LAPIERRE CROSSHILL 300 Lack of flare

THREE THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT THE...

£1699

The chassis

The Crosshill’s flattened profile toptube arcs back from the tall head-tube to meet the seat-tube much lower down than a standard frame, so there is plenty of exposed seatpost for extra give when the going gets rough. Not that the Crosshill needs much extra comfort thanks to its huge 1.9in tyres. The alloy frame uses external cable routing all round, which is great for home servicing and, unlike some internal routing, it’s rattle free, but you do need to stay on top of cleaning.

The handling

You get a commanding see-all position when riding in traffic, but when the terrain gets rougher, the compact fit makes for a stable yet quick-to-turn bike that’s very capable on gravel. It’s also keen and confident on hardpacked dirt and singletrack. The Kenda tyres, with their legendary Small Block Eight pattern, are great on gravel and dry dirt but fill quickly and spin out in sloppy mud, and are a little sluggish on tarmac.

Its fun factor

We can’t express just how much of a blast the Crosshill is on rough rides; the tyres soak up vibrations and, providing the conditions are dry, they offer mountains of grip and bite brilliantly in the corners.

ONE THING WE’D CHANGE

The compact drop bar doesn’t have much in the way of flare; we would prefer a flared bar as it makes for more confident handling when riding offroad in the drops. The price is a little high for a bike equipped with Shimano Tiagra, but it does have full Shimano RS405 hydraulic brakes in its favour.