Bike of the Year 2017 – 25 bikes, one winner

There’s a greater variety of bikes than ever in this year’s Bike of the Year test, from full-on race bikes, to endurance-biased machines – featuring built-in compliance or suspension – taking in aero road bikes on the way. Some come with rim brakes, many have hydraulic discs. Forget the pro peloton, disc brakes really are proving popular among the British bike-buying public. Our months and thousands of miles of testing have shown that road bikes have never been more sophisticated or offered better comfort, though we should also mention that during testing the price of seven of our 25 bikes increased, some considerably, thanks to the falling value of the pound. Others could change after we go to press. But there are still great bikes to be had and bargains to be found. So, from our 25 starters we’ve whittled it down to just one, but who’s going to be 2017’s top dog? Warren Rossiter, Senior tech editor