can’t fault the Izalco’s eagerness to rail into corners. It’s a fun bike to ride, as well as fast.

Slippery but cultured

What the Izalco is, then, is less an aero bike than a road bike gone aero. It still uses a round clamp bar, for example, not a one-piece system, the engineers preferring the ease of adjustability and maintenance.

But in so doing they’ve sacrificed a totally integrated look to the front end, as a cover on the underside of the stem hides the bulk of the cables before they disappear into the frame, but not every inch. However, elements such as this shouldn’t be dealbreakers, because the trade-off is that Focus has created an aero bike for all occasions, and one I think will suit most tastes.

The Izalco does look clean and sharp like we might expect of an aero bike, but it performs like a proper all-round race bike as well. I dare say a like-for-like test would reveal competitors’ aero bikes to be faster, but I’m happy with the balance the Focus engineers have struck, and I can see most riders feeling the same, too.

Spec

While it might seem an outrageous luxury to have a dedicated bike just for winter, if you ride a lot it can make sense. What we want in summer is different to what we want in winter, as the menu at any restaurant will tell you. Plus, a dedicated winter rig will stop your more expensive bike getting trashed courtesy of the bad weather and mucky roads.

For the old-school rider, the archetypal winter training bike might still be a fixed gear with an easy-to-turn ratio and mudguards. But there’s no need to go for something quite so austere.

However, there are some things we’d definitely look out for…

What makes a good winter bike?

Space for wide tyres and mudguards

Tough tyres in a wide size and run at a slightly lower pressure will increase grip and comfort over winter roads. Mudguards are also a must for riding in a group, plus they’ll save your kit and components from excess wear while keeping you dry and comfy.

Mounts for racks

If you’re going to get a second bike it might as well have the ability to carry a rack too. Plus the mounting point will ensure you can fit proper full-length mudguards, not the fiddlier clip-on type.

A more relaxed geometry

Winter is not the time for dashing about. A more sedate geometry will keep you happy on longer rides while providing more planted handling which can be a boon when weather, light or road surfaces conspire against you.

A wide range of gears and a mid-range groupset

Your drivetrain is made up of consumable components. In winter it makes sense to choose something expensive enough to survive in testing conditions, but not so expensive it’ll cost an excessive amount to replace.

Disc brakes

More powerful and consistent, disc brakes are ideal in the wet. Plus, they require far less maintenance, great when grit from the road can also devour your rims. About the only penalty is weight, something that shouldn’t be a major concern on a winter bike.

A durable frame

Salt from the road and cleaning products can slowly knacker carbon and aluminium frames, meaning steel remains a popular choice for winter hacks. Even better if you can afford it is titanium. Given a quick polish, it’ll look as shiny and new in a decade as it does today.

Five of the best winter road bikes

Triban RC520, £730

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Image 2 of 6

Many will argue a winter bike should be cheap. And boy does the Triban manage this. Yet at the same time, it also provides riders an ultra-durable Shimano 105 groupset, and thanks to TRP’s clever Hy/Rd callipers, hydraulic stopping.

The rest of the spec is good too. The tyres are sensibly wide at 28c, plus they can be made tubeless without excessive faff. The wheels are durable and run on sealed bearings, while the whole bike is geared towards comfort and longevity.

With space for mudguards and racks, it’ll do for winter, but also touring in the summer, while the cost will leave you enough money to take it somewhere warm too.

Read our full review: Triban RC500 and RC520 review

Dolan Titanium ADX Disc 105, from £1,999

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Image 3 of 6

Titanium is perfect for a winter bike, if you can afford it. This Dolan provides the space-age material at a down-to-earth price. Comfy, light, and corrosion-resistant, it’ll polish up like new at the end of each season, while giving a superlatively smooth ride year after year.

Featuring a comfortable audax geometry based around a long head tube, it’s ideal for getting in the baseline miles without putting your back out. With room for big tyres and mudguards, both can be requested before it arrives thanks to Dolan’s online bike builder.

Also allowing you to tailor the gearing and cockpit components along with the wheels, we enjoyed using Mavic’s mid-section Cosmics. Set up tubeless, they added a small injection of speed to a bike whose progress was otherwise pleasingly stately.

Ribble Endurance 725 Disc, from £999

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Image 4 of 6

Steel is a great choice for a winter bike and at a time of the year when riders might be carrying a little extra timber, a kilo or so more on the bike won’t do any harm. Plus the extra resistance will help with training. Tough, comfy and cool looking, this Ribble provides riders with Reynolds’ mid-level 725 tubing, along with disc brakes and a carbon fork.

With builds starting at £999 for a Shimano Tiagra equipped machine, mudguards and racks can be added at the build stage, while gearing and finishing kit can be similarly tweaked. Finished in metallic British racing green, it’s a winter bike that’ll sparkle in the sun too.

Whyte Wessex One, £1,999

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Image 5 of 6

A bike designed in the UK with UK conditions in mind. Based around a fast-looking carbon frame using an integrated fork and seat clamp, the Wessex nevertheless includes space for mudguards alongside the stock 30c tyres. Ready to be set-up tubeless, these combine with hydraulic disc brakes to help the bike plough straight through winter.

Similarly, its single front chainring cuts down maintenance and will work well even when caked in mud. However, once things turn brighter, the Whyte’s concealed eyelets ensure this is a bike that can easily transform itself for summer duties too.

With low weight, bolt-through axles, and uni-directional monocoque construction, it’s not one to hang about regardless of the season.

Read our full review: Whyte Wessex One

Genesis Flyer, £750

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Image 6 of 6

There’s still something to be said for taking the Luddite approach and riding single-speed during the winter. Not only will you learn to improve your cadence, especially if you opt for a fixed gear, you’ll also look dead tough too. With little to go wrong or wear out except perhaps your knees, the Flyer takes its geometry from the brand’s popular Equilibrium and pairs it to an open-road friendly 42/17t gear.

Definitely one for the tarmac and not the track, it comes with 28c Clement Strada tyres and mudguards as standard. With a fixed/free rear hub, it’ll give you something new to try too. Experimenting with either system is as simple as flipping the wheel around.

Words James Spender Photography Mike Massaro

‘As far as online descriptions go, Rossano Veneto might just have one of the most mundane of anywhere: ‘Is a town in the province of Vicenza, Vento, Italy. SR245 goes through it.’

True enough, Strade Regionali number 245 does indeed run through the middle of Rossano, helping to connect the town to its bigger brother to the north, Bassano del Grappa. But what the entry misses is the surprising number of highly successful companies this 8,000-strong community hosts.

Lauded motorsport wheel maker OZ Racing was founded here in 1971, as was saddle maker Selle San Marco in 1935. However, Rossano Veneto’s most celebrated son must surely be Wilier Triestina, established 1906. Or perhaps that should be ‘stepson’.

‘Our grandfather bought the Wilier name in 1969,’ says Andrea Gastaldello, who runs the company with brothers Enrico and Michele. ‘Before then Wilier was located in Bassano, founded by Pietro Dal Molin in 1906. But in 1969, my grandfather moved it here, to Rossano, and we have been here ever since, now into our third generation.’

The fortunes of Wilier have waxed and waned over the years, but its 113-year heritage makes it one of the elder statesmen of cycling, only eclipsed by Bianchi (1885), Peugeot (1886), Raleigh (1887) and Schwinn (1895).

Here, Andrea Gastaldello talks us through some of the pivotal bicycles from Wilier’s past.

Fiorenzo Magni Giro d’Italia, 1948

Seventy years on, Magni is still one of Wilier’s most celebrated riders. Despite being unlucky enough to race in the era of Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, hence his nickname of ‘The Third Man’, the Tuscan would add two more Giro titles to his palmarès in 1951 and 1955, plus three back-to-back Tour of Flanders titles, hence his other nickname, ‘The Lion of Flanders’.

Magni is also the subject of one of cycling’s most iconic images, a photo of him riding hunched over and steely-eyed while biting down on an inner tube attached to his stem in order to help him balance, having crashed and broken his collarbone on Stage 12 of the 1956 Giro. The Lion lived up to his billing and rode the next 10 stages broken-boned, somehow finishing second overall.

‘We had our own team from 1946 to 1951, and Magni rode for us for three of them, winning the Giro in 1948, then Flanders in 1949 and 1950. Unfortunately we had to close the team in 1952. Money had become a problem as Italians increasingly turned to motos and scooters for transport.’

It’s interesting to note that in response to this industry-wide problem, Magni helped bring the first non-cycling related sponsor, Nivea, into the sport in 1954 to secure funding for his cash-strapped Ganna-Ursus team.

Pantani TT bike, 2002

‘The team was hit by bad luck from the beginning. Marco hit a black cat that ran into the road in the 1997 Giro and had to retire, which was frustrating as he was competitive. But he came back in a good way for the Tour de France and had a good season.

‘But at the end of 1997 we lost sponsorship to Bianchi, a much larger company than us that offered more money to sponsor the team. We were already providing 70 bikes a year plus extra money.

‘The opportunity came back to sponsor Mercatone Uno in 2002, and this is a time-trial bike we made for Marco. The bars are custom from 3T, the frame is Easton tubing, the wheels are branded “Eolic” by Selle Italia, but really that’s just stickers on another company’s wheels. Although Mercatone was traditionally yellow, we had to make the bike and jerseys blue for the Tour because of course the leader rides in yellow.

‘Sadly by 2002 Pantani already had problems with drugs so was not competitive in the races. We spent only one season with the team then we had to stop. Strangely, Mercatone – a big chain in Italy, like the Italian Ikea – went bankrupt only a few months ago.’

Cento, 2006

‘Our company was started in 1906 by Mr Dal Molin in Bassano del Grappa, 10km from here,’ says Gastaldello. ‘In Bassano in the 1940s and 50s we had 150 employees, one of whom was my grandfather, Giovanni. Then the company went bankrupt – by the 1960s everyone was buying scooters – and in 1969 my grandfather, with my uncle Antonio and father Lino, decided to buy the name of the company and to start a bike shop and start making bikes again in our village.

‘My grandfather died in 1979, then in 1988 and 1990 my brothers arrived and my uncle and father decided to split up. My uncle kept the shop, my father the bike business. I started here in 1996.

‘Cento means 100, and this was the bike that celebrated our 100th anniversary, our first monocoque carbon road bike for teams and for customers. Designed in Rossano and made in China, it was a very good product.

‘This is Damiano Cunego’s Cento from the 2006 season, when he won the white jersey for young riders at the Tour de France. He also won Amstel Gold [2008] and Giro di Lombardia [2007, 2008] with us on the Lampre team we sponsored.

‘It has custom paint. Here we have symbols on the top tube to represent the guy: he has a family with a child; he was born in 1981; 1.69m tall; weight 59kg – it is always good to have your racing weight painted on your bike! Resting heart rate of 42; first place in the Giro d’Italia in 2004; he likes ice hockey.’

Ramato Columbus SL, 1983

‘This bike would have been made here in Rossano and painted by the same external contractor we use today – we still have Ramato colours on our carbon frames.

‘This bike was not ridden by anyone famous but it is an important part of our collection because it shows the colour that became a symbol of both the racing team and the company. We still make a replica version of this bike for collectors looking for something different and beautiful.’

That replica, the Superleggera, is made in Italy (albeit by a contractor) and, like this 1983 example, sports Campagnolo parts. Yet no matter how beautiful modern Campagnolo groupsets are, they pale in comparison to the 50th Anniversary gruppo featured here, adorned with 24-carat gold inlays, titanium parts and founder Tulio Campagnolo’s signature engraved on every part. In total 15,000 were made, with the first kept by Campagnolo and the second presented to Pope John Paul II.

The frame pump is a classic Silca Impero, while the bottom bracket lug is Cinelli, from an era when Wilier’s compatriots still did a roaring trade in cast lugs, which the company would sell to other manufacturers as well as use for its own bikes.

Pantani Alpe d’Huez, 1997

‘Marco climbed Alpe d’Huez in 37 minutes and 35 seconds, which is still the record for the climb,’ says Gastaldello. ‘It was a very good time for Wilier, a big boost to our growth in international markets because everyone was watching this stage and this guy and looking at this bike. The frame weighed 1,200g and was one of the first TIG-welded frames – before us was only Cannondale.’

Pantani fans will recognise the Il Pirata cartoon on the frame and custom-embroidered on the saddle, but there are other subtle touches specific to the Italian climber.

First, an analogue indicator set in-line of the cable housing displayed gear selection using cable movement to push a needle, visible through a plastic window a bit like a pressure gauge. Second, the wheels pushed some serious boundaries.

‘For a while Selle Italia made special lightweight wheels in collaboration with a company called ACI that makes spokes and hubs, and Ambrosio, which makes rims. The spokes are very thin, 1.2mm [2mm was more common in 1997], so thin they would break under heavier riders. But for Pantani, no problem. It might seem normal now, but these wheels were under 1,500g and had 32 spokes each.’

Ramato ‘Kids bike’, c.1975

‘This came to us from a collector in Switzerland, who contacted me around five years ago to say did we want to buy it, so we paid €500,’ says Gastaldello. ‘I couldn’t tell you if that is good value, but I know these bikes were expensive when they were made.

‘The wheels are 20-inch tubulars and the groupset is Campagnolo Nuovo Record. Some owner must have been very keen to give their child the lightest possible proper racing bike because the cranks and chainrings have been drilled out.

‘By this point the company had been Wilier Triestina for some years. When we were founded in 1906 by Pietro Dal Molin, this area of Italy was under Austrian Empire rule, but people of the territory like Dal Molin wanted it to be Italian, so to promote this idea they would use words with meanings only known to Italians.

‘So “Wilier” is made up from the letters of the phrase W l’Italia Liberate e Redenta, which means “Long live Italy, liberated and redeemed”. “W” was a short way in Italian of writing “viva”. So the name was a kind of secret protest.

‘“Triestina” was added by Dal Molin when he started our first cycling team, again like a protest or resistance – after the Second World War the rule of Trieste [a nearby town] was disputed by Yugoslavia and Italy. Dal Molin wanted it to be Italian, so he advertised this fact with the team name. It is where our “Alabarda” headbadge symbol comes from – it is the symbol for the city of Trieste.’

Pantani K2 Karbon, 2002

‘In 2002 we took back sponsorship of Mercatone Uno, and we made this bike specifically for Marco. It was different to the ones from our normal production and the rest of the team, who rode on aluminium bikes with carbon seatstays,’ says Gastaldello.

‘We made it in collaboration with a company called C4, which made monocoque frames in Italy. It was stiff and light, but there were problems with the quality of the structure. I think we had 10 made and Marco broke three or four of them just riding – cracks would start in the head tube and the bottom bracket.

‘This cost around €2,500 to make back then, so €5,000 now. That is far too expensive to ever sell, especially when they would break after one or two years.’

Indeed, this frame has cracks beginning in the head tube, which says a lot about early exploits into carbon frames given that Pantani’s fighting weight was 57kg.

However, the K2 remains a marvel of the time, quite unlike the carbon-tubed, aluminium-lugged bikes that arrived in the mid-1980s and the ‘traditional’ looking all-carbon bikes that followed. Instead of being bonded from separate pieces, the K2 and other C4 creations were made entirely in one piece, from one frame-sized mould.

Today C4 operates in the realm of sports diving, its founder, Marco Bonfanti, having moved on from bikes to design fins and spear guns. Yet the company’s bikes remain highly collectible, from its own ‘Joker’ to early collaborations with Bianchi, both of which featured striking seat tube-less designs.

Zero.7, 2011

‘This was our first bike that weighed under 800g. It came in at 780g, which when you write in kilograms is 0.78kg, so we decided to call it the Zero.7. It has the BB386 bottom bracket and one-piece handlebars from FSA, with Scarponi’s special graphics painted on the stem and bars – his eagle.’

The Zero.7 name may have been somewhat dubiously awarded – as dubiously awarded as Contador felt his retrospective ban for clenbuterol was, with the Spaniard claiming at the time that the abnormal levels returned in his test came from contaminated beef – but nevertheless, in 2011 a frame weighing seven-hundred-and-anything grams was a big deal.

Contador’s ban also handed Scarponi the Volta a Catalunya 2011 title, and although ‘The Eagle of Filottrano’ would end up getting his own three-month suspension in 2012 after admitting he had worked with disgraced doctor Michele Ferrari, Scarponi would continue to be a fan and sponsors’ favourite, racing with Lampre before moving to Astana.

Latterly, he found himself subject to a new wave of media attention for his training rides, where the Eagle would film an uncannily Astana-coloured parrot, Frankje, flying alongside him. Tragically, it was on such a training ride that Scarponi was killed in a collision with a van driver on 22nd April 2017.

Cento Uno, 2010

‘Building on the success of the 2006 Cento, Alessandro Petacchi’s Cento Uno took him to the points jersey at the 2010 Tour, giving him a grand slam of sprint jerseys in the Grand Tours and becoming the first Italian since Franco Bitossi in 1968 to win green in France.

‘This feat was all the more impressive given ‘AleJet’ was 36 years old. Bitossi – nicknamed ‘Crazy Heart’ due to an arrhythmia that saw him occasionally pause during races – was in his prime at 28. Little wonder Wilier was happy enough to give Petacchi such an intricately finished bike for the Champs-Élysées.

‘We launched the Cento Uno in 2008, and Alessandro Ballan won the World Championships on it,’ says Gastaldello. ‘It gave credibility for the new type of integrated seatpost and the BB386 bottom bracket we developed with FSA [one of the first oversized BB standards], which was the main addition over the original Cento and meant the frame weight was only 1,150g, effectively 200g lighter than before, as the ISP means you do not need a seatpost.

‘By 2010 we had made further refinements. The frame is made in three pieces, the main triangle and then the stays, which are one continuous piece that runs from the seatstay down past the dropouts and through the chainstay.

‘The stays are very asymmetric because the flex from the right side is more than the left because of where the chain and crank is. We also made the head tube much narrower for aerodynamics. It was incredibly fast and stiff. This finish is a custom weave layer of carbon that is just aesthetic.’

There was a time when it felt like every bike had a distinct personality – Bianchis were made by Italians, Treks by Americans, Raleighs by Brits – but those times have gone.

Nowadays it is the norm for one of the most important parts of a bike’s entire design process, the fabrication of the frameset, to be left in the hands of a subcontractor halfway across the globe.

‘Bringing back the “maker” aspect to bike building was one of the fundamental tenets of Allied Cycle Works when it was founded in 2016,’ says Allied CEO Sam Pickman, whose CV includes time as an engineer at Specialized, where he worked on the Tarmac and Roubaix.

Every bike is designed, tested, fabricated and painted on Allied’s premises in Little Rock, Arkansas in the USA.

Pickman says this keeps things as simple as possible, cutting out all the complications of sourcing goods from Asia.

‘Being close to the factory floor as an engineer means you make very different decisions because you can see the bike you’ve designed,’ he says.

‘It enforces the fact you’re accountable, and the quality is higher for that.

‘When manufacture happens overseas it can become a “not my problem anymore” issue after the factory has been sent a set of shapes they need to make into a frame.

‘This isn’t a dig at Asian factories. When I was at Specialized I spent a lot of time in Asia and I have very little issue with what goes on there.

‘There are a lot of great people making great products.’

Another advantage of keeping the entire operation under one roof is that it speeds up the entire design process.

Pickman says decisions and changes can be made very quickly when you control all the steps involved. The time between testing one part and testing a reiteration can be as little as 24 to 48 hours.

‘Working with an Asian subcontractor, that turnaround could be 30 days each time.

‘The brand has to factor in retesting the manufacturer’s tests, dissecting and working out what needs changing, then summarising and communicating issues to the subcontractor whose first language isn’t English.

‘The whole thing is incomparably longer and more convoluted,’ he says.

Pickman explains Allied’s advantage for the consumer is transparency over how something is made, who makes it and how those people are treated.

It also means that every Allied can get a personalised paint scheme and custom spec, too.

This may seem like quite an extensive justification of Allied’s manufacturing processes but in truth the quality of the Alfa Disc tells its own story.

When I first got to appraise the bike – squeeze the brakes, pinch the tyres, the usual – the stunning iridescent paint scheme was the first thing to draw my eye.

From some angles the bike is royal purple, from others emerald green, and it gives the frame a dynamic, fluid appearance.

Taking a closer look, I noticed neat touches that testified to Pickman’s claims of the fastidious approach Allied uses.

An exquisitely machined aluminium eagle (Allied’s logo) at the top of the down tube also serves to guide the gear cables inside the frame.

There is a United States-shaped badge at the bottom bracket that says ‘Made Here.’, whose full stop denotes the location on the scaled down country of Allied’s HQ in Little Rock.

It is a level of attention to detail and quality of finishing that differentiates the Alfa Disc from its peers, and that’s before I’ve even put a single mile on the bike.

Being similar to stand apart

Those points of difference became ever wider the more time I spent on the bike.

It has some genuinely sublime ride characteristics, yet if it does stand apart from other bikes on the market, it’s nothing to do with the bike’s geometry.

The Alfa Disc is totally conventional in this respect. Stack, reach, chainstay length, fork trail, head tube and seat tube angles are all what you’d expect from a long, low, snappy-handling race bike.

Happily, that translated into a predictable experience on the road.

The bike put me in an aggressive position yet one I was easily able to maintain, and it reacted promptly to steering input while remaining stable and planted at high speed. It felt right yet (in a good way) unremarkable.

‘There’s a convergence when you look at what every big brand says are the right numbers for road race geometry.

‘There is a formula you don’t need to mess with – I applied that at Specialized and it is no different on the Alfa Disc,’ says Pickman.

‘That’s the foundation, and we manipulate the character of the bike through tube shapes and layup schedules.’

And it’s in this area where the Alfa Disc shines. Off that solid geometrical base, Allied has made the ride quality as dynamic as its paintjob.

It was as stiff as I could ever need in a sprint, yet as smooth as butter when the road surface of my Dorset lanes got rough and I needed a bit of cushioning.

The Alfa Disc is punchy yet refined, like a bare-knuckle boxer who drinks tea with their pinky extended.

Pickman attributes that to the inclusion of Innegra in the resin – a polypropylene that functions like Kevlar and is used in the top tube, fork crown and seatstays.

The original idea wasn’t to add comfort, but to hold the otherwise-brittle carbon together in the event of impact.

‘To be honest the influence on ride feel was kind of a happy coincidence,’ Pickman says.

‘We originally put in Innegra to improve the durability of the frame. The seatstays get a full layer of Innegra in them, which basically makes them flexy but really good at absorbing vibrations.

‘Ultimately it is another benefit of producing in the US and working in the way we do – Innegra’s technical rep just drove up here and showed us how to work with it.

‘Our methods meant we were out riding it in no time, which is when we found there was something going on, not just from a safety perspective but that it changed the character of our design in a positive way.’

Allied and its Alfa Disc are as good an example as any to show that sometimes it pays to do things a little differently from the norm.

Spec

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This time last year we had yet to learn of the existence of Knickers, the 6ft 3in cow from Australia; rapper Dr Dre had yet to lose his trademark case against gynaecologist Dr Drai; Zafar the sexually frustrated dolphin hadn’t forced the closure of a French beach; and news outlets still reported on things that weren’t Brexit.

A lot can happen in 12 months, such as Basso releasing a disc brake version of its aero Diamante road bike.

I tested the rim brake Diamante last spring and really enjoyed it. Long, low and aggressive, there was barely enough room for 25mm tyres, and it came specced with 23mm. It was a classic Italian race bike.

For 2019 the Diamante continues in disc and rim form, but Basso has made it somewhat taller, a move I daresay is designed to up its mass market appeal by softening its aggressive position.

The model I’m riding, however, is the Diamante SV – an important distinction because the SV version retains the racy geometry of the previous model, while including some essential design changes.

Confused? Never mind, let’s move on.

EU still ’ere?

What you get with a Basso is a bike made in Italy by a family-run firm founded in 1977.

When it comes to Italian bike companies that’s a story as old as the Colosseum, but what makes Basso special is it actually makes its frames from scratch in Italy, and does so using similar moulding methods to the monolithic Asian factories that build bikes under contract for big brands.

It’s by no means alone in that regard – Sarto does similar things in northern Italy, Time in France and Look in Tunisia – but European manufacturing is a dying art beyond the boutique and artisan, and I’d struggle to name many more manufacturers doing what Basso does, which is to create bikes in carbon fibre moulds (apparently carbon fibre moulds transfer heat more effectively).

Should this matter? Well, a badge such as ‘made in Italy’ does impress some people (although they might be surprised to learn this often only means ‘painted and assembled in Italy’), and the armchair economist in me is impressed that Basso manages to balance the books of being a mid-sized bike maker that actually makes its own bikes in Europe.

I also can’t help thinking that doing things in Italy is both indicative of, and helps to create, an unabashed racing bike such as the SV Disc.

I can’t imagine any of the big brands building a bike with 402mm chainstays and 145mm head tubes (size 56) and adding a -11° stem into the mix (to cite some more usual values: 408mm, 160mm, -6°).

Those numbers are low and aggressive, and help create a bike that is brilliantly punchy to ride.

Smoothing operations

The overriding sensation from the very minute I sat down on the Diamante SV was firm, and that’s being generous.

In truth, all the bibshort padding in the world cannot disguise the fact that the Diamante SV feels like sitting on a farmhouse table.

Yet after a few rides it occurred to me that although the bike came worryingly close to being uncomfortable at times, it never quite strayed into that territory, remaining just smooth enough to be bearable for longer, rougher surfaced rides.

The SV features Basso’s ‘3B’ seatpost/clamp, where an elastomer is sandwiched between a groove on the back of the seatpost and the inside of the seat tube in a bid to absorb road buzz.

The clamping point is also positioned low inside the seat tube, leaving more seatpost exposed to flex.

Does it work? Probably, although it’s hard to say. But in reality the biggest aid to comfort here are the tyres, because the Diamante SV happily fits 28mm, and all that extra volume run at lower pressure delivers comfort where the frame does not.

It was a gripe I had with the original Diamante, so it’s good to see this change.

Less comfortable is the position the SV puts you in if you want to go for the fully slammed look as shown on Basso’s website.

That -11° stem is the culprit, because by my tape measure it lowers the front end by around 5mm compared to the same bike with a more common -6° stem.

Fortunately for me, the bike can incorporate a ‘comfort kit’ – an integrated carbon spacer that increases head tube length by 20mm but is said to retain stiffness. I would have struggled to maintain a manageable position on the SV without it.

Smart choices

So the wider tyres really are the making of this bike, and the comfort kit is a highly adaptable touch, but there are two more crucial things that make the Diamante SV a fun bike to ride.

First, its geometry makes for a very nippy bike, with swift directional changes able to be exacted near instantaneously thanks to a short rear end and stiff, steep front end.

I’d go as far to say it nearly suffers from oversteer, the front diving into a turn more quickly than the rear can keep up with.

Second, it has disc brakes, and in particular, Campagnolo disc brakes.

This is the new 12-speed Record groupset, and while I couldn’t say I detected that extra sprocket, the shifting just feels that bit snappier than the last generation.

Yet the standout aspect is the brakes, which in my eyes are currently second to none.

Quieter than Sram and with more agreeable modulation than Shimano, there’s just something about Campagnolo discs that feels more familial in operation – almost rim brake-like.

Yet they’re supremely powerful and, coupled with the extra smoothness and assuredness of Michelin’s wide rubber, help temper – but, crucially, not dull – this bike’s racing predilections.

These components alone can’t make this the perfect bike, though, because to my mind Basso’s focus has been too narrow, putting speed above all-round balance.

But if you do want a relentlessly race-ready bike with lightning handling, and can forgive some discomfort and the occasional wild corner, give the Diamante SV Disc a call.

Spec

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Pearson is possibly best known for being the oldest bike shop in Britain, if not the world. Blacksmith Tom Pearson first opened the doors back in 1860, and by 1889, having been joined by his brother Harry, most of the business was concentrated on the newfangled bicycle.

For me, Pearson is notable for another reason: the wonderfully worded names of its bicycles.

There’s the Allmodcons gravel bike; the I’ve Started So I’ll Finish cyclocross bike; the Cut To The Chase aero road bike; and this, the Objects In Motion, which is billed as ‘ideal for the cut and thrust of racing as well as longer challenging rides’.

It turns out Jack Of All Trades is a registered gas engineering company from Southall.

Pearson’s names are bizarre but endearing, not just because nearly anything sounds better than a bunch of initials, but also because it shows the thought Pearson puts into every detail of its bikes.

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Been here before

I say ‘bikes’ plural because long ago, when disc brakes were only found on mountain bikes and 25mm tyres only used by commuters, I tested a Pearson I’ll Get Me Coat.

It was beautifully constructed from titanium, and being titanium it was as smooth as a material secreted by the larvae of the Bombyx mori. Which, incidentally, would also be a great name for a bike.

Yet with its mudguard and rack mounts and relaxed geometry, the Coat was every bit the long-distance companion.

By contrast, the Objects represents Pearson’s take on high-performance, disc brake road, albeit using the same 3Al 2.5V titanium alloy as the Coat.

With the same material to play with, how a titanium bike performs all comes down to how you manipulate the material.

That is most evident in the Objects’ geometry. I tested a size medium, which translates as a 555mm effective top tube, 995mm wheelbase and 73° head angle.

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These measurements always stand out to me as being the strongest indicators of a bike’s intentions, and here they position the Objects in the middling part of the racy spectrum.

Losing 10mm off the wheelbase and steepening the head angle half a degree would likely result in a much ‘racier’ bike, but all numbers pointed towards the Objects being a neutral, stable ride. Albeit with a 175mm head tube, a factor I’ll come to later.

Gets up well

In almost every regard the Objects is a rewarding bike to pedal. It’s generally stiff enough, receiving an extra boost from the use of thru-axles and wider spacing of the stays to accommodate disc brakes.

That stiffness translates into a positive, direct ride feel, which in turn manifests in a feeling of near equal and opposite reaction from the wheels when cranking on the pedals.

That feeling of efficiency is propagated by the Pearson-branded deep section wheels, which at a claimed 1,550g a pair lend this otherwise un-aero bike a lick of sustainable pace on flat roads and a noticeable advantage on shallower climbs.

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Rim depth is 38mm front, 55mm rear, a popular combination among companies such as Enve for the simple fact that a rider can reap aero gains very close to having a deeper front wheel, but without sacrificing crosswind stability.

Here it works well, albeit at 23mm wide the rims might seem a tad narrow to some. They are tubeless, though.

However, the bike’s 8kg-plus weight does impact climbing sharp gradients, where at times things felt more laborious than on a lighter, stiffer bike.

But that extra weight is to be expected given the Objects is metal, has disc brakes, deep section wheels and 28mm tyres. And the trade off is it stops on a sixpence, flows beautifully over most terrains and has supreme grip in corners.

Plus, you get that intangible quality that seems possessed by any titanium bike, a sublime mix of balance and liveliness. This thing really zings over the tarmac.

That said, the Objects is not the classic buttery cliché that is ti. At 31.8mm diameter, not the more flexible 27.2mm, the seatpost doesn’t score highly for comfort, and the oversized tube profiles give the package a smooth but not silky feel.

Once upon a time the Objects’ comfort would still be better than most carbon bikes, but now that long, spindly seatposts are near ubiquitous among carbon frames, the Objects feels unremarkable in that department.

Still, I covered a lot of miles and felt no ill effects beyond my own weariness.

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Highs and lows

I like this bike a lot. It is simple yet with nice flourishes, such as the neatly engineered rear dropouts and curved seatstays that follow the lines of the rotor (and which Pearson says offer extra vertical flex thanks to the curve).

The asymmetric paint on the seatstays and mirrored graphics are also pleasing to the eye, so too the finish, which strangely for titanium is clear lacquered, not raw (Pearson saying this finish provides a longer-lasting sheen).

Yet there is one area where we part ways, and that’s the fit this bike affords. There is no escaping that tall head tube.

I began by testing the bike as it arrived, with a stack of spacers (as shown in the pictures), but even once I removed them the front end still felt too high and I was more ‘perched’ on the bike (in a normal hands-on-hoods position) than intertwined with it.

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I found myself most at home in the drops, both in terms of comfort and handling thanks to a lower centre of gravity.

When I put this to current incumbent Will Pearson, he explained that the geometry is based on averages from thousands of customers’ fit data amassed over the years, ‘and there is a definite trend towards a requirement for higher front ends to achieve an optimum position for the typical rider coming through our door’.

(It should be noted Pearson is still a bricks and mortar outfit and offers well-regarded bike-fitting services.)

I can’t argue with that. In fact I applaud it, as Pearson has served its local community for over 150 years, so if it’s not creating products to suit that community, it’s not doing its job right. I might not be its precise kind of customer, but you might be.

And if you are, I can promise you there’s a huge amount to like about the Objects in Motion.

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Spec

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The original Bianchi Oltre XR was one of the first bikes that truly stunned me. Equipped as it was with Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and a set of tubular Bora wheels, it seemed to glide along. It was stiff, it was aerodynamic, but above all else it was fast.

The new Oltre XR4 is like a futuristic concept drawing of that bike. The traditional Italian bling has been replaced with disc brakes, concealed cabling, an aerodynamically integrated front end and an abundance of Japanese electronic shifting. Has the modern world been kind to Bianchi, though?

Despite its long history, Bianchi has always been a forward-thinking company (indeed, it was one of the first companies to branch into then-newfangled motorbikes at the end of the 19th century). And far from relying on its heritage, Bianchi views the Oltre XR4 as evidence of its technical abilities. At the centre of that is the use of ‘Countervail’ technology in the frame’s carbon.

Divine Countervail

Countervail was once the preserve of Bianchi’s cobbled Classics endurance bikes such as the Infinito CV. The technology works by combining specific carbon fibres with viscoelastic resin to dissipate vibrations from the road.

Bianchi has since introduced it to the Oltre XR4 with the goal of attaining that most coveted of double acts – an aero bike that is rideable on rough terrain and tolerable for a long day in the saddle.

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I’m usually fairly sceptical of claims about superior carbon fibre because the differences between production methods and materials tend to be exaggerated. However, Countervail seems to have weight behind it. In fact, the company behind Countervail is using Bianchi as a showcase for the effectiveness of the technology, which it hopes to use for industrial applications. Crucially, those Bianchi bikes with Countervail have a palpable difference to those without it.

The theory is that, by filtering out the low-level buzz of the road, Countervail prevents fatigue and allows the rider to hold an aerodynamic position for longer, which is far more valuable in terms of speed and efficiency than any number of aerofoil tube shapes. Of course, the Oltre XR4 has those as well, and now incorporates a cable-free front end with a carefully sculpted bar/stem combo.

So it should be fast and it should be comfortable. In fact, this disc brake version could quite possibly be even more comfortable than the previous rim brake version, because the discs allow extra clearance for wider tyres.

Some disc bikes can undermine that advantage by overbuilding the rear triangle to deal with the twisting force of the disc brakes. But if the Oltre XR4 Disc manages to preserve the carbon fibre wonders of the rim brake version it will certainly be a tempting premise – not least because it’s nearly £3,000 cheaper than the Campagnolo Super Record-equipped rim brake version.

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The control room

When reviewing a Bianchi, there’s no avoiding the issue of appearances. To me, Celeste is best. I know that some people think the colour is ugly, but I believe it evokes the classic heritage of the brand. I also think the neatness and aerodynamic efficiency of the Oltre XR4’s design has been coupled very well with its classic looks. It is distinguished but it also looks fast, and looking fast is important for a bike such as this.

In my younger years all I cared about was speed and rigidity. When I rode the original Bianchi Oltre XR, the harshness of the ride was of no concern – I just loved how rapid it was. These days I demand more from an aero bike, partly because several brands have managed to successfully combine stiffness with compliance, but primarily because we have come to realise that comfort and pure aerodynamic speed aren’t contradictory.

To my great relief, the Oltre XR4 Disc was every bit as smooth as I had hoped. Not only that, but the way it filtered vibrations from the road, coupled with the rigidity of the frame, gave the bike a sense of excitement. I found myself able to feel the speed through the road yet not be disturbed by it. It was a bit like walking down a busy street with noise-cancelling headphones. Crucially, though, the speed was there to back it up.

On my normal weekend rides I was posting some of my fastest segments for months, and I just felt animated when riding the XR4. I was up for every sprint and pushing every descent.

That was down to more than the bike’s aerodynamics. The stiffness of the rear end and the integrated bar/stem certainly contributed to the sharp response of power inputs, aided by the aggressive geometry of the front end (the head tube is only 140mm tall for a 55cm top tube). But in a way it was the Oltre XR4’s ride quality itself that contributed to the speed.

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Image 5 of 7

The Oltre’s smoothness gave me a sense of control that was palpable when cornering or descending. I felt confident carving into every corner. The bike rolled over rough ground almost silently, and the stopping power of the discs made that sense of control even stronger.

Let’s talk money

Usually one of my gripes about Bianchi bikes is that they seem overpriced. And granted, £7,700 is not cheap, however with top-end bikes spiralling well over £10k in price, the Oltre XR4 Disc in this spec represents a dream bike without a ludicrous pricetag.

The only real sacrifice I can see for the price is trading down to Ultegra rather than the Dura-Ace found on the £8k+ version. For me, though, the performance difference between the two groupsets is not significant enough to warrant the extra money for the higher-spec model.

While it’s tough to say that it outdoes the very best in class on speed alone, there’s something innately charming about the ride quality of the Oltre. I may be a second faster here or there on another bike, but I’d be happier on the Bianchi.

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Spec

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Do you remember the Citroën CX, that 1970s car that would rest on its haunches when parked but would rise up on its hydropneumatic suspension when the engine started? The idea was this gave the car an ultra-smooth ride, the suspension system self-levelling regardless of load or terrain.

Oddly, the CX found huge favour in horse racing circles because massive TV cameras could be mounted to the roof and the car driven alongside the track without giving shaky images.

While I’d stop short at declaring the Time Alpe d’Huez 01 the Citroën CX of the modern bike world, there are elements that make me recall the car.

It appears possessed of a personality that is endearingly and unmistakably French, and yet like the CX perhaps isn’t quite what it seems.

Something a bit different

Time claims the Alpe d’Huez 01 (not to be confused with the lower-tier Alpe d’Huez 21) is the ‘lightest bike that Time has ever created’.

Its frame weight of around 840g is hardly remarkable, but it’s still competitive, especially considering the complete bike comes out at 7.68kg (large), complete with deep section wheels and a second-tier groupset. It’s also a bike with some quirky design elements.

The seatpost clamp is pretty agricultural, with no particular measures taken to either integrate it or make it part of an overall damping system – say by positioning it further down the stays to encourage flex.

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Image 4 of 7

The patented ‘Quickset’ headset is another interesting feature, with the bearing preload not courtesy of a top cap and steerer bung but from a ring that threads onto the steerer (yep, a threaded steerer, remember those?) and into a recess on the top of the head tube, serviceable via a specially supplied tool.

Yet there is one thing that stands out most in terms of je ne sais quoi: Time’s Aktiv fork. Inside the right fork leg is a ‘tuned mass damper’, a small metal block that can oscillate metronome-style on a leaf spring attached to the tip of the fork.

The idea is that road shocks cause the mass to move, thus dissipating vibrations before they reach the rider’s hands. A rubber elastomer inside aids this process further, as well as preventing any bangs or clunks.

It’s a fine idea – similar in concept  to the system used to stop earthquakes toppling tall buildings – but it comes at a cost. ‘The Aktiv fork can dissipate 30% more vibration than our classic fork,’ says Xavier Roussin-Bouchard, Time’s R&D director, ‘but it does add 200g. The problem is lightweight bikes do not have enough frame mass to deal with vibrations and be comfortable, so this is our solution.’

Roussin-Bouchard says the extra weight is worth it for the extra comfort, but I am less convinced.

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Image 5 of 7

(As an aside, he also says the Quickset headset is designed to make stem maintenance possible without meddling with bearing preload, of which I’m even less sure. I’ve never had such issues with a regular headset, although I do concede that the Quickset is very neat.)

On the one hand, the Aktiv element of the fork, which can be seen at the bulge on the lower right leg, does look good, balancing the protrusion of the disc calliper on the other side (which incidentally is the reason the fork only has a damper in one leg – the calliper mounting means there is no room for two).

However, there was nothing about the Alpe d’Huez’s ride quality that overtly shouted comfort. That said, it’s not an uncomfortable bike, and it is outstanding in a number of other departments.

Joy to bestride

The finishing on the Alpe d’Huez is fantastic. Time makes it at its factory in France using the ‘resin transfer moulding’ (RTM) process, whereby dry carbon fibres are woven together like a sock, pulled over a mandrel and put into a mould.

Epoxy resin is then injected into the mould to wet the fibres before heat-curing (in contrast to laying epoxy-soaked ‘pre-preg’ carbon fibre plies into a mould).

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Image 6 of 7

The happy byproduct is the weave you can see through the lacquer, especially since its reason for being there is primarily structural, unlike other manufacturers who often wrap ‘raw’ finished frames in an aesthetic layer of pre-preg. It’s quite beautiful in the form-following-function way.

Time believes RTM is a stronger and more precise way of manufacturing carbon frames since the individual fibres are much longer (pub-quizzers may enjoy knowing that around 3km of fibre go into each Alpe d’Huez frame).

But whatever Time has done it has created a bike that feels absolutely rock solid – so much so that I took it off-road on a number of occasions. Sorry Time.

The thing is, Epping Forest is on one of my test loops and has some technical but not super-gnarly trails, and with the Alpe d’Huez’s solid feel and 25mm tyres it just seemed to want to head into the trees.

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Image 1 of 7

Of course this is not a gravel bike, and I’d hasten to say this kind of behaviour is not endorsed by Time, but given it’s an already quite light bike and it has disc brakes, it didn’t half feel rapid and desperately capable over hard-packed trails and root-strewn sections. In short, it was bloody fun and I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.

It also serves to show where the Alpe d’Huez’s strengths lie. By that I mean there is far more to this bike than first appears because, honestly, to begin with I found the Alpe d’Huez somewhat uninspiring. Not fantastically light or nimble up inclines, not aero-bike fast, just middle of the road.

The more I pedalled it, however, and the more varied and pothole-strewn the road surfaces became, the more the bike’s character shone through.

That character is one of burly refinement: burly in the sense of cohesive strength – lots of stiffness with some degree of flex to aid road-holding – but refinement in terms of polished steering and steadfast descending. This really is the epitome of a ‘confident-handling’ race bike.

In a roundabout way, this brings me back to the Citroën CX. While you wouldn’t film horse racing from the Alpe d’Huez, it somehow does more than it set out to do, possibly even by accident.

But what isn’t an accident is the thoughtfulness and French flair that imbues every perfectly cross-woven fibre of its being. It’s a bike that’s trying to do something different and, in the main, it succeeds very well.

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Spec

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Even if your bike doesn’t say Giant on the down tube, there’s a chance it was built at one of Giant’s enormous facilities in China and Taiwan.

Giant makes huge numbers of carbon frames not only for itself but for a plethora of other big brand names. This should, in theory, give it an advantage over its rivals – when you’re the one making everyone’s bikes, you can keep all the best stuff for yourself.

By that thinking, there should be a lot of good stuff in Giant’s latest aero road bike, the Propel Disc.

Buy the Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc from Rutland Cycling

Compared to the previous model, the new Propel includes many of the newest trends in the market: fully internal cabling, disc brakes and a totally integrated front end.

Disc brakes may not seem like a particularly aerodynamic option, but Giant claims this is its fastest road bike yet, even given its fairly shallow section (42mm) front wheel.

‘The Propel Disc can outperform our rivals in terms of aerodynamics, but with the shallow front wheel it will be much easier to ride in crosswind situations,’ says Nixon Huang, Giant’s category manager for road.

‘We want to create a bike that you can actually ride fast, not one that just tests fast in a wind-tunnel.’

In addition to a lack of aerodynamic penalties from the disc brakes, the Propel Disc has no big weight penalty either.

At only 7.42kg, it’s nearly 500g lighter than a Specialized Venge ViAS Disc and nearly 800g lighter than Boardman’s top-tier aerodynamic rim brake bike, the Air 9.9.

For me, a big bonus with the inclusion of discs is the adjustability of the brakes compared to aerodynamically concealed rim brakes, which can be fiddly.

Practicality has been a consideration elsewhere too. The cockpit looks like it will be as complicated as a Rubik’s Cube to adjust, but once you remove the aerodynamic cover there’s a standard stem and steerer tube underneath.

Frustratingly, the aero cap means that the stack height can’t be significantly lowered without cutting the steerer tube.

However, I’d still say the set-up is less awkward than with some of the integration of the Propel’s aero-road peers.

Frame stiffness was a priority, and the company claims it has tested the Propel Disc against its main competitors, and its own predecessor, by clamping the rear dropouts in place and applying lateral force to the forks.

By that measure, Giant claims the Propel has a stiffness of 153Nm, compared to 147Nm for the Specialized Venge ViAS and 112Nm for the previous Propel.

I really enjoyed both of those bikes when I tested them, so I was really excited to get aboard the Propel Disc to see if it could deliver on its promise.

The first thing I noticed is that this bike is fast. I could articulate that in a more detailed and nuanced way, but it wouldn’t change the main point – the Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc is a very fast bike indeed.

I really enjoyed both of those bikes when I tested them, so I was really excited to get aboard the Propel Disc to see if it could deliver on its promise.

The first thing I noticed is that this bike is fast. I could articulate that in a more detailed and nuanced way, but it wouldn’t change the main point – the Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc is a very fast bike indeed.

It gets up to speed incredibly rapidly, and then holds that speed easily. I frequently found myself cruising on the flat above 40kmh.

It’s a mystery

That said, cycling isn’t just about speed, otherwise we’d all be riding time-trial bikes. And the Propel offers more than just speed.

For a super-stiff aero bike it’s also remarkably comfortable. I’m slightly at a loss to explain how – with its angular shapes and integrated seatpost it should be like riding a girder – but somehow it seems to soften the road admirably.

Even Giant can’t explain it. Huang says, ‘We got feedback that riders feel pretty comfortable when riding on the Propel Disc, but comfort is not a key feature we wanted to put into this bike.’

I can only surmise the comfort comes from a combination of handlebar flex and the extra compliance provided by supple tubeless tyres, which can be run at lower pressures.

Whatever the reason, there was a certain effortlessness to the Propel.

I felt as if I could cover long distances with no ill effects, and I was inspired to tackle my longest UK ride of the year thus far when I ticked off 140km on the Propel one sunny Sunday morning.

Comfort aside, the stiffness meant the bike was extremely sharp and predictable when cornering or descending.

I really felt as if there were an extra few degrees of lean available in every corner, and even the mildest steering input seemed to make for a decisive yet controlled response.

With the additional confidence of disc brakes, it meant that descents weren’t just fast, but fun.

Splitting the differences

It’s fair to say I really enjoyed riding the Propel Disc, but I’d be lying if I said it’s the bike I’d choose to spend my own money on.

The main issue is that it fails to stand out among the aero competition. There are many very fast and fine-handling bikes out there, and I struggled to discern whether the Propel Disc was superior to its main rivals in any particular area.

And when the asking price is a pound under £9k, I would need to be more convinced that I was getting something special.

That’s the parting impression the Giant Propel Disc leaves me with. Giant may be able to present stats and wind-tunnel data, but on the road I couldn’t separate its performance from the Trek Madone or Venge ViAS.

I can assure you a tighter jersey would make more aerodynamic difference than switching between the three of them.

Of course, the Propel Disc has certain charms, and the future-proofing appeal of disc brakes is one.

For some its aesthetics will certainly appeal – I was stopped on more than one occasion by admiring bystanders – while for others it may seem a little too severe.

Perhaps the biggest criticism would be that where some bikes are leaps forward in technology, the Propel Disc represents a solid but small step. All comaprisons aside, though, the Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc is a very, very fast bike.

Buy the Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc from Rutland Cycling

Spec

The Rondo HVRT is a confusing bike. At either end it looks like a gravel bike with its dropped chainstay and wide fork legs that allow for extra tyre clearance. Yet the middle firmly resembles an aero road bike, with sharp aerodynamic tube shapes. So is this an aero gravel bike?

‘Nope, it’s a road bike,’ says Tomasz Cybula, brand manager of Rondo. ‘A unique one, but still a road bike. It can take big tyres and occasionally ride gravel road segments, but it’s not a gravel bike or any other kind of off-road bike.’

Cybula’s comment seems a bit odd, considering HVRT stands for ‘High Velocity, Rough Terrain’ and that the bike can take 650b wheels with up to 47mm tyres. But it makes more sense when you consider that Rondo also makes the far more off-road-oriented Rondo Ruut, and has plans to release an even more rugged adventure bike.

Perhaps the HVRT is best described as a versatile bike, and its chameleon-like ability to adapt to its environment is best demonstrated when it reveals its party trick: variable geometry.

The HVRT’s fork is called TwinTip, and it has an insert at the dropout that can be flipped to change the length and rake of the fork. This also changes the length of the wheelbase and trail, as well as the effective angles of the head tube and seat tube.

It was a bold design when first unveiled last year and won the bike the Gold Winner award at the Eurobike international trade fair.

When the insert is in the ‘hi’ position, the bike is in its more racy mode, with a steeper head tube and lower stack making for a more aggressive setup. In the ‘lo’ position, the stack is higher and the angles slacker for a more relaxed riding style that’s better suited to rougher terrain.

Buy the Rondo HVRT CF Zero road bike from Chain Reaction for £5,999

All for one

With so many possible permutations, testing the Rondo HVRT was more like testing four bikes than just one. For my first rides I decided on fitting 650b rims with 47mm tyres and put the TwinTip insert into the ‘lo’ position. This being the more relaxed of the two geometry options, I expected the bike to be slightly sluggish. To my surprise, it was rapid.

Some of my most fun rides of the summer were on the HVRT in this very setup. With 50psi in the tyres it was quick enough – just – to keep up with a pacy road group, and then I could release a little pressure out of the tyres and veer into the unknown, exploring bridleways, woodland paths and singletrack along the way.

I found the HVRT tall enough at the front and stable enough that off-road trails were within its comfort zone, despite Cybula’s assertion that ‘I do not recommend this bike for gravel’.

True enough, the HVRT is not a gravel bike. With its 72.8° head tube (‘lo’ position) and short 408mm chainstays, the geometry isn’t in the same range as a true gravel bike, and I could feel the limitations when descending steep, root-filled trails or negotiating rocky ground.

It couldn’t handle very technical terrain as competently as something like the Open Wi.DE, which I was testing around the same time, but it still proved to be fast and fun on gravel paths, and that was enough for me.

For most road riders looking to make the transition to rougher routes, the HVRT would be more than capable enough, and I’d put it in the same league as bikes such as the 3T Exploro or GT Grade.

Flipping out

While still in the ‘lo’ position, I then swapped the 650b rims for 700c wheels. This did see the bike pick up speed, and it felt a little more rigid with the narrower tyres, however the character was largely the same. It still had a pleasant mix of relaxed geometry with sprightly acceleration.

The bike also seemed to hold speed reasonably well on the flat, which could be attributable to the aerodynamic tube shapes. I say ‘could be’ because the HVRT isn’t a fully-fledged aero bike – it hasn’t seen the inside of a wind-tunnel – but Rondo has used computer modelling to create a frame that cuts through the air fairly efficiently.

I would put the HVRT alongside a second tier of aero road bikes such as the Ribble Aero 883 or Orro Venturi. In this guise, it’s fast but not blisteringly fast.

Then it came time to flip the TwinTip fork from its relaxed ‘lo’ position to racy ‘hi’ position. As an aside, switching the TwinTip is a bit of a faff. While it takes zero mechanical skill to flip the dropout itself, the brakes must then be realigned to fit the new rotor position.

Rondo provides a special spacer to get the calliper in position, but I still found it teeth-grindingly frustrating to get it properly aligned. Still, once it was done, everything changed.

Having tested bikes for years, it never ceases to amaze me how big a change even the tiniest alteration to geometry can make. With the TwinTip in ‘hi’ mode, the HVRT became a different bike.

It now had the feel of a pure-bred racer. With a steeper head tube (73.5° on a 56cm frame) and shorter wheelbase, it was aggressive when sprinting and snappy in its handling.

That suited me just fine, and the ‘hi’ position became my favoured setup, but it was still good to know that I had the option to switch to a more relaxed geometry and wider tyres if the weather turned bad or I wanted to head off-road.

While reviewing the HVRT I had a flurry of interest from other riders and observers on social media. Many were just intrigued by the look of the bike. Others wanted to know whether its versatility actually made it the worst of both worlds.

To some extent it’s a fair question, because the HVRT doesn’t quite master either of the jobs it sets out to do. But I’d argue we need to be realistic about what we expect from our bikes.

Perhaps the HVRT can’t keep pace with the purest racing machines on the road. And maybe it can’t tame the toughest of trails. But the fact that it can get close to both of those things with one frame is fairly astounding.

Rondo is one of the few brands really trying to maximise every opportunity that the newest technological advances in cycling can offer. The result is that the HVRT is innovative, fast and thoroughly good fun.

Buy the Rondon HVRT CF Zero road bike from Chain Reaction for £5,999

Spec

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If you’re looking for some cut-price kit, now’s the time to fork out on a shiny new road bike. Not only can you enjoy some winter cycling with your new ride but you’ll also save a substantial amount in this year’s Black Friday sales.

But when does it officially start? Well, Black Friday officially falls on 29th November but it’s well worth your time if you can keep an eye on any early deals that eager retailers are rolling out. In fact, cycling giants such as Wiggle, Evans Cycles and Chain Reaction Cycles have already started releasing big discounts on top-notch road bikes.

READ NEXT: Our pick of the best Black Friday cycling deals

Below, you’ll find a curated list of all the best Black Friday road bike deals. If nothing takes your fancy now, check back in at a later date because we’ll regularly update this page with the best bargains. 

Best Black Friday road bike deals: Editor's picks

Sensa Aquila Ultegra road bike | £999

For less than a grand, this is a lot of bike. A full carbon monocoque frame, full Shimano Ultegra R8000 groupset and 25mm Continental Ultra Sport tyres, we doubt you'll see a better-specced bike at this price range this Black Friday.

Buy the Sensa Aquila Ultegra road bike from Merlin Cycles for £999 down from £1,899

Specialized Allez Elite 105 road bike | £749

The Specialized Allez Elite is near the top of the tree for aluminium bikes combining a lightweight frame, robust tubing and carbon-fibre fork for a sprightly yet solid ride.

It also comes with a Shimano 105 groupset, tubeless-ready DT Swiss R460 rims and integrated rack and mudguard mounts creating a superb commuter machine.

Buy the Specialized Allez Elite 105 from Tredz for £749 down from £1,050

The best Black Friday road bike deals

Whether you’re considering treating yourself or a loved one to a discounted road bike or cycling accessory before the festive season, now’s the right time to splash out. Retailers such as Wiggle, Evans Cycles and Chain Reaction Cycles have kicked off the Black Friday sales early with an influx of offers and discount codes.

When does Black Friday officially begin? Well, that’ll be 29th November but we’ve found that sales begin weeks in advance and continue over Cyber weekend and Cyber Monday (2nd December).

READ NEXT: Our pick of the best Black Friday cycling deals

Below, you’ll find a curated list of the best Black Friday road bikes and accessories deals, including bike computers, bibshorts and more. If nothing takes your fancy now, remember to pop back in as we’ll regularly update this page.

Best Black Friday road bikes and accessories deals: Editor's picks

Giro Empire Knit road cycling shoes | £99

Plan ahead to the long, warm days of riding next summer by buying the Giro Empire Knit road shoes at half price this Black Friday.

All the good bits of the previous Giro Empire shoes - classic design, stiff soles - just now knitted for excellent comfort and breathability.

Buy the Giro Empire Knit from Merlin Cycles for £99 down from £199.99

Castelli Alpha RoS jacket | £124

The perfect jacket for those changeable weather days, the Castelli Alpa RoS is waterproof, windproof, breathable and warm, utilising two layers, a close race fit and rear drain holes to keep you riding throughout winter.

At 40% off this Black Friday, this is a deal you shouldn't miss.

Buy the Castelli Alpha RoS from Wiggle for £124 down from £210

Best Black Friday road bikes and accessories deals

‘No sooner had I got astride the bike for a test tour than I found that the frame is admirably laid out to give the most comfortable riding position possible, whilst, at the same time, full power can be applied to the pedals. This enabled me to cover long distances without feeling undue fatigue.

‘The gear-change itself was delightfully easy to operate, quick, and foolproof. The new leather top saddle was a delight to use. We all know that there is nothing like leather.

‘I set a lot of store by good brakes and I found the callipers really powerful, yet their retarding effect came on smoothly and evenly, as well as quickly. The bike is beautifully sweet running and easy to propel. As regards the quality of workmanship, material and finish, I can say no more than the product bears the family name.’

Sadly I didn’t write the rather wonderful prose above. Rather, it was lifted verbatim from The Cyclist magazine, issue 1, February 19th 1936, and concerned a review of a BSA Gold Vase bike. Yet, a full 83 years later and I could not have written a better summary of the Barco XCR. It is, as was noted of the BSA, a bike of ‘irresistible appeal’.

The Cyclist came courtesy of ‘A well wisher’, who found it ‘when cleaning out the house of two keen cycling brothers (Wal and Bill Wintersgill of Newton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire)’ and who kindly posted it in ‘for your archives’.

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Image 2 of 7

If he or she is reading this, I’m sorry to report that Cyclist is not related to The Cyclist, which is a shame as it’s a cracking read, with such articles as ‘Modern oiling methods’, tips on how to keep your matches dry in rain* and adverts for harmonicas to ‘liven up your outings’.

The Cyclist also serves to prove that in many respects the lament is true: there is nothing new under the sun. There are articles on eliminating the pedalling dead spot (oval chainrings are discussed), bike fit, new gear systems and why hub-based brakes are the future, plus a staggering number of references to cyclists ‘not getting a square deal’ on the roads.

All of which got me thinking about the Barco XCR… 

Family matters

The Barco family has been making bikes in northern Italy since 1947. Founded by Mario Barco, today his sons Alberto and Maurizio share the welding (Alberto does the TIG-ing and Maurizio the brazing); Alberto’s wife, Fabiola, does the cutting and mitring, and their son, Gianluca, is the full-time company face and part-time fabricator.

While the Barco name might not be household, it’s likely you’ll have seen a Barco-built bike before, because the company is a contract builder for some 20 high-end bike brands, and rightly so.

I visited Barco a few years ago and I would go as far to say I have never seen steel frames made to a higher standard – the precision and deftness with which the family works is incredible, and the results are stunning. It’s therefore little surprise that the Barco XCR is perfection to behold.

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Image 4 of 7

For more information on the Cicli Barco XCr, click here.

As per its name the frame is Columbus XCr stainless steel, painstakingly polished to a high lustre. The top of the seatstays are fillet brazed but otherwise the frame is TIG welded, only with such accuracy and fine finishing that the joints appear near-smooth like brazing, as opposed to having the ‘stack o’ dimes’ of TIG.

The dropout cowls and bottom bracket shell are hand engraved with the company name, a tiny enamelled Italian flag is silver brazed to the top tube (you can get your name in there too, as all the XCRs are custom built) and the seat-binder bolt integrates into the top of the seatstays in a ‘fastback’ design. But my favourite element doesn’t concern the frame at all, but the fork.

Reminiscent of the straight-bladed Precisa fork Colnago introduced in the 1980s, Barco’s Viva fork is classical in appearance but modern in process. It is stainless steel and not chromed, but moreover has a carbon steerer tube, reducing weight from around 750g to 550g (steerer length dependent).

It’s therefore mightily impressive that this bike weighs less than 8kg given that it’s nearly all metal, and while you could go lighter with a full carbon fork, I can’t see why you would want to. The metallic spring inherent in this Columbus steel is, I think, what makes the XCR feel lighter than it really is.

This is not a bike to win sprints on – it’s a bit too beautiful to risk crashing, for one thing – but it is possessed of enough stiffness to feel spry and responsive, be it when cornering or putting in big-energy efforts. It also has sufficient flex to feel like it’s pinging off the road surface and returning energy like a spring when put under load.

That spring effect is likely negligible, and at any rate a springy frame is not an efficient one because you never get back the energy you put in. But in a world of don’t-budge-a-millimetre carbon fibre, and for a rider looking for a beautifully smooth bike that provides an enjoyable ride every time, you’d be hard pressed to find anything as good as the XCR. It is, for want of a less tritely anthropomorphic word, a bike that feels alive.

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Image 5 of 7

Great expectations

All this comes at a damn sight more than the £6 2s 6d asking price of the BSA Gold Vase (£1,083 in today’s money, calculated on goods in relation to average incomes of 1936). At £10,000 in this build, the XCR is more on par with a bells-and-whistles carbon bike, yet as The Cyclist reminded me, price is not really where a bike’s true value lies.

While over time the solutions to the problems cyclists face have improved – our hub-based brakes are hydraulically operated callipers, not mechanically deployed drum brakes – I can’t help but feel the questions we’re asking of our bicycles remain the same.

We want a bike that we feel meets our expectations, whether that’s for wind-tunnel-refined speed or for the artisan touch of a master builder to make it beautiful. But mostly we want the bike we choose to make us love riding it. And I guarantee you will love riding the Barco XCR.

(*Keep your matches dry by putting the wooden ends in a wine cork and shoving the cork up the end of your seatpost.)

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Spec

• Want more in-depth reviews of the latest bikes and must-have kit? Subscribe to Cyclist magazine today and try 3 issues for JUST £5 (saving 84% on RRP) and get a FREE Ass Saver as a welcome gift.

I rode the Dolan Titanium ADX Disc from one end of the country to the other on the Deloitte Ride Across Britain. That’s Land's End to John o' Groats, 980 miles over nine consecutive days. Beset by grizzly conditions, if there were any less than joyful moments, none of them can be blamed on the bike.

I’d picked out the titanium ADX Disc for the job as it looked a good bet for long days. I wanted upright, I wanted comfy, I wanted tubeless, I wanted easy gearing and I wanted disc brakes. Basically, I wanted insurance against my athletic shortcoming, along with as easy a ride as possible.

On top of promising these traits, the Dolan had also piqued my interest because it can be configured before you buy. Meaning you can get something matching an existing bike fit, right down to the crank length - the older you get the more this is the sort of stuff you appreciate.

Starting at two grand for a Shimano 105 hydraulic disc-equipped bike, my very-special-and-important cycling journalist build came in at £2,590, although anyone can get the same treatment via the Dolan website with a lead time of seven to 10 days.

Making up the difference was an Ultegra groupset which added £300, a pair of tubeless Mavic Cosmic wheels contributing £125, while my wimpy wide-ratio 11-32t cassette and swish Deda and Supacaz upholstered cockpit did for the rest.

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Image 2 of 11

On the road

Arriving ahead of schedule, the Dolan was ready to rock out of the box. Feeling like it’d been built with care, rather than a desire to get off and down the pub, jumping aboard the first time felt eerily familiar, with none of the niggles you normally find with either fit or construction.

Deposited on the tarmac, its low weight and dampening qualities were instantly obvious. Having not ridden many titanium bikes, I’d expected something a bit more woolly. Instead, I found it pleasingly direct. Sharpened by the stiff and moderately aero wheels, it gets up to speed easily and once there, holds onto its pace well too.

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Image 5 of 11

Made up of a mix of skinny and oversize tubing, the seatstays are diminutive, while the Dolan’s seat tube is a chunky 34.9mm. The downtube is broad too, although its stiffness is more welcome.

All considered, there’s dampening from the road, but not tons of extra movement between the frame and contact points. Likely because of the difficulty of constructing a stiff titanium frame with slender tubes, for one, the carbon seat post’s large-diameter doesn’t leave it much ability to flex.

Buy the Dolan Ti ADx from Dolan here

Yet regardless of this, the overall feeling is of a bike that’s smooth-rolling, but never dull or flabby. Riding it day after day, at some point, I’d expected my hands or back to give out. But whether it was the titanium frame or the relaxed geometry, they never did.

Instead, after nine consecutive days, while most riders were ready to throw their bikes in the nearest skip, me and the bike arrived in John O'Groats still on good terms.

So other than riding LEJOG, what’s the Dolan ADX for? It’d certainly do for fast touring. But despite being able to take tyres up to 35c wide, plus a rack and mudguards, its geometry isn’t actually much removed from most sportive or endurance machines.

High at the front and not too long across the top, it’ll suit any occasion where you’ve got to spend long hours in the saddle and don’t need to get too low down while doing so. From gravel to sportive riding via commuting and bike packing; really, it’ll do most things pretty well.

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Image 6 of 11

The frame

Given its price, you’d think the Dolan’s frame might hide some cost-cutting measures. But from the curving, tapered head tube to the beautifully machined dropouts, it’s a surprisingly good looking beast. Held together by very neat welds, its internal cable-routing and subtle fixing points are just as pretty.

With a flat-mount brake fixing and cable port, its carbon fork is also pleasingly neat. About the only omission on the standard wish-list are a pair of bolt-thru axles, although I never really felt the lack of them. Certainly, it goes round corners well.

And that’s despite titanium having a reputation for being flexible. After hundreds of miles on this bike, I realised I hadn’t properly tested this theory. After all, when was the last time you contested a proper head-down, haul-on-the-bars bunch sprint? Even a play-fighting one? In the last year? Raise your hand.

Going out specifically to remedy this, I can confirm that, shockingly, the Dolan does flex slightly more than a stiff carbon frame if you mash it like a lunatic. But only to a degree that’s noticeable if you have huge thighs or go looking for it.

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Image 3 of 11

Components

Reviewing the parts when they can all be swapped might seem superfluous, but the excellent Shimano Ultegra brakes deserve a mention, as does the ability to chuck on a super-wide 11-32t cassette. When has that ever been a bad idea? Never.

The tyres are good too. Much improved over previous Mavic models I’ve tried, they either survived many miles without puncturing or healed themselves seamlessly using the extra sealant I bunged in as a safety precaution.

Conclusion

The short of it is: I liked it. The Dolan Titanium ADX Disc convinced me that if I were to buy a fast touring or Audax bike it’d now be something titanium. And even if I was after something racier, it was easily stiff enough to make a good pitch for taking on that role too.

Not only did I enjoy how little it beat me up while riding back-to-back centuries, there’s also the fact any titanium bike is always only a spit polish and service away from looking like new. Over the years I’ve owned lots of steel racing bikes for these same reasons. However, I always felt held back by their increased weight - not so on the 9.54kg Dolan.

Buy the Dolan Ti ADx from Dolan here

Given its price, I’m struggling for things to grumble about. Still, I’ll give it a go. One would be the stock Selle Italia flow saddle, which is horrible. I suppose bolt-thru axles would also be nice, apparently they’re in the works anyway. The looks could maybe use a tiny overhaul, with there being something a tad geeky about the Dolan’s proportions. The replaceable gear hanger, which like the frame is made of titanium, is also slightly flexy.

But considering the price, these are all easily overlooked on a bike that’s superbly light, versatile, comfy, customisable and good value. Hold on until the bolt-thru version comes out if you must, either way, you won’t be disappointed.