Endurance road bikes share many of the attributes of race bikes, but focus more on comfort. If you’re new to road riding, an endurance road bike is the obvious choice.
It’s almost 20 years now since the Specialized Roubaix kicked off the endurance road bike revolution. Its fancy Zertz inserts were designed to reduce road buzz and its upright geometry placed the rider in a comparatively relaxed position.
Although pitched at the amateur rider, the original Roubaix notched up some notable pro wins, particularly under Tom Boonen in the early season Classics.
Endurance road bikes have come a long way since then, but many of the bikes today share some key design principles and core technologies. So what are the main features you should be looking for in an endurance bike?
What is an endurance road bike? Key features to look for
Upright riding position
Key to riding any bike for a long time is a comfortable riding position and for most people that means a more upright riding position than can be found on the average race bike.
Endurance bikes will have a shorter reach and higher stack than more race-oriented machines, so you’re less stretched out, although there are gradations in just how upright an endurance bike will place you.
Stable geometry
Rather than being edgy like a bike tuned for the sharp end of racing, endurance bikes are designed for more predictable, stable handling. You don’t want a bike that’s a handful to pilot if you’re going long.
Typically, endurance bikes will have a longer wheelbase and slacker frame and fork angles than a more race-oriented bike. They will also have longer chainstays for less snappy handling.
Increased tyre clearance
Longer chainstays also increase tyre clearance. Tyres (and rims) are still getting wider, but increased tyre clearance has been common on endurance bikes for years as an easy way to increase comfort and grip by increasing the volume of air under the rider, allowing lower tyre pressures.
28mm tyres are the minimum, but expect clearance to fit tyres up to 40mm on some models.
Lower gearing
To take steep climbs with ease and reduce fatigue on long, hilly rides, low gearing will let you spin up rather than engage in out-of-saddle grinding. It’s typical for endurance bikes to be fitted with a 50/34-tooth compact crankset.
Modern road groupsets will let you pair that with a cassette providing range up to 11-36, so you get some really low ratios. With the latest groupsets shifting to 12-speed cassettes, the wide range is often achieved with smallish differences between gear ratios mid-cassette, where the bulk of your riding is likely to be.
SRAM’s 12-speed eTap AXS groupsets give you even wider gear ratios, with the option of a 10-36t cassette paired with either a 46/33 or 48/35 crankset.
That gives a similar top ratio to a conventional groupset that has an 11-tooth smallest sprocket, but a very low bottom gear.
Disc brakes
Disc brakes are the norm for bike manufacturers these days, with hydraulic braking rather than cable-operated on mid-range models and up. They bring improved braking in all weathers while coming with only a minor weight penalty. They are also pivotal in allowing those bigger tyre clearances.
Fancy seatposts
A slim and flexible 27.2mm seatpost is typical for road bikes and carbon seatposts are the most common material even on lower priced endurance bikes, for their increased vibration damping.
Beyond that, endurance bikes will often have seatposts with extra features to make your saddle time more enjoyable, like the Canyon/Ergon VCLS split shaft seatpost and BMC and Giant’s D-shaped posts.
Vibration damping
There have been many solutions to vibration damping over the years – some more gimmicky than others.
Generally they involve adding an additional material to the frame to dissipate vibration, like Bianchi’s Countervail, designing the rear triangle with flex zones or extra compliance, as in the Cannondale Synapse or the Lapierre Xelius or built-in flex features as in the Trek Domane and the Wilier Granturismo SLR.
Front end comfort may be catered for by features to add extra vertical travel like the Future Shock 2.0 found in the latest generation of the Specialized Roubaix or the pivoting stem found in the BMC Roadmachine X AMP (okay, that one’s an electric bike).
In other cases, vibration damping comes from the design and layup of carbon handlebars and fork blades.
Mudguard mounts
Mudguard fixing points used to be a rarity on any bike, but they’re pretty much standard on modern endurance bikes. If you’re going to be out on long rides in all weathers you want to be kept a bit drier; wheel spray wetting your seat pad is never comfortable.
We’d say proper mudguard mounts are essential if you plan on riding through winter.
Lighting
While still a bit of a novelty, it’s increasingly common to see lights built into endurance bikes. Cannondale’s SmartSense system uses a central battery to power front and rear lights.
Many road bike designs, even performance race models, now allow you to add an integral rear light to your seatpost.
Electric assistance
Many brands now offer e-bike versions of their endurance bikes. It’s a useful option if you want to go long and value the extra assistance of a motor to help with climbs or if you get fatigued.
Often you’ll be riding at over the 25kmh at which assistance cuts out (in Europe), so the motor is only there for when things get harder.
The best electric road bikes are not much heavier than a normal endurance bike. The extra mass may not affect handling or ride feel on the flat, but the motor provides a get-out on the hills.
It may increase the distance that you feel confident riding or allow you to take on more difficult terrain.
What’s the difference between an endurance road bike and a gravel bike?
Increasingly little. Although they started off as different bike categories, there are now plenty of bikes that blur the boundary. Some bike brands will offer gravel and endurance specs of the same bike, like the Wilier Rave SLR, just altering tyre tread patterns and gearing between the two.
An endurance bike with wide tyre clearance and low gear ratios can easily be set up with gravel tyres for more grip, allowing you to head off tarmac and explore the less gnarly tracks and trails you find.
Conversely, some gravel-light bikes like the aforementioned Wilier Rave SLR or the BMC Kaius are equally at home on the road.
There’s yet another category of bike (don’t bike makers love to define yet another genre?), the all-road bike, that also looks to straddle the endurance/gravel gulf and which overlaps with both, being designed for light gravel alongside road riding.
Best endurance bikes of 2023
- Ribble Endurance AL Disc 105: £1,274
- Giant Defy Advanced 2:£2,299
- All City Zig Zag: $3,100
- Canyon Endurace CF 7 eTap:£2,849
- Mason Resolution:£3,740
- Cube Agree C:62 SLT:£4,699
- BMC Roadmachine 01 Three:£6,900
- Lapierre Xelius SL 9.0:£7,399
- J.Laverack J.Ack III Di2:£8.385
- Cannondale Synapse Carbon 1 RLE:£9,000
- Trek Domane SLR:£9,500
- Specialized S-Works Roubaix:£13,000
- Open Min.D California:£15,800
Why trust Cyclist’s reviews?
At Cyclist, we’ve been bringing you our pick of the best road bikes since 2012, with our print and online reviews covering everything from the budget to the money-no-object.
Our testing is overseen by tech editor Sam Challis, shown above astride the £15,000 Trek Madone, and website editor Matthew Loveridge.
The Cyclist team have thousands of miles under their belts riding and writing about bikes and can spot what makes a great endurance bike.
We've ridden every bike in this guide and our detailed reviews behind each will tell you what marks each out as an enjoyable long distance ride. If it’s in here, you can be confident that it’s worthy of your attention.
Products appearing in Cyclist buyer's guides are independently selected by our editorial team. Cyclist may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through a retailer link. Read our reviews policy here.
Ribble Endurance AL Disc 105
- £1,274
- Good spec that's upgradeable via the Ribble bike builder
- Lively ride with plenty of gear range
The Ribble Endurance AL got a comprehensive overhaul in 2020 which added disc brakes, a carbon fork, internal cabling, a lighter frame and 28mm tyre clearance. As with all Ribble’s bikes, you can alter the spec; we reckon a carbon seatpost in place of the standard alloy would be high on our list.
It’s a lively bike, helped by the specced Shimano 105 groupset, which gives smooth shifting and plenty of range for hillier rides.
Again, it’s an option you can swap out for something higher up the food chain or with different gear ratios if you want. The Ribble still offers excellent value, even if the price has increased since we reviewed it.
- Read our full Ribble Endurance AL Disc 105 review
- Shop the Endurance AL Disc range at Ribble (from £1,199)
Giant Defy Advanced 2
- £2,299
- Plenty of Giant-specific comfort features
- Quality spec with room for 35mm tyres
The Giant Defy offers sure-footed handling and an upright ride position that won’t scare or fatigue a long distance rider. The Giant bars are designed to provide a small amount of flex and Giant’s D-shaped seatpost and comfortable saddle reduce road buzz.
The compact frame shape means the Defy is still stiff enough for harder efforts, though.
More Giant kit includes the Giant wheels and 32mm tubeless tyres, with room for 35mm, allowing low pressures and with the tread to take in light off-road.
The combination of a 50/34 crank and 11-34 cassette with Shimano 105 shifting provides the gearing to handle steep and offroad terrain as well. At just over 9kg, the Defy Advanced 2 is relatively lightweight for its price.
We've also reviewed the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 which is higher specced but with the same frame.
- Read our full Giant Defy Advanced 2 review
All City Zig Zag
- $3,100
- Steel frame for comfort and stability
- Supple, smooth ride
The steel All City Zig Zag uses custom drawn steel tubing for a supple, smooth ride. The longish wheelbase adds stability and mudguard eyelets let you kit it out for all-weather riding.
It’s built up with either a Shimano 105 or Ultegra groupset and 30mm tyres, with clearance for 35mm. We reckon some lighter wheels than the Halo Devaura Disc RD2 alloys fitted would help up the performance on offer.
- Read our full All City Zig Zag review
- Buy the All City Zig Zag from All City Bikes
Canyon Endurace CF 7 eTap
- £2,849
- Full carbon frame offers a comfortable, lively ride
- SRAM Rival eTap groupset gives plenty of gear range
The Endurace CF frame is the third tier of Canyon’s carbon Endurace framesets and comfortable, with a lively ride quality.
It shares its geometry with the higher spec carbon models, just made with slightly lower grade carbon fibre, which adds a little weight to the frame.
Canyon includes bosses for a top tube bag, although no mudguard mounts. Smaller sizes get 650b wheels for consistent geometry and handling.
Wide range 12-speed wireless shifting comes from SRAM Rival eTap and there’s 35mm tyre clearance to take you off-road if you want. Look out for Canyon’s sizing, with its bikes larger than most brands for an equivalent frame size, but with quite a short stem for a rather upright ride.
- Read our full Canyon Endurace CF 7 eTap review
- Buy the Canyon Endurace CF 7 eTap from Canyon
Mason Resolution
- £3,740
- Modern steel frame is well balanced
- Option to spec as you please
Mason Cycles mixes a bespoke approach with enough availability that you don’t have to wait for years for its bikes.
It was at the forefront of the allroad revolution with its Columbus steel Resolution, which we found to be agile and well-balanced. On the specced 32mm tyres, there’s plenty of road feel.
The Resolution is a great package if you want classic looks in a forward-thinking bike design. You get your choice of spec, but we went for Campagnolo Ekar, rating its gear range and simplicity for road riding despite it being pitched by Campagnolo as a gravel groupset.
We’ve also reviewed the Mason Definition, the Resolution’s alloy sister bike.
- Read our full Mason Resolution review
- Buy the Mason Resolution from Mason Cycles
Cube Agree C:62 SLT
- £4,699
- Low resin to fibre frame composition reduces weight
- Aero tube profiles for some free speed
Cube uses its own Advanced Twin Mould technology to up its frames’ carbon fibre content to 62 per cent, which it says is an unusually high ratio to resin, allowing it to build a lighter, stronger frame. Wheels come from the in-house Newmen brand, with 28mm Continental tyres.
The Agree frame includes aero tube profiles and design features, but still manages to hit 7.6kg, while the ride position and handling put it firmly in the long distance camp. It’s not as fast as a full-on aero bike, but the aero features should add a little speed to your ride.
- Read our full Cube Agree C:62 SLT review
BMC Roadmachine 01 Three
- £6,900
- Frame features designed for comfort
- Quality spec with plenty of gear options
A combination of lowered seatstays and a D-shaped seatpost paired with a mid-mod carbon layup provide impressive compliance to the BMC Roadmachine.
There are hidden brake hose runs from the carbon handlebars into the frame for a clean cockpit. To up its endurance credentials and help you avoid the bonk, BMC includes mounts for a feed box on the front of the top tube.
Higher spec bikes get SRAM groupsets that give loads of gear range with plenty of mid-range ratios and ample braking. The wide Zipp 303S carbon wheels and 28mm Vittoria Corsa Control tyres are quality items that up comfort.
We’ve also reviewed the Roadmachine 02 One, if you’re looking for a cheaper option and the Roadmachine X which is specced to take you into gravel territory.
- Read our full BMC Roadmachine 01 Three review
Lapierre Xelius SL 9.0
- £7,399
- Fast, punchy ride
- Not the most endurance-focussed
Described as an all-round race bike, the Lapierre Xelius SL offers a lively ride that’s on the aggressive side of endurance.
It comes with the 3D Tubular seatstay design that sees the stays join the top tube rather than the seatpost, for more free flex and so more comfort.
The latest model is claimed to be 7 watts faster at 40kmh than its predecessor and Lapierre sells the frameset in three different stiffnesses, which have different frame weights as well.
The geometry is unusual, but leads to punchy climbing and stability on descents. We reckon it’s a great all-round race bike.
- Read our full Lapierre Xelius SL 9.0 review
- Buy the Lapierre Xelius SL 9.0 from Lapierre
J.Laverack J.Ack III Di2
- £8,385
- Four seasons titanium frame
- First-rate buying experience
We were seriously impressed by the titanium J.Ack III, from its classy looks through to the boutique fitting and buying experience offered at the brand’s Rutland HQ.
Out riding, the class continues with the great comfort on offer, however pitted the roads.
We appreciated the bike’s light 8.2kg weight and quality contact points; 32mm tubeless tyres on carbon wheels with Chris King hubs add the finishing touch. There’s enough room for 38mm rubber or 35mm with mudguards if you want an even smoother ride.
- Read our full J.Laverack J.Ack III Di2 review
- Buy the J.Laverack J.Ack III Di2 from J.Laverack Bicycles
Cannondale Synapse Carbon 1 RLE
- £9,000
- Superb ride quality
- Integrated SmartSense lights and radar
The latest generation Cannondale Synapse offers confident handling and comfort in spades, with tyre clearance up to 35mm and carbon bars on an alloy stem. The Synapse Carbon 1 RLE spec reviewed has Cannondale’s HollowGram Knot SL45 wheels with 30mm Vittoria Corsa tyres.
Geometry hasn’t changed from previous models, with a short reach and high stack to place you quite upright on the bike. Geometry and frame stiffness are size-specific for consistent ride quality.
Many models of the Synapse now come equipped with SmartSense, which uses a downtube battery to power front and rear Lezyne-made lights and a Garmin-developed rear radar system to alert you to traffic behind.
The rear setup does stop you fitting a saddle pack though and the SmartSense system contributes 500g of the bike’s 8.2kg weight.
- Read our full Cannondale Synapse Carbon 1 RLE review
Trek Domane SLR
- £9.500
- Great handling
- A smooth ride on its 32mm tyres
Trek has slimmed down the Domane in this latest version four of its endurance bike, shaving 300g off the frame weight. You still get rear IsoSpeed, but the front IsoSpeed has gone. The frame tubes are now aero and, as with the older model Domane, there’s a storage cubby in the down tube.
Our review bike was specced with 32mm tyres, but you can fit 38mm rubber. Along with IsoSpeed, that makes for a comfortable ride however bumpy the road surface.
The 80mm bottom bracket drop makes for a planted feel and great cornering. But we reckon that IsoSpeed is a bit overkill for UK road surfaces, even if great for the cobbles. It contributes to a significant 8.2kg weight for what’s an expensive bike.
- Read our full Trek Domane SLR review
Specialized Roubaix
- £13,000 in flagship S-Works spec
- Great ride comfort built in
- Tuneable front end damping
The S-Works Roubaix combines aerodynamics that make it almost as fast as the S-Works Tarmac SL7 with light weight and the comfort to handle abysmal road surfaces or even, in the case of Philippe Gilbert, a race-winning ride in Paris-Roubaix.
Part of that’s down to the Future Shock 2.0 headset that gives 20mm of switchable travel that soaks up even large hits, as well as road buzz, reducing fatigue and increasing control, which is what endurance bikes are all about. The other half is the Pavé aero seatpost, that’s clamped low down in the bike’s frame for extra flex.
In S-Works guise, the Roubaix weighs just 7.3kg. It’s an expensive proposition though; when we tested the bike it cost £9,500, but a few years later that’s risen to £13,000.
We'd suggest looking further down the range for better value, as cheaper models ride just as well but simply weigh slightly more.
- Read our full Specialized S-Works Roubaix review
Open Min.D California
- £15,800 as tested, £7,500 frameset only
- Racy geometry but a comfortable ride
- Super-lightweight and stiff for easy climbing
The California version of Open’s endurance bike gets 32mm tyre clearance and a frame that weighs just 775g. Open claims that it’s both stiffer and more compliant than the standard frame as well as 75g lighter. Developed by Gerard Vroomen, half the original team behind Cervélo, the Open Min.D California that we tested weighed just 6.4kg for the complete bike.
The Open Min.D straddles race and endurance with geometry figures more towards racy but the more upright position and the stability of an endurance bike. It’s a great combination, leading to a superb ride. The lack of weight and high stiffness make for sublime climbing too.
We’ve also reviewed the slightly less spendy standard Open Min.D if the California version is a bit too much for your wallet to bear.
- Read our full Open Min.D California review
- Buy the Open Min.D California from Open Cycle
Not sure if an endurance road bike is for you? Don't miss our full guide to the best road bikes
Main image: Matthew Loveridge