The Specialized Roubaix first kicked off the endurance road bike revolution over ten years ago with its fancy Zertz inserts and upright geometry. The Roubaix was a big deal because it managed to combine speed with comfort. 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 common features you should be looking for?
Increased tyre clearance
Tyres are getting bigger, but increased tyre clearance has been common on endurance bikes for years as an easy way to increase comfort. Clearance for 28mm tyres would be the norm, but expect up to 32mm on newer, disc-equipped models (or 28mm with mudguards)
Disc brakes
While disc brakes are still not permitted for professionals, they’re very popular among amateurs. Disc brakes bring improved braking in all weathers but come with a minor weight penalty. Since a few hundred grams of weight is rarely of concern on comfort-oriented bikes, disc brakes have become the norm on endurance bikes.
Skinny seatposts
To help increase the amount of flex, and therefore comfort, in the back-end of a frame, many manufacturers have turned to fitting skinny seatposts. 27.2mm is the most common size, but Cannondale has gone down to 25.4mm on the Synapse.
Longer wheelbase
To keep the handling stable when taking on the rougher roads these bikes were designed for, many manufacturers make the bikes with longer wheelbases. Even if you won’t venture off perfect tarmac, this has the added effect of increasing stability at higher speeds.
Well-padded contact points
Essential to keeping yourself comfortable, the contact points on most endurance road bikes will be very well padded. Many bikes will come with either very thick, or gel-backed bar tape, with the more premium models coming with padded bars too.
Vibration damping
There have been many solutions to vibration damping over the years – some more gimmicky than others. Generally they involve either adding an additional item to the frame material to dissipate vibration, or altering the frame shape such as the split seat tube on the Cannondale Synapse.
Mudguard eyelets
While mudguards are not strictly essential for endurance bikes, most manufacturers have assumed that these bikes will be used in less than stellar weather, so mudguard eyelets are a common feature. We’d say they’re essential if you plan on riding through winter.
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. Headtube measurements are key to this but some American brands favour stack and reach measurements.
Lower gearing
If you’re going to take in rough roads off the beaten path then it’s quite likely that you’ll come up against some steep roads. Whereas most road bikes come with mid-compact 52/36t chainsets these days, endurance bikes tend to come with compact 50/34 to help lower the overall gearing. We’d also look for an 11-28t cassette to give you a good spread of gears.
Here are the best endurance road bikes
Under £2500 – Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp
The Roubaix SL4 Comp has taken everything that Specialized has learned about making carbon endurance bikes and distilled it into an affordable product. The massive 11-32t cassette means you can get up anything and the supremely comfortable frame helps you keep going for hours. The Ultegra Di2 groupset is sublime and faultless, with the only complaint about the bike being the 8.4kg overall weight, a lot of which is in the wheels. Definitely worth checking out if your budget can stretch to it.
Available now from £1,800 at Evans Cycles
Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp review
Under £2000 – Trek Domane 4.3 Disc
The Trek Domane differs from most endurance bikes because has it has a frame decoupler that allows the seat post to flex independently. This allows for a great deal of movement at the saddle making one of the best bikes at handling big shocks coming from the road. The latest generation of frames has a decoupler at the front end too, and the rear IsoSpeed is now adjustable.
Available now from £1,425 at Evans Cycles
Under £1500 – Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105
The 105-equipped Cannondale Synapse is a true bike for everyone. It climbs, descends, sprints and cruises all while maintaining a great deal of comfort. It's hard to tell if the split seat tube is just a gimmick but it seems to work and the best thing is that on totally smooth roads it doesn't feel dead. Strictly speaking the RRP of the Cannondale is £1600 but a quick look online shows it available for £1300 in many places.
Available now from £1,439 at Hargroves Cycles
Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 review
Under £1000 – Boardman Team Carbon
It's hard to make a really comfortable bike under £1000 as most bikes at this pricepoint are aluminium, which doesn't lend itself to comfort quite as well. Boardman though has acheived great things with the Team Carbon and while the complete bike won't set the world alight, the frame is fantastic and easily worth keeping with the potential to upgrade in the future.
Available now from £800 at Halfords
Read our guides on how to train for long distance endurance events, the best UK sportives and most comfortable bike saddles