It may not seem like the most important component on your bike, but getting the right seatpost plays a key role in putting you in the correct pedalling position.

They can also help make your bike a lot comfier too. Imagine the difference in ride-quality between a basic aluminium and a good carbon frame. It's no surprise that swapping an alloy seatpost for a more flexible carbon one will both save weight and also add comfort where it's often badly needed. 

Seatposts come in different diameters – the three most widely used sizes for road bikes are 27.2mm, 31.6mm and the less common 30.9mm.

If you have an aero bike with a non-round seatpost, you’re stuck with what the manufacturer offers.

It’s also worth checking the layback (or offset) of a new seatpost against your current one – the amount the clamp is set back behind the line of the post.

If you’ve had a bike fitting, you’ll need to ensure your new post can recreate the same saddle position (height and distance from pedals) which can be adjusted by sliding your rails through the clamp.

And while we’re talking saddle rails, consider what they’re made of. If they’re carbon you’ll need a compatible clamp as metal rails tend to be a different shape.

Here then, is a selection the best carbon seatpost upgrades to consider...

The best carbon seatposts

Hope Carbon Seatpost

Now producing British Cycling’s latest track bikes, it’s no surprise that Hope’s seatpost is not only designed and tested in the UK - it’s made here too. One seamless piece, incorporated in its carbon shaft are 24 separate carbon fibre plies, allowing the wall thicknesses to vary along its length.

Balancing weight and strength, above this, the head uses almost equally clever aerospace-grade alloy clamps to hold the saddle. Extremely well finished and also quite beautiful looking, it’s strong enough for the biggest riders but still incredibly light.

Coming in three diameters, the 27.2mm version is 350mm long and weighs 185g. The 30.9 and 31.6mm are both longer at 400mm and weigh 220g. All have a 15mm offset. With an RRP of £140, it’s good value too.

Buy the Hope Carbon Seatpost from Tweeks for £126

Pro Vibe Ltd SC Carbon Seatpost

A tough, quality post, with useful Di2 battery integration. Produced by Shimano’s components department, it’s no surprise the Pro Vibe Ltd SC seatpost is both well-made and matches the latest compatibility standards.

The most expensive seatholder in the brand’s range, it’s made entirely of carbon, and at 400mm long weighs 220 grams. Coming in the most common 27.2 and 31.6mm diameters, what really sets it apart is its ability to hold a standard Di2 battery in the base - meaning you don’t have to faff about with bungs and the like.

Available either straight or with a 20mm layback, the clamp comes with plates for both alloy and carbon rails.

With a single titanium bolt taking care of installation and adjustment, you’ll often see this post supporting riders in the pro peloton. For amateur racers, it’s also an excellent choice - regardless of whether you’re running Di2 or mechanical gearing.

Buy Pro Vibe Ltd SC Carbon Seatpost from Tweeks for £159

Specialized CG-R Carbon Seatpost

It took a few back-to-back tests with a more rigid post for us to appreciate the CG-R. It doesn’t entirely insulate you from what’s going on below the bike - you still get plenty of feedback from the road. Instead, it softens the worst of the road buzz, taking the edge off bigger impacts and leaving you happier and less fatigued after several hours in the saddle.

Visually, the kinked profile with its rubberised Zertz damper took some getting used to. Still, it’s worth learning to love, as it’s this design feature that gives the saddle its exceptional vertical compliance. While many posts require a lot of length exposed, the CG-R’s bump-busting magic happens right at the top, making it an excellent option for people on smaller or non-compact frames.

An extremely easy-to-use clamp design is the icing on the cake. Coming only in a single offset 27.2mm version, our test model tipped the scales at 275g. A slight weight penalty, but a massive comfort boost.

Buy the Specialized CG-R seatpost from Tredz for £185

Syntace P6 Carbon HiFlex Carbon Seatpost

Conventional in apperance, this post offers almost the same flexibility as more funky-looking designs. Exceedingly comfortable, this translates to a solid inch of back and forth movement at the saddle should you hit something large enough. Of course, the more post you leave poking out of the frame, the greater the flex effect will be.

One key feature allowing this is the Syntace’s elliptical bore, designed to place more material where it’s needed while removing it from areas subject to less stress. Syntace calls this ‘load-orientated material distribution’ and it seems to work very well. The P6 HiFlex also has a few other tricks to justify its high price, including an excellent saddle clamp, with an extra-wide lower section to support the rails.

Titanium hardware and a 10-year warranty suggest this seatpost is built to last. Available in a full range of diameters, our 27.2 test model weighed in at 235g - respectable for any carbon post.

Buy the Syntace P6 Carbon HiFlex seatpost from Syntace for €250

Canyon VCLS 2.0 Carbon Seatpost

Made of two separate half-round carbon leaf springs, Canyon’s VCLS post allows your saddle to flex backwards by up to 25mm. And unlike some options, it doesn’t need lots of length exposed to accomplish this.

The flex is enough to be visible if you yank the post backwards when off the bike, but while riding, the effect is more subtle. With no irritating superfluous movement, you instead get the feeling that most of the bumps coming up are magically dissipating before they reach the saddle. Hit a pothole and the flexibility becomes more obvious as the post protects your backside from serious trauma.

Although the split design makes set-up more time consuming than a traditional post, it’s a one-off job. Available in 27.2mm only our test model weighed in at a respectable 232g. Still representing a minimal weight penalty, given that there are few situations not made comfier by being perched above this post, it’s worth paying.

Buy the Canyon S14 VCLS 2.0 Carbon Seatpost from Canyon for £233

USE EVO 3K Carbon Seatpost

Weighing as little as 121 grams, this is a seriously light post. An innovative British design, it uses USE’s longstanding clamp design. Keeping it ever so simple, this skeletal assemblage does away with any excess bulk, while remaining easy to adjust. Also using an incredibly light custom lay-up carbon shaft, this allows a little flex for comfort, yet is durable enough for off-road use if you so choose.

Offering a nominal 10mm layback, the adjustment of the seat angle comes via two opposing bolts. Making it easy to strike the perfect balance when setting your saddle, it’s both secure and micro-adjustable. Coming in 300mm or 400mm lengths, the USE EVO 3K Carbon Seatpost is available in 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters.

A minimal design approach makes for a sleek, highly-functional seatpost with an incredibly low weight.

Buy the USE EVO 3K carbon Seatpost from Tweeks for £100

Ritchey 1-Bolt WCS Carbon Seatpost

You can’t go far wrong with kit from Ritchey. This simple single-bolt seatpost is great-looking, while its adjustment mechanism is simple and extremely robust. A single side load bolt keeps the clamp together while reducing stress on the saddle rails and keeping the post secure.

Crafted from monocoque carbon, the shaft is very light, while providing a modicum of extra comfort versus an aluminium alternative. Ritchey produces the post in 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters, with either a zero or 25mm offset.

You can expect a weight of around 185 grams for the most diminutive 27.2mm diameter model. Ideally suited to a classically styled frame, this Ritchey carbon seatpost promises to be durable and offers top performance with zero additional fuss.

Buy now the Ritchey 1-bolt WCS Carbon Seatpost from Tweeks for £159

How to set-up your saddle position

If you’re swapping your seatpost, now is probably as good a time as any to ensure your saddle is in the right position.

The ‘knee over pedal spindle’ or KOPS method of saddle positioning has long been a bike-fitting staple. Although it’s not a hard and fast rule, it’s a useful starting point to give you a rough idea of where your saddle should be in order to centre your weight on the bike. To start, you’ll need a plumb line and a way of supporting the bike while you sit on it – a turbo trainer is ideal.

A quick spin before making any adjustments will also help you warm up and ensure you’re in a natural position. Once you’re happy that you’ve found the sweet spot where you feel most comfortable on the saddle, stop pedalling. Turn your cranks parallel to the ground, with the leading crank in the 3 o’clock position. Hang the plumb line from the bony protrusion just below your kneecap (you may need to ask a friend to help).

It should bisect the axle of the pedal. If it’s in front or behind, you’ll need to shunt the saddle backwards or forwards accordingly. Loosen the bolts on the saddle clamp to do this – but make sure the saddle is kept level. Repeat the procedure until you’re happy with the position.

If you’ve recently cleaned your rear cassette and applied liberal amounts of lube then you may find that excess grease has found its way onto the rims of your rear wheel. The first you’ll know of it is when you go out for a nice relaxing ride only to discover your rear brake making a right old racket.

When the rim is contaminated with grease, lube or a similar agent, it can coat the brake pads, too, reducing their traction and contributing to that horrible shrieking noise.

Cleaning them is a quick and easy procedure that will soon get you rolling in peace again.

How to stop rim brakes from squeaking

Time taken: 20 minutes
Money saved: No squeaky brakes? Priceless!
You will need: 4mm and 3mm Allen keys, degreaser, cloth

Step 1 - Release the brakes

To get going, you’ll first need to undo your brakes’ quick-release mechanism by flipping the small cam lever upwards. This will open the brakes up, making it easy for you to pull the wheel out of the calliper.

Step 2 - Bring in the Allen key

Once that’s done, grab your 4mm Allen key and use it to loosen your brake pads from the brake calliper. Do this on both sides until you can remove them from the calliper completely.

Step 3 - Clean your brake pads

Applying some degreaser to your cloth, clean your brake pads of any grease and grime that may be coating them. Be thorough, because if you miss even a tiny amount you’ll have to do this job all over again – when you could be riding!

Step 4 - Now the wheel

As you did with the brake pads, apply degreaser to a clean cloth and run your finger around the wheel, being sure to scrub any grease off. Again, do it thoroughly as even the smallest amount may contaminate the brake pads.

Step 5 - Put your pads back on

After you’ve cleaned both pads and the wheel rim thoroughly, re-fit the brake pads using your 4mm Allen key. Make sure you fit them the right way round – they should be marked L and R and may have a directional arrow as well.

Step 6 - Finishing up

After tightening the brake’s quick-release lever, make sure the calliper’s brake arms are secure to the brake body by using your 3mm Allen key to tighten the two bolts on either side. Et voilà, no more squeaky brakes!

There’s not a pro rider or mechanic in the world who wouldn’t swap a top-of-the-line groupset connected up with grotty, old cables for an entry-level equivalent with fresh, snappy ones. Constant use and exposure to the elements means that the lines joining shifters and derailleurs will eventually deteriorate and start to affect your shifting performance – the most common symptom being a reluctance to shift downwards, as your derailleur springs start to lose the battle against increased friction.

While a quick squirt of lubricant can often freshen them up, once they start to feel gritty it’s time to swap both inner and outer parts.

Although internally routed cables can prove tricky to replace, if your lines run alongside the frame, swapping them isn’t a tricky job. Just make sure you have the right tools, then follow our eight-step guide and get stuck in.

How to replace road bike shifter cables

Step 1: Prep the bike and cut the old cables

Shift onto the smallest sprocket or chainring. Using cable cutters, chop the end caps off the cables. Undo the anchor bolts on your derailleurs.

The front sections of outer cable run under the bartape, so you’ll need unwrap this to get at them. Roll the brake hood forward and carefully unwind until just below the levers. Cut the electrical tape holding the outer cabling in place.

Step 2: Strip the outer and eject the inner 

Now disconnect the outer housing from the frame stops and remove it. Next remove the inner from the shifter. Gear cables usually thread in from the side. Push the cable backwards towards the lever.

The shifter will need to be selecting the highest gear and the lever pulled back to the bar for the cable to be released. 

Step 3: Measure up and cut

Cut your new cable outers to match the length of the ones you just removed. You’ll need to use dedicated cutters to get a clean finish – it’s important to get the ends as flat as possible.

Once cut, if the liner inside the cable seems to be closed off, use a pointed instrument like a pick to open it out again. Push the ferrules onto the ends of the cables. 

4. Fit the new inner cable 

Still in the highest gear, fit the new gear cable by sliding it gently into the lever at the same point that the old cable exited. The end should pop out the other side, although it may require a little wiggling.

Pull the end tight and click the shifter to make sure it’s correctly engaged. You should feel the tension increase as the shifter ratchets up. 

Step 5: Slide the outer cabling into place 

Slide the outer cable over the inner wire. Thread the wire through the frame stops and slot the ferrules on the outer section into place. Tape the first section to the bars.

You’ll need to slide the cable through the guide under the bottom bracket. That’s it for the front but the rear will need the last section fitting between the final stop and the rear derailleur.

Step 6: Attach to the derailleur and tension 

Pull the cable tight and attach to the derailleur. Now, without pedalling, shift the lever several times as if to change into a bigger sprocket or chainring.

This will put tension on the cable and help it settle into place, meaning your gears are less likely to go out of adjustment later. The procedure is the same for both front and rear derailleurs.

Step 7: Dial it all in

Ensure the barrel adjuster is dialed in. Undo the cables at the derailleur and pull them taut again to remove any slack that’s developed before refixing.

Chop off the excess cable and crimp on an end cap. If you’ve not touched the derailleur, all that should be necessary is to make some small adjustment using the barrel adjuster to re-index the gears.

How to adjust a rear derailleur

How to wash your bike the pro way

How to retouch chipped paintwork

With 5.5km to go in the 2018 Milan-San Remo, Italian cycling fans came alive when their hero, Vincenzo Nibali, attacked on the Poggio to go clear of the field by the tiniest of margins. Could he hold on? In a superhuman display of strength, and with the best sprinters in the world bearing down on him, Nibali won the race by barely enough for him to put his arms in the air. It was the most courageous way to win a Monument.

This was the bike that Nibali rode to victory at La Primavera (albeit the rim brake version). With the margin of victory so small, he would have been drawing on every milliwatt of help that Merida’s latest aero race bike could provide him, so I was keen to see if this disc brake version would afford me the same advantage.

True thoroughbred

The Reacto was built to race. As the range-topper, the Reacto Disc Team-E benefits from Merida’s highest-quality and lightest CF4 pro-level carbon layup, with aggressive geometry in line with its ambitions on the WorldTour stage. That’s worth noting if you’re thinking of investing.

Buy the Merida Reacto Disc Team-E from Tredz Bikes

The 56cm (large) frame on test here has a 575mm top tube, so if you’re used to something closer to 560mm – the norm for this frame size – you might want to drop down a size.

But bear in mind the head tube then shrinks as well, further lowering an already fairly low front end.

Being long and low isn’t a problem if you like a racy position but, if it sounds like it would result in a trip to the chiropractor, Merida offers the Reacto in a CF2 frame version too, which has a different carbon layup, more relaxed geometry and slightly more height up front. It’s cheaper too.

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This is the third generation of Reacto – the first appeared back in 2011 – and Merida says it’s a rethink from the ground up to bring it up to date with current disc trends.

Merida has also taken advantage of recent changes to the UCI rules on frame measurements, which has allowed its engineers to eke out a bit more performance.

The company claims the new Reacto is 5% faster than the old model aerodynamically, and while I’m not in a position to confirm that claim, you’ll just have to trust me when I say that the Reacto Team-E is truly fast.

I’m certain Nibali had to punch the pedals with every ounce of his power to escape on the Poggio, and I immediately got a sense of how this frame and fork has the capability to deliver impressive acceleration when needed.

It is unyieldingly stiff laterally, and as I cranked hard off the mark with everything I could muster I was never dissatisfied by the way the bike responded, even on an incline.

At 7.5kg, the Reacto is hardly porky for a disc brake aero bike (the claimed frame weight is 1,030g and the fork 398g), but it isn’t a climber’s bike. However its rigidity means that it converts effort efficiently, so weight becomes insignificant.

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Descending on the Reacto, the same resistance to flex becomes apparent. Handling is crisp, direct and most importantly consistent. The slightest bodily lean is all that is required to throw the Reacto into corners at pace.

The DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline wheels were excellent too, matching the frameset in terms of speed and stiffness. And given their relatively deep 65mm rims, the wheels were impressively stable during some fairly blustery rides.

Too pro for comfort?

With so much effort put into making the Reacto fast, where does that leave comfort? After all, my backside is not road-hardened by 30 hours a week in the saddle like a pro rider’s.

If memory serves, it was Team Sky performance director Rod Ellingworth who once said they paid Bradley Wiggins too much to worry about whether he’s comfortable. Well, the Bahrain Merida pros are not faced with the same dilemma.

The Reacto offers a distinctly more affable ride than many similarly sculpted aero road bikes I’ve tested. That is in the most part thanks to what it calls its S-Flex seatpost.

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Essentially, a chunk of silicone rubber replaces part of the carbon structure, but as with those old Zertz inserts on Specialized’s Roubaix, my guess is the rubber part is doing less than you’d think.

It’s all about the carbon layup around that spot, which on the Reacto means the post narrows considerably near the top, dealing well with absorbing shocks and high-frequency road vibration.

With speed, handling and comfort on its CV, the Reacto Disc Team-E is undeniably a good aero road bike, but there’s the small matter of price to consider.

At £8,250 it is firmly in superbike territory, which means it is up against some pretty hot competition, and here’s where it gets tricky.

For that money, it has to be compared to the latest releases from the likes of Specialized, Cannondale, BMC and Trek, and in some areas the Reacto Disc Team-E feels a bit behind the curve.

For example, the Vision Metron 5D bar/stem is a decent product in its own right, but the trend for one-piece cockpits seems to have passed, with most top-end bikes now favouring aero set-ups that offer more positional adjustments.

Exposed cabling also feels a bit dated, especially as the chosen routing is not even particularly tidy.

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Image 5 of 7

Merida has tested this and insists there is ‘no measurable negative impact on aerodynamics’, plus it’s less of a headache for mechanics, but I can’t help preferring the totally clean look others have achieved.

Buy the Merida Reacto Disc Team-E from Tredz Bikes

Lastly, allowing a maximum clearance for 25mm tyres seems a bit miserly in the current climate.

Don’t get me wrong, the Reacto Disc Team-E is a great bike, but for me it’s half a step behind the very best superbikes currently on offer.

Spec

From Il Campionissimo Fausto Coppi through to former ski-jumping Slovenian Primoz Roglic, the distinctive celeste of Italian marque Bianchi has been atop the cycling world for longer than any of us can remember.

We visited the Bianchi HQ in Northern Italy a few years ago and were treated to a personal tour of some of the brightest and most bonkers bikes manufactured under its roof.

Northern Italy is going through a uniquely tough period right now but we thought it's time to remember what makes it such a special place for us fans of cycling.

Words James Spender Photography Mike Massaro

What better place to start hunting down forgotten gems than the oldest marque in the game? Founded in Milan by Edoardo Bianchi, the Italian company lays claim to being the longest surviving name in the business, with a heritage dating back to 1885.

Over its 133-year history it has won pretty much every race going, with riders such as Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Marco Pantani, Mario Cipollini and Jan Ullrich, and is still notching up victories today with the LottoNL-Jumbo team.

Bianchi’s pedigree is as rich as its bikes are diverse, so when Cyclist visited the Bianchi factory on the outskirts of Treviglio in northern Italy, we needed someone who knows their tubing, and luckily we found him: creative director and de facto bike curator Fabio Belotti, an employee of 41 years who has worked on some of Bianchi’s most famous bikes.

Here he talks us through just a small selection of its vast back catalogue, but before he leads us to a secret lock-up in a disused part of the factory, he decides we need a brief history lesson about the one thing that has united the company’s bikes through the ages. Well, nearly.

‘Everyone thinks of Bianchi as the “Celeste” company, but once upon a time our bicycles only came in one colour: black. The first ones we found in Celeste are from 1912.

‘Our legend is that Edoardo Bianchi took inspiration for the Celeste colour from the eyes of Queen Margherita, who he was teaching to ride a bicycle. Over the years the colour has changed from a little more green to a little more blue.

In 1990 we created the official pantone CK, and in 2016 I created the slightly more fluorescent CK16. But even though the colour is always changing, for every Bianchi rider it has always been the same. All thanks to Edoardo.’

Marco Pantani Mega Pro, 1998

‘This is the jewel in the collection – Marco Pantani’s double-Grand Tour-winning bicycle from the 1998 season, when he won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France,’ says Belotti. ‘The model is the Mega Pro, made from Dedacciai 7000-series aluminium.

‘The frame weighed 850g, which was incredibly light back then, and would have been quite dangerous for many riders but not for Marco, who was only around 50kg when he was with us and riding for Mercatone Uno.

‘It had Campagnolo Shamal wheels, some of the very first deep-section wheels, all in aluminium. Just look at the spokes! Twelve at the front and 16 at the rear – crazy! And the gears. Nine speed, 12-21 cassette and a 53/39 chainset. Marco was incredible.

‘The Mercatone team colour was yellow. I remember one of their designers came up with a kit that was yellow with brown and green, but it was not so nice, so I combined a different tone of yellow and put it with Celeste.

‘At the beginning people said, “Oh wow, that is terrible!” but when Marco started winning on it everyone loved it. Marco once said these were his favourite colours. We make our carbon Specialissima in this colour now to celebrate this. I am hoping Selle Italia will do a remake of the “Il Pirata” saddle too one day.’

Disc Brake Chrono Prototype, 1996

‘I think this is possibly the first ever disc brake road bike, predating disc brakes on mountain bikes even. The callipers were made for us by Formula, with hydraulic pistons pulled by normal cables. Look at these rotors – 125mm, tiny! It’s funny, the front wheel has so many spokes but has been radially laced, which is a very bad idea for the twisting forces of disc brakes.

‘We made this bike for the Russian rider, Evgeni Berzin. It is Columbus Hyperion titanium, and the big tubes have been bent from sheet metal and seam-welded. The idea of the Pantani chrono bike started here.

‘We made a lot of prototypes for Berzin – he was a great innovator. But at the time, when Grand Tours were obsessed by mountains, this bike was too heavy for him, so I think he never raced it.

‘That’s a shame as I think it is beautiful. The shape is fantastic. You see that line around the wheel? The curve goes down under the bottom bracket like a spoiler. You could not do this now because of the UCI rules, but back then it was the most exciting time for designers. We could make our fantasy a reality.’

Mario Cipollini Time-Trial, 2005

‘This was for Mario’s last Grand Tour before he retired. So it was not his last race really – he went over to America and rode exhibitions and then came back to Europe, then he retired [only to un-retire for a few months in 2008 with Rock Racing].

‘This bike has only been ridden once, for the prologue. It was an evening stage, and Mario – you know he is crazy – had this fluorescent skinsuit made with these silver veins on it and all his race wins written down the legs, so to match I designed the paint for this bike: fantastic pink with luminous white veins that glowed in the dark.

‘Mario is a really big guy, so the frame is very long, but he was super-flexible too, so it is still a very low position. The tubing is aluminium, drawn and made for us by Deda. The fork is from Oval, and it has slits in the legs for aerodynamics. The bars are ITM [although a careful look reveals some cunningly placed black electrical tape], the groupset is of course Super Record and the wheels are Campagnolo also.

‘The rear wheel is a Campagnolo Ghibli, which was the first lenticular disc wheel when it came out in 1983. He also rode a Bora wheel that night, but not this one. This one is newer.’

Bianchi C4, 1986

‘The C4 company was started by an ex-R&D employee from Bianchi, and it made these bikes for us, which were among the first carbon fibre monocoque bikes in the world. It is incredible without the seat tube. The production run was very small, as you might think, but they were raced. This one belonged to Moreno Argetin, who rode for the Sommontana-Bianchi team.

‘The concept was aero, but at the time only Formula 1 teams went to the wind-tunnels, so really this is made by, let’s say, intuition and sensation.

‘We made the top silicone grommet over the seatpost as underneath it is not so nice – there is a big hole in the frame either side of the seatpost – but this is so the seatpost can tilt forwards or back, which is done by screwing the two horizontal bolts, so the effective seat tube angle can be changed.

‘The Ambrosio wheels and specially shaped Campagnolo water bottle show more aero thinking. The water bottle is very beautiful, but it is so hard to remove from the cage!

‘Once again this design was soon banned by the UCI, and C4 no longer makes frames anyway – it now specialises in spear guns for scuba diving, and flippers.’

Bianchi Steel Road Bike, circa 1951

‘I think this is in original condition, and is from around 1951. You can tell because it has the rod lever shifting system but also has a bolt mount for a rear derailleur, which became more popular in the early 1950s. The tubing is possibly Reynolds, and almost every part is made by Bianchi, even casting our own lugs.

‘I love the gear system [a Campagnolo single-lever Paris-Roubaix derailleur] – it was crazy. There are teeth on the ends of the hubs, which meshed with teeth on the inside of the dropout.

‘To change gear you turned the lever on the seatstay, which twisted a rod that undid the quick release and moved the derailleur to select a gear, but to make the chain change sprocket you had to pedal backwards at the same time!

‘The chain tension either pulled the wheel forward [bigger sprockets] or gravity rolled it backward [smaller sprocket] along the dropout track. Then you retightened the lever. Brilliant, but just crazy. Especially when you think there was no asphalt in those days. We can say this was one of the first gravel bikes, I think.’

Military Folder, circa 1940

‘These were produced between about 1930 and 1950, and we can say they were the first fold-up, full-suspension bikes. At the rear there is a coil shock on the top of the seatstays, and there is a steel plate that flexes like a spring where the chainstays meet the bottom bracket.

‘The front has pivots at the fork dropouts and little suspension shocks with oil damping on either of the fork legs. It still works fine even now!

‘These were Italian military issue, so there are rifle mounts on the top tube and a rack for the soldier’s equipment. Everything had to be very reliable, so the grips are wooden and the tyres, made by Pirelli, are solid.

‘However if you were a captain you got pneumatic tyres and more gears. The front and rear wheels are interchangeable. The whole bike folded up – there are hinges in the top tube – so it could be carried on the back.

‘It must have been hard because these things weighed about 35kg. It was a very successful product, though – we made around 50,000, which helped to keep Bianchi going during the Second World War.’

Johan Museeuw Paris-Roubaix, 1994

‘We used to be able to design all kinds of things [before the UCI tightened its rules on bike design in the late 1990s], so for Paris-Roubaix we made this one-off bike for Johan.

‘It has the Roubaix RockShox suspension fork on the front, and a full suspension at the rear as well. It looks very big, but it only produced a small amount of travel, maybe 30mm. We had to use an XTR mountain bike cantilever brake from Shimano on the back because there was nothing to bolt a road calliper to. The rear triangle is steel, the rest is Columbus Altec aluminium.

‘I remember the weather was awful, and I think Museeuw punctured in the final breakaway. Then when he tried to unclip his foot got stuck in his Diadora pedals and he became so angry he threw the bike down and changed to a different bike for the rest of the race [Museeuw finished 13th].

‘He very much liked the bike in testing, but in the race it was a different story. This bike was never a production bike, but really that is because of rule changes and the cost, which was about £15,000.’

Marco Pantani Time-Trial, 1998

‘Another bike from the “House of Pantani”. We have many! He was a rider that changed everything to the millimetre, and we would end up building so many frames for him – 40 in a season – and so we ended up with quite a lot. He used this one in the Giro and the Tour in his double season.

‘As you can see the geometry is incredible. The front wheel is 26-inch, the rear normal, to achieve the very aero position. The seat tube was cut precisely to his measurements, and the head tube is less than 90mm.

‘We developed the bars with ITM and they are welded directly onto the crown of the fork, meaning his hands were sometimes below the top of the tyre [and still well below the headset when on the bar extensions].

‘We shaped the tubes like aeroplane wings, but even at this time it was all theory and sensation. There were no CFD computer programs to help us.

‘The tyres are 19mm. Sometimes Marco rode 21mm, but that was it. Even on his road bike he always preferred 19mm tyres. It’s crazy when you think about it now.’

Magnus Backstedt Paris-Roubaix, 2004

‘This is the actual bike Magnus Backstedt won Paris-Roubaix on in 2004. It might look quite normal but it is actually made from special titanium by Bianchi, with the Dedacciai sticker because officially they were the sponsors. He loved this bike, and he loved titanium. We made him many titanium bikes for different teams.

‘The material was very good for being light, strong and tough. It needed to be, as Backstedt was a huge man, so he needed a 63cm frame.

‘To keep such large triangles stiff we used a bi-ovalised down tube, where there is a horizontal oval cross-section at the bottom bracket and a vertical oval at the head tube, and we filled the frame with special foam to reinforce it but stay light.

‘The foam starts as liquid and was pumped into the bottom of the seat tube, then the frame was put on a vibrating table to shake the bubbles out before the foam hardened. Some of Pantani’s bikes had this too – it really worked. You can see the dents in the top tube, but he rode it like that.

I'm of the opinion that a review of a bike should never been based on less than 500km and over the course of several weeks or months, and that's certainly the case for my experience of the Specialized Venge Pro. That's because, whatever some in the industry will claim, I don't believe that you can properly know a bike after just a couple of rides.

The first few times I rode the Venge Pro I wasn't all that keen, by the time I was packing it into a box to go back to Specialized's UK office I considered 'accidentally' putting my home address on the label and feigning ignorance when it didn't turn up where it should have.

First impressions matter but shouldn't hold any greater influence over a final analysis than any other ride on that bike. In fact, fail to set the thing up properly - the saddle a little bit too high, the gears not indexed properly - and the resulting discomfort or frustration are hardly a fair reflection of the bike.

In the case of the Specialized Venge Pro when I started with the front end too high and as a result couldn't get into my usual riding position.

Once the fit was dialled - thanks to my colleague Stu for some inventive use of round spacers above the stem in place of the proprietary oval ones they replaced below, and I let a bit of pressure out of the rock hard front tyre to suck up any increased road buzz, I was enamoured with this bike over all terrains and road surfaces.

Ride

I don't mind admitting that I loved this bike and from about the third ride onwards - fit dialled and feeling familiar with it - I enjoyed pretty much every one of the 2,900km I rode on it (which included, say it quietly, a couple of triathlons).

Fast on the flat, comfortable on the climbs and aesthetically pleasing, this bike encouraged me to get out and ride when my motivation might otherwise have been lacking.

The climbing ability has been boosted from the previous Vias version thanks to a significant drop in weight, down 460g for the frameset. But it also comes from the comfort of the bike; thanks to a good bit of seatpost protruding from the compact geometry of the frameset, the flex helps neutralise road buzz and keep as much energy propelling you forward as possible.

I'd say the main reason for the speed of the bike - and it's certainly not this rider - is thanks to the work of Specialized's engineers in the brand's 'Win Tunnel'.

Specialized says that every part of the bike has been checked for its efficiency, with aerodynamics pitched against weight, so the frameset left the wind tunnel as fast as Specialized could make it. For now. The industry doesn't stand still, and will always need to give us new reasons to buy, so expect to see yet more gains to the next Venge or even the next Tarmac, rendering the Venge unnecessary.

Frameset and components

Unlike the rest of the Specialized range, the second tier Venge has the same frameset as the S-Works version. Beyond the change of decal, it's the build specification that sets the bikes apart. The Venge Pro comes with Ultegra Di2 rather than Dura-Ace Di2 and Roval CL50 instead of Roval CLX64 wheels.

However, anyone claiming to be able to differentiate between Ultegra Di2 and Dura-Ace Di2 in a blind test is delusional, while for many of my rides on Venge Pro I would not have wanted to test my nerve any further in the crosswinds by riding deeper rims.

The frameset's aero credential mean it whipped along the flat like few bikes I've ridden while no quarter was given when climbing on it. My rides were limited to southern England's short and sharp ascents but I would gladly have taken this bike to the longer climbs of Mallorca or the Alps.

The only major flaw I could find with this bike was one of the components: the bottom bracket. The bike came with a Praxis Works press fit BB30 and it wasn't long before it made its presence known. A creak soon developed and steadily increased in volume over the months I had this bike.

This had little or no impact on performance but climbs became all the more arduous with the addition of an irritating soundtrack.

Really so different?

Price and value

As mentioned above, and unique in the bike models from Specialized, the Pro-level Venge has exactly the same frameset as the S-Works. Same carbon, same lay-up, just different decals.

The differences between the S-Works and the Pro, arguably, serve to show that the latter is probably the better value offering. Whether that means it's good value overall is another matter, but I am inclined to say it is. But with an RRP of £5850, it's for anyone looking to buy a new bike to decide if that's how much they want to spend.

Make the Tarmac ever more aero and there might not be a need for the Venge

This town might not be big enough for the both of us...

Specialized's marquee offerings - the Venge and the Tarmac - have been creeping closer and closer together, getting ever more similar over the past few years thanks to changes to both models.

The Venge has dropped weight and got more comfortable while aerodynamics, Specialized's key consideration with regards to all its top end bikes, has improved vastly on the Tarmac.

Add into that mix the Roubaix, which is claimed to be as fast and aero as the Tarmac but with the added comfort provided by a front suspension system that can be turned on and off, and it starts to look like Speciailized is crowding itself out of the market before competition from rival brands is even considered.

As such, speculation turns to which - if any - of the bikes would be culled should the similarities get ever closer, and it's hard not to see the Venge reaching its natural conclusion sooner than the others - certainly the Tarmac.

The S-Works Venge is popular with pro teams but it feels unlikely that many WorldTour riders would opt for the out-and-out aero machine when offered a lighter option on a mountainous day at a Grand Tour. Take that theme to the next level - with an even more aero Tarmac, and the Venge's niche will have been sufficiently encroached upon to potentially make it obsolete as teams opt for one model for all parcours.

Speculation, conjecture, rumour. Based on my time with the Venge Pro I'd be quick to point out that the end of this model would be a shame, but if the Amercian mega-brand did decide to trim its offering I really can't see the Tarmac being discontinued.

Summary

When lined up next to other bikes - whether that's the S-Works version of itself or top-tier offerings from other brands - the Specialized Venge Pro is able to hold its own in both performance and looks.

Bikes are pricy these days, and this follows that trend rather than bucking it, but anyone who buys the Specialized Venge Pro is unlikely to regret it - especially if they service their bottom bracket regularly.

Photos: Alex Wright; Laura Fletcher; Jack Elton-Walters

Everyone has that one mate who just loves to criticise stuff, thinking it makes them sound intelligent/discerning/interesting. In my case, that mate has consistently made no secret of his dislike for the Pinarello Dogma ever since Team Sky (now Team Ineos) started winning on the Dogma 65.1. Even after having a go on a Dogma F10, and admitting it was really rather good, he added, ‘But I’d never want to own one.’

Much as I don’t share this view, I do get where he’s coming from. I’d love to own a convertible Ferrari, but would I actually want to be seen driving it? It’s a sad fact of human psychology that success often breeds resentment, beauty morphs into ostentation and some sports car drivers end up looking... otherwise to how they’d hoped.

Upping the numbers

So why do some people have my mate’s attitude about the Dogma? Well, one thing that crops up time and again is ‘those tube shapes’. They are, to say the least, idiosyncratic. Yet Pinarello’s product manager, Michele Botteon, responds that Dogmas have always looked like they do for a reason.

Carried over from the F10 is that scoop in the down tube and ‘tabs’ over the fork dropouts to help smooth airflow over the water bottle and disc brake, while the wavy fork and seatstays remain to help absorb road vibrations (thanks to longer continuous fibres).

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Image 2 of 7

So too the asymmetric design – the left half of the bike is overbuilt to cope with the fact that the drivetrain is on the right, and hence pedalling forces do not act on the bike evenly. But joining those are several key refinements.

‘Ineos asked for a bike that was even more reactive, but we knew we could not add more material as we could not increase weight,’ says Botteon. ‘Overall the F10 and F12 framesets weigh the same, but the F12 is 10% stiffer laterally at the bottom bracket because we made the chainstays more square in profile. The fork is also 40% stiffer because we increased the size of the left fork leg to cope with the uneven braking forces of discs.’

Added to that are claims of an 8 watt saving at 40kmh thanks to some redesigned tube shapes and full integration, with the D-shaped head tube affording enough space for hoses to navigate the fork steerer without having to exit the one-piece bars then re-enter the frame lower down, as per the F10. It’s all laudable stuff, but does beg the question: why hadn’t a lot of this happened before?

‘The F10 Disk was largely created by adding disc brakes to the F10 rim brake frame,’ says Botteon. ‘The F12 Disk has been designed separately but in parallel with the F12 rim brake.’

In other words, the F12 might be Pinarello’s first true disc brake Dogma, the design process having allowed engineers to create a bike with fewer compromises. But whatever and however Pinarello has done it, the Dogma F12 Disk is a frankly stunning bike to ride.

Buy the Pinarello Dogma F12 disk now from Sigma Sports

All in the downs

Pedalling off on the F12 is a bit like putting on a new pair of really comfortable shoes, sitting on a firm but expensive chair and having that chair suddenly dragged across an ice rink at speed. The sensation is smooth, it’s fast, it’s well behaved yet underpinned with a sense of menace. This is a bike that feels powerful – supremely stiff – but it doesn’t complain or rattle over poor surfaces. Nor does it allow those surfaces to unsettle the rider or undermine grip.

In this regard, the F12 is light years ahead of the Dogma F8, which I remember being superbly stiff but uncomfortable-bordering-on-skittish on bad roads. It’s also a noticeable improvement over the already well-rounded F10, and while that bike was aero-tuned I can’t remember it feeling as effortless in strong winds as the F12, which really feels like it’s lending you a hand as it cuts through a headwind.

Yet these alone aren’t the reasons why I grew to like the F12 so much. Rather it’s down to one simple thing – how the bike handles its speed.

Being so stiff, accelerations feel blistering, and a low, long, tight geometry puts handling in the sharp department, but it’s fast, sinuous downhills that are the F12’s true raison d’etre. Not that you can’t ride any bike down a hill quickly, but what the F12 offers is a supreme hold on the road, with even the worst surfaces unable to make the bike chat or skip or in any way come unstuck.

It’s this feeling – one of utmost stability – that breeds the confidence for a rider to push ever harder, and it’s why the Dogma might just be the best descending bike I’ve tested.

Give them a brake

So the Dogma F12 is fast, stiff, pretty comfortable and has fantastic handling and stability – what’s not to like? Well, much like the Scott Addict I reviewed last month, there’s the insane price, and if you’re like Team Ineos, you might also wonder about the weight, which at 7.62kg is beefy for a WorldTour racer. But at least where one of those things is concerned, a partial solution exits.

‘The Disk is slightly more aero than the rim brake bike because hoses can be routed internally, where the rim brake cables can’t,’ says Botteon. ‘But disc brakes add 250-300g to a bike, so Ineos still chooses to ride rim brakes. It’s one of the chief reasons we still make a rim brake F12, and why we built it with more powerful direct-mount brakes.’

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Image 1 of 7

Thus, while I can understand that for many people it just isn’t acceptable for a 10 grand bike to weigh over 7.5kg, I’d be willing to suffer the weight penalty for the dependability of discs, and indeed for the full integration disc brakes afford.

Beyond that? Well, beyond that I’d have to stop eating for several months to afford even the handlebars, and I’d have to suffer all the slings and arrows that might come with actually owning an F12 – even today, as I was finishing my most recent ride aboard it, I received a less-than effusive comment about the bike from an acquaintance.

But I’m almost convinced I’d be willing to put up with that. Dinner-less, I’d be lighter for the climbs, and elsewise, I couldn’t think of a more superbike-feeling bike to ride, even if there will always be dissenters. The price you pay for success, perhaps.

Buy the Pinarello Dogma F12 disk now from Sigma Sports

Verdict

Say what you want about the looks and the brand, but the latest Dogma F12 is one hell of a bike, every bit the Grand Tour winner you'd expect for the money... which is top dollar, but then again this is a top performer

Spec

There’s a certain snobbery stitched into the fabric of cycling. A perfect example came when some friends of mine excitedly asked which sparkly adventure bike I was riding this month. ‘A Ribble?’ came the disappointed response from those who were assuming the answer would be some artisan Italian brand.

But the snobs are wrong, and the Ribble CGR Ti is proof that a British brand best known for making sensible, middle-of-the-road bicycles can compete with the biggest names at the top end of the business.

Shine on

The Ribble CGR Ti is far from the mould of what we would have expected from the brand even as recently as five years ago. Quite literally, it’s not from a mould at all, as instead of being a mass-production carbon frame, the CGR Ti is hand-made from titanium.

‘The frame is welded in Taiwan, and is the result of a long-standing relationship with a supplier out there,’ says Andy Smallwood, Ribble’s new CEO. ‘Tubes are custom drawn to our own spec and the tube profiles are our own.

‘We know titanium has a tendency to be a little flexy, so the oversized chainstays, down tube and head tube are designed to maximise power transfer.’

The frame is made from triple-butted 3AL2.5V (grade 9) titanium tubes throughout, as we would expect from most high-end bikes made from titanium.

Ribble has used a bi-ovalised down tube, meaning it starts as a vertical oval shape near the head tube before curving into a horizontal oval at the bottom bracket, which in theory helps boost stiffness by maximising the contact area at these crucial junctions.

The CGR Ti is designed to be ‘all-road’ – suitable for tarmac roads, gravel trails and everything in between. I’d say it errs on the side of gravel, with enough tyre clearance for 47mm 700c tyres or 2.1in tyres on a 650b wheel.

Buy the Ribble CGR Ti from £2,199

That makes the CGR Ti incredibly versatile, and thanks to its decent price you could buy a second set of 650b wheels to go with the 700c wheels and 40mm tyres it comes with, and still pay less than you would for some of its rivals’ bikes.

This Ribble CGR Ti costs £3,359 fully built. To put that in perspective, at the time of writing the retail price of a new Ultegra Di2 Disc groupset alone is more than £2,000. The rest of the build, including a full Zipp Service Course finishing kit, isn’t cheap either.

The top spec CGR Ti option costs only £600 more and includes Zipp 302 wheels, which have an RRP of nearly £1,300, alongside the latest Ultegra Di2 R8070, meaning the cost of the frame effectively disappears.

The major players in titanium, for example Van Nicholas or Litespeed, charge at least £2,000 more for a similar spec.

The (very impressive) Dura-Ace-equipped Van Nicholas Skeiron we reviewed last year cost more than £8,000. Of course, value doesn’t mean much if the product doesn’t measure up to the pricier competition.

When done badly, titanium frames can harm the metal’s reputation for longevity and comfort and stiffness. So it’s time to ride. 

The Ti fighter

I’ve tested a few fantastic titanium bikes, but I’ve also experienced some middling or low-end titanium frames that have had an unsettling level of flex, alongside a hefty weight penalty. Equally, some titanium frames can be quite the opposite – too harsh to truly enjoy.

So in all honesty I was half-expecting a fairly average bike here given the price point, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Reactions to pedalling were spritely, and there was a useful amount of feedback from the road, something that is invaluable to handling.

In that regard, the CGR has a curious geometry tweak, in that it has a fairly slack head tube angle of 72°, but a fairly steep 74.5° seat tube (on a standard road bike, both angles usually sit around 73.5°).

The steeper seat tube lets the rider sit forward over the bottom bracket, which for me offers a more powerful position akin to my racing set-up. The trade-off is that a steep seat tube transfers more road vibration directly up to the saddle, and indeed the CGR Ti can feel a tad robust at times.

However, the compliance offered by the 40mm tyres does more than enough to offset that ping through the rear end.

The clearance for those wider tyres is achieved with a long chainstay length, which at 435mm is close to a mountain bike set-up. That’s much longer than the 420mm chainstays seen on the similarly pitched Open UP, which is achieved by dropping the driveside chainstay.

Strangely, though, the CGR Ti doesn’t feel soft at the rear end as a result, and packs the punch of a racy road bike when standing on the pedals. Of course, the bike still sacrifices some speed to a decent road set-up.

When on a road ride with slimmer tyres, I found the extra weight, high front end and longer wheelbase required a little more effort to keep pace with the front of the group. But once it got off-road it truly shone.

On rocky descents and loose gravel the CGR Ti always felt stable and in control. It wasn’t as compliant as, say, a Specialized S-Works Diverge, but titanium simply can’t match carefully engineered carbon or integrated suspension units in terms of comfort. However, letting the tyres down a little helped soften the ride when the terrain got rough.

All in one

The CGR Ti was thoroughly fun. I was happy to ride on bridleways, gravel tracks and even some mountain bike trails, all the while slipping back onto the road at a respectable pace.

With mudguard and pannier eyelets, the bike also lends itself to winter riding, commuting and/or touring, and still has the classy aesthetics of a summer road ride.

Buy the Ribble CGR Ti from £2,199

Indeed, my only real criticism is that this model’s spec doesn’t fully exploit the CGR’s off-road potential. I’d personally have opted for a 1x groupset, probably Shimano’s mountain bike-clutched XT Di2, rather than the unusual option of a 53/39 double chainset, which proved a little too much gearing for most off-road riding.

Of course, given Ribble’s bike-building platform, the consumer can make that choice.

It may not have the same romance as a custom Italian frame, but the British bike brand must be applauded for bringing some of the best elements of titanium down to an affordable level.

Can it overcome the snobbery that exists in the bike market? I hope so, because this is a very good bike for an extremely good price.

Spec

Remember the 1984 rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, in which lead singer David St Hubbins explains how the band manages to be so loud? ‘Our amps go to eleven, which is one louder…’

What has this got to do with bikes? Not much, other than it’s where this new Pearson gets its name from. It has nothing whatsoever to do with gears.

Now we’ve got that out of the way, on to the bike itself. The Minegoestoeleven (MGTE) is the latest addition to Pearson’s range of road bikes, all of which have quirky names, such as Objects In Motion and Hammer And Tongs.

This one is built primarily around aero performance, but within parameters that company director Will Pearson says makes it suited to a wide spectrum of riders.

‘We felt we were missing something racier in our range, but bike fit is at the core of what we do [every purchase begins with a full bike fit], and our typical customer is 30-plus,’ he says. ‘Most can’t touch their toes.

Buy now from Pearson for £4,200

They like the look of something aero and racy, but our fit data usually shows they aren’t capable of riding in aggressive positions.

‘That’s why we’ve designed the MGTE with plenty of scope in the head tube height to be fit-friendly and offer a wide range of positions. It can still be slammed and low if it needs to be, though.’

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Image 2 of 7

Established in 1860, Pearson, based in Sutton, south London, was officially named the world’s oldest bicycle business in 2019. Quite an accolade, and Will Pearson is now the fifth generation of the family to take charge.

These days, the carbon frames are open mould, sourced from the Far East, and Pearson is forthright about not trying to spin a home-grown story for the MGTE.

‘We use the same supplier for all our carbon frames,’ says Pearson. ‘We have an excellent relationship with them that allows us to control and change certain details. They key thing is we can offer a complete package at really good value.’

On that point I agree. The frameset combined with its fully integrated aero cockpit delivers a clean and attractive silhouette that’s right up to date – squint a bit and you can see much the same outline as a good number of top-tier brands – and yet the price for the frameset (including the bars and carbon seatpost) is a modest £1,750. Looks alone, though, wouldn’t convince me to part with my cash, so let’s saddle up.

The good, the bad and the solution

Before I’d even left the workshop and turned a pedal in anger, I couldn’t help noticing that the bar/stem combo was very flexy.

Applying only moderate force to the bars made them wobble like a see-saw, so I was keen to discover how this would affect the MGTE’s performance in real-world riding situations.

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Image 3 of 7

During sprints or simulated attacks, it was clear the bars weren’t up to bracing the forces even my skinny 67kg frame and sparrow arms could produce. I was able to twist and flex the bars a noticeable amount.

To keep some perspective, though, it’s not that the bike felt overly sluggish as a result, simply that there was just an initial lag in acceleration, and very quickly things came back within acceptable limits.

There was a flipside to the flex, too. When I wasn’t hauling on the bars – ie, most of the time – I quite enjoyed the way the cockpit dealt with rough roads. Even so, I felt I needed some answers.

Pearson was quick to reassure me a solution was already on its way: ‘We were aware the first-generation cockpit [such as on this bike] might have had too much flex where the stem transitions into the bar,’ he says. ‘We’ve beefed that up to be much stiffer for the second generation, which will be here in a just a couple of weeks.’

Obviously I haven’t had the opportunity to try the new bar in this test, so I’ll have to take Pearson at his word, but suffice to say it should be a relatively easy fix. Handlebars aside, let’s get to the rest.

Buy now from Pearson for £4,200

If I had to describe the MGTE in a single word, it would be efficient. The frameset felt solid under power and surefooted as my efforts, both seated and standing, were always ably translated into speed, even on stretches of potholed tarmac, battered by the recent bout of floods where I live.

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Image 4 of 7

But it was once I’d attained a decent cruising speed (around 35-40kmh) that I really started to notice the apparent lack of effort needed to maintain it. I had to question whether perhaps I’d been riding too many gravel bikes lately, because it just felt really easy to go fast on the MGTE.

To help me, I went for a ride on a Cannondale SuperSix Evo, a bike I know well and hold in high regard, as a sort of leveller. Back on the MGTE, and that sense of skimming along, cranks whirring easily, was clearly still apparent. So it wasn’t just that I was having a good day before.

Even on a ride when some 80kmh gusts and stretches of howling headwind had me balled into a near-foetal position to maintain forward motion, I returned home feeling pretty positive about what Pearson had delivered. My average speeds and the ride times I clocked around my regular loops made it clear: the MGTE is undoubtedly fast.

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Image 6 of 7

Pearson’s own-brand wheels deserve a mention too – also quirkily named: Hoopdriver Cut & Thrust. With ample stiffness and relatively low weight (claimed 1,550g) given their £1,300 pricetag, they must certainly have contributed to the overall responsiveness of the ride feel and handled those gusts admirably well to boot.

In that regard, the 50mm rear wheel depth and 38mm front is a nice idea. Their rolling performance was undeniably bolstered by what can only be described as some very desirable rubber – Continental’s 28mm GP5000 tyres.

There’s a lot to like about the MGTE, and assuming that Pearson holds good on his promise of the new bars being ready by the time you read this review, there’s nothing to stop me from giving it a resounding thumbs up.

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Image 7 of 7

Spec

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

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

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

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

Of course, some of these bikes fall firmly into the 'gravel bike' sector. But when it comes to pure road bikes, the technology has crept across in exactly the same way.

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

Shock tactics

Pinarello took things a step further by fitting an actual rear shock at the top of the seatstays on its Dogma K8-S, and the principal feature of the 2016 revamp of the Specalized Roubaix was a coil sprung shock absorber beneath the stem. 

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

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

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

It’s called progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wishful thinking

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

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

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

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

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

Mongrel bikes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone’s a winner

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long-term benefits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part of the process

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

1. Discs and thru-axles

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

2. Suspension

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

3. Tyres

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

4. One-by (1x)

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

This review first appeared in the April 2019 issue of BikesEtc*

Chris Boardman... aka The Professor. Not only a successful rider in his own right but a key part of the Secret Squirrel club – a group whose technical knowledge and meticulous attention to detail helped propel team GB to Olympic success.

But is he any good at designing bikes? This SLR 8.6 supposedly shares DNA with the quickest machines in his eponymous range. With aero-inspired tubes and an endurance geometry, it also manages rack and mudguards mounts along with clearance to fit up to 28mm tyres.

The spec

The frame

Designed to add in compliance, the skinny seatstays on the SLR 8.6 meet in a wishbone formation an inch or two below the seat clamp. It’s one of several design cues taken from further up the Boardman range.

Another is the square profile of the top and down tubes, which aim to provide a bulwark against torsional forces inflicted when yanking on the bars or pushing the pedals.

Up the front, an all-carbon fork sits in the straight 1 1/8th-inch headtube. It may look a little runty compared to more expensive frames with oversize or tapered head tubes, but its carbon steerer adds compliance and sloughs off weight.

With mounts for mudguards and a rear rack along with clearance to fit up to 28mm tyres alongside, the Boardman is fairly adaptable for commuting or light touring, something its relatively upright geometry will be happy to play along with.

Although, if you want to venture off the tarmac or the option to fit front panniers, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

Groupset

Shimano’s slick 8-speed Claris parts comprise most of the Boardman’s groupset. Taking care of shifting, the levers could be mistaken for their posher brethren, although in the hand they’re slightly chunkier and the shifting a little less snappy.

They operate the matching Shimano derailleurs to provide solid shifting across the wide 11-30t cassette. Paired with the compact 50/34t FSA Tempo crankset, this gives a good span of gears. Not a bad stand-in, the FSA product is still a bit of a downgrade from the Shimano alternative.

Buy now from Halfords for £550

It’s not the only substitution either. The Tektro R315 brake callipers take the place of more expensive alternatives from the Shimano range and give away a little stopping power in comparison.

Finishing kit

Anonymous yet sensible kit adorns the Boardman. Left to tower over the frame in the hope of maximising its ability to flex, we were particularly pleased to see a twin-bolt head atop the slender seatpost.

Also Boardman-branded, the saddle is flat in shape and quite squishy. The bar and stem are not as boxy as some on similarly priced bikes, helping improve the bike’s aesthetics.

Using a standard short reach and shallow drop, the bar’s vital stats will be the correct choice for the vast majority of users. The robust, tactile tape, and locking bar end plugs wrap up the package.

Wheels

Tubeless ready and with just enough depth to suggest they might give some kind of aerodynamic boost, the Boardman’s wheels are a strong suit.

With 32 conventionally laced spokes at the back and 28 radial ones at the front, they’re a few hundred grams below where you’d expect them to be in terms of weight.

While ditching the tubes could be a good option to sharpen them up even further, we’re not sure how many riders will take up this chance. As it stands, their profile makes getting the tyres on and off a severe test of thumb strength.

No grumbles about the tyres themselves, though. Despite not being tubeless ready, the 25c Vittoria Zaffiros are quicker than you’ll find on most other bikes in this category.

The ride

First impressions

A slender looking machine, the Boardman borrows the dropped seatstay design used on the brand’s pricier models. The idea is to keep the SLR 8.6 comfy, while other features take their cues from the aero stylings of its fancier carbon relatives.

Only the bike’s external cables give away its budget pricing. The Boardman seems a touch lighter than most bikes in the price bracket and a first spin delivers a decent-width grin, as the SLR 8.6 seems ready enough to get underway.

On the road

With neat Shimano Claris shifters, sensibly shaped finishing kit, and a considered geometry, the SLR 8.6 is likely to suit most riders hunting for a bike at this price-point.

Sporty but not intimidating, with smooth welds it looks nice enough to be mistaken for a pricier machine at 10 yards and isn’t burdened by any excess flab. Its shallow-drop ergo bars place the controls easily to hand, and while its Tektro brake callipers aren’t as sharp as the Shimano made alternative, they’re better than many we’ve tested.

The rest of the parts follow a similar script. Clearly, the budget has been worked hard, and where it can’t quite cover the gaps, sensible areas have been chosen to scale back.

This sees the brakes and crankset sourced from outside of the Shimano catalogue, but cash diverted to the frame and wheels. Most of the groupset is present anyway. Providing eight sprockets, these cover a wide 11-30t range to ensure the Boardman remains happy in the hills.

The result is a well-rounded performance that’s happy to be driven along at a decent pace regardless of the terrain.

Handling

The wheels on the SLR 8.6 are just a shade fancier than you’d have grounds to expect. Despite using cup-and-cone-style bearings, these spin more freely than most and so cut down drag.

With fewer spokes and a slightly deeper and stiffer rim, they’re topped off with quality Vittoria Zaffiro tyres. All this adds a modicum of pizzazz where it’s most needed. Getting the bike up to speed is less of a chore, while its 25c tyres won’t give you the horrors when laying the bike over through corners or dragging it across suboptimally maintained tarmac.

Buy now from Halfords for £550

The combination of skinny stays, plenty of seatpost extension, and a rare all-carbon fork also help the Boardman traverse rough surfaces with a minimum of bother. With a medium height at the front and a standard reach, the SLR 8.6’s contact points are all pretty much where you’d expect them to be.

The geometry is also likely to prove familiar, with nothing to scare the horses. That said, one thing you don’t get is a huge amount of standover. This makes throwing the bike around a tad less instinctive than some more ground-hugging designs, although in use this isn’t much of an issue.

Ratings

Frame: Fast, yet wrings out more comfort than you'd expect - 8/10 
Components: A solid mix, with the best from the groupset - 8/10 
Wheels: Lighter than average and with good tyres, too - ;8/10 
The ride: Sensible geometry yet a spirited personality - 8/10 

Geometry

Size tested: M  
Weight: 10.12kg  
Top tube (TT): 555mm  
Seat tube (ST): 530mm  
Stack (S): 568mm  
Reach (R): 387mm  
Chainstays (C): 415mm  
Head angle (HA): 72.5 degrees  
Seat angle (SA): 73.5 degrees  
Wheelbase (WB): 1006mm  
BB drop (BB): 69mm  

*BikesEtc was a sister magazine to Cyclist that was published between 2014 and 2019

The Canyon Ultimate CF SLX has been the mainstay of the German direct-sales brand's race bike lineup for many years. It has been ridden to Grand Tour and World Championship success and this latest version, first introduced in 2015 and updated with disc brakes in 2017, introduced a lighter frame with an aerodynamic makeover.

But in the face of rapid technological development in the road bike market does the Ultimate still cut it?

Image 5 of 30

Image 5 of 30

Think of a capable all-rounder and you arrive at the Ultimate. It’s a bike designed to excel in the mountains where weight and stiffness matter, to the cobbles where handling and comfort are priorities. And with the build of the pictured test bike, add sprints and heroic breakaways too.

Away from racing it’s an obvious choice for cyclists seeking a fast, light and comfortable road bike whether for racing or tackling a big summer gran fondo.

Buy now from Canyon for £5,099

A wide range of builds awaits your browsing time on the Canyon website. This Sram Force eTap AXS groupset and DT Swiss wheelset-equipped model costs a tickle over £5,000 and is generously equipped, to put it mildly. You can spend less. The CF SL range provides the same frame with a different carbon fibre layup to increase affordability. And at the other end of the scale, if you’re feeling flush there’s always the Ultimate CF Evo Disc that we tested last year.

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Image 14 of 30

Handling and speed

Some might say the Ultimate is showing its age alongside more recently updated bikes like the Cannondale SuperSix Evo or Giant TCR Advanced, but the way the Canyon rides is enough to pour water on the flames of discontent.

Ever since I rode the Ultimate at its launch back in 2015 it has always shown itself to be one of the best handling bikes in this fiercely competitive category, and what was clear to me all those years ago is still clear on this 2020 model. The steering is calm, the bike feels balanced, there’s an easy charm to the Ultimate.

Canyon uses the same geometry across the entire Ultimate range, so you are getting the same treatment as the pros, which is a nice touch - no diluting of the race focus for the consumers here. And this is a bike that has Grand Tours and World Championships on its palmarès so if it’s good enough for the world’s best, it’s probably fine in your hands.

On my local roads where the gradient ebbs and flows along the Cotswold escarpment, the Ultimate manages to feel planted and stable with a generous turn of speed.

There’s not much that unsettles the Ultimate. At any speed and through any sort of corner, the Ultimate has all the predictability you need in a road bike to make rapid progress. It’s sharp and focused without requiring the reactions of a fruit fly to keep it going where you want.

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Image 28 of 30

Speed builds easily with the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 eTap. Open up the taps on a rolling road and the stiff frame and deep-section wheels will see your speed ratchet up with alarming but endlessly satisfying urgency.

Giving the Ultimate such deep wheels and an aero handlebar might seem strange given it’s not a pure aero frame, but it gifts the bike copious amounts of speed whilst maintaining the sprightliness on climbs that it the core appeal of the Ultimate. It’s a combination that suits UK roads.

Stiffness to weight ratio is key with race bikes and with an 850g frame weight for this disc brake variant and clear high levels of stiffness, climbing ability comes naturally to the Ultimate. If you like ascending, the agility, speed and sharpness will naturally reward.

Buy now from Canyon for £5,099

Out of the saddle, you can certainly detect the stiffness of the frame with every ounce of your energy being converted into forward motion with no apparent wastage.

There’s also a reasonable nod towards aerodynamic efficiency. With a downtube carrying an aero optimised profile along with a narrow head tube and skinny fork blades and topped with Canyon’s own all-carbon one-piece aero handlebar, you have a bike that cuts cleanly through the air. It’s not aero like the company’s dedicated aero bike the Aeroad, but every little helps when you’re on the rivet.

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Image 27 of 30

Comfort

Traditionally comfort was never really a concern for road race bikes and their designers, but times have thankfully changed. The Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 eTap conveys a real sense of being able to handle scarred road surfaces with aplomb, not only shielding you from bigger impacts but also reducing the tiring buzz of an overly stiff and undamped bike.

The move to disc brakes has another advantage aside from the improved braking performance: tyre clearance. There’s space for up to 30mm tyres so even though it’s stocked with race-ready 25mm tyres, and excellent Schwalbe Pro Ones at that, switching to 28mm tyres revealed another layer of comfort that readily opens up the Ultimate to cyclists looking to cover long distances at speed and with a plushness lacking in many race bikes.

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Image 29 of 30

Components

This is a seriously well-equipped bike and bang for buck has long been Canyon’s forte. With this £5,099 model, you get the latest Sram Force eTap AXS 12-speed groupset, combining wireless gear shifting with hydraulic disc brakes, 48mm deep DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut wheels and quality rubber in Schwalbe’s Pro One tyres.

Combine a super-light frame with aero wheels and you have a compelling package. This line of DT Swiss ARC wheels have been developed with aero experts Swiss Side. To say they are fast would be a massive understatement, there’s no doubt that they inject a lot of potential pace into the Ultimate.

The 48mm depth strikes a good balance between straight-line speed, handling and stability in strong winds. They’re also acceptably light at 1,555g for the pair, but the 17mm internal width is a little narrow by modern standards especially if you want to embrace the wider tyre clearance the Ultimate boasts.

Sram’s latest Force eTap AXS groupset brings all the 12-speed wireless technology down from the range-topping Red groupset to a more accessible price point. In this groupset, you have a different approach to gearing - a 10-28t cassette and 48/35t chainset - which might sound odd on paper but out on the road and the hilly terrain of my part of the Cotswolds, it works extremely well.

There’s no adjustment needed if you’re coming from Shimano or Campagnolo, just get on and ride. The range - roughly a match for a 52/36t and 11-28t setup - is adequate riding hilly riding terrain. The only real difference I found is that you seem to spend more time in the big ring.

Ratios aside, shifting is intuitive and crisp and the brakes firm and powerful. I do like the single button on each side for going up and down the cassette.

Power meters have long been an expensive upgrade but one comes ready fitted on this Canyon. The neatly integrated Quarq power meter seamlessly connects to any Bluetooth or ANT+ enabled device and provides consistent power measurement. If you want to get the most out of your training and riding a power meter is an invaluable tool, and to not have to drop a lot of coin on an aftermarket device sweetens the appeal of this Canyon.

Image 20 of 30

Image 20 of 30

One-piece handlebars are becoming all the rage on aero bikes, the Ultimate is one of the few regular road bikes to be specced with such a handlebar. In this case it’s the CP10 Aerocockpit CF, an all-carbon affair with a sleek and aero optimised design. It’s a surprisingly comfortable handlebar, both in the shape and its ability to not transmit every single vibration to your hands.

If there’s a downside it’s that you can’t easily change the stem length if you need, so that might be something you’ll need to speak to Canyon about if you fall outside of the 90mm length stem and 390mm handlebar width dimensions on this medium bike. Narrow handlebars I’m fine with, but the stem is at least 20mm too short for me.

The Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 eTap is finished off with the excellent Schwalbe Pro One tyres, fast-rolling and grippy, and a Fizik Antares saddle.

Image 16 of 30

Image 16 of 30

Summary

Any doubts the Ultimate is showing its age against more modern rivals prove unfounded when you ride it, with a turn of performance that is truly and deeply impressive. Add the smart blue paint job and considerable equipment for the money and you have a highly capable road bike that will excel whether your ambitions is to go road racing, compete in a gran fondo or just want a fast and comfortable bike for long summer rides.

The only niggle is getting the right handlebar if your fit requires a different length stem.

All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews

Need some ammo for your next Friday night Zoom/House Party/Microsoft Teams cycling quiz? Name a German bike brand. Chances are, the first to spring to mind starts with a ‘C’ and ends with ‘anyon’. However, Teutonic rival Cube has a range of more than 350 models and – unlike the direct sales giant of Koblenz – manufactures them on home soil, in the small Bavarian town of Waldershof.

Cube’s production plant employs around 450 staff, equivalent to around a tenth of the town’s entire population. You’re welcome.

The Cube Agree C:62 carbon road bike is available in three variants: the £3699 Sram eTap-equipped SLT; the £2999 Ultegra Di2 SL; and the bike I’ve been enjoying solo lockdown rides on, the mechanical Ultegra-wearing Race, which sneaks in a shade under £2500.

Cube reckons this is ‘an endurance speed machine that will bring out the best in every rider.’ After many weeks of solitude behind its cockpit, I’m inclined to agree (see what I did there?)

Image 3 of 19

Image 3 of 19

Packing it all in

We’ll deal with the potentially confusing ‘C:62’ tag (shared by many bikes across Cube’s range) first. The carbon composite frame of the Cube Agree was updated in 2016, from which point it has been made from 62% carbon content. The company’s Advanced Twin Mold construction is said to ‘minimise imprecise overlaps by accurately fitting individual carbon layers’ overlap regions during the monocoque building process.’

In theory, this brings weight down. The Agree C:62 also uses a solid core at the heart of the frame during construction, to reduce the folding of composite material, for a stronger end result.

Buy now from Leisure Lake Bikes for £2,499

With the belly of the beast dealt with, what do we find at either end? The Cube Agree C:62 is built as much for comfort as for speed, with slender seatstays, a 27.2mm carbon seatpost, and slight carbon fork profiles. Each end of the bike is affixed to Newmen 32mm-section alloy rims via a 12mm thru-axle, eliminating any chance of misalignment and mitigating losses due to flex under load.

A brace of 160mm rotors is gripped by hydraulically actuated flat-mount calipers.

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Image 15 of 19

Nothing lost to progress

How far to ride each day in these peculiar times of Covid-19? I’ve been trying to limit my outdoor cycling activities to a local 35km loop (which, given it takes more than an hour, Michael Gove would certainly not approve of). However, it’s been ample on a number of occasions to reveal the calling cards of the Cube Agree C:62.

The outskirts of the flatlands not only offer pan-flat roads fraught with crosswind but also Ardennes-style climbs of the short and sharp variety. Despite concerns that the deepish-section Newmen rims fitted to the Agree might suffer in the gusts, forward motion has been plain sailing, and enforced by a small rear frame triangle and boxy, 412mm chainstays.

Power gets to the tarmac quicker than a panic-buyer to the toilet roll aisle.

Climbing any of the 500-metre hillocks on my loop has been joyful. The solidity of the Cube Agree C:62 frameset at the downtube and bottom bracket combines with twin thru-axles to provide flex-free muscling of the bike uphill, more often than not in the big ring; mainly due to the provision of a 32-tooth sprocket, more than my wattage.

But it’s this gearing that lets the package down slightly when I find I’ve misjudged an ascent. Changing up and down in the middle of the cassette is met with sizeable jumps between ratios; just enough to sap the bike of momentum. But it would be easily fixed with a close-ratio cassette.

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Image 8 of 19

Going down?

I’ll put this out there; I’m no fan of rapid descents. With the exception of a weekend in Mallorca many years ago, where the downhill tarmac of Coll de Soller partially exorcised my descending demons, a number of previous high-speed motorcycle get-offs tend to prevent me from full commitment.

However, the Cube Agree C:62 imbues me with such confidence that if I’ve learned one thing during the government-enforced lockdown, it’s been to embrace the power of gravity (I had planned on learning to knit, too, but that’s all gone to pot).

Buy now from Leisure Lake Bikes for £2,499

A direct translation of steering input into directional change puts me on the right line to carve even bumpy asphalt, the hydraulic Shimano Ultegra braking set-up offers endo-inducing force at one end of its scale, but finely measured speed arrestment at the other.

Brush the front lever gently to scrub off speed and put a little weight over the front end, and the 28c Continental Grand Sport Race SL tyres (the widest fitment allowable with the Agree’s frame clearance) roll into turns, grip and track your chosen line like they're neurally linked.

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Image 16 of 19

Agreeable in every way?

The Cube Agree C:62 is a bike that flatters you, there’s no doubt about that. But there are a few niggles, however minor. Firstly, although very easy to adjust, the aero clamp that holds the carbon seatpost in the seat tube isn’t the prettiest solution.

Secondly, we’ve already touched upon the possible need for a close-ratio cassette, not only to make climbing even more pleasurable but also make rolling roads an utter smashfest.

Thirdly, is it worth £2,499? That’s the, er, 3102-dollar question… It’s a close call between the Cube Agree C:62 and the brand’s closest German competitor, the Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc 8.0.

This mechanical Ultegra-equipped, disc brake-stopped rival costs £100 less, already comes with an 11-30 cassette as standard, and weighs in the region of a whole kilo less than the Cube. But, while on price it’s unable to match the Far Eastern-manufactured might of its compatriot, taken in isolation, the Agree C:62 is quite some bike.

Rapid, comfortable, versatile, and crucially – if exclusivity is your thing – still a criminally rare sight on UK roads.

Spec

Cube Agree C:62 Race Disc 2016 review

The Cube Agree platform has been revamped and there are discs bolted on too, but is it for better or worse?

Peter Stuart - June 2016

£2,199

Cube has always excelled at what all German bike brands seem to do very well: simplifying the supply chain (usually by cutting out at least one link) to give you a lot of bike for however much or little you’re spending.

However, the disc brake era throws up a few challenges that complicate things on that front for this model, the Agree. So far, disc-brake bikes have proved a strong prospect at the entry level, and equally in the very top tier, but seem to have a harder time in the mid-priced sector, where the Agree sits.

To my mind, this is mainly due to the higher cost of fully hydraulic disc brakes and the fact that they add to both frame weight and component weight – a problem often confounded by the bulky alloy wheelsets needed to cope with discs at this price level. As a result, you seem to be paying more for something that’s not only heavier but also doesn’t always ride as well as an equivalent rim-brake bike.

The C:62 is the latest in the Agree family of frames that has been the brand’s workhorse for nearly a decade. I briefly owned a Cube Agree myself, as at one point it was nigh-on impossible to beat on value. Latterly, though, the Agree range has started to show its age, its once-modern looks becoming progressively more dated with each year that passed without a frame upgrade.

Fresh faced

This newer version has enjoyed a comprehensive redesign. The brand has also built the disc and rim brake versions in tandem, but both with separate design goals. ‘As the bike was designed completely anew we could create two platforms – a rim version featuring direct-mount brakes for better aerodynamics and a disc version that can handle the additional loads of the braking torque in the frame,’ says Cube’s product manager Frank Greifzu.

Cube seems to have paid more than just lip service to the disc-specific design too, having opted for thru-axles rather than a standard quick release, a move that would certainly require more structural changes. The manufacturer has also targeted aerodynamics with the new frame, and says wind-tunnel testing was part of the development of the Agree C:62. And while the new model doesn’t boast aerodynamic gains on the same level as the latest batch of superbikes, a little more speed is never a bad thing.

Although the design is new, Cube has stuck with its tried-and-tested Advanced Twin Mold production process, which involves moulding in two halves around a complete inner silicone mandrel rather than an expanded foam mandrel or a pressurised inner bladder. In truth, this seems to be no different to the process behind many carbon frames, but Cube insists its methods strengthen the frame at a reduced weight. Either way, any attempt to hone specific production processes and not just follow the norm deserves some credit.

As for the brakes, Cube hasn’t just bolted on a pair of flat-mount Shimano disc callipers. It’s strived to uphold the ride feel of its equivalent rim-brake version, which is no easy task, and it took me a while to decide whether Cube had managed it.

Finishing touches

On first impressions, I found the looks of the C:62 a little underwhelming. Cube’s higher-spec Dura-Ace model has a more attractive grey and red paint scheme, and would be far more likely to catch my attention on the shop floor. But black is always fashionable, even if the market is oversaturated with it.

Looking beyond the aesthetics, the spec certainly caught my interest. The Shimano Ultegra hydraulic groupset is encouraging at this price point, although to really beat the market (as Cube has done so often in the past) I’d like to see a hydraulic Di2 build at under £2,500. Cube has opted for its own-brand colour-coordinated finishing kit, which left me with mixed feelings.

I was impressed to see a carbon bar and rebranded carbon PMP seatpost, but the latter isn’t quite as refined as usual. The post has a somewhat overbuilt saddle clamp compared to the compact and elegant solutions we’ve seen from other brands. With a small cradle and a single bolt for angle and positional adjustment, it’s a little outdated and lacked adjustment range for fine-tuning my desired position. I also found I was thwarted by the set back angle and overly bulky clamp when trying to set my seat position. It’s a small detail, but frustrating nonetheless.

Additionally, the build was let down by the DT Swiss Spline R32db wheelset, which Cube has opted for to offer tubeless compatibility. For that I applaud them, as it opens up a world of superior tyre technology, but the consequence is a rather heavy wheelset. Weighing just under 1,750g, the mid-section aluminium hoops take a bit of effort to push up to speed. Thankfully the frame is stiff enough to not sap accelerating force even further, but I noticed myself falling away from the wheels of friends in signpost sprints. 

I was able to climb with my usual rhythm and speed, but did find some of my energy ever so slightly squandered by the extra weight of the hydraulics and the wheelset, which combine to push the total bike weight over 8kg. Every cloud has a silver lining, though: the wheels are dressed with Schwalbe One 25mm tyres, which are an excellent addition to the package, though it is worth noting that these aren’t tubeless-ready.

Cube has been wise to opt for thru-axles as it avoids potential disc-alignment issues compared to standard quick releases, and potentially future-proofs the design. It also contributes to the sharpness of the handling, which is one of the bike’s big selling points.

Down the road

While my personal preference is for going uphill rather than down, the Agree proved particularly good at the latter. Its predictable handling coupled with superb braking modulation made it a dream to descend on, and I found myself pedalling through corners I’d usually approach with caution. The ride quality is robust but not overly harsh, making it a surprisingly comfortable package. It’s definitely an agreeable all-day ride partner and I was confident venturing off the beaten track too. With the benefit of increased tyre clearance with disc brakes you could easily fit 28mm tyres, which would allow you to be more adventurous still.

Overall, I was left feeling the Cube Agree C:62 Race has gained from discs in some ways, but lost in others. Braking performance is undeniably better, but the discs have added extra kilos and extra cost to the build (its rim-brake counterpart weighs a claimed 7.7kg and costs £400 less). Yet in fairness, this criticism isn’t levelled just at Cube.

The C:62 frame itself has translated the character of the Agree range well into a disc platform. If the spec can eventually live up to the standard of the frame, this will definitely be a bike that paves the way for endurance machines.

Spec

Buying a new road bike can be one of the biggest decisions you ever make because there are so many variables. Do I go aero? Do I go lightweight? Do I need disc brakes? Should I consider tubeless-ready wheels? 

It's an extremely important decision. For many, buying a new road bike is as big a commitment as buying a new car or going on a big holiday. It has to be right.

To make it easier you should break down this process into some simple steps. Firstly, how much money are you able or willing to spend on a new bike and secondly what do you want from this bike?

Once you have decided on these criteria for a new road bike, you should be able to narrow down your options considerably. Then you will be left with the smaller decisions like aesthetics and brand heritage to make your final decision.

Below Cyclist has chosen some of the best road bikes on the market from under £1,000 to over £10,000 that you should consider when looking for a new road bike in 2020.

Best road bikes under £1,000

Read our extended rundown of the best bikes under £1,000

1. Cannondale Synapse Disc Tiagra

For a £1 under a grand, the Cannondale Synapse Disc Tiagra is an excellent bike in its price range. This alloy frame has received trickle-down technology from its carbon sibling meaning the frame is extremely comfortable and effective for commuting or endurance rides. 

It may only be fitted with a Shimano Tiagra groupset yet its Promax mechanical disc brakes and provisions for 28mm tyres make this a bike that will last you a long time.

Read our review of the Cannondale Synapse here

2. Ribble Endurance AL Disc Tiagra

Buy it now from Ribble Cycles for £899

The Ribble Endurance is a frame that’s designed for optimum comfort on the longest days in the saddle. This is then fitted with a customisable assortment of components - none of which look remotely like a weak link.

Available at different price-points dependant on the build, we think this Shimano Tiagra equipped model hits the sweet spot. Giving you a 2x10-speed drivetrain to play with, the ratios provided can be chosen at checkout, perfect for tailoring it to your nearby terrain.

Fixed in place via stiff bolt-through axles, the Ribble’s Mavic Aksium Disc wheels are fairly bombproof and infinitely serviceable. With Tektro MD510 mechanical disc brakes taking care of the stopping, a sub 10kg weight is respectable for such a bullet-proof build. And, it only costs £899.

Read our full review of the Ribble Endurance AL Disc here.

Buy it now from Ribble Cycles for £899

3. Triban RC520 

Buy the Triban RC520 for £729 now from Decathlon

Sold through Decathlon, the Triban range is accessible, but won’t alienate more experienced riders. A Shimano 105 groupset, disc brakes, carbon fork, tubless-ready wheels and space for 38mm tyres or mudguards. The Triban RC520 isn’t just great value, it’s a very forward-thinking collection of parts too.

Using a compact 50/34t chainset and wide 11-32t cassette the range of gears is huge. There’s also plenty of stand-over, while the short and shallow bars mean it’s easy to keep a hold of.

The frame’s heavily worked tube profiles probably do something towards the eternal goal of being laterally stiff and vertically compliant, but of more interest to the average rider, they look like they’ve been pinched from a much more expensive bike.

Read our first ride review of the Triban RC520

Buy the Triban RC520 for £729 now from Decathlon

4. Boardman SLR 8.9c

Buy now from Halford for £900

I often wonder, if Chris Boardman had a sexier surname - say Merckx or Pinarello - would his bikes be more desired? I think so.

As it stands, Boardman produces some pretty good bikes like the SLR 8.9. Making do with Shimano’s 10-speed Tiagra groupset, it may not have the same component offering achieved by some of its competition. But then it is fully carbon.

Recently updated and renamed, the SLR 8.9’s endurance-focused frame sports skinny stays, an integrated clamp and seamless looking cable management. This is backed up by a matching all-carbon fork.

Weighing a claimed 9kg, it’s quicker than most bikes at this price point, something you can boost further by ejecting the tubes from its tubeless-ready wheelset.

Buy now from Halford for £900

Best road bikes under £2,500

Read our roundup of the best endurance and sportive bikes

5. Trek Domane SL 5 

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £2,450

Big fans of Trek upping the tyre clearance of its endurance Domane range to 32mm. With that extra rubber underneath, you really can get adventurous with your routes an experimenting off-road.

It also helps the America brand fits the Shimano 105 disc-equipped Domane with wide gear ratios including a 1-to-1 gear. You'll rarely use it but it really means that almost any climb you could tackle is achievable. 

And don't forget Trek IsoSpeed integrated suspension. How that helps with comfort.

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £2,450

Orro Gold STC Disc Ultegra

Buy now from Tredz for £2,499

A smidge below £2.5k the Orro provides a good frame and excellent Ultegra groupset. With hydraulic disc brakes and bolt-through axles, it’s a reliably unflappable combo. Geometry-wise the Gold falls within the brand’s endurance range, meaning it’s racy, but not overly aggressive.

This is backed up by its stock gearing, which sees a pro-compact 52/36t chainset matched to an 11-30t cassette.

Relatively fast Fulcrum Racing 500 wheels won’t spike your ambitions to go fast, while its 28c Continental Grand Sport Race tyres are also capable. With a Prologo saddle and Deda finishing kit, it’s a well-rounded package at a keen price. 

Buy now from Tredz for £2,499

7. Giant Defy Advanced 1 

Buy now from Tredz for £2,199

A racy frame, big 32c tyres and a Shimano Ultegra groupset. What more could you ask for? 

The Defy has long been a trusted frame for the masses and this latest incarnation is bang on trend with tubeless wheels, hydraulic disc brakes and an 11-34 cassette.

This bike has been designed for long days in the saddle and while it is not the lightest, it is a definite contender for those looking to ride in the mountains for the first time. Like all of Giant's bikes it also works hard to wring everything from its medium-sized budget.

Read our review of the Giant Defy Advanced 1

Buy now from Tredz for £2,199

Best road bikes under £5,000

Read our extended rundown of the 20 best aero racing bikes

8. Orbea Orca M21i Team 

Buy now from Tredz for £2,899

Firstly, sold as seen, this Orbea Orca in shiny teal is a true Basque beauty. Secondly, Orbea now gives you the option of a custom paint job on your bike to make it that bit more personal.

Besides that, the Orca is a truly stunning frame that is light yet aero while being comfortable and compliant. Basically, all you could want from a bike.

This particular model comes with the impressive Fulcrum Racing 400 DB wheels, Sram Force 12-speed AXS wireless groupset and the very stylish Hard Black Scratch-2 saddle.

Read our review of the Orbea Orca Aero M11i Team

Buy now from Tredz for £2,899

9. Cervelo S5 Ultegra Disc 

Buy now from Sigma Sports for £4,899

The S5 underwent a recent revamp to improve aerodynamics and stiffness, creating an all-round quicker bike. Chief among that is the split stem, which is claimed to create cleaner airflow, plus a tougher headtube and bottom bracket.

This bike comes complete with mechanical Shimano Ultegra Disc, an outstanding groupset, and DT Swiss P1800 Splice 32 wheels. 

Read our review of the Cervelo S5 here

Buy now from Sigma Sports for £4,899

10. Scott Foil 20 disc 

Buy the Scott Foil disc now from Tredz for £3,199

The Scott Foil has won Milan-San Remo, Liege Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Roubaix while also winning stages at all three Grand Tours. Now if that's not a frame for every occasion, I'm not sure what is?

Shimano Ultegra gearing and brakes are what you'd look for at this price-point, while the 28mm Schwalbe ProOne tyres will keep you comfortable yet fast.

With a black frame and all black parts, holographic decals set off a bike that looks screamingly fast even when propped up. 

Read our review of the Scott Foil disc

Buy the Scott Foil disc now from Tredz for £3,199

11. Bianchi Sprint Ultegra 

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £2,800

Bianchi’s bikes don’t come cheap. Yet the Sprint rolls in sporting both the brand’s famous celeste livery, disc brakes and a full Ultegra Groupset. A bit of a departure for the Italian maker, the Sprint’s build is also very different from the style of bike the company is known for. 

Able to handle 32mm tyres, you can even squeeze in mudguards if you want. However, don’t imagine all of Bianchi’s racing heritage is gone. With dropped seatstays, a short head tube and a 73-degree head angle, the Sprint lives up to its name.

Providing a ride that’s on the racier side of endurance, this is tempered enough to make it perfectly suited to long days in the saddle. Low in weight, and with a pro-compact 52/36t crankset and 11-32t cassette, it also excels on long climbs.

A great all-rounder, with a top build-kit and a famous name attached. What more can you want? 

Read our full review here

Buy now from Evans Cycles for £2,800

Best road bikes money no object 

Read our extended dream bikes test ride feature

12. Specialized S-Works Venge Disc Di2 

We all love going fast and you cannot get much faster on a bike than the Specialized S-Works Venge Disc Di2. Rumour has it you can get from 0-60 faster than you can say the bike's full name.

The bike's front end has been lifted to increase comfort from the previous Venge although nothing has been lost in terms of speed and performance.

The bike comes complete with Roval CLX 64 wheels, integrated dual-sided power metre and S-Works aerofly bars topped off with a set of tan wall Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres.

13. BMC Timemachine 01

Buy now from Tredz for £10,999

This is BMC's fastest ever bike. Everything from the full integration of cables to the recessed bottle cages has been designed with the idea of making this bike faster.

This particular model comes complete with deep-section Mavic Comete wheels and Vittoria Corsa 25mm clincher tyres for a rapid finish.

A bike for the now, the Timemachine 01 is also a disc-only frame and this particular option comes with the outstanding Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 disc groupset.

Read our review of the BMC Timemachine 01 here

Buy now from Tredz for £10,999

14. Colnago C64 Art Decor Super Record EPS 

Buy now from Sigma Sports for £10,299.00

Yes, I know, this is over the £10,000 budget but if you have 10 grand chances are you will be able to spare an extra £300, especially for this piece of art. The new Colnago C64 promises to be Colnago's best bike yet.

Built correctly with Campagnolo Super Record EPS and Campagnolo Bora Ultra wheels, if you buy this you will probably not regret it.

Plus you would probably also need to pick up a bike to ride for all those days of the year when it isn't wall to wall sunshine.

Read our review of the Colnago C64.

Buy now from Sigma Sports for £10,299.00

What should I consider when buying a new bike?

Can I afford replacement parts?

It's all well and good saving up to buy a sparkly new top-of-the-range bike but ask yourself, when something needs replacing, can you afford it?

We ask this question because bike parts do wear with time and it can cost a lot to replace things like-for-like.

How do I usually ride?

If you consider yourself an aggressive whippet who focuses on smashing out power hours on your lunch break, then you should go for an aero bike.

Are you a more relaxed rider who enjoys banking long, slow days in the saddle? An endurance frame with relaxed geometry would likely be the ticket here.

Buy a bike that compliments how you ride a bike, not how you think you should ride.

Where do I ride?

Where do I envisage riding my new bike? Am I buying this to venture into the world of gravel? If so, you need to look for a bike with generous tyre clearance.

Are you buying this bike with the plan of multiple trips to the high mountains abroad? Then you should probably consider a lightweight frame.

Pinpoint where you see yourself riding most, then buy a bike suited to that.

Am I looking to upgrade?

Going into a bike purchase, you will have a rough figure in your head of how much you want to spend. And within that, there will be tonnes of options fitting the bill.

If you have grand plans of wheel and groupset upgrades in the near future, plucking for the best frame you can buy for your budget isn't a bad idea.

But if you do not, you may find that the best option for you, in the long term, is not the most expensive bike you can afford.

It is a popular misconception that aged wine tastes best. While it is true that some of the rarest and most expensive wines can be made more complex through careful ageing, more than 95% of all the wine in the world is intended to be drunk straight away, while it is young and fresh. So to flip the colloquialism on its head, Orbea’s Orca is not like a fine wine because it most certainly has got better with age.

In 2017 I tested a previous-generation Orca, the OMR. It was a light and snappy race bike but was in danger of being outdated quickly. It didn’t have the disc brakes or cable integration, the dropped seatstays or aero styling that was starting to appear on race bikes back then and which has since become standard. Perish the thought, it even had 23mm tyres.

A year later I went on to test the Orca Aero. It was Orbea’s attempt to get ahead of the pack on the aero side of things, being one of the first bikes to exploit the UCI’s relaxation of the 3:1 depth-to-width ratio on tube shapes.

It was undoubtedly a step forward but for me the Orca Aero swung the pendulum too far in the other direction. It was a juggernaut of a bike that felt brutally quick once up to speed but was heavy and on the harsh side of practical.

The latest OMX means the Orca is now 17 years old, which seems to have given it enough time to mature beautifully. In wine terms, if the Orca OMR is a fruity white and the Orca Aero is a powerful red, then the OMX is a refined rosé, blending the best qualities of both.

A little bit of everything

The OMX has integrated cables, aero tube shapes, dropped seatstays and disc brakes, but crucially these features have been added without blunting the bike’s signature razor-sharp handling.

The bike’s inherent stiffness, the result of its massive down tube, bottom bracket junction and chainstays, helps to offset the extra weight required to accommodate the changes. At 7.5kg the OMX isn’t as light as some of the competition, but the bike’s solid spine made it feel like I wasn’t wasting any effort when testing the bike up short, sharp inclines.

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Image 3 of 8

At face value the most noticeable update is to the component integration. Cables are managed almost entirely internally and the cockpit and head tube junction is clean, as is the seatpost clamp. At times, the need to hide cables and clamps can mean that maintenance tasks become a nightmare, so it was heartening to find the Orbea has balanced this tricky act well.

Cables are routed from the bars into an extended spacer that runs smoothly underneath a conventional stem. It’s a smart and simple solution that’s easy to work on. Equally, the hidden seatpost clamp is exceptionally neat yet is easy to access.

I got the feeling the aero styling wasn’t just for show, either. It’s always hard to gauge precisely how effective a bike’s aerodynamics are, but I found the Orca could give me an extra kick at high speed.

Buy the Orbea Orca OMX from Tredz here.

For example, there’s a section on one of my test loops where I can cruise down a gentle, prolonged decline at around 45kmh. On the OMX I found I could sprint here and be rewarded with more acceleration than I would typically expect to find.

Don’t fix what ain’t broken

Orbea isn’t exactly trying to do anything new in terms of frame geometry – the OMX feels virtually identical to Orcas past, even with the introduction of disc brakes and the slight changes to geometry that this entails. Tweaks elsewhere have offset any effect the switch may have had.

For example, Orbea’s engineers have kept the chainstays to an exceptionally short 408mm, and consequently I found that the OMX handled like an archetypal race bike, creating the feeling that I could steer with my hips.

It was a case of shifting my body and the bike following, rather than me consciously pointing where I wanted the bike to go. It meant the OMX, paired with Mavic’s grippy Yksion Pro tubeless tyres inflated to a comparatively squidgy 70psi, tracked lines through corners beautifully.

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Image 2 of 8

While it may appear that the OMX supersedes the Orca OMR and the Orca Aero, Orbea itself says the newcomer actually sits in alongside both models.

The OMR is a bit lighter; the Aero is heavier but faster. For my money the OMX provides the best balance of attributes across the board, and would be the bike I’d go for. Still, having so many good designs to choose from is a nice problem for Orbea to have.

Alternatively…

Add £400 for wireless

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Image 8 of 8

The Dura-Ace Di2 version we tested is only topped in cost by the Sram Red eTap AXS version at £8,299. This wireless groupset cleans up the bike’s neat integration even further for just a handful of extra grams.

Buy the Orbea Orca M11e Ltd-D from Tredz for £8,299.

Half the price, not half the bike

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Image 7 of 8

The Orca OMX M20LTD-D is the same frame but married to Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting and Vision 40 SC Disc Carbon TLR CL wheels. At £4,199 you’ll save several grand on our test bike.

Buy the Orbea Orca OMX M20LTD-D now from Tredz for £4,199

Spec

Open is a bike brand that seems to be always ahead of the trend. The company’s co-founder, Gerard Vroomen, was half of the brains behind Cervélo and has always had a knack for creating bikes we never knew we wanted.

The original Open UP – a bike with what looked like a road frame but with clearance for 650b wheels and 2.1in mountain bike tyres – was bizarre on first sight. However, it proved to be hugely popular and broke new ground in the space between gravel bikes and hardtail mountain bikes.

Open dubbed it ‘GravelPlus’ but, with many gravel bikes now offering dual wheel size compatibility, this category is no longer really necessary. Not that we needed any further confusion anyway.

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Image 9 of 15

Open achieved the UP’s wide clearance while maintaining a short and road-oriented 420mm chainstay length by using a then-unique dropped chainstay design on the driveside.

That allowed the use of wide tyres while making the UP handle like a road bike, a feature that has since been emulated by dozens of its competitors. For the Wi.DE, Vroomen has gone one step further.

Bigger is better

The bike introduces the ‘monostay’, where both chainstays are dropped. That means the Wi.DE can fit a whopping 2.4in tyre on 650b wheels, something that would have been unorthodox to see even on cross-country mountain bikes a few years back.

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Image 2 of 15

Equally, the double dropped stays allow 700c wheels to be paired with tyres as wide as 46mm. The monostay also increases stiffness at the bottom bracket, as the chainstays form a solid junction unit just beaneath.

Vroomen says this extra clearance helps to separate the Wi.DE from the UP, with the former being slightly more trail-oriented and the latter slightly more road-oriented.

‘The UP and Wi.DE do the same thing but with a different focus,’ he says. ‘The UP is great for tyres ranging from 700c x 28mm to 650b x 54mm [2.1in], whereas the Wi.DE’s range is more 700c x 35mm to 650b x 60mm. If you really spend a lot of time on tough trails, the Wi.DE is the better choice because you’ll want to go beyond 54mm tyres.’

In terms of handling, the Wi.DE has a slightly more relaxed geometry than the UP, but Vroomen assures me that the ride is essentially the same.

Buy the Open WI.DE now from CycleFit

I first rode the Wi.DE on a trip to Idaho in the United States, with a set of 2.35in Schwalbe G-One Speed tyres. I quickly found my way onto some high, narrow and rocky trails in the Idaho mountains, where the Wi.DE gave me huge confidence.

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Image 10 of 15

That was partly down to the wide tyres, but the geometry also played a part. The front end was lively, darting around rocks and through cracks without disturbing stability, and the bike was agile on technical fire-road descents.

The most striking thing, though, was how much the Wi.DE felt like a road bike. It’s pretty light for a gravel bike, which made steep inclines relatively breezy, and the mixture of light weight and relaxed geometry made riding gravel trails a lively affair. The same roads would have proved boring on a full-suspension mountain bike.

Once back in the UK, I switched to the set of narrower 2.1in Schwalbe G-One Bite tyres pictured, which hit a sweetspot on trails that are far less challenging than the Rocky Mountains. This bestowed confidence on bridleways and moderate singletrack, but didn’t dramatically affect the handling or ride quality on the road.

I’ve tested the UP, and the Wi.DE’s double-dropped chainstay does indeed seem to have further increased the lateral stiffness. On skinny tyres at higher pressure it really did feel like a rigid road racer.

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Image 3 of 15

The WI.DE. has multiple mounts for endurance riding and bikepacking

Vroomen claims this is down to the patented carbon layup, which he calls (with tongue firmly in cheek) TRCinTRS. That stands for ‘The Right Carbon in The Right Spot’.

At 170mm the head tube isn’t low enough to satisfy the most aggressive road setups, but that’s not the position you’d want to find yourself in anyway.

A more upright position with a shorter reach and higher stack helps handling and stability on tougher terrain, but at the same time the head tube is not so high as to pitch your weight too far back, which would affect traction on steep inclines.

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Image 14 of 15

Eagle eyes

Some have criticised the lack of a front derailleur mount on the Wi.DE, but to me it makes complete sense. I’m an advocate of 1x groupsets generally, but never more than on a bike like this.

The range of gears offered by the XX1 Eagle setup is impressive. To put it in perspective, it provides a bigger overall range than a mid-compact chainset with a sizeable 11-36t rear cassette.

I found myself able to climb almost anything. I even managed off-road ramps I’ve never been able to get up before (sometimes after a couple of attempts, admittedly), which I put down to a combination of frame stiffness, geometry, gearing and tyres. Whatever it was, it was a lot of fun.

When I was testing the Wi.DE, many people posed the question of whether someone who needs to limit themselves to one bike (possibly on account of city living) will likely have access to trails that would warrant all of the Wi.DE’s versatility.

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Image 7 of 15

It’s a good question, as a separate road and mountain bike might serve both areas better individually. But perhaps the Wi.DE reflects how MTB technology has outpaced the terrain most of us can access.

In my case, I do most of my riding on paths and tracks that a 32mm tyre could manage, and the Wi.DE makes those stretches faster and easier. It also allows me the option to venture onto more testing and exciting trails than I’ve managed on other gravel bikes.

Ultimately, the Open Wi.DE is a highly tuned performance bike, but with enough fun and versatility to not take itself too seriously.

All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews

Heroïn is the lovechild of ultra-wealthy French businessman Marc Simoncini and design engineer Remi Chenu, a veteran of the bike industry. The pair joined forces in 2013 with the goal of creating the ‘perfect bike’, and by 2016 had unveiled the Heroïn H1.

The concept of a ‘perfect’ bicycle is open to interpretation, but I’d say they didn’t get too close to it with the H1. It was a solid bike, but no better than many others and dizzyingly expensive at £13,000.

This latest offering from Heroïn, the HR, is still hardly one for the penny-pinchers at over £10,000, but I’d argue that it is a superior bike to the H1 at a price that at least puts it alongside other top-end models in the superbike market.

Naming rights

While Heroïn has certainly done some impressive work, there’s one thing that niggles. Simoncini says the name of the brand reflects that it sells ‘a pure product that gives you so much pleasure you can’t quit it’.

Personally, I find that a bit offensive. While I’m sure it’s meant to make the brand edgy, I’m not sure I’d want to be associated with a drug that’s best known for destroying lives.

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Image 2 of 7

Name aside, though, there’s a lot to like. For starters, the bikes are made entirely in Europe; the HR frame is fabricated in Italy and the bike is assembled in France.

It’s not that I have an issue with bikes made in the Far East – manufacturers there are now some of the best in the world – but when buying into an artisan brand such as Heroïn, I think knowing that the frame is made more locally is a big bonus.

The process of developing the H1 and HR was a long one, involving numerous prototypes over three years. The prototypes can still be seen in Heroïn’s workshop in Mougins, near Nice.

Buy now from Heroin Cycles now.

The bike’s finish is premium quality and, for me, the dimples are both aesthetically pleasing and reassuringly technical. ‘It took nearly three years of development, testing and 3D printing, plus dozens of tooling innovations, to successfully produce this “golf ball” texture,’ Simoncini says.

The dimples are designed to create a turbulent boundary layer of air that leads to a smaller vortex of air behind the tube, thus reducing drag. Theorists debate the aerodynamic benefits of dimples, but Heroïn claims the frame is verified in the wind-tunnel at the Magny-Cours circuit in France.

Much was previously made of the aerodynamics of the H1’s fork vents (slits down each leg of the fork), but they’ve disappeared on the HR since they proved less effective with the advent of disc brakes. That’s probably for the best, as fork stiffness is key to handling, and keeping things simple never hurts.

On paper, the HR certainly looks the part. We don’t have a wind-tunnel to analyse the benefits of its dimples, but hopefully the road tells all.

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Image 4 of 7

That’s an HR issue

In terms of all-out speed, the HR is certainly fast. The frame stiffness makes for rapid acceleration, while the neat integration and aerodynamic tubing means it holds speed well up at 40-50kmh.

I was convinced by the aerodynamics quite quickly, although I doubt the HR is quite up to the level of a Trek Madone or Specialized Venge. It was the rigidity that really impressed me early on, though. The HR offers a platform so stable it feels as if you can just spin freely on the pedals and the bike will leap up to speed.

There’s almost no sense of fighting against the mass of the bike. The stiffness element is apparent in the handling too. The HR was stable, sharp and always highly reactive, aided by the rigid and tactile handlebars.

The reason for that stiffness may be down to material. Heroïn says it uses the rather expensive Torayca M46J carbon fibre in the frame. That’s potentially both a good and a bad thing.

While a fibre like M46J is a high-modulus aerospace-grade carbon fibre, meaning it’s extremely rigid, it has much less strength than intermediate fibres such as Toray T800, making it brittle. My suspicion is that it is probably used strategically rather than all over the frame.

While the HR delivers a healthy rumble through the frame, it manages a pleasing level of comfort – enough to swallow up some of the nastier cracks and potholes of my local lanes, while falling short of a truly comfort-oriented Classics bike. Mind you, the integration of discs has opened the possibility for wider tyres, and there’s certainly ample space for comfier 28mm rubber.

The ride quality would best be described as refined and mature. Essentially, it’s just enjoyable to ride, whether accelerating out of the saddle, descending at the limit (helped enormously by the disc brakes) or simply coasting. Long climbs were aided by the HR’s impressively low build weight of 7.06kg (very light indeed for an aero disc build) and the general stiffness of the frame. I found that tough rides flew by on the HR.

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Given the HR’s aerodynamic curves, I assumed it would be made from a few moulded sections as most ‘monocoque’ carbon frames are. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Heroïn can provide the HR in near-custom geometry at no extra cost, by offering a wide range of options for tube lengths and angles. 

Just be aware that some of the handling characterisics could potentially be lost should you choose to stray from the stock geometry that I rode.

For stock frames, Heroïn offers customisation of the stem length, handlebar width and of course all of the usual component choices at no extra cost.

So does the Heroïn HR really stack up against the best superbikes on the market? In performance terms I’d say it does. Its ride quality is not unlike the S-Works Venge, and there’s no doubt it’s fast (if lacking the all-out speed of the Venge).

Heroïn has a unique boutique identity yet also embraces the future, placing it alongside names such as Bastion and Rolo. Right now, however, I would be hard pressed to choose a Heroïn over either of those brands, not through any failing of the HR, but simply because those brands set the bar so high.

Depending on what Heroïn comes up with next, though, I’m open to being convinced.

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Image 7 of 7

Spec

All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews

Boring beige and Scandi pastels are so de riguer in the world of cycling at the moment, I don’t know whether I should concentrate on riding my bike or growing a moustache. It seems like the current trend is for everything from bikes to bibshorts to come in a shade of understated that while cool, is just a bit boring.

Don’t you miss the good old days when bikes glowed brighter than some pro cyclists' haematocrit levels?

In all seriousness, we are hugely nostalgic of how things looked back in the early 1990s. Everything was bolder, louder, more colourful. We’d just had the second summer of love, we drank Hooch and MD 20/20, and hi-vis anoraks were the order of the day.

And cycling was no less loud than real life. It was all Cinelli Spinaci tri-bars, four-spoke Spinergy wheels, gravel bikes were just called mountain bikes and cycling jerseys had a massive fluorescent Z across the chest.

It also turns out we’re not the only ones pining for the past. Czech bike artists Festka (we call them artists because their bikes are truly art) have also taken inspiration from the 1990s with the latest, special-edition Spectre Splash road bike.

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Image 3 of 11

For inspiration on a new design, the brand’s art director Tom Hnida had been flicking through Pinterest boards when he found himself becoming obsessed with 1990s ski apparel which spawned the idea of this fluorescent blue and pink hand-painted bike, aptly called the ‘Splash’

Festka has used the name Splash not only to ‘refer to the design being loud and bold’ but ‘also the way it is made because the overlapping shade is splashed on by hand using a specially designed brush. As with all other Festka paint schemes, Splash is 100% painted and it doesn‘t utilise any ready-made decals.’

And for any bike paying homage to the 1990s, four-spoke wheels are non-negotiable. Festka has opted for a set of Corima’s ‘4 Spoke DX’ tubular time-trial wheels which while not the original Spinergy wheels, will certainly do. I mean, you can just hear the ‘whoosh’ of those wheels by looking at them.

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Image 11 of 11

While truly inspired by the 1990s, this bike is also still thoroughly-modern. The Spectre frame is full carbon, as are the Enve handlebars and stem. You can even fit 28mm tyres, too.

Rather than using a 9-speed mechanical groupset, Festka has opted for the ever-trusted Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 disc groupset swapping out the standard jockey wheels for a set of oversized Ceramic Speed wheels for some efficiency optimisation.

This bike is currently with Cyclist’s editor-at-large Stu Bowers and I, for one, am deeply jealous and cannot wait to see his thoughts on this incredible retro-modern machine.

Two weeks of solid sunshine, dry roads and barely a breath of wind make for maximum riding enjoyment, as if we need any excuse to escape what has (at the time of writing) become all but a partial lockdown. However, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I often think I’d have no luck at all…

Wheeling the Giant Propel Advanced 2 Disc out of the front door for its thrashing around the lanes of Lincolnshire sees a 60kmh gust almost take the bike out of my hand. Ah well, at least we’ll see how the rims perform in a howling gale.

Buy now from Tredz for £2,399

Always ask a grown-up

Where many manufacturers of aero road bikes present an all too cluttered array of cables and pointy bits to disrupt the airflow, Giant has integrated everything as best it can. In fact, the Propel Advanced 2 Disc has barely 20cm of exposed cabling on the entire bike.

The fiddle being routing the front and rear cables through the top cap of Giant’s SL Aero stem (a £125 component if bought in isolation).

After turning the air of my kitchen blue for an hour, I enlist the help of David Ward, Giant UK’s Product and Training Manager. 'The easiest way to fit it is to ensure the two brake hoses are central, fix them in place with electrical tape, then route the gear cables, clip the cap on and tighten,' he advises.

'Then snip the tape off for a neat finish.' Mechanical emasculation complete, we’re set to go. (Of course, your local bike shop or Giant dealer can perform this task for you.)

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Image 6 of 15

And boy, does it go?

As one might reasonably expect, the Giant Propel Advanced 2 Disc is designed for full-power, full-speed pursuits. The front frame triangle is constructed as a monococque (ie, in one piece) from the Taiwanese behemoth’s own blend of what it calls 'High-Performance Grade raw carbon', mixed with a proprietary resin, with the intention of creating an enviable stiffness-to-weight ratio.

Allied to Giant’s own Powercore bottom bracket/chainstay junction (incorporating an 86mm BB), and asymmetric chainstays designed to counter forces on the drive side, pedalling input powers a near-lossless system.

Add to this a 52/36 mid-compact chainset of the Shimano 105 variety, and the potential to destroy flat and rolling roads is enormous.

With the wind behind me on the opening leg of my blowiest ride this year, speeds upwards of 40kph are the norm. But so, unfortunately, is a slippery arse, as the tip of Giant’s Contact Forward saddle is by no means the most grippy place to perch yourself as you hammer out the wind-assisted clicks.

Buy now from Tredz for £2,399

It’s the only let down in the comfort triangle for me. Also, be aware that the 970mm wheelbase leads to a fair amount of toe overlap at the front wheel when performing slower manoeuvres.

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Image 14 of 15

Wind in my sails

Nearing the end of a straight road where I’ve been blessed by a tailwind, a left turn is taken without changing down a gear, and in confidence thanks to the 72.5° headtube angle of the Giant Propel.

However, now the wind is coming from the side and a gust hits me so hard when I stand to accelerate out of the corner that my body acts as a sail, the bike being pushed into the centre of the road.

Two things save me here: the first, I’m used to riding in the gutter, so steer close to the verge and use it to minimise the blasts of crosswind. The second, the yaw-angle-optimised Giant P-A2 alloy rims (65mm rear, 42mm front) of the Propel behave surprisingly well in a howling gale.

Giant comments on its website that, 'Through Computational Fluid Dynamics and wind tunnel data, engineers optimise each tube shape to deliver superior aerodynamic performance.' This is borne out by the bike’s behaviour in these blowy conditions.

One of those iffy moments when the wind takes you off-course, but which helps you test how a bike copes with crosswind!

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Image 15 of 15

Afraid of heights?

Newsflash: The Giant Propel Advanced 2 Disc is not the ideal all-rounder. Yes, it can climb, but no, it’s not the ideal companion for a mountainous ride. Good things first…

The same directness which encourages rapid progress on rolling roads is evident on steep climbs. The 12mm thru-axle connections at the front and rear ensure there’s no noticeable flex or rub, the power-hungry BB area helps maintain what momentum you’ve amassed the best it can, and the front end is firmer than a three-year-old protein bar (I found one in my old commuting bag last week; a well-aimed throw to the head would knock a man clean out).

Additionally, the flat top of the Giant Contact SL bars is the ideal place to rest your palms on a lengthy ascent.

On the downside, the bike’s all-up weight, including pedals, of 9.46kg is not uphill-friendly. Neither is the 11-30 Shimano cassette or 52/36 chainset, which may send you looking for the little chainring quicker than usual.

That said, its stunning braking performance and rapid handling make for some of the most engaging descending I’ve enjoyed in many months.

Its tubeless 25c tyre set-up helps matters throughout, with a supple ride and dependable grip. Puncture-resistance is also far from the front of your mind when you’ve tyres full of sealant rolling beneath you. David Ward does warn, however, 'I wouldn’t advise using a CO2 cannister to fit them, as it can freeze some sealants and turn it solid…'

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Image 10 of 15

Does it pay off?

Given that a ride on the Giant Propel Advanced 2 Disc brings joy in abundance, the question is: ‘Does it offer value for money?’. If your riding is likely to be flat-out more often than not, the performance, frame tech and clever integration across the build make it an easy decision.

But, for £2399, you’d reasonably expect Ultegra equipment, which would make a really good bike a great bike, with less weight to carry around and slightly more slickness to its operation.

Although not as neatly put together, the Tifosi Auriga Disc packs a full Ultegra groupset, is arguably a bigger talking point on group rides (when they’re permitted with people who aren’t in our household), and undercuts the Giant by £300.

Rating - 3.5/5

Spec

All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews

This is not the first Eddy Merckx 525 I have tested. Some years back I reviewed the EMX-525, which was similar in both look and name, but came equipped with rim brakes. But make no mistake, this isn’t merely the same bike with fancier paint and disc brakes.

‘The rear stays and the seat tube are based on the EMX-525, but the bike is totally new,’ says Eddy Merckx Cycles’ Thibaut Norga.

‘We went to the wind-tunnel with it and realised we could slim down the head tube and lose the cables, and we also shaved 190g off the frame.’

Lighter, faster… it’s all good news so far for the 525 (by the way, the name refers to the number of professional victories Eddy Merckx the man took in his career), especially the integration, which although no neater from the outside than any other bike of its type, works here to great effect.

The 525 is distinctly angular, so burying curvy cables and hoses inside the frame plays well to this aesthetic – if you like this aesthetic, because much like the Pinarello Dogma I tested recently, the 525’s looks are divisive. But there are – you guessed it – reasons.

‘The front is designed with aerodynamics in mind, the bottom bracket for stiffness and the seatstays’ shape adds comfort,’ says Norga.

Whether or not those tubes bend and flex in the way the kinks seem to suggest, I don’t know (I do know that other brands have tried this and since moved back to using straight tubes), but the 525 is actually a pretty comfortable perch.

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Image 2 of 7

It helps that the front end is relatively tall – 174mm head tube for a medium with 566mm top tube – such that the natural position is quite relaxed, but beyond that I was struck at how smooth the bike felt in most situations, while simultaneously providing a kick as punchy as the beefy BB and chainstays would have you believe. Those tubes don’t lie.

Buy the Eddy Merckx 525 frameset from Wiggle here.

In this, the bike is very ‘Belgian’. It has the feel of a steamroller about it, which I’ve come to expect. The last EMX-525 had this quality too, as did a much earlier Eddy Merckx EMX-3 I owned many moons ago, which felt like it could both plough a Flanders field as well as lead one.

However, unlike those bikes, the 525 is markedly more refined, imbued with a sense of balance and control of its surroundings, while being blessed with a serious turn of pace.

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Image 3 of 7

Why so fast?

The bike’s speed – or at least its aero ability – is most evident in a headwind, where pedalling feels a lot easier than on other bikes. I’d wager the big factor is the one-piece bars and lack of cabling, as too the wheels – the Fulcrum Winds being really rather good, and not a million miles away from sister brand Campagnolo’s superb Bora WTOs, albeit 100g heavier but almost a grand cheaper (top tip, upgrade hunters).

As such, the 525 sails around merrily and climbs admirably for a bike well over race weight. However, for all this the 525 gets good but not top class marks – there are better bikes to climb on and to sprint with.

Which brings me to the crash. While riding across town to our photo studio I was – not for the first time – having way too much fun cornering on the 525. It’s just brilliant at cornering, but on this occasion I wasn’t, and in my attempt to over-correct I ended up doing a forward flip over the bars.

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Image 4 of 7

The 525 was fine, as was I, and it was only later when I opened my backpack in the studio and inadvertently poured oats all over the bemused receptionist’s desk did I realise that of all things a bag of porridge had broken my fall.

Buy the Eddy Merckx 525 frameset from Wiggle here.

What have we learned?

So there it is – buy the 525 Disc if you want a joyful bike to ride. Also if you like metallic blue (the paint here is great, which makes it a shame that sponsored team AG2R have painted theirs brown).

However, be aware that this bike will make you curse at least once, and that’s because I’m convinced the seatpost clamp is flawed. The paint makes it slip.

The moral of the story? Don’t paint seatpost wedges, period. Raw aluminium is fine, thanks. And also ride with at least one flapjack in your jersey pocket.

Alternatively…

Turn Japanese for big savings

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Image 7 of 7

Campagnolo gruppos are things of beauty, but if you want to save more than a few quid and gain an electronic setup to boot, look no further than the Ultegra Di2 spec 525 Disc, which comes in at approx £7,000.

One for the weight weenies

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Image 6 of 7

Keep the Campy but lose the weight, as the 525 also comes in rim brake guise, meaning this Super Record-equipped version weighs around 7.3kg and costs approximately £7,670.

Spec

All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews