Times change. It’s an inevitable fact of life. In 2008, when Cannondale introduced the SuperSix Evo as its top-end, super-light race weapon, Blackberrys were all the rage, paying for goods by card still required a signature, and if you wanted to watch movies on the go you needed a portable DVD player. It’s a different world today and, thanks to a complete redesign, Cannondale’s latest SuperSix Evo is a very different bike.

Gone are its traditional looks, including the horizontal top tube and predominantly round tubing profiles which the bike had clung to for half a decade longer than many of its rivals. Enter a new silhouette, one that is ever more common in high-end road machines, with dropped seatstays and truncated aerofoil tube shapes and an aero cockpit, born out of one simple desire: to go faster.

Improvements to speed

Cannondale’s Dr Nathan Barry, a key figure in the development of the super-aero SystemSix, was again instrumental in the design of the new SuperSix Evo.

‘Even at just 15kmh aero drag equates to 50% of the total resistance we experience on a bike, so losing the traditional shape was a very worthwhile sacrifice in terms of performance,’ Barry says.

According to his wind-tunnel data, the new SuperSix Evo is faster than its predecessor by a good margin – 30 watts less drag at 30mph (48kmh). His yaw-weighted drag model also suggests a 9-watt improvement on Specialized’s latest Tarmac and a whopping 40 watt saving over Trek’s Émonda, although I can’t verify those claims.

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Image 6 of 30

For me, the main challenge for Cannondale’s engineers was going to be keeping hold of what the SuperSix Evo was known for beneath the skin – being highly regarded for its sublime balance of low weight, impeccable handling and comfort. And it’s no easy thing to maintain those elements when you’re focussed on such a bold new objective – to become the fastest bike in its class.

I was a real fan of the old SuperSix Evo, so when I took to the road on this latest version I was a little nervous that I might not enjoy it as much if that extra speed had come at too great a cost elsewhere.

Ride feel and spec

Thankfully, the new SuperSix Evo felt just like an old friend, only quicker. There was an unmistakable familiarity about the way it rode, which immediately put me at ease.

The quick and assured handling was still there, as was the resolute frame stiffness that responded to my hardest efforts with the same likeable, punchy and taut feel I had been used to previously. In fact, in terms of the latter it was maybe even superior to its predecessor.

All the while I was absolutely aware that this bike was substantially faster. You may ask how I can be certain of that when I don’t have my own wind-tunnel. Well, my own bike is a SuperSix Evo (the older version) so my times around my local routes are well established on it.

Recent fitness tests showed that my FTP (the average power I can sustain for an hour) has dropped by around 20% in my first year of being a dad, so the fact I’m getting round my training loops at the same speed can only be down to the bike.

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Image 3 of 30

Buy the Cannondale SuperSix Evo from Tredz now for £6,499.99

The cockpit and in particular the wheels are clearly key contributors to the new bike’s aerodynamic gains. Something I really liked about the HollowGram cockpit is that it performs like a one-piece design but it is actually two separate pieces, which means that the bars and stem can be adjusted independently.

This really helped when it came to fine-tuning my precise setup, and it also seemed a little less harsh in terms of ride feel compared to most of the one-piece cockpits I’ve tested. Additionally, the two-piece design also makes it easier to remove when packing the bike for travel.

As for the wheels, they might be ‘own brand’, and maybe they don’t have the prestige of offerings from Zipp, DT Swiss or Enve, but the HollowGram Knot 45 SL wheels are first-rate, with excellent rigidity and a very responsive feel. (Incidentally, they are the same spec as fitted to the range-topping £9,000 build).

The super-wide 32mm rim profile works on two levels. First and most obvious is the proven aerodynamic benefit, but also it lends itself ideally to wider tyres, for which the frame has clearance for 30-32mm depending on the tyre brand.

Talking of tyres, I would rate the Vittoria Corsa Graphene 2.0 (25mm) fitted as probably the best on the market right now, which only added to the confidence this bike inspired when I was carrying speed through bends on often damp roads strewn with leaf litter.

Comfort 

I’ll come right out and say it: I don’t think the new SuperSix Evo is as comfortable as the older generation. It’s not so far adrift as to be an issue, but it’s a fact that those aero tubes shapes just end up transmitting more of the knocks and general road surface vibrations compared to the old, rounder tube profiles. For anyone who values the additional speed the new frame brings, the pay-off in terms of comfort will be perfectly acceptable.

Overall the SuperSix Evo is bang up to date, while retaining enough of its ‘old’ character to please the brand’s devotees. It is an irrefutably fast, light, stiff and relatively comfortable race bike.

That’s a cluster of terms we hear bandied around a lot, but few brands truly pull off marrying all four as Cannondale seems to have done here. And if all this has whetted your appetite for possibly buying one, then this Ultegra Di2 model is where the smart money should go.

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Image 2 of 30

Price

It’s £2,500 cheaper than the top-spec Dura-Ace Di2 model, and I would challenge anyone who tries to tell me you can actually feel a tangible performance difference between Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Dura-Ace Di2 componentry. Plus you get the same Hi-Mod frame (866g claimed for size 56cm painted), HollowGram 45 SL Knot wheels and HollowGram aero cockpit.

All you’re really sacrificing is around 300-400g in weight, which comes from the use of fewer fancy materials in the groupset and a slightly lower-spec crank arms and saddle. It’s a no-brainer, and that £2,500 is a good chunk of cash towards a decent family holiday to appease the fact you’ve just bought yourself a new bike.

Buy the Cannondale SuperSix Evo from Tredz now for £6,499.99

Spec

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Ribble has a long history in bikes. While the brand has technically existed since 1897, its business really began to flourish in 2001.

At a time when the internet was still young and largely confined to dial-up, Ribble had the foresight to create a website and fulfil mail orders. It may seem trivial today, but this focus on e-commerce cemented the company’s position as a very high-value bike retailer early in the game.

One result was that Ribble acquired a reputation for delivering first and foremost value for money. In the last few years, however, it has been edging towards the premium end of the market, with bikes of increasing quality and higher pricetags.

That has reached its apogee with the Endurance SLR Disc, which in this guise breaks the £6.5k mark.

Ride

The Endurance SLR Disc is touted as the all-round endurance race offering in Ribble’s fleet, akin to the Specialized Tarmac or Cannondale SuperSix. It’s not a full-on aero race bike – that accolade goes to the Ribble Aero 883 – but it does have aero touches, including truncated aerofoil tube profiles and completely concealed front cabling.

‘The frame generates 28% less drag across a wide yaw sweep at real-world speeds versus our previous equivalent model,’ says Jamie Burrow, head of product at Ribble, although he doesn’t let on as to whether a wind-tunnel was actually used in the design process. The neatness of the front end, theory suggests, should do a huge amount for the overall aerodynamics, being the first point of contact with the wind.

‘Our in-house-designed integrated bar and stem gives a 44% aero improvement compared to a conventional setup,’ says Burrow.

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Image 4 of 7

Buy the Ribble Endurance SLR disc from Ribble from £4,999.99

In terms of construction, Ribble boasts the use of some high-quality fibres throughout the frame. ‘We used Toray T1000 in key structural areas of stress and flex,’ says Burrow. ‘That means areas such as the transition between bottom bracket and chainstays and around the head tube.’

The Endurance’s claimed stiffness and aero credentials come alongside an overall weight of 7.6kg, which for a disc bike is on par with many of the biggest brands that grace the WorldTour. It’s certainly good enough for the riders at UCI Continental team Ribble Weldtite, most of whom have the Endurance as their go-to race bike.

Components and spec

My first impression of the Endurance SLR Disc was that it was very similar to some other bikes I’ve been testing over the past few months. Considering my last two test bikes were a £10k Colnago and Parlee’s top aero race frame, that was a positive.

It reminded me that where there was once a wide gap between the best bikes from the handful of ‘royal’ brands and the rest of the market, today bikes offer quality across the board and the gap between brands has never been smaller.

From the outset, the Endurance SLR Disc had a sense of lightweight performance and rigidity. I tackled a 1,000m ascent in Greece on my first ride aboard the bike and the climb drifted by happily.

I had a sense of free speed that meant I could just tap away at the pedals and climb at a snappy cadence rather than fight with the cranks. The bike spurred me on, and when I was back home I found myself making serious efforts on local ascents in Surrey purely for the joy of the exertion.

On the descents, the front end provided a solid platform for confident, predictable cornering. That was partly down to frame stiffness but also the rigid bar-stem combo.

So often I find integrated bar-stems can be far too flexible, or alternatively can conduct far too much of any jolt from the road. Ribble’s own Level 5 bar-stem setup struck a really good balance of comfort and performance. The same can be said of the entire bike. It had a mature ride quality that made it fun to ride casually before adopting a fast and aggressive character as soon as the watts crept up.

The move to disc brakes has allowed brands to widen the tyre clearance on endurance road bikes and the Ribble has space for up to 30mm tyres. That meant I was able to experiment with the pressures on wider tyres to hone comfort. It also opened up a few tracks and gravel paths that I might not have attempted on skinnier rubber.

That said, the frame seemed to do a good job of softening the road – specifically the super-skinny seatpost, which happily flexed beneath me to deliver a smooth ride over rough terrain. The post did have a slight issue with slipping, but this was resolved using some grip paste and by edging precariously above the recommended torque.

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Image 5 of 7

Beyond the frame, the spec also played its part in the overall quality of the bike. I’m certainly finding myself increasingly impressed by Sram’s AXS 12-speed. Refreshingly, though, Ribble allows consumers to customise almost any permutation of groupset, wheels and finishing kit.

Even better, Ribble’s Bike Builder online program also manages to maintain the overall cost savings regardless of how you switch and change components, which is no easy feat when most bike brands look to save money on bulk OEM purchases. 

Price comparison

My lingering memories of the Endurance SLR Disc are of how fast the bike was and how well it held speed on long flat stretches of road that had me standing on the pedals in search of more speed. I really struggle to split the Ribble from bikes with significantly higher pricetags.

Before riding it I spent a month on the Colnago V3RS. I really loved it and believed it offered a unique ride quality, but was it £3,000 better than the Ribble Endurance SLR Disc? Probably not. You’d have to want the romance and history that comes with the Colnago name to justify the price.

To make a different comparison, a Canyon Aeroad SLX 9.0 SL has a very similar spec to the Endurance SLR Disc, but is actually slightly cheaper at £6,350 compared to the Ribble’s £6,519.

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Image 7 of 7

Now, some people would immediately plump for the Canyon – after all, it’s a Grand Tour-winning brand – but I would argue the Aeroad is also a little long in the tooth, and the Endurance SLR Disc offers more integration alongside wider tyre clearances. Is the Aeroad actually a better bike? I’d say it isn’t.

The Endurance SLR Disc has convinced me that Ribble deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Cannondale, Specialized and Trek. It really is nudging superbike territory.

Buy the Ribble Endurance SLR disc from Ribble from £4,999.99

Spec

• Want to ride the Ribble Endurance SLR disc? Come to one of the Cyclist Track Days, your chance to ride the world's best bikes around purpose-built, closed-road tracks. Tickets available here.

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It would be odd to release a new version of something that’s the same as – or worse than – the outgoing version. It’s why bands face that ‘difficult second album’ syndrome; we all want the latest thing to be the best ever.

It’s human nature. It’s why the search term ‘Best curry house’ ranks so highly on Google – we’re always looking for an even better lamb pasanda (which I was once kindly informed by a waiter was ‘a lady curry’.)

So bless BMC, which provides a raft of sink-your-teeth-into stats that back up claims that latest bike Y is better than previous bike X. So without further ado, those numbers…

This is the second iteration of the Roadmachine and apparently it is 25% more vertically compliant at the rear, 15% more compliant at the front, 20% stiffer torsionally, 5% stiffer at the bottom bracket and the frame is 25g lighter with 3mm more tyre clearance.

It is better. But it is not, says BMC, a gravel bike. Nor is it an all-road bike. No, the Roadmachine is a ‘pure endurance bike’. Got it?

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Image 2 of 16

Change for the better

I only had a short time on the original Roadmachine (it was deputy editor Stu who tested it in issue 55), but that was long enough for me to know it was one stiff bike, much like most BMCs I’ve ridden.

Yet with road-going race bikes such as the Teammachine and Timemachine, it’s easy to see why BMC engineers push the stiffness envelope, but with the Roadmachine, an ostensibly multi-surface (but not gravel) mile-muncher, it seemed odd.

The bike should surely be comfort-centric, and be at least as compliant as the bike it replaced, the Granfondo, which was ridden by some of the BMC Racing Team at various Classics some years back.

The original Roadmachine was also very aggressive in its geometry, which does seem at odds with today’s longer, slacker endurance bikes. It did, however, lead the way in combining aero tube shapes in a not-really-aero-specific bike, having a fully integrated front end, weighing a scant 920g for the frame and having those now-omnipresent dropped seatstays.

Thus in looks alone this latest Roadmachine casts a near identikit shadow to its forebear, but a series of subtle yet significant changes make this a different beast.

As regurgitated above from the marketing hype, the whole bike has been made much more compliant. To do this BMC has tinkered with the great mystery that is carbon layup, but moreover has changed several key measurements.

‘There’s more room for seatpost flex because the top tube slopes more, so there is around 10mm more seatpost sticking out of the frame,’ says BMC’s Stefano Gennaioli. ‘The seatstays join the frame 20mm lower down, so overall the rear end has more ability to flex vertically.’

There is also room for 33mm tyres, which should you so wish would aid comfort further (the bike comes with 28mm tyres), and up front a fork redesign has helped smooth things out a touch too, says Gennaioli, referencing fork legs that are noticeably more stiletto-like than before.

The result, I think, is less striking than the numbers might have you believe, yet the bike still sits firmly – or rather, quite softly – in the smooth, comfy category. It’s still a way off from being top of the class, but these things are a balancing act and BMC’s high-wire show goes down rather well.

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Image 3 of 16

Buy now from Tredz for £4,899

Punch, flop, stabilise

There is an element of aggressiveness that has been removed from the Roadmachine, where a like-for-like 56cm gets a 12mm higher stack and 3mm shorter reach than the bike from 2016. But it seems to have lost little, if any, punch.

Considering the wheels are relatively bog-standard alloy clinchers from DT Swiss – solid and reliable but not exactly a feathery coup at a claimed 1,812g – and the tyres are Vittoria’s hardier Rubino Pros, weighing 335g, the Roadmachine didn’t half pick up well. Like near-aero-wheel well.

I’d say it’s a combination of the overall weight – a fraction over 8kg is reasonable for a bike of this type – and the stiffness of the areas responsible for efficient power transfer. That is, despite an increase in vertical compliance the Roadmachine maintains pedalling stiffness in the crucial areas of the head tube, down tube, bottom bracket and chainstays.

Regardless, it remains that the bike consistently impressed on every ride with just how quickly it got out of the blocks and accelerated thereafter. Going back to other bikes only highlighted this fact: the Roadmachine is rapid.

On that note, though, swapping between bikes also highlighted that the Roadmachine is a quite stately affair in the handling department. The geometry is such that the bike comes close to wheel flop in certain situations, wheel flop being when a turn of the bar at low speeds presents a feeling of the front wheel wanting to ‘tuck under’ the frame, as opposed to the frame wanting to follow the path of the wheel.

This was no great problem at higher speeds, and descending was always stable and assured, but it was noticeable at slow speeds and is just part and parcel of relatively slow handling.

However, as it is with the wheels, perhaps this is all for the best. Which is to say, the wheels are heavy, but they feel incredibly robust and only add to the feeling that you can take the Roadmachine over pretty much any surface. You could opt for a lighter set, but that might diminish the bike’s turbo-charged-plough character.

So too engineers could have tweaked the handling to be faster, but in so doing the bike’s incredible stability would likely have suffered, and the result would have been closer to the original, which for me was too stiff and too much like BMC’s racier bikes for it to stand on its own two feet. This Roadmachine really is a proposition in its own right.

I daresay you could even stick in some treaded 33mm tyres and go off in search of proper gravel. But if you do, don’t tell BMC. This is an endurance road bike, remember.

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Image 6 of 16

Buy now from Tredz for £4,899

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.

BMC Roadmachine launch

BMC’s ‘one-bike collection’ gets an overhaul but remains one of the raciest endurance bikes you can buy

Sam Challis, 20th June 2019

Until around three years ago, endurance bikes were considered the ‘soft’ option and bore no resemblance to most brands’ race bike designs.

Then along came BMC’s Roadmachine. It was as slick looking as the brand’s Teammachine race platform, its geometry wasn’t too far removed and it was nearly as aero.

It triggered a rethink in the industry and brands repositioned the key attributes of endurance bikes - as a result, today most brands’ endurance offerings mirror their race bike designs far more closely and endurance bikes are increasing.

While the original Roachmachine set the standard back then, bike development never fails to move forward apace so more recent releases from BMC’s competitors have trumped the features of the first design.

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Image 3 of 16

According to Mart Otten, senior product manager at BMC, this coupled with a change in how cyclists ride was the stimulus to refresh the Roadmachine.

‘Road cyclists are riding further, longer, and to higher elevations than ever before. And, many endurance riders are travelling great distances to different regions and countries to participate in epic-size events which entail all-day adventures.

At the same time, those events get more extreme by navigating varying road styles and conditions, longer distances and often more climbing. We wanted to meet those demands with a new design.’

The new Roadmachine has all the hallmarks of an updated design: according to BMC it is lighter, stiffer, comfier and has wider tyre clearances.

The frame is put together using BMC’s ‘Tuned Compliance Concept’, whereby the carbon is laid up to promote compliance but not sacrifice pedalling efficiency. It is the new way of saying ‘laterally stiff, vertically compliant.’

BMC says thanks to the use of some ‘advanced computer modelling’ it has achieved a more effective scheduling of the carbon in the frame’s construction.

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Image 2 of 16

Tube shapes have considerably changed in several places, the D-shaped seat post has been slimmed down and the seatstays have been dropped a further 10mm.

This all means bottom bracket stiffness has gone up by 5% and the torsional stiffness of the front end has been improved by 20%.

A new, asymmetric fork is 10% stiffer, yet total front end compliance is up by 25% over the previous generation bike. BMC says these improvements have all occurred in the context of a 25g drop in frame weight.

BMC’s ‘Integrated Cockpit System’ has been a successful inclusion on both its Teammachine and Timemachine Road designs so it has been carried forward on to the new Roadmachine as well.

‘ICS’ offers a variety of stem dimensions while maintaining integrated aero cable routing via cover underneath the stem.

BMC says the feature ‘allows stack and reach adjustability via a dedicated split spacer system for easy fit adjustment without stem removal and hydraulic hose disconnection.’

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Image 8 of 16

While the versatility of the new Roadmachine stops short of the requirements necessary for proper gravel riding, BMC suggests the new bike is an ‘all-road’ machine, thanks to its capability to take tyres up to 33c.

‘We wanted to create an endurance bike that is not only good for riding all types of road surfaces, from smooth tarmac to rougher roads or cobbles, but also one that also shines when roads point uphill,’ says Otten.

Time will tell if these claims hold true as Cyclist is due to test the new design in the near future. Check back for our take on BMC’s Roadmachine soon.

A systematic approach to aerodynamics could be the biggest step-change in bicycle design since the invention of the safety bicycle. Letting you go faster for the same effort by cutting down on drag, today the aero story hardly needs telling, the bikes and the plethora of data-driven claims speak for themselves.

Direct comparisons between rival bikes aren’t easy, as everything from the testing standards to testing apparatus differs from manufacturer to manufacturer – a fact a cynic will say is bent to each manufacturer’s will, allowing it to claim ‘our bike is the fastest’.

But no matter, one thing that is redoubtable is that aero bikes, as a whole, are quicker than their round tube counterparts. So without further ado, verily we saith unto you, check these bad boys out, our pick of the freshest, fastest and most stylish aero bikes for 2020.

The best aero bikes of 2020

1. Trek Madone

The choice of the World Champion. In German magazine Tour’s recent independent aero tests, the Madone tied for fastest road bike with the Specialized Venge in a strict wind tunnel scenario. Although in Yorkshire Trek and Pedersen won out over Sagan and Specialized. 

A very modern bike, you'll no longer find conventional callipers on any Madone, with all the top-end models having switched to disc brakes, the latest design has been further streamlined.

But it’s also more than just an aero machine – the rear end employs Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler system for extra compliance and comfort over bumps.

Trek Madone 9 review

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £3,900

SEE RELATED: Best aero helmets

2. Cannondale SuperSix Evo

Following its recent makeover, Cannondale’s longstanding SuperSix has ditched its old-school profiles in favour of a low-aspect, truncated aerofoil tube set.

Keeping to the same low weight that previously helped it gain fans, this supposedly produces 30% less drag than the same diameter round tube but adds 10% stiffness.

Product integration is a second key part of the package. Of particular importance are the handlebar and stem, which are also supposed to be good for a further few watts saved.

Read our preview of the Cannondale SuperSix Evo here

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £3,000

2. Cervelo S5 

Cervelo is no stranger to speed, and here we have the Cervelo S5, the most recent genesis of the Cervelo Soloist.

It’s long been lauded as one the fastest bikes out there, a fact not hurt by appearing beneath Tom Dumoulin during the 2019 season. Seriously overhauled ahead of its most recent relaunch, a new integrated cockpit means this latest version remains as radical as when first introduced.

Cervelo S5 review

Buy now from Sigma Sports for £5,580

4. Specialized Venge 

With Sram eTap or Shimano Di2, hydraulic discs, bolt-thru axles and tubeless-ready carbon clinchers, the Venge epitomises every major change to have happened to road bikes in the last five years.

Specialized claims it holds a 116-second advantage over its Tarmac, and Tour magazine tests show the Venge to be on par with the Trek Madone as the fastest production road bike in the world.

Specialized Venge Vias Disc review

Buy now from Tredz Bikes for £6,500

SEE RELATED: Best turbo trainer workouts to improve your cycling

5. Pinarello Dogma F12

With Chris Froome on board, the Pinarello Dogma F8 gained a brace of Tour de France victories. Geraint Thomas nabbed one aboard the F10. While last year the latest F12 got its first Tour win beneath Egan Bernal.

Available in multiple versions, each prioritises aerodynamics, with the X-Light being further optimised for climbing. Yet while Team Ineos tend to favour the standard calliper version, the slicker-looking disc version might be the better choice for privateers.

Take a look at Egan Bernal's Pinarello F12 here

Buy now from Sigma for £12,000

6. Bianchi Oltre XR4

Bianchi’s race bike range has recently been joined by the latest Oltre XR4, which includes the company’s proprietary Countervail – a viscoelastic carbon material that reduces road buzz.

While the tubes of the frame are suitably blade-like, Bianchi reckons the real aero gains come from the rider being able to maintain an aero tuck for longer, thanks to the Countervail, which makes the ride less harsh and reduces fatigue.

It’s the rider that creates most of the drag, after all.

Bianchi Oltre XR4 review

Buy now from Tredz for £6,800

7. Factor One

With a distinct fork assembly that sits forward of the headtube, the Factor One distils the brand’s left-field aero know-how into a frame that’s UCI legal but still seriously fast.

Factor worked with aero specialists bf1systems to tone down and reshape the front end without increasing drag, yet the One keeps Factor’s signature ‘Twin-Vane’ down tube, which it claims siphons turbulent air from the front wheel through the frame, rather than around it.

Factor One review

Buy now from Factor from £6,400

SEE RELATED: Seven best aero wheels

8.Tifosi Auriga

The Auriga is British brand Tifosi’s first fully aero bike. Developed alongside the Spirit Tifosi domestic race team, it’s claimed to ‘slice through the air and shave minutes off your race, while the carefully engineered geometry keeps the handling snappy and precise.’ 

Bold claims indeed, but the Auriga backs them up with the kind of performance that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Read our review here 

Buy now from Tredz Bikes for £1,900 

9. Giant Propel

The only bike to have received flowers from Marcel Kittel, the Propel manages to blend excellent ride comfort with aero-clout and fast handling.

The position is of the ‘stick the rider up high’ persuasion, with a tall headtube in the Cervelo mode, and with a roster of big-race wins, it looks to work. 

Buy now from Tredz for £2,399

10. Parlee RZ7

The tubes on the RZ7 feature a distinctive scallop on their trailing edge, the benefits of which are not just aerodynamic. Instead, their design has allowed Parlee to cut weight and also increase tube stiffness.

With faring covered discs the RZ7 is as fast as it looks. Yet this never translates into a harsh ride. In fact, when we took it out for a spin it proved extremely capable on broken surfaces - something further boosted by its ability to fit tyres up to 32c. All in it’s a very modern and very fast aero bike.

Read our full Parlee RZ7 review here

Buy now from Parlee Cycles

11. Argon 18 Nitrogen

Balance is the name of the game for Argon 18’s Nitrogen - it takes comfort cues from the Canadian brand’s Gallium Pro and blends them with aero profiling inspired by its dedicated TT frameset.

Over the last few years, Argon 18 had been the sponsor of the Astana WorldTour team, making the Nitrogen the choice of Fabio Aru, Miguel Angel Lopez and Jakob Fuglsang on flatter GrandTour stages.

Argon18.com 

12. Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

The German online powerhaus has been successfully turning bicycles into Grand Tour and Monument successes for more than a decade, and the latest Aeroad shows no signs of abating.

Handling is racy, offering assured tracking through tight corners, and thanks to the now de rigeur T-shaped bar-stem combo (offered on the higher-spec models), revised truncated tube profiles and wheel hugging downtube, it’s one of the fastest bikes on the market.

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX review

Buy now from Canyon for £6,799

13. Cipollini NK1K Disc

With a reputation such as his, Mario Cipollini could hardly produce a dainty climbing bike so it should come as no surprise that his eponymous brand’s NK1K is a muscular aero frame centred around the efficient transfer of power.

In a refreshing move the NK1K makes no claims to tread a perfect balance of different attributes, unashamedly identifying its niche as an uber-fast bike that looks incredibly pretty to boot.

mcipollini.com

14. Merida Reacto Disc Limited 

Between them, Merida and Giant produce 80% of the world’s bike frames, so Merida should know a thing or two about what makes a good bike, or in this case, a fast one.

The long-standing Reacto is the same bike that helped Vincenzo Nibali hold of the pack at the 2018 Milan-San Remo. Blade-like in appearance, its aggressive nature is tempered by an S-Flex seat post which features a cut-away section to boost compliance. Cooling fins built into its calliper mounts stop things from getting too heated when screaming down the mountain.

Merida Reacto 5000 review

Buy now from Tredz Bikes for £4,000

15. Scott Foil 

Winner of Paris-Roubaix, the Foil demonstrates a refined ride quality more akin to a regular road bike, but with all the wind-cheating features you’d expect.

Low slung seatstays and truncated tube profiles are capped off with an aggressive front end, centred around the Syncros bar-stem combo that sleekly mates with the headtube.

Scott Foil 10 review

Buy now from Tweeks for £5,000

16. BMC Timemachine 01 Road One

When a bike straddles time-trial and road categories it’s fair to say it’s fast, and when a reconfigured version of the Timemachine gave Rohan Dennis a rapid – yet brief – Hour Record title, that only bolstered the credentials of BMC’s aero-road machine.

The front end assembly integrates like a Transformer, while the rear end sets the stays as low down the seat tube as UCI rules allow, a design almost ubiquitous across the aero board.

Buy now from Tredz for £10,999

17. Look 795 Blade Disc 

Available in the UK as a frame kit only, the 795 Blade’s chunky aero tubes are resolutely stiff, yet overall the bike doesn’t feel unwieldy or overly harsh.

The modicum of compliance offered by the bowed seatstays and fork legs makes it a little more accommodating on a rough road than a good number of its aero competitors. And, credit where it’s due, it’s unquestionably fast.

When we tried the calliper brake version we found ourselves wishing for the extra control offered by discs. Make this the version you pick when ordering and we’re happy to recommend the 795.

Read our review of the Look 795 RS here 

lookcycle.com

18. De Rosa SK Pininfarina

Created in partnership with lauded Italian design house Pininfarina, it of Ferraris and Alfa Romeos, the SK is a bike that proves aero can be elegant.

The ride quality is spritely and comfortable, and what it lacks in top-end punch of some of the stiffer aero offerings it makes up for by being a classic waiting to happen. One for the aesthete as much as the racer.

i-ride.co.uk

19. Wilier Cento 10 NDR Disc 

The Cento has been an on-going model in the Wilier range for nearly a decade, and the latest aero-fied version takes all the popular aero bike features and rolls them up into a very Italian package.

That is, integrated bar-stem, disc brakes, wide-stance low stays and fork manifest in nippy, race-bike handling that requires a decent amount of concentration to get the best out of. One for the racers.

Wilier Cento 10 Air review

Buy now from CycleRepublic for£7,150

20. Colnago Concept Disc

The original Concept was a project between bike guru Ernesto Colnago and motoring guru Enzo Ferrari in 1986. This latest version has all the hallmarks of a classic modern aero bike: deep, bladed down tube; sinuous curves that hug the wheels; and components designed to hide away from the wind.

Incredibly, Colnago has redesigned each frame size for optimal aerodynamics, rather than just scaling up or down. So a size 56cm is actually a different bike to a size 58cm. 

Read our review here 

Buy now from Westbrook Cycles for £4,000 (frame only) 

Decathlon sells a number of sharply priced road bikes, with the Van Rysel RR 920 CF sitting mid-range. For its £2000 pricetag it comes with a carbon frameset, an impressive spec and a weight for a size medium of 7.6kg.

A couple of years ago, Decathlon took the decision to drop its former B’Twin name in favour of Van Rysel and the majority of its higher end road bikes are so badged; the Triban name continues for its lower priced machines.

he frame of the Van Rysel RR 920 CF predates the name change though and its UCI sticker reflects the older B'Twin designation. The frameset is raced by the AG2R La Mondiale under-19 team - hence the need for UCI approval.

Decathlon says that its engineers have designed the RR 920 CF for competition, with a blend of high mod and intermediate modulus carbon and a claimed frame weight of 850g, that would stand comparison to much more expensive framesets from flashier brands. As befits such a bike, there are no facilities to fit mudguards.

But you do get full internal cable routing. Before the Van Rysel, I’d been riding an older bike with external cabling. The fairly trivial change to internal cabling has to be one of the best features of modern bikes, leading to much better shifting and lower maintenance in winter conditions.

The Van Rysel’s cabling runs through deep grooves under the bottom bracket however, so you still need to keep them clean and well lubricated to preserve Shimano Ultegra’s sweet shifting.

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Image 13 of 16

Buy the Van Rysel RR 920 CF from Decathlon here.

A range of spec options

The test Van Rysel RR 920 CF is kitted out with a full Shimano Ultegra groupset. For £100 more, the Campagnolo aficionado can have Potenza, while the same frameset badged the RR940 CF and decked out with either Ultegra Di2 or mechanical Dura-Ace, both with all-carbon Mavic Cosmic Pro wheels, comes in at £3500.

The RR 920 CF - like all Van Rysel’s current range - is rim brake only, bucking the increasing prevalence of disc brakes. But whereas the rear calliper is a standard single point mount, the front brake uses a direct mount to the fork, providing extra leverage and stopping power.

With the front brake taking the brunt of braking effort, it’s a wise choice, helping to bridge the performance gap to disc braking and I found stopping power more than adequate in damp winter conditions.

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Image 5 of 16

High gear ratios

Van Rysel fits a semi-compact 52/36 chainset. It’s a choice that I usually prefer to a 50/34 compact on a performance-orientated bike, giving a little more high-end for faster descents. But in the RR 920 CF, that’s coupled to an 11-28 cassette, shifting the gearing to higher ratios, without taking advantage of the wide range offered by Shimano’s latest generation groupsets.

On my first few rides, rising roads found me trying to downshift, but finding I’d run out of sprockets. Once I’d got used to the higher gearing, there was a temptation to tough it out in the big ring on undulating roads - a good strength building exercise, but leading to a dose of DOMS once home. The same was true of steeper climbs, where grinding out-of-saddle efforts were the norm.

Adding range to the bike shouldn’t be an issue though. Van Rysel has fitted a medium cage rear mech, which Shimano rates for sprockets up to 34 teeth. So you’d only need to swap out the cassette to provide a much wider range for less exertion when conquering hills. It’s probably a cost saving measure by Van Rysel to give you such high gears when you buy the bike.

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Image 9 of 16

Carbon wheelset

But the narrower range cassette aside, the rest of the spec is high value, not just stopping with Ultegra. The Van Rysel RR 920 CF comes with mid-section Mavic Cosmic Carbon wheels - another impressive choice that you’d be unlikely to find on mainstream manufacturers’ machines at this price.

The Cosmic Carbon rather belies its name though. It belongs to Mavic’s first generation carbon wheelsets, where the carbon section comprises a fairing attached to an alloy rim. That’s no bad thing, however, as the alloy brake track gives good wet weather stopping.

Mavic chose this construction method for good heat dissipation using rim brakes on longer descents, as it was concerned about degradation or failure of an all-carbon rim. So the 45mm deep carbon section is non-structural and quite easy to deform with hand pressure. But its elliptical section is designed to provide aero benefits and the wheelset weight is claimed at 1650g, so there’s not too much extra mass.

Unlike the majority of Mavic’s wheelsets, the Cosmic Carbon wheels are not designed to be set up tubeless. It’s another facet of the older tech Mavic has used in the wheels. Despite these drawbacks, Mavic’s wheels have an excellent reputation for durability however and any form of carbon wheelset is impressive to see at the RR 920 CF’s £2000 price.

The Cosmic Carbon wheels come with 25mm Mavic Yksion tyres, with different front and rear tread patterns. Although not the liveliest, they feel robust and have impressive grip. Tackling climbs on wet, grimy winter back roads, grinding it out in that 36/28 lowest gear, there was very little tendency to slippage.

The rest of the Van Rysel’s finishing kit is name brand too. There’s a Deda bar and stem, which provide a comfortable cockpit with a shallow drop. I find the Fizik Antares saddle fitted on the Van Rysel among the most comfortable out there. It’s paired with a custom D-shaped carbon seatpost, which is held by a concealed clamp in the top tube.

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Image 6 of 16

A rather buzzy ride

It’s not just the stiff gearing that points to the RR 920 CF’s performance orientation. There’s a direct quality to the ride, with the precision to rail descents and fast corners. The frame feels taut and there’s the stiffness in the wide PF86 bottom bracket to handle power delivery on climbs and sprints.

But that’s somewhat at the expense of ride comfort: there’s quite a lot of road buzz transmitted through the frame to you as you ride. Larger hits are well managed though, thanks to the significant flex in the carbon seatpost.

For a bike aimed at the novice rider, or those looking to keep to a budget, the Van Rysel RR 920 CF offers an impressive package - just don’t expect too much comfort from this performance-focused machine.

Buy the Van Rysel RR 920 CF from Decathlon here.

Spec

Have you ever noticed that Canyon and Lidl are actually very similar companies? No, really, hear me out.

Firstly, both are German. Secondly, while Lidl relies heavily on the strength of its own-brand products, Canyon is also heavy on pushing its own brand components. That, like Lidl, keeps costs down and helps them offer higher-end products at more reasonable price.

Both also have the tendency to be passed over by a snobbish section of the UK market for their more expensive counterparts.

It is the same type of people who fork out extra for an identically tasting food product at Sainsbury’s or Tesco that would dig deep into their coffers for a Bianchi or Colnago over a Canyon.

Buy the Aeroad CF SL Disc 7.0 now from Canyon

But, crucially, both Canyon and Lidl manage to produce top-of-the-range product without associating it with high-ticket pricing.

The recently released Canyon Aeroad CF CL Disc 7.0 is case in point - the frame is the same shape as Canyon's top of the range aero superbike of the same name, which is among one of the fastest frames available on the market, but dressed in Shimano’s mid-range 105 disc groupset and Canyon’s own componentry the bike meets a price point that’s as competitive as an aero bike has ever been.

A frame’s a frame

One cost-cutting method Canyon employed in this latest setup was by using its CF SL frame as opposed to its CF SLX option.

In layman’s terms, this means Canyon constructed the frame from a lower grade of carbon. It adds around 100g in weight - dependant on frame size - and also concedes some lateral stiffness but is ultimately cheaper to manufacture.

This does not compromise speed, as Canyon points out stating ‘the frame mould remains the same across the range meaning aero optimisations are equally effective at reducing drag on the SL and SLX versions.’

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Image 4 of 11

I found this was borne out on the road. Putting your foot down on the Aeroad CF SL still gives you that incredible feeling of acceleration associated with the range’s high-end models.

Akin to being in a modded Subaru, I was surprised by how quickly this bike got up to speed and then even more so by how well it held it.

It felt fast and my feelings were proven correct. Returning home and uploading my ride to Strava, I noticed my average speeds pushing a few kilometres an hour faster than usual.

In reality, it seems the loss of lateral stiffness seems negligible in real terms. Sprinting on this bike feels just as stable and efficient as it does on the SLX and no slower than other top-of-the-range aero bikes I have ridden.

The speed of this bike cannot be fully attributed to the frame. Realistically, its the choice of Reynolds’ AR 58/62 deep section wheels are just as important in bringing the speed to this bike.

Riding on lovely flat roads with no wind, I could really feel the benefit of these wheels. They cut through the air with ease and help build the pace as I pushed harder and harder.

When the road was not so flat and the atmosphere was not so still, that's when I started to experience problems with the wheels.

Riding uphill, the wheels felt slightly lethargic and at 1730g for the set I could feel the added weight plying against me, especially out of the saddle.

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Image 5 of 11

It was also apparent that the wheels caught any significant crosswind.

While Reynolds claims its ‘refined, wider rim shapes have been optimized for crosswind stability at a variety of yaw angles’ I found that even my sturdy 90kg rig was regularly pushed from side to side.

Canyon has also opted to fit the bike with a 23mm front tyre with a 25mm rear tyre, that while is argues ‘provides the greatest drag reduction’ of any tyre combination seems slightly behind the trend of running larger tyres at lower pressures.

Truly, I feel that Canyon over-egged the cake with the wheel/tyre combination and that compromising speed for a more sensible set of wheels and tyres would have been a perfectly reasonable switch to make.

Luckily, where the cake is perfectly mixed is in Canyon’s use of its own H16 aero aluminium handlebars and stem - although they do compromise speed and weight compared to Canyon's slicker carbon H31 integrated cockpit - they keep costs attractively low.

Star performer

I own the previous Shimano 105 groupset. It’s fitted to my own personal Orbea Orca and I have ridden it to death. I know it like the back of my hand.

So I can safely say that Shimano has somehow come on leaps and bounds with this update. There’s a significant improvement in shifting efficiency and the braking power of the 105 discs is now no different to that of Dura-Ace or Ultegra.

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Image 3 of 11

Trickle down technology has clearly worked for Shimano and it feels as if 105 is now closer to being considered a top-spec groupset than its usual placing as ‘entry-level’. If anything, it makes quite a lot of sense for who I feel this bike will be most suited to.

Buy the Aeroad CF SL Disc 7.0 now from Canyon

At £2,899, the Canyon Aeroad CF SL disc is probably the aero bike on the market with the best bang for its buck. Considering what’s on the bike and how it performs, paying under £3,000 seems like a bit of steal. For any rider looking to race but not willing to remortgage the house, the Canyon Aeroad CF SL Disc 7.0 should be taken into consideration.

The question is now, when will Canyon break its direct-to-seller model so I can pick up my Aeroad at the local Lidl?

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Image 10 of 11

Specification

The Boardman SLR 8.9 Alloy is a shining example of how advancements in frame technology and evolution of economies of scale can supply sheer riding enjoyment. Cast your minds back a decade or so and the choice of aluminium road bikes was limited. You were faced with polar options: either a heavy alloy bike peppered with compromises, or something like a Cervelo S1 – rapid, lightweight, but with precisely zero concession to comfort.

'Boardman is known for affordable carbon bikes,' says Boardman Bikes’s Product Manager Matt Dowler. 'But we’ve also plenty of experience in designing in aluminium. We knew we could produce an aluminium frame which delivered a great ride experience, and being a less expensive material to work with as opposed to carbon, allowed us to fit better components at a similar price.'

It’s a triumph; here’s why.

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Image 4 of 22

Balance or compromise?

The Boardman SLR 8.9 Alloy is better specced, lighter and £100 cheaper than the brand’s entry-level 8.9 Carbon model. The aluminium version I’ve been testing wears a Shimano 105 groupset, while the 8.9 Carbon uses Tiagra (so you’re also getting an extra sprocket as Tiagra remains 10-speed).

'The 8.9 Alloy is a very well balanced package straight out of the box,' continues Dowler. 'The level of components fitted matches the quality of the frame well. The 8.9 Carbon has a better frame, which wouldn’t feel out of place with higher level components on it and could be upgraded over time.'

So what we’re faced with here, on the proviso that you’re not going to fit your best wheels to it, is essentially the better package.

It’s long been argued that good quality alloy trumps low-quality carbon, and the Boardman SLR 8.9 Alloy proves the point. Take into consideration the incredibly smooth welds and you’d even think it was carbon at a glance.

Dowler vindicates this assessment: 'With modern production processes, alloy frames can be almost as light as carbon. Using hydroforming and complex butting of tubes, we can achieve a very high performing frame, and we’ve also worked very closely over the years to master smooth welding so the tube junctions on our aluminium bikes are almost invisible.'

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Image 5 of 22

Buy now from Halfords for £1,000

Smooth operator

Harshness be gone; this frameset’s ride quality is such that I was covering distance in such comfort that I bolted another hour’s ride on to my initial blast (dinner was cold when I got home, but moderate domestic disharmony was a small price to pay).

The bike offers simple, basic long-distance riding enjoyment with barely a noticeable intrusion from the road surface. Its 72.5° head angle ensures that turn-in isn’t accompanied by involuntary sphincter contraction, yet urges you to take full advantage of its biddable nature.

Downhill sweepers are its hunting ground; engage the big ring (50T in this compact Shimano 105 set-up), fire some bigger ratios into the 11-28 cassette via those dependable 105 shifters, and mid-corner daydreaming on rippled Lincolnshire tarmac turns to thoughts of descending Mallorca’s Col de Soller, rolling through wide open turns with a nudge on the Boardman’s 400mm alloy bars.

This bike eats rapid, twisty descents, but it won’t set your teeth chattering, either. Standard long-arm Tektro R317 rim brakes haul the bike up with little fuss, too.

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Image 7 of 22

Weight a minute

The joy is compounded (if climbing is ever a joy) when short, sharp asents on rolling hills are encountered. The close-ratio cassette means gears mesh precisely and rapidly, the plenty-stiff-enough frameset excelling either when grinding up an incline in the 34-tooth little chainring, or going ‘full Ardennes’ in the big ring.

Of course, the bike’s all-up weight of 8.72kg is a bonus here. The heavier carbon version of the same bike (whose geometry is – give or take a mm – identical) might have a touch more stiffness and compliance, but I’ll take 11-speed gearing, a lighter groupset and wheels any day of the week.

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Image 17 of 22

Roll call

But there’s one issue I’d take with the entire build, if we’re looking for perfection rather than cost-effectiveness. The Mavic CXP rims – although lighter than the Boardman own-brand items fitted to the SLR 8.9 Carbon – are still basic, no doubt in order to get the list price of the Boardman SLR 8.9 Alloy down to the magic £1000 figure.

You can pick a pair up for £62 direct from Mavic, and build them up yourself. Weighing in at 1.1kg just for the rims, before you’ve added hubs, spokes and the Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres (£14 each for 25c online, or support your local bike shop), you can see that the only thing that’s holding this bike back on flatter roads is the amount of rotating mass it carries.

Those rims, on the other hand, are particularly robust, and versatile – they’ll accept tyres from 19 to 28mm in diameter, so will ably accommodate the maximum recommended width for which this frame has clearance (28mm, since you ask).

The simple, although obviously more costly, solution to this slight unwillingness to get up and go is to swap out the wheels for something lighter and quicker. The best budget option would be to shave off a handful of grams with a wallet-friendly alloy-rimmed Mavic Aksium wheelset, which would retain the flexibility to run wider tyres.

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Image 16 of 22

Buy now from Halfords for £1,000

Speed metal

Inevitable compromise at the spinning ends of the bike notwithstanding, this is an outstanding example of an alloy road bike done properly. Many of us might shy away from aluminium as a frame material, perhaps opting for carbon because… well, because carbon.

Boardman’s Matt Dowler has some thoughts on the trade-off. 'Lower grade carbon which hasn’t had a lot of work go into its design and lay-up can have a simultaneously harsh and dead feeling,' he opines. 'But a high-quality aluminium frame can filter out the worst of the road buzz and deliver a sharp, communicative ride.'

What the build of the Boardman SLR 8.9 Alloy does communicate, apart from confidence and comfort over distance, is that, aluminium still has a bright future, especially when the overall package offers such incredible value for money.

Spec

It’s probably not news to you, but it was to me: the fastest bird in the world – nay, animal on the planet, is the peregrine falcon, top speed 389kmh. By contrast, a Condor flies at an almost stately 88kmh. Nowhere near the fastest animal, then. Yet surprisingly, when it comes to bikes and one specific descent, there is nothing I have tested thus far that has gone as fast as the Condor Super Acciaio Disc.

I say ‘surprisingly’ because, while I have high hopes for any Condor bike, I do not usually associate steel with top-end speed. And steel is exactly what the Super Acciaio is made from, albeit a fairly special kind, says Condor’s Claire Beaumont.

‘We work closely with Columbus to produce custom-shaped Spirit HSS tubes, rather than building from its standard catalogue,’ she says.

Thus while the steel alloy material is the same for the Super Acciaio as it is for any Columbus Spirit HSS tubed bike, you’ll not see tube profiles quite like these elsewhere.

That fact alone does not a fast bike make, of course, but it is indicative of the level of detail that goes into the Super Acciaio. That is, while Condor does use a third-party contract builder in Italy, it still designs everything itself, from the geometry to the custom-made rear dropouts to the paint.

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Image 1 of 6

On that last note, while the fabrication here is top notch (Condor’s builders are held in high regard within the industry, and rightly so), special mention should go to the paint scheme, which strikes a wonderful balance between classy and punchy, refined but head-turning. I daresay whatever trends are afoot, this bike will age well.

In pure construction terms, though, the top tube is ovalised (wider than it is tall) in a way designed to promote vertical flex but resist twisting, so too the seatstays flattened. Up front is a 44mm head tube and below is an oversized down tube and chunky chainstays.

At a claimed 2.1kg for the frame, Condor hasn’t scrimped on material, but those extra grams seem to have been put to good use. Out of the stalls the Super Acciaio has the feeling of an excited buck rather than a stately mare, and on the climbs the extra weight is mostly unapparent thanks to the front and rear stiffness on offer. Gradients above 10% do highlight the extra weight, but I’ll happily accept that for the way the Acciaio descends.

Confident customer

If the Super Acciaio has one standout strength, it’s handling. At low speeds the bike feels just fine but, like all great descenders, when the road plummets the handling becomes more responsive, the overall feel of roadholding that much more assured. I reckon it’s for this reason that I achieved a PB down one particularly fast and sinuous descent that I take all test bikes on.

On arrival at the descent I normally ease off at the top and dab the brakes here and there, but on the Super Acciaio I felt secure in carrying good speed over the crest and not touching the brakes once on the way down.

It’s not an inherently fast bike, in that it’s not designed to be aero and isn’t super-light, but it’s easy to go fast on this bike because its handling and planted feel inspire confidence to push the limits of speed.

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Image 4 of 6

Of course, a bike is more than its frame, and thoughts need to be spared for the Super Acciaio’s components. The Fizik finishing kit has been around for a while and for good reason – it works, both functionally and ergonomically – while the Ultegra mechanical disc groupset does a fantastic job of the tasks handed it, especially when it comes to dependable, well-modulated braking. So far, so to be expected from these established brands. The Mavic Cosmic wheels were a nice surprise, though.

For a long while Cosmics were a go-to wheel for upper-tier bikes and upgrades, but various brands and industry trends have made the Cosmics look outdated.

Buy now from Condor Cycles

For these latest-generation wheels, though, Mavic seems to have rolled back the years (or finally caught up, depending on how you look at it) to offer wide, blunt-nosed rim profiles and a very competitive-for-a-45mm-deep-wheel 1,490g weight (claimed). 

It did have a little help from its friends, mind, as the Mavic Yksion Pro tyres are made in conjunction with fellow French brand Hutchinson, using its 11Storm compound to deliver a tubeless tyre that rolls fast and feels grippy.

Regardless, the wheelset is a fine choice for the Super Acciaio, mirroring the bike’s steadfast feel and augmenting its speed and acceleration with aerodynamic finesse.

Many wins, few losses

If you can’t tell, I really like the Super Acciaio. It ticks a huge number of boxes, from the most subjective of all – looks – to elements inescapable, such as performance.

We spent most of a grubby winter together and shared some miles that would have been much more soul-searching were it not for the bike. Yet there is room for improvement.

First up, as functional as the Ultegra mechanical groupset is, I just can’t abide the bulbous nature of the hoods. Yes they have to fit in the mechanical gubbins plus the hydraulic fluid reservoir, but stacked up against their Di2 counterparts they look positively gawky and don’t feel nearly as tactile.

This is easily changed – at a cost – because Condor offers the Super Acciaio as a custom build so you can spec the parts you want, and I’d want Ultegra Di2 instead, or if I was set on mechanical, a Campagnolo Chorus or Record gruppo. Less easily changed, though, are the dropouts.

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Image 2 of 6

I’d stop short at calling the Super Acciaio’s dropouts ugly, but they are very functional and, being fairly sizable pieces of solid machined steel, I can’t help but feel they add unnecessary weight and limit comfort.

It’s not that the bike is uncomfortable, it’s just that it could be more comfortable if the entire length of the chainstays was a tube. This could be achieved (and is by a few other brands) by using 3D-printed dropouts (simply welding disc mounts onto a regular steel tube is structurally problematic).

See related 

Steel bikes: Condor Acciaio review

Time machines: modern-vintage bikes ride test

The best road bikes of 2020

Strava introduces new auto-flagging update and the return of chronological ordering

Yet 3D printing isn’t without its own cost, and arguably that could undermine the Super Acciaio’s other great attribute – that for under £2,000 you get a frameset that performs exceptionally well but also oozes the finish and looks of a custom steel bike costing twice as much.

As ever, it’s a trade-off, but at least with the Super Acciaio, what you forgo will feel negligible to what you gain.

Buy now from Condor Cycles

Spec

For decades, Minnesota-based Salsa Cycles has been producing a wide range of mountain bikes, fat bikes, all-road bikes, adventure bikes, bikepacking bikes – call them what you will – in all manner of frame materials.

Its Warbird can even lay claim to being the first dedicated production gravel race bike, released back in 2011 long before anyone decided to give this segment of the market a name, let alone a hashtag.

The fact that performance road bikes have not historically been in its remit perhaps explains why this is the first time we’ve seen a Salsa grace Cyclist, but the company’s latest creation, the Warroad, does more than just dip its toe into tarmac territory.

Salsa’s lead engineer, Pete Hall, sums up the Warroad as ‘road with a side of gravel’. In other words, don’t think super-slick racer, but more an endurance road bike that’s happy to get its tyres dirty.

Product manager Joe Meiser provides a little more insight into the thinking behind the bike. ‘A group of us do this 120+mile ride that we call the “Cannonball Run”, as the route crosses the Cannon River on an old decommissioned road bridge,’ he says.

‘The ride is mostly pavement [tarmac] but takes in some gravel trails, dirt road and singletrack too, often covered with spring ice-melt when we ride it. Needless to say it’s a tough day in the saddle.

See related 

Ribble Endurance SLR Disc review

BMC Roadmachine 02 One review

‘The Warroad was born out of the search for a bike perfect for this mix of conditions, where we wanted the agility and responsiveness of a road bike, so it handles and accelerates as you would expect a road bike to, but is much more capable away from smooth asphalt.’

Even just a few years ago that would have stood the Warroad out as a niche product, but now it is entering a market swamped with bikes banging the same ‘explore beyond the road’ drum.

Yet even among growing competition, the bike stood out from the crowd when I first saw it (not just because of its quirky paintjob) and I was eager to test it. So what makes the Warroad different?

Numbers game

From a geometry standpoint, the bike is somewhat unconventional. It has a noticeably slack head tube angle (71°) that increases the bike’s trail (around 67mm with 700c x 35mm tyres), as well as a fairly large fork offset (51mm) that increases the bike’s front-centre (the distance from BB to front wheel hub). Both these things aim to create a more stable feel for the bike, particularly on rough terrain.

Increasing trail, though, results in less reactive handling, so Salsa has looked to remedy this by speccing a shorter stem (90mm on this size 57.5cm frame), because bringing the bars closer to the steering axis quickens the steering response.

To compensate for the shorter stem, the top tube is, comparatively, a little longer. It’s a practice commonly applied in modern mountain bike designs, and considering the company’s off-road heritage it’s not entirely surprising to see Salsa trending in this direction with the Warroad.

At the rear, 415mm chainstays are about as short as they can be on a disc brake road bike with dual wheel size compatibility, which keeps the back wheel tucked in tight and helps maintain a lively feel during acceleration.

To give all these numbers some context, an equivalently sized Specialized Roubaix – a bike I would put in a similar category to the Warroad – has a 73.5° head angle, 44mm fork offset (trail 58mm) and 417mm chainstays.

So, to return to my original question, what is it makes the Warroad different? One answer is that Salsa has come at this from a different angle to many of its competitors.

Whereas brands such as Trek, Cannondale and Specialized create designs shaped by their experience in the WorldTour, Salsa has none of that road racing DNA and is instead producing a road bike from the perspective of adventure riders more used to the trails of the American Midwest. Of course, what really matters is how all these principles play out.

Fun factor

The Warroad indeed delivers a stable ride, exactly as promised. Its composure was unflappable when tucked in a high-speed road descent, and when I did venture onto trails the front wheel tracked uneven surfaces precisely, standing its ground over loose rocks and debris where other bikes would be more inclined to get flicked off line. This allowed my hands and upper body to be more relaxed more of the time.

On tarmac I noticed myself sometimes running a bit wide on fast, tight corners where I would usually be confident to pedal through and stick to the apex at a reasonable pace.

The handling does feel just that fraction lazier than what I’d expect from a ‘conventional’ road bike, but that’s certainly not because the frame or fork lack stiffness. The Warroad is undoubtedly made of strong stuff in that regard, feeling doggedly unbendable despite my best efforts to generate any discernable flex.

Laterally that’s a plus, helping to transfer power with pleasing efficiency. But it’s also very stiff vertically, something my backside was overtly aware of on longer rides. Despite what Salsa calls its Class 5 Vibration Reduction System – essentially a set of skinny, bowed seatstays – the sensation I got was a lot harsher than I was expecting. Those stays don’t seem to flex anywhere near as much as they look like they should.

I would say at least some of the blame for this must go to the alloy seatpost, which despite being a relatively skinny 27.2mm feels unsympathetically rigid in how it transfers road shocks.

A switch to a carbon post proved the ride feel could be softened by a noticeable amount. As did a change of wheels, to 650b and 47mm tyres. Which brings me neatly on to the spec.

While Salsa’s own-brand components are high quality, as are the WTB alloy tubeless wheels, and of course I have zero complaints about Shimano’s Ultegra mechanical grouspet, I can’t help but feel the Warroad (in this test guise) is not being given the best opportunity to truly shine.

The frame definitely feels worthy of a higher spec level. Of course, any bike can be made to perform better by swapping in more expensive components, but the Warroad really is crying out to be lavished with some extra bling.

When I took it for a ride bedecked with Zipp 303 (650b) wheels, a Fizik carbon seatpost and a lighter carbon-railed saddle, I came back with a whole heap more love for the bike.

Give it the spec it deserves and the Warroad is right up there among the most fun – and most versatile – bikes I’ve tested.

Spec

Vitus has released details of its new 2020 bikes. Covering everything from full-suspension mountain machines to adventure sledges, there’s also plenty for roadies of all stripes to lust after.

A direct to consumer brand available through Wiggle and Chain Reaction, given their huge combined buying power, all are outrageous value. Sponsoring the Vitus Pro Cycling P/B Brother UK team, the brand is now offering three race-level platforms: the Vitesse Evo, ZX-1 and Auro.

With each spanning a range of price-points, the model sitting atop each comes with a Srem Red eTap AXS groupset.

Below these elite racers sits the brand’s mass-appeal carbon Zenium line, while the perennially well-reviewed aluminium Razor represents Vitus's entry-level offering.

Vitus Vitesse Evo

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Image 2 of 6

The all-rounder in the range, the Vitesse’s UCI-certified disc frame aims to be comfortable enough for longer stages, yet still flickable enough to whip past the competition as the finish line approaches.

A high-end machine, it’s no surprise to see internal cables and bolt-through axles present and correct, the sparkly paint is a definite bonus. Actually, the axles are quite fancy too. Vitus's new Switch design means it’s possible to leave the lever handle attached to one of the wheels or remove it for a slicker and more aerodynamic set-up.

Retailing at £4,999, the top-end model comes hung about with Prime Black Edition 38 carbon tubeless wheels and Zipp Service Course SL finishing kit.

Vitus ZX-1

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Image 3 of 6

Introduced in 1991 the ZX-1 was one of the earliest monocoque carbon fibre bikes. Still Vitus's aero machine, this latest version uses Kamm tail tube profiles, along with a heavily integrated fork and seat post to keep wind-resistance to a minimum.

Using an asymmetric seat and chainstay design coupled with an oversized BB386EVO bottom bracket, it promises maximum power transfer when mashing the pedals.

Again using flat-mount disc brakes, and 12mm axles, the build kit on the top-end model draws on kit favoured by the Vitus Pro Cycling P/B Brother UK team

Vitus Auro

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Image 4 of 6

No team can function at the highest level without a dedicated time-trial bike. The Auro is the bike for dedicated testers or anyone needing to take on a race against the clock. Built around a T700 Hi-Mod UD carbon frameset, both its cabling and carbon stem are integrated for maximum slipperiness.

The only model used by the team to eschew disc brakes, it instead employs direct-mount callipers, with the rear brake sitting under the chainstays.

Vitus Zenium

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Image 5 of 6

A top-value carbon racing platform designed with one eye on performance and the other on versatility. With an easy-to-get-on-with compact geometry, its diminutive dropped seatstays aim to keep thing cushy.

The classic looking frame also now smuggles in the room for tyres up to 32mm wide for more comfort or even multi-terrain ability.

All using disc brakes, the range begins at £1,000 for a Tiagra equipped model and climbs to £2,500 for a bike sporting a Shimano Ultegra Di2 11-speed electronic groupset.

Vitus Razor

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Image 6 of 6

Taking the same compact geometry as the Zenium and applying it to an aluminium chassis, the Razor range includes both conventional calliper and disc brake models.

All using a carbon fork, a tapered head tube and tan-wall tyres keep each models’ looks well ahead of their budget price points.

Vitus Road Range 2020: Specs and prices

Vitesse EVO

Vitesse EVO CRX eTap AXS Disc £4999.99
Vitesse EVO Team eTap AXS Disc £3699.99
Vitesse EVO CRS Di2 Disc £3499.99
Vitesse EVO CRS Disc £2499.99
Vitesse EVO CR Disc £1999.99

Vitus ZX-1

ZX1 CRX eTap AXS Disc £5199.99
ZX1 Team eTap AXS Disc £3699.99
ZX-1 CRS Di2 Disc £3499.99
ZX-1 CRS Disc £2899.99
ZX-1 CR Disc £2199.99

Vitus Auro TT

Auro Team eTap AXS TT £3999.99
Auro CRS TT £2999.99

Vitus Zenium Carbon

Zenium Carbon CRS Di2 Disc £2499.99
Zenium Carbon CRS Disc £1899.99
Zenium Carbon CR Disc £1499.99
Zenium Carbon CRW Disc £1499.99
Zenium Carbon Disc £999.99

Vitus Razor

Razor VR Disc £799.99
Razor Disc £699.99
Razor Womens Disc £699.99
Razor £549.99
Razor Womens £549.99

Reviewing the Cannondale Synapse made me realise something: gravel riding is in vogue, isn’t it? Over the last few years, it seems like we’ve all ditched lycra jerseys for cotton t-shirts, saddlebags for frame bags and inner tubes for sealant. It has boomed to such an extent that we here at Cyclist have even launched a magazine dedicated to it.

It has also meant that the discerning bike rider has been shopping around for a bike to go off-road. And while bike brands have been quick to develop gravel bikes, the consumer is yet to fully turn its back on tarmac, instead wanting something capable of performing on-road just as well as off it.

That’s where the Cannondale Synapse Carbon comes in. The American brand’s endurance model that has been subtlely changed year after year to fit the above bill. It has room for 32mm tyres, a comfortable carbon frame and tubeless-ready wheels. There are mounts for guards, a 1-to-1 gear ratio and even a tidy, outdoorsy green paint job.

When I found myself testing the Cannondale Synapse Carbon over the winter, I was confidently veering off the tarmac and onto the byways and gravel paths more often than not.

It made me think that the Synapse is now a gravel bike in all but name but do not be fooled, despite this versatility, it is yet to forget its roots in road.

Comfort and weight

Ultimately, the Synapse is still an endurance road bike, not a gravel bike, and therefore needs to function best on tarmac. Imperative to that is a frame that while light and nippy is fundamentally a solid base of comfort when riding considerable distances.

In the Synapse, Cannondale has designed a frame that does just that.

I recently ticked off my first 100km ride for quite some time. Honestly, I was dreading it, knowing my legs and form were not there. But thanks to the Synapse, the ride turned out to be quite bearable. In fact, ignoring my embarrassing time up Kidd’s Hill, the Synapse made it quite enjoyable.

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Image 6 of 10

Initially, I thought the comfortable feeling I got riding the Synapse was because of a relaxed geometry. Interestingly, the geometry charts for my 54cm frame suggest something on the racier end of the endurance spectrum. Sure, the wheelbase was a little longer than usual but the fork rake suggested nothing too drastic.

Where the comfort likely came from was the design of the frame and the components attached to it.

Cannondale has used BallisTec carbon for its Synapse frame. While I can only offer an opinion, mine was such that this technology offered just the right amount of flexibility-to-stiffness ratio to provide ample riding comfort.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £3,800

Then there’s Cannondale’s SAVE (Synapse Active Vibration Elimination) technology, the manipulation of tube shaping in specific areas with certain carbon layups that ultimately helps to reduce road shock via a micro-suspension system while remaining torsionally rigid. In fact, on group rides, others could even see the bike’s flex, especially in the narrow 25.4mm seatpost, when I wrestled to stay on top of a gear.

Unlike some competitors in the endurance market, aerodynamics seem not to have been high on the agenda during frame design. This is not to say the bike is not fast but it does lack that zip you get in acceleration from a frame that has been designed with aero in mind. Rolling along at 30kmh on the flat is far from a struggle on the Synapse and as for climbing, this bike punches above its weight, literally.

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Image 8 of 10

As a complete bike with pedals, the Synapse tips the scales at 7.2kg, which is impressive considering the alloy wheelset and alloy finishing kit. Even more impressive is that it climbs like a bike that weighs closer to the 6kg mark.

The bike responds with vigour if you begin to stomp on the pedals and ticks along at a fair rate when you're rooted in the saddle. Again, I noticed that the comfort being offered up by the bike made those longer climbs more bearable which ultimately allowed me to push harder and climb faster.

Wheels and tyres

It is not just the makeup of the frame that has produced this comfortable feeling. As previously mentioned, you can fit 32mm tyres on this bike. Off the peg, I was provided with a set of 28mm tyres Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres firmly affixed to a set of alloy Fulcrum Racing 600 DB wheels.

With these wider tyres, I found myself running closer to 80psi, much comfier than the 95psi I ran on a set of Vittoria Rubinos in Cannondale’s lightweight SuperSix Evo race bike albeit probably marginally slower.

I am a big fan of Vittoria’s Rubino tyre and their use on this particular Cannondale Synapse although it came with a slight drawback, they are not tubeless-ready.

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Image 7 of 10

Fulcrum’s Racing 600 DB wheels are, and with tyre clearances up to 32mm, you’d think the Synapse is a bike primed for a wide tyred tubeless setup. Realistically, if I bought this bike, I’d be looking to immediately swap over to a set of wide tubeless tyres, say the Continental GP5000s in a 32mm width.

Firstly, it would be a way of really ensuring that comfort and puncture-protection and secondly, it would only open up the wider possibilities of off-road riding.

Components

A bike is more than its frame and wheels, it's also components and the choice of components for this sub-£4,000 bike, Cannondale has done a stellar job.

The aforementioned Fulcrum wheels are neither the lightest nor most aero but are comfortable, robust and primed for a dabble in gravel riding (like the frame, I guess).

As is the groupset fitted, Shimano Ultegra Di2 Disc. Slightly heavier than Dura-Ace but just as responsive, just as efficient and cheaper to replace in the long run.

The bike also comes with an endurance gear ratio of 50/34 in the front and 11-34 in the back. I never found myself dropping down to that 1-1 gear ratio on tarmac but found it a godsend on steeper, gravel paths and I would likely find it the same if I used this bike for any bikepacking adventures. Just like the hidden mudguard mounts that are hidden in the bike’s seat stays.

Price

At £3,799, to call the Cannondale Synapse Ultegra ‘affordable’ could be considered a misnomer as, after all, that is still an awful lot of money. Yet place it into the market and you realise it prices up better than most rivals.

A similar specced build of the Specialized Roubaix Comp Ultegra Di2 disc will set you back an extra £600 while a Trek Domane with Ultegra Di2 will cost you an extra £1,101, albeit with a set of Bontrager Aeolus carbon tubeless wheels.

So you could consider it competitively priced and if you do not, there’s always the full carbon Shimano 105 build that comes in at £2,199.99.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £3,800

Spec

‘They told me the classics never go out of style…’ Yes, to amply describe the 2020 Genesis Equilibrium Disc, I need to borrow a lyric from 1998’s Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull by Swedish post punk band Refused. This spoken word opening to one of the finest seven minutes of Scandi-hardcore you’re ever likely to hear has been the ear worm to accompany every ride of this bike.

Blending classic endurance geometry with steel frameset construction and lustrous metallic paint finish, the Genesis Equilibrium Disc is endowed with timeless looks and predictable handling. But it’s not a step back in time; it’s more a 21st century take on traditional road bike design, and built with distance in mind.

The Genesis website pitches the Equilibrium Disc as a ‘classic go-to sportive bike’, but my testing has revealed it to be better suited to slightly more sedate outings. 'We would say it is more of an all-rounder, it’s designed to be a comfortable all-day road bike,' offers Genesis brand manager Nick Manning.

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Image 5 of 20

Built to last

Fashioning the steel alloy frame from Reynolds 725 tubing lends the Equilibrium Disc a narrow profile frameset construction guaranteed to draw comments at the cafe (when the time comes to return to group riding). This heat-treated steel alloy - comprised of 0.3% carbon, chromium and molybdenum - also has the advantage of being stronger than alloys such as Reynolds 525, meaning the tube walls can be thinner, bringing the weight down and upping the comfort.

'Steel is what Genesis is known for,' says Manning. 'It’s the right material for the type of bikes we’re making – long-lasting, comfortable all-day bikes on which you go out and have an adventure, knowing the frame beneath you is solid and up to the job.

'The use of Reynolds 725 allows us to build a frame which will soak up the vibrations on a multi-day road tour, be tough enough to handle the week’s commute, and then be competitive on the weekend club rides.'

I’d concur with two of those three intended uses.

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Image 9 of 20

Designed to go the distance

The Genesis Equilibrium Disc combines several elements to create a road bike well suited to long-haul rides and life-affirming sunny Sunday forays into the countryside.

Firstly, the matching of a 73° head angle to a 1003mm wheelbase on our size M test bike contributes to handling that’s more direct than ponderous, with a feeling of stability in corners.

Secondly, the fitment of 30c Donnelly CDG tyres, which obviously don’t need to be run at rock-solid PSI, assists the springy frame in soaking up the many imperfections the nation’s B-roads throw at us. While we’re talking about the rubber, it’s wrapped around unbranded (but Jalco-built) rims with a 17mm inner diameter that will accommodate 32c tyres, should you want to fit something with deeper tread for light off-roading.

Buy now from Cycle Republic for £1,269.99

'The 30c tyre is there to give that little extra comfort and to cope with the rougher side of tarmac riding. The maximum frame clearance is 32c,' confirms Manning.

Oh, yes, thirdly: Shimano 105. Need we say more? Finally, the 420mm diameter Genesis-branded compact drop alloy bars are particularly ergonomically pleasing, with a flat top which amply accommodates the heels of your palms as you while away the hours.

The Genesis Road Comfort saddle lives up to its moniker, although I later fitted a Brooks B17 Classic leather saddle, which trades a little comfort and padding for aesthetic effect.

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Image 10 of 20

Ups are downs

The positive engagement of Shimano 105 compact gearing, across a well spread 11-30 11-speed cassette is a perma-joy, yet a compromise. Shimano Ultegra (if we were to replace the groupset components with Japanese equipment) would not only add some finesse, but also shed some weight. And this is where the Genesis Equilibrium Disc lags behind carbon and alloy bikes in the same price bracket.

For all the charm of the brass ferules on its externally routed cabling, its handsome aftermarket saddle, slender steel tubing and traditional (dare we say ‘retro’?) looks, the Genesis Equilibrium Disc will get left behind on 80% of climbs on that club run.

The losses are mitigated slightly by the slick operation of its gearing, and time can be made up with last-minute braking on the descents – those hydraulic stoppers are easily metered and can be applied with serious force without a lock-up – but grinding 10.42kg of bike up an incline just isn’t as fun as dancing up the same climb out of the saddle, giving your mates ‘the look’ over your shoulder.

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Image 16 of 20

Not the whole story

However, the bike's weight shouldn’t be a reason to walk away from the Genesis Equilibrium Disc. In fact, if you’re prepared to accept the weight penalty, or ride mainly on rolling roads, then you should probably even take a step closer.

Add into the mix the fact that it has all the necessary mounts for luggage and mudguards to turn the bike into something capable of ferrying you with all you’ll need for a long weekend of wild camping or B&Bing, and what we’re really looking at is a bike whose dashing good looks belie its versatility.

It’s a bike that’s built to last, to go the distance, and to perform the most basic – and heartwarming – of a road bike’s duties: to propel you, no matter at what speed, through rural scenes, rewarding your input with a smoothness that cossets and a silhouette that harks back to what many would term ‘the golden era’ of cycling.

It’s ignited a sense of adventure and new-found freedom, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my next purchases are a frame bag and rear rack…

Buy now from Cycle Republic for £1,269.99

Spec

If ever there was a brand that could see into the future, it would surely be Giant. Back when rim brakes were standard across the board, the Defy came out equipped exclusively with disc brakes, and weighed just 7.25kg.

At the time that was mildly mind-blowing, and yet today it looks all too conventional. And while the new Defy doesn’t look any different, rest assured, this is no less a vision of the future than its forebear.

‘Aside from the D-Fuse seatpost, the headset bearings and the rear derailleur hanger, pretty much every part of the bike has changed,’ says David Ward, product manager for Giant UK. Sure enough, while the 2020 Defy cuts a similar silhouette to the previous version, every tube shape is actually slightly different.

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Image 7 of 16

The main difference in design, though, is that the maximum tyre clearance has gone up from 25mm to 35mm – a clearance that just a few years ago would only have been found on cyclocross bikes. The Defy comes off the shelf with 32mm tyres and is equipped with tubeless tyres as standard, which I heartily applaud.

Aside from the alloy dropouts, most of the frame is made from Toray’s T700 carbon. That’s a slight step down from the higher-quality, stiffer T800 fibres Giant uses in the top-tier Advanced SL versions of the Propel and TCR race bikes.

For the Defy, there is no Advanced SL level frame, and the less expensive Advanced tier actually uses an identical frame to this one. That’s encouraging for those looking for a lower spec bike that doesn’t compromise on performance.

Very much on trend with the latest batch of aero bikes, the front end cables are completely concealed. This hasn’t been achieved through clever internal routing of gear cables, though, but because Giant’s top two tiers of the Defy use wireless Sram groupsets.

Buy now from Tredz for £4,799

Lower-spec bikes make do with an external set of gear cables at the front, but for me that’s a smart fix, as it saves on the cost of developing a complex internal cabling system through the stem. Intriguingly, the bike wasn’t tested in the wind-tunnel, so the change is more a nod to aesthetics than it is to pure performance.

It’s odd to think of the rugged Defy putting style ahead of substance, so I was hoping that wouldn’t adversely affect the ride quality.

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Image 6 of 16

A Giant leap for mankind

There were a few niggles as I prepared for my first ride. The frame made a clicking noise when I turned the bars, which turned out to be the front and rear hydraulic brake cables flicking against each other inside the head tube. Easily fixed, but frustrating.

Then there was the seatpost bolt, which sits in the top tube at an angle that leaves it facing the seatpost. Its positioning means certain types of allen key, torque wrench and multitools are not compatible. For a brand with such a wealth of experience in manufacturing, tiny niggles like that are disappointing.

Riding the Defy for the first time, though, I felt as if I was aboard an aero bike on 25mm tyres – so much so I actually measured the tyre widths to confirm they were as wide as stated.

I’ve ridden many road bikes with 30mm+ tyres over the last few months and often feel a slight drag compared to narrower tyres. I’m impressed that Giant has managed to deliver such a racy feel on such a wide tyre, and I put that down to a mix of frame stiffness and the very good Giant-branded Fondo tyres. It’s easy to underestimate just how much difference a good tubeless tyre can make. The bike simply feels fast.

The more time I spent with the Defy, the more impressed I was with the effortless ride quality. With the 32mm tyres at around 70psi, I seemed to almost float over the tarmac. That in turn was reflected in the speed of the bike.

I felt confident to ride through minor potholes and road scarring, which allowed me to relax and focus on putting down watts – I often found myself drifting off the front of my riding group, while the responsiveness of the frame had me sprinting up inclines.

Giant has given real thought to how the wider tyre clearance affects geometry. To counter the extra height from the tyres, Giant has lowered the BB by 5mm from the previous generation.

The head tube has also been lowered, which makes the bike appear less tall, even though the stack and reach are actually identical to the last Defy. The result is geometry that’s tall at the front yet aggressive enough to deliver a quick turn of speed. My ride stats backed that up, too.

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Image 4 of 16

On a still winter’s day I posted one of my fastest times ever up a local 300m climb. That surprised me given the bike’s relatively portly 8.2kg weight. On a descent on the same ride, meanwhile, I hit one of my highest speeds. Perhaps because of the wider tyres, the sense of control and simply being planted to the ground was almost surreal.

With that in mind, I had no fear taking the Defy off-road either, and given more time with the bike I’d like to experiment with different tyre widths, extending to 35mm or even trying to squeeze in 38mm tyres to take on really testing terrain.

The Defy seemed capable of anything. Indeed, after a month of riding it, the only criticism I could muster was that it wasn’t quite as exciting as some of the competition among endurance racers.

The Specialized Roubaix or Trek Domane seem to capture a little more pro cycling glamour, and perhaps feel a little racier, too. That said, if I rode all three on the same segment I wouldn’t be surprised if the Defy proved just as fast, despite being easier on the wallet.

In this guise, with Sram Force AXS, the Defy is £2,000 cheaper than a Trek Domane with the equivalent spec. The same value runs through the range right down to the entry-level Defy, which shows the benefits Giant attains by making almost every component itself.

Giant may not be a brand that makes riders go misty-eyed with romance or sweaty-palmed with excitement, but there’s no denying that the latest Defy is simply a very good bike indeed.

Buy now from Tredz for £4,799

Spec

Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 2018 review

The Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 review is a light and fast endurance bike that has more than enough zip

Matthew Page | December 2018

Pros: Light, stiff, tubeless-ready wheels • Balanced and neutral handling • Decent own-brand finishing kit  
Cons: Limited tyre clearance • Limited compatibility of proprietary parts • No mudguards  
Rating: 4.4  
Price: £2,999  

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Image 8 of 16

The Defy has been in the Giant range for several years and continues to be one of the most popular bikes on sale today, evolving in line with technological advances.

The Advanced Pro 1 model is fitted with the Ultegra R8000 mechanical groupset, shifting very smoothly and offering a noticeable improvement over 105 – especially on long rides where tired hands will appreciate its slick, light shifting action, while the 50/34 compact chainset and 11-34 cassette will get you over even the steepest hills.

Buy the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 now from Tredz

One of the big changes for 2018 is that the Defy Advanced Pro range comes set-up with tubeless wheels and tyres.

At first look, the 25mm tyres seem narrow against the competition but we were impressed by how comfortable they were which is just as well, as limited clearance means you’d struggle to fit anything wider than 28mm.

The frame design with slim seat stays and a 27.2mm seatpost also provides comfort benefits and combined with chunky bar tape, mean the contact points are well thought-out.

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Image 12 of 16

Geometry is designed to be comfortable for longer rides with a fairly upright position. Riders looking for a more aggressive, lower position might find Giant’s TCR a more suitable bike.

The Defy is still a fast machine, and riding downhill is impressive, its confidence-inspiring geometry providing a good balance between stability and speed when changing direction.

While the components are mostly in-house Giant branded items, we didn’t find anything to complain about with the handlebar shape, in particular, being comfortable, especially the bulge on the tops for easier grip.

The Giant own-brand carbon wheels were impressive, with excellent stiffness when sprinting and feeling light on the climbs.

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Image 13 of 16

The fairly shallow rim depth makes them great in all weather, even the windiest of days.

The lack of mudguard mounts is a shame as it could turn the Defy into a true year-round bike although it’s something the lower-spec Advanced frame models do offer.

Ratings

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

Verdict: The Defy is a popular bike for good reason. It offers outstanding comfort, especially with the tubeless tyres fitted, and geometry that feels stable at speed. It might not have the highest spec on paper, but components are well chosen to suit the excellent frame, adding up to a superb all-round package.

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Image 11 of 16

Spec

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Here’s something I wrote in a bike review back in issue 25 of Cyclist, August 2014: ‘The Storck Aernario Disc is arguably one of the most advanced road bikes on the planet. Yes, many other bikes now spec electronic drivetrains, 22 gears and internal routing, but what Storck has added to the mix is hydraulic disc brakes and thru-axles.’

At the time, the mere mention of disc brakes was enough to cause coffee cups to smash on kitchen floors all around the country. It was a moment of seismic change in the industry. But now that I re-read that paragraph, I start to ponder the question so often raised by riders: has much really changed in the past five years? Are we as cyclists getting value for our time and our money?

For a bike model that has been around since 2007 there have been relatively few iterations of the Scott Addict, with the last major overhaul coming in 2013 (albeit a disc update did appear in 2016). That 2013 Addict – specifically the SL version – arrived to great fanfare because of its credentials with respect to one of cycling’s oldest metrics: weight.

Back then weight was fertile ground to exploit and Cervélo was leading the arms race with its Rca – 667g for the frame, or 974g for the frameset. Yet the frameset cost £6,500 and wasn’t exactly available at Halfords, each being built to order in California.

The Addict SL, by contrast, was widely available to test at your local bike shop, the frameset tipping the scales at a claimed 985g for a size 54cm and a complete bike weighing 5.9kg and costing only £6,999. For 2020 the Addict duly follows suit, creeping in a touch above 7kg on the Cyclist scales for this size 56cm.

That’s very light for a disc bike, although not the lightest – a top-tier BMC Teammachine or S-Works Tarmac, for example, weighs 6.9kg in the same size.

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Image 2 of 7

However, Scott boasts that the Addict RC is the lightest fully integrated disc bike on the market, which aside from the Wilier Zero SLR – same weight, same integration – it could well be (the BMC and Tarmac have a few cables on show). And regardless of what the pecking order may be, the Addict feels wondrously light to ride.

It dances up climbs and excels coming back down too. There’s nothing not to like about the braking of the Sram Red eTap AXS discs and the way the Zipp wheels and Schwalbe tyres cope with the braking forces.

Then there’s the frame, which hits all the right notes in stiffness, cornering flex and handling. On that subject, says Scott, the geometry has been designed around 28mm tyres – engineers addressing the fact that even small differences in tyre widths change things such as wheelbase and trail, which have a big impact on handling.

That’s laudable attention to detail, which is found throughout the bike. The dropouts are hollow, which allows one-piece moulding with chainstays and seatstays, such that the frame is now made in three parts, not six.

Fewer joins means less weight, as less material overlaps, but to compensate for the compression forces of the thru axles, alloy inserts are bonded into the dropouts, which are anodised a fetching red. More lovely detail.

Elsewhere, the curved nature of the stem/bar intersection helps fibres run continuously across left and right sides of the bar, making for a stiffer and lighter cockpit – the Syncros setup weighs a claimed 295g – but also aids cable routing. Cables are accessed via a magnetic stem cap and run into the frame thanks to a near D-shaped head tube.

I doubt whether the average user will ever need to care about continuous fibres or easy cable routing, but this last point is important, as the head tube shape means a round steerer is used with oversize bearings and there’s still enough room to run hoses/cables.

In the past other manufacturers have done things like chamfer or slim fork steerers to make room for cables, which leads to undue flex, but no such thing afflicts the Addict. The front end is staunchly capable in the sprints and yet there’s some comfortable give in the bar thanks to its aero-flattened shape. The same can be said of flex in the seatpost and rear end. This is a very comfortable bike.

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Image 6 of 7

Let’s get real

The list of tweaks goes on: the seat clamp is external and weighs a mere 12g; the stem height can be changed without messing with cables as the spacers come apart; there’s a magnetic cap over the bolts for the fork calliper to smooth airflow, and the bolts are arranged so no alloy hardware is needed to support the mounting points.

Again lighter, again ingenious, and it all helps the Addict look supremely clean. But I come back to that original point that crops up more and more in my mind these days, and one I’m sorry to leave at the Addict’s door, but… this bike costs £10,799. That’s £3,800 more than its predecessor from five years ago, and a full kilo heavier.

Yes, this latest Addict gets discs and full integration, but back where we started, that Storck from 2014 had a lot of that too, and cost £7,999.

In pure engineering terms the Scott Addict is quite amazing. I salute its designers, it is cutting edge and in riding terms it’s all but faultless. Thus, all said, I would love to have the Addict as my best bike. But – and this is a huge ‘but’ that the industry really needs to address – would I be happy paying nearly £11,000 for the privilege?

I’ve praised expensive bikes before but in the main forgone the price criticism, because these bikes are custom and they exist in a world that defies being value-assessed in the same way.

You’re getting the only one that exists, and can you put a price on that? And if you can, you go stock, which should de facto be less pricy due to ubiquity, mass production and economies of scale.

But when a stock bike costs £10,799, even if it’s up there with the very, very best? You have to begin to wonder…

Spec

The ever-popular Genesis Croix de Fer is an enduring fixture within Genesis's range of steel bikes. A gravel bike before gravel was a ‘thing’, it’s long been pitched somewhere between a fast tourer and mud-plugging cyclocross rig.

At the same time, its mudguard clearance, unswerving manners and durable frame have made it a hit with commuters too. 

Ultra-adaptable, in using plain 9mm dropouts, all-treaded everything, plus multiple bottle and rack mounts, its Reynolds steel chassis goes light on jazzy gubbins and big on practicality.

Designed in the UK, it’s a machine that’s nevertheless been tweaked and polished over the years to keep it up to date with the prevailing trends. But has it improved with age?

Frame

Good quality Reynolds 725 steel tubing with traditional round profiles lend the Croix de Fer a clean and unfussy appearance.

However, the low slung chassis, featuring a stubby seat tube and longish top tube are modern, providing plenty of space to move about and make handling when loaded down with luggage an unharassed affair.

As you’d expect from a dedicated touring rig there are mounts for pinning on just about any extras you might imagine.

The available clearance means mudguards fit easily and while it’s not quite as generous as on some models it’s still possible to boost the volume of the tyres up to around 40c for serious off-road missions.

Both the frame and its matching steel fork do a stellar job of creating a sense of stability.

Groupset

Complete 105 hydraulic 11-speed with no deviations, except for the KMC brand chain, scores nearly full marks.

We’re taking one off because of the slightly more basic rotors and brake pads compared to what’s bolted to the rival Specialized Sequoia Elite and Fairlight Faran.

A standard road-going compact 50/34t chainset paired to a wide 11-32 cassette provides the ratios.

The result is a range of gears that are near-perfect on-road but with an easier enough low gear as to allow you to stay onboard for all but the most brutal off-road climbs.

Our one grumble is that – as with all the Shimano-equipped bikes on test – the mechanically excellent levers aren’t the prettiest additions to the bike. 

Finishing kit

Genesis takes care of the entire finishing kit. We’re particularly taken with the neutrally shaped and densely, but not overly, padded saddle.

It sits atop a twin-bolt seatpost for enhanced security and easy adjustment.

The flared bars feature easily reachable and generously proportioned drops. These help the rider achieve a wide stance for muscling the bike around and make covering the brakes for long periods comfortable, managing enough flex to stop your hands getting too numb.

Wheels

Clement’s X’Plor USH 35c tyres are both trendy and functional – great for everything from commuting to adventure touring.

They’re not much cop in the mud though, so you’ll want to swap them if you fancy having a go at cyclocross-style riding. The rims are decent quality and while no one buys a bike on the strength of the quick-releases, Shimano’s are among the best. 

The ride

It’s evident that the Genesis isn’t the lightest of bikes, but neither is it grossly overweight.

From prior experience we know the complete 105 groupset isn’t likely to throw up any surprises and its presence helps us instantly feel at home.

In fact, all the parts on the Genesis suggest a workmanlike nature, and it’s always pleasing to see a Reynolds sticker on a steel bike, especially when it denotes their 725 tubeset.

The Genesis is the epitome of practicality, but also a little boring. Its handling is slow but reassuring, while its sizeable wheelbase keeps it planted even when laden.

The front end isn’t particularly high, as on some touring bikes, meaning the rider will find themselves in an efficient position to put down some power if they see fit, although simultaneously it won’t punish users with middling flexibility.

The frame is neither too spry nor unforgivingly harsh. Ride it unloaded and it rolls along in an unhurried manner, while the quality of the components suggest it’ll do so almost indefinitely. It’s an easy bike to forget about.

The gearing will be familiar to anyone used to riding a modern road bike; the presence of a 32t sprocket provides a get-out clause for really brutal climbs but still leaves the range a bit tall for hauling your touring gear over real mountains. 

Not particularly light but not outrageously heavy, the Genesis’ weight is evenly distributed between frame and fork, wheels and tyres.

Consequently, it takes a little while to wind up to speed. Thankfully, a lack of movement across the frame means thrashing the pedals provides a direct response although there’s still a fair amount of bike to get moving.

Once there, though, it fairly tanks along, thanks in part to the large but slick-centered 35c Clement X’plor tyres. With a bit of pressure let out they team up well with the natural give in the steel frame to give an unruffled ride.

Having ridden the bike with narrower tyres, we can attest that swapping them in will help improve speed on-road, although obviously at the expense of capability on the trails you might be inclined to explore on this bike.

Ratings

Frame: Unfussy steel frame with space for you to move - 8/10 
Components: Quality 11-speeder, great for both on- and off-road - 9/10 
Wheels: Really versatile except for riding in the mud - 7/10 
The ride: Rolls along unhurriedly but can get up some steam - 8/10 

Verdict: Once the Croix de Fer gets moving, it tanks along and feels like it could go on forever

Geometry

Spec

During my tests with the 3T Strada Due, I couldn’t help thinking about the homeware company Alessi. It isn’t quite as random a leap as it first seems – both are iconic Italian companies and both have classic designs that have become synonymous with the brand.

Alessi has its Juicy Salif lemon squeezer and 9093 Whistling Bird kettle; 3T has its Record 78 stem and, most recently, its Strada frameset. When it comes to product practicality, however, the brands couldn’t be more different.

Alessi’s Juicy Salif juicer, resembling as it does a Martian machine from The War Of The Worlds, is so ungainly it is virtually impossible to store in a kitchen cupboard. And, speaking from bitter personal experience, the kettle takes an eternity to boil water.

Compare that with 3T’s Record 78 stem, a design that transformed the performance and maintenance of road bikes in the late 1970s.

Or compare it to the same company’s Strada Due, a bike that incorporates a number of forward-thinking features that in my experience make it one of the easiest aero race bikes on the market to live with and ride day to day. Plus it’s fast enough that I might just have made up the time I lost waiting for that kettle to boil.

The Strada Due is a 2x version of the original Strada, meaning it has provision on the seat tube to mount a front derailleur so the bike can be run with conventional gearing.

The first Strada made such a splash when it was released in 2017 partly because it was designed to only take 1x gearing, with no provision for a front derailleur.

That won the bike many fans – a 1x setup can be lighter, less fussy and is potentially more aerodynamic – but it was less favourably received by the now-defunct Aqua Blue Sport squad, who used the bike throughout their ill-fated 2018 season. The riders complained of mechanical issues and insufficient gearing options.

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Image 3 of 7

Cart before the horse

Following the release of the Strada Due, cynics claimed that 3T was reneging on its bold initial move, but Gerard Vroomen, head of design at 3T and the brains behind both bikes, insists this wasn’t the case.

‘The Strada Due was always in development from the start,’ he says. ‘We released the 1x version first because it was ready sooner and knew it would cause the bigger stir. In hindsight it may have been a case of “cart before the horse” because 1x groupsets weren’t really ready then.’

According to Vroomen, the thinking behind both bikes was to offer a fast ride but with a comfort level appropriate for the people who ride them and the places in which they ride.

‘Normal people don’t sit in the saddle for 30 hours a week,’ he says. ‘Our roads don’t get paved just because we are riding through, like they do for the Tour. They’re dirty and rough. The most efficient way to achieve more comfort is to bump up tyre size, which is why we design around 28-30mm tyres.’

The next factor was aerodynamics. ‘Whether we are racing or not, everyone still wants to go as fast as they can. But we make the bike aero after we put big tyres on.’

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According to Vroomen, the issue with most aero bikes is that their aerodynamic efficiency is designed around 23mm tyres. Then people swap to 28mm tyres to improve comfort, which completely undermines the aero design. Vroomen says doing it the other way around makes the Strada bikes’ aerodynamics more relevant to the real world.

‘The optional third step was to further clean up the aerodynamic profile by removing the front derailleur,’ says Vroomen. ‘But for the drivetrain manufacturers who weren’t ready for that yet, and for riders who weren’t ready yet, it also made sense to produce this 2x version.’

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The same, but different

The Strada Due is similar in design to the Strada. Outwardly the tube shapes are the same, with only the internal carbon layup of the seat tube altered, in that it has been beefed up to allow for the front derailleur mount. Vroomen says that the riding experience hasn’t been affected, though.

I would agree. The Strada Due is as solid as its 1x predecessor, accelerating rapidly when I pushed hard on the pedals. Yet it didn’t feel at all rigid when it came to comfort, thanks to the 30mm tubeless Vittoria Corsa Control tyres.

On test rides I’d often look down at my computer and be surprised at the speed I was going because the wide tyres were just better at smoothing out broken road surfaces.

The bike also handled beautifully, managing to balance that tricky act of being reactive at low speeds before mellowing out at high speed.

Despite its aerodynamic credentials, the Strada Due’s cockpit makes no attempt to hide away the cables – something that’s becoming standard on top-tier bikes.

This may seem like an oversight, but personally I prefer this setup, as it makes the bike simple to work on and adjust, plus I’m inclined to believe Vroomen’s sentiment that swollen head tubes designed to hide cables might not be nearly as aero as brands would have you think.

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Shifting business

So what is the penalty of 2x gearing on the Strada Due? Vroomen estimates around 300g in terms of weight and 7 watts of drag at 32kmh. That isn’t insignificant – the Strada Due’s 7.78kg weight could be said to be a little chunky for a premium aero road bike nowadays.

The real question, though, is whether the extra weight is offset by the additional gear options. That rather depends on your point of view.

For some, 1x offers all the gear ratios they could ever want; others will demand the wider potential range and the smaller gear steps provided by 2x. I’m inclined to believe that trying to weigh 1x and 2x against each other is actually missing the point.

The bottom line is that one of the most exciting and innovative bikes in the last couple of years is available to everyone, no matter what drivetrain the rider wants to run. And it performs just as well in either guise.

Buy now from Evans Cycles

Spec

The Giant TCR has always been a bike to blaze its own trail, whether that be in 2020 or when it first launched 25 years ago.

When, in 1995, Taiwanese bike brand Giant brought in radical British engineer Mike Burrows to work on a new bike, he came up with TCR - which stands for ‘Total Compact Road’.
With its sloping top tube and tighter rear triangle, it broke free of the traditional frame geometries of the time, bringing with it a better stiffness-to-weight ratio and more efficient production methods.

A change so radical that the UCI had to allow one of its biggest ever concessions on frame designs in order for Spanish team ONCE to use the bike for the 1998 season.

Placed in a lineup with every other race bike, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Fast forward two and a half decades and the TCR still sticks out.

In this modern world of carbon fibre, all-rounder race bikes, the current vogue has been for the seatstays to drop down the seatpost for increased comfort while retaining stiffness, tyre widths to increase and disc brakes to become the norm.

And while Giant has subscribed to two of these latest trends, it continues to stick out from the crowd in terms of frame shape, this time with its persistence in remaining loyal to the ‘Total Compact Road’ sloped top tube geometry. In doing so this bike, that’s celebrating 25 years in the game, is still performing at the top of its class.

Comfortable and lightweight

As Giant product manager David Ward points out, ‘if the top tube on the TCR was horizontal, our stays would be effectively dropped’ for better compliance. So while the TCR’s frame geometry does not match up to other all-rounder bikes on the market, it is still benefiting from these developments in rider comfort.

‘Draw an imaginary line from the middle of the headset down to the rear axle, everything below that line is about power transfer and stiffness while everything above is about compliance,’ explains Ward.

‘The top tube is designed for vertical compliance with the seat tube, post and stays all working towards comfort and compliance.’

Giant has attempted to strike a perfect balance between compliance and performance here.

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By building compliance into the entire back half of this bike, the rider’s comfort is provided by more than just one design cue, say a flexed seatpost or dropped stays. The smaller triangles and longer seatpost work in tandem to offer compliance and the results are a smooth ride in which I felt completely in control of the bike regardless of road surface, which led to an ability to ride further and harder.

Buy now from Tredz for £4,599

And while a different layup process means the TCR Advanced is slightly heavier and less stiff than the top-end SL frameset (there’s about 35g in it), the TCR Advanced’s compact frame of smaller triangles and less material has ensured this is a supremely stiff racing frameset that still only weighs 7.7kg (without pedals), which is pretty light for an Ultegra-specced model, too.

I’ve even managed to notch some PBs on a couple of local climbs, despite it being winter, and I’m convinced it is due to the frame’s ability to remain efficient with your watts when emptying the tank, while containing that sway all lightweight bikes have when pushing out of the saddle.

Speed

I was also incredibly impressed by the speed of the TCR Advanced Pro, especially considering the current frameset has done little in the way of aerodynamic optimisation.

There are slight aero cues, such as the Variant seatpost, but the main advantages come through Giant’s own SLR-1 carbon wheels. In 2019, Giant decided to jump from 30mm wheels to 42mm wheels on its TCR Pro Advanced models and I could certainly see this paying off as the bike held its speed with ease. And weighing 1,500 grams for the set, there’s not too much contribution to the bike’s overall weight, either.

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Giant has been also active in moving towards tubeless wheel systems. All Giant bikes above £2,000 - this one included - come out of the box setup tubeless. While not all riders have yet been converted, I am and I was personally grateful to be able to run lower pressures on the specced 25mm Cadex race tyres without the risk of pinch punctures straight from the off.

It even gave me the confidence to take this TCR on a few local gravel routes. Now the TCR is not the first bike that springs to mind when you think of shredding off-road, but the combination of the bike’s supreme comfort and the use of tubeless tyres meant that strangely it worked.

Price and spec

On the face of it, £4,599 does seem like a substantial outlay. You could fit a two-bed flat with LVT flooring for that kind of money (I know because I just did). But like the decision to upgrade to that permeable vinyl flooring, spending just over four grand on this Giant TCR Pro Advanced 1 is quite a sound investment. That’s because of the spec you get for your money.

The bike is fitted with a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, Giant’s own tubeless SLR-1 carbon wheels and Giant’s own dual-sided Power Pro crankset power meter.

Buy now from Tredz for £4,599

Line that up against your equivalent-specced Cannondale SuperSix Evo with an integrated power meter and one-piece cockpit and the Giant saves you around £2,000. The Giant is also around £550 cheaper than the power meter-less Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert.

And while you can get the Trek Emonda SL 7 disc at £4,200 and the Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc Ultegra at £3,749, neither comes equipped with a power meter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve ridden all of the above bikes in some form and all lead the way in all-rounder race bikes, but it just feels that the Giant TCR Pro Advanced 1offers the best value for money at this price range.

In the same range, Giant offers the TCR Advanced Pro Disc in a similar spec albeit with 12-speed Sram Force AXS for £5,299.

Geometry

Spec

Look through Trek’s extensive range of road bikes and the Trek Emonda ALR 5 comes up amongst the Wisconsin brand’s lightweight bikes. That’s not really a claim justified by the bike’s almost 9kg weight, but the Trek Emonda ALR 5 is nevertheless a competent performer in its price bracket.

Trek’s alphabet soup of road-going models started off with the race-orientated Madone - named after the favourite col on the south coast of France used to test his mettle by one Lance Armstrong. That was followed up by the Domane, aimed at endurance riders, then through yet another shuffling of the letters by the lightweight Emonda series.

For those with deep pockets, a top-end carbon Emonda SLR has a claimed weight of 6.7kg; there’s a mid-range carbon Emonda SL, before you reach the alloy Emonda ALR range. Trek is moving increasingly to disc braking and although you can still buy an Emonda with rim brakes, the ALR 5 comes with discs and tops off the alloy range.

There’s actually not a lot of difference between the frame weight of the Emonda ALR and that of the carbon SL, Trek quoting a similar figure for the weight of the complete bike for the comparably specced £2000 carbon Emonda SL 5 Disc.

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Ride comfort foremost

Trek’s Invisible Weld Technology gives an impressive finish to its alloy frames, with smooth tube junctions; at first glance the Emonda ALR 5 could easily be mistaken for carbon. It’s an attractive curvy shape too, with shaped tube profiles. The sloping top tube puts plenty of the carbon seatpost on show, for extra ride comfort. The fork really is carbon and is shared with the Emonda SL carbon bikes.

Other nice features include the thru-axles with a single, removable lever between them, for a more streamlined look. For extra ride data, the left side chainstay is designed to fit Trek’s DuoTrap Bluetooth/ANT+ speed and cadence sensor. The Blendr-compatible stem faceplate lets you bolt an array of Bontrager branded computer, light and action cam mounts to your front end.

Buy the Trek Emonda ALR 5 Disc now from Trek Bikes 

Cables run internally through the down tube, but externally under the bottom bracket and to the mechs. That makes them a bit more susceptible to muck than a fully enclosed run and I found I had to lube them regularly for shifting to stay precise.

There are two colour options for the Trek Emonda ALR 5. The test bike’s fade-to-black grey paint adds to the frame’s smart look, or there’s a metallic purple that looks even more fly.

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Unlike the Madone and the Domane, no Emonda gets Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler, which adds a linkage between the seat-tube and the top tube, rather than having a rigid junction, for more compliance (the endurance-badged Domane adds Front IsoSpeed to this for greater front end compliance too).

Whereas the Domane has mudguard fixtures, you can’t bolt mudguards to the Emonda frameset. But nevertheless the Emonda ALR 5 is not lacking in the comfort department.

It’s the wide tyres that really promote the Emonda ALR 5’s ride smoothing abilities. Nominally 25mm, the wire-bead Bontrager Hard Case Lite tyres are actually around 28mm wide on Bontrager’s wide alloy rims. As usual, the extra air volume allows you to run lower pressures, so that the Emonda ALR 5 really soaks up bumps and buzz.

The lowered pressure increases the contact patch size for extra grip too. At the front end, the bars are wrapped with soft Bontrager bar tape, again cushioning you from the road.

The wheels contribute quite a bit of the Emonda’s heft - their weight is around 2kg for the pair. On the plus side, with sealed hub bearings they should be robust and durable. They’re tubeless-compatible, although you’d need to change to tubeless tyres and buy a tubeless kit to run them tubeless. A tubeless set-up should add even more comfort to the ride and there’s clearance for 28mm tyres too.

Buy the Trek Emonda ALR 5 Disc now from Trek Bikes 

Trek has two different geometries for its road bike range: the more aggressive H1 is long and low and saved for its top-end racing machines, while the H2 is more upright and used on the bulk of its lower priced machines, including the Emonda ALR. As well as quite a short reach and high stack, paired with a shortish 90mm stem on the size 54 bike tested, the Trek Emonda ALR comes with 3cm of spacers under the stem.

This all leads to quite a relaxed ride feel and the rider’s weight is distributed to Bontrager’s comfortable Montrose Comp saddle. I was catching more of the wind than I’d have liked though, slowing progress a little. On the plus side, it’s easy to ride in the drops for extended periods for faster riding and more controlled descents.

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Quality components

The Trek Emonda ALR 5 is equipped with a Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brake groupset, including a 105 50/34 compact chainset. Crank length increases from 170mm to 172.5mm, then 175mm as you work up the nine frame sizes available, from 47cm up to 64cm. There’s also an increase in stem length and bar width.

The Emonda ALR is a bike that should fit riders with a wide range of physical builds and that would work particularly well for the taller rider, although Trek does show a weight limit for the bike, rider and any kit carried of 125kg.

Handling is confidence-inspiring, with plenty of grip, good tracking and the reassurance of disc brakes when you do need to slow down.

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The Shimano 105 disc brakes give you great control and modulation in a range of conditions. The levers are a bit more chunky than those for rim brakes, to accommodate all the hydraulic gubbins. That’s not something I’ve ever found awkward though; they’re still easy to use and the extra surface area helps to smooth out the road.

The 11-28 cassette and the chain are both Shimano 105 too for a full in-series spec, which is nice to see. The bike’s weight means that the Emonda ALR 5 will never fly up the hills. But you’re unlikely to find that you’re straining too much in the lowest gear, even on steeper pitches. The rear mech will cope with a cassette with a 30-tooth largest sprocket if you want it.

Summary

Summing up, the Trek Emonda ALR 5 is a well thought out machine and gives a comfortable ride in UK conditions. It would be a good option for the sportive or club rider, who’s more interested in staying the distance than riding hard and who doesn’t mind too much having to pull the extra weight up hills or spending money on a lighter set of best wheels.

Spec

The Pinarello Dogma K10S might not be the bike you were expecting. We may as well clear that up first. The story starts back in 2015 when Pinarello unveiled the Dogma K8S, a road bike with a suspension unit at the rear that was designed to take on the savagery of the cobbled Classics.

Two years later the K10S was unveiled to much fanfare. It boasted an electronic version of the suspension unit, called eDSS, which used accelerometers and gyroscopes to control the behaviour of the suspension, adapting it to changes in terrain.

Now we have the K10S Disk (their spelling, not ours), which comes with disc brakes and is presented in Pinarello’s marketing blurb as having the eDSS as standard.

However, the bike we have here is the K10S Disk without the electronic suspension system. It does have a suspension unit, but it’s the non-electronic DSS 1.0 version (as seen on the K8S). What’s going on? It’s hard to tell.

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Image 4 of 8

If you look online for a K10S Disk, it will almost certainly have a picture of the bike complete with the eDSS, and a pricetag of £5,000 for a frameset. But that price is actually for the non-electronic suspension version, as shown here. Apparently the K10S Disk is available with the eDDS unit, but for £6,700 (frameset) and with a 90-day wait.

However, we couldn’t find anywhere that had one in the flesh, and Pinarello wasn’t willing to divulge how – or even if – we could get hold of one.

Moving on

Let’s return to the K10S Disk we have here. It may not have an electronic ‘smart’ suspension system, but the original DSS 1.0 unit is still a fairly decent – and simple – solution for comfort.

The unit at the top of the seatstays contains a polymer that compresses under load, and it can be altered to increase or decrease the level of compression.

It was created for then-Team Sky’s Classics riders, although in the event most of them preferred to use the version of the bike with no suspension at all, the K10. Most likely, they disliked any sacrifice in stiffness that the junction could have created.

With that in mind, it’s interesting to see that the rear triangle on the new K10S Disk has been beefed up, with much wider, flattened chainstays. It also shares the F10’s chunkier aerodynamic tube shapes. However, the most stark departure is the addition of disc brakes.

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Image 6 of 8

Much like the Dogma F10 Disk (Pinarello’s top-end race bike), the new braking system has been well integrated into the frame design. Crucially, the front fork and rear stays have not been overbuilt, despite no doubt needing extra strength to tolerate the disc brake callipers.

The whole assembly looks discreet and understated, with the aerodynamic ‘fork flaps’ going some way towards covering up the front wheel disc rotor.

In terms of geometry, the K10S frame has more fork rake than the F10, longer 415mm chainstays and a slacker head tube angle. This makes for a longer wheelbase and so more stable behaviour on rough terrain or descents.

Suspension of disbelief

In the time I spent riding the K10S Disk, I kept a close eye on the rubber O-ring  that measures travel on the DSS1.0. Most of the time it moved within a range of around 3mm during a ride, and over really tough terrain around 6mm or 7mm.

That isn’t actually a huge amount of travel, and I would describe it as taking the edge off a super-stiff aero bike such as the F10 rather than transforming the ride. It’s more like a dash of soda in your whisky than it is a full-on cocktail. It does deserve praise, though.

Pinarello’s system isn’t meant to turn a race bike into an easychair. It aims to diminish harshness while retaining road feel, and it does so very well. The bike remains stiff from front to rear, and if I were blindfolded I would have a tough time telling it apart from the F10 (granted, I’d also crash quite a lot). The K10S Disk really is a blazingly quick bike.

While perhaps the minor weight and geometry differences between this bike and the F10 Disk give the latter the edge when it comes to sharp handling and steep climbs, the K10S Disk is still very much a race bike and not a Sunday cruiser.

The K10S also feels a little more stable than the F10, which can sometimes be a tad skittish over rough surfaces. It tracked the road with more certainty, as if glued to the tarmac.

Perhaps that’s down to the rear shock unit; perhaps it’s due to the longer chainstays. Whatever the reason, it works. Overall, the sensation of riding the K10S Disk is an almost perfect marriage between sharp and smooth. It seems to coast over cobbles and rough roads, yet rumbles just enough to remind me of the road terrain and give a sense of speed.

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Image 7 of 8

Like most top-end Pinarellos, the ride quality is what sets it apart from many competitors – it almost feels reverse engineered from the instincts of a WorldTour racer. However, as much as I love the ride, I feel the real merit of the K10S Disk over the standard K10 is the use of disc brakes rather than the suspension.

Clever as the latter may be, I feel I could achieve the same improvements in comfort simply by adjusting tyre width and pressure. Certainly the DSS 1.0 doesn’t offer the game-changing level of comfort that, for example, Trek has managed with the Madone’s IsoSpeed decoupler.

Another issue I have with the Dogma K10S Disk is the price. To some extent, price is irrelevant for a dream bike like this, but even if you’re happy with paying £5,000 for the frameset, I’m slightly at a loss as to how the overall price hits £10,500.

I reckon I could put this bike together for a little over £8,500, buying the frame and sourcing the same components separately online. And I’m pretty certain I could find someone to put it together for less than £2,000.

Still, these gripes shouldn’t detract from the fact that Pinarello has created a bike that rides superbly in a wide range of conditions. I just wish that I’d had the chance to try out that elusive electronic suspension.

Spec

If you’ve never come across the term VAM, it stands for velocità ascensionale media – Italian for ‘average ascent speed’. For pro cyclists it’s a key measure of climbing capability. Manage a VAM of more than 1,700Vm/h (vertical metres per hour) and you could probably win a Grand Tour. Factor’s O2 VAM, then, is pitching itself as a climber’s dream, and it may well actually be one.

The VAM is an evolution of Factor’s previous lightweight racer, the O2. The bike cuts a very similar silhouette to the O2 Disc, but while the changes are subtle, they are definitely there.

‘We’ve expanded the tyre clearance to comfortably fit 30mm,’ says Factor co-founder and chief engineer Rob Gitelis. ‘We got the frame weight down to 700g for a size 54 disc version. This was done by slimming down some of the tubing profiles and taking what were already very premium materials and going three steps further.’

The VAM is indeed astoundingly light. Our full build in a size 56 came in at 6.6kg. At the same time, Gitelis promises the advanced carbon fibre used in the frame gives greater rigidity and dialled-in comfort despite the lower overall weight.

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Image 3 of 6

Eyes on the plies

‘We use a large spread-tow fibre from Textreme as the innermost layers, rather than as an outer layer,’ says Gitelis. This is a chessboard-style woven carbon fibre often used on the exterior of a frame for decorative purposes. Factor uses it internally to help save material in complex areas of the frame.

‘We then use Nippon Graphite Pitch Fibre, which is a very stiff and difficult material to work with, for stiffening the main tubes,’ Gitelis adds. ‘We use boron through the seat tube to add some extra compliance and prevent any buckling from such a thin wall. We also use materials from [Japanese carbon company] Toray, which we consider the best for many applications in the frame.’

The frame production also utilises a completely new ‘carbon compaction’ method during the moulding process, whereby the carbon sheets are pressed into the metal mould.

‘We use a Styrofoam preform that is dipped in liquid latex, which then becomes the bladder,’ Gitelis explains. ‘Because the latex bladder can expand so much more than a traditional plastic bladder we can put much higher psi into it, and therefore remove a bit more of the resin content from the material and get better compaction. That means we can have a one-piece layup with very few overlaps and no need for extra plies of material.’

Claims about unique carbon production methods are common from bike brands, and often need to be taken with a pinch of salt. However, Gitelis owns his own factory in Taiwan, and spent years doing contract work for other big brands, so has a particularly well-informed insight on the way most brands operate. In other words, when he says that Factor is doing something unique, we’re inclined to believe him.

Factor has also stepped up to the WorldTour once again, having previously parted ways with AG2R-La Mondiale. The VAM is now the weapon of choice for Israel Start-Up Nation, whose star rider, Dan Martin, seemed genuinely excited about a rigid, disc-equipped bike coming in well below 6.8kg when we met at a training camp recently.

Much like taking an F1 car for a Sunday morning drive in the country, though, what works for pros doesn’t always work for us mere mortals. I was eager to see how the VAM fared in the real world.

Image 5 of 6

Image 5 of 6

The X Factor

I spent much of the Christmas holiday period on the VAM. The days were short, the temperatures were low and drizzle was never far away. The bike was always a pleasure to ride, however.

The accommodation of wider tyres has made a noticeable change to the ride character of the VAM compared to the rim brake O2, which at times I found to be a bit too rigid with its 23mm tyres.

The move to 25mm Vittoria Rubino tyres struck a fantastic balance between overall comfort and feedback from the road. The bike delivered information where it was needed, but never let minor potholes disrupt the ride. Put on some 30mm tyres and the VAM could easily handle the harshest cobbles, and even some gravel.

I’ve never been a weight weenie, but the low weight really was noticeable, reminding me of the lighter rim brake bike days of yesteryear, and complemented by the rear-end stiffness it offered a distinct sense of responsiveness and free speed.

When climbing, the VAM seemed to spur me on. Even on double-digit gradients the turn of speed was rapid when squeezing out more watts. The Black Inc bar-stem combo, built specifically for this frame, also helped.

It juggled stiffness and comfort well, and when the road tilted downwards it was sure-footed, allowing me to sit back and enjoy the descent rather than hovering over the brake levers.

The bike’s geometry sits squarely in the territory of a Specialized Tarmac or Cannondale SuperSix, and I’d say its handling character is up to the same standard. It’s no wonder Dan Martin took to the bike so well.

The one caveat here is the wheelset, which flexed under hard efforts on climbs – so much so that one of my riding partners commented on the rim twisting from side to side during one punchy effort. I suspect a more rigid aero wheelset would give the bike an even racier character, although it would also add a few grams.

While money can be a hot potato when it comes to a superbike like this, the VAM’s pricing is a bit of an oddity. The normal O2 Disc costs £3,799 for the frameset; the VAM costs an eye-watering £4,330 for the frame and fork.

Yet that price isn’t reflected in the full-build costs, which are about average for the top end of the market, and lower than an equivalent-spec S-Works Tarmac or Trek Émonda. What’s more, Factor’s online bike builder tool allows you to fiddle around with the spec while still delivering decent overall savings.

Given Factor’s roots as a tentative experiment from a British motorsport company, it has probably surprised most onlookers with its success today. The brand has not diluted its premium offering, and its logo remains exclusive.

At the same time, Factor has managed to innovate, and the VAM represents some of the best technology on the market. The end result is a WorldTour dream bike with a little individuality, which is a rare thing these days.

Spec