ON THE BASIS OF SIX
EVERYONE’ S A WINNER, BUT SOME ARE MORE WINNING THAN OTHERS… THERE WERE SIX STAND OUT BIKES AMONG THIS YEAR’ S CROP OF CON TENDERS. WE TOOK THE CREAM TO YORKSHIRE TO SAMPLE THE ROADS THAT’ LL DECIDE WORLD CHAMPIONS IN SEPTEMBER TO FIND OUR WINNER
Perhaps it’s the surprisingly benign February sunshine, maybe it’s the energy provided by the breakfast cooked for him by Stuey at the Dales Bike Centre, or it could be that he drank more pints of Semer Water in the pub last night than we thought, but tech editor Warren is in a playful mood on the Yorkshire Dales’ roads.
At first the rest of us – myself, tech writer Robin, art ed Steve and photographer Bob – think that Woz is simply getting in a few cheeky hill reps as he rides up and down the road and we wait for Bob to set up the shoot. We soon realise that this can’t be the case. And not just because Warren and hill reps have never been seen in the same room – our extremely serious and dedicated chief tester has a massive grin on his face.
I decide to investigate and pedal after Woz as he starts belting back down the road for the 15th time. Our demon descender – riding the Rondo HVRT – is a tough man to keep up with, especially when you’re a less than stellar downhiller, but me and the Ribble Endurance SL do our damnedest. As I pelt down the tarmac it’s not long until I’m smiling too – it’s a fantastic riding road and the Ribble is a lovely machine to be enjoying it on.
As Warren starts to slow ahead of us, he seems to be whooping slightly manically. I continue to pick up speed and then I realise what he’s been up to. A little hump in the road, if you hit it at a decent lick, provides enough of a kick to get you airborne – I land the Ribble like a pro and, like Warren, I’m laughing like an idiot.
And the point of this story? Other than humblebragging about how awesomely accomplished Woz and I are as bike handlers and all round stunt wizards, it’s a reminder that riding a bicycle, even when you’re a grown up, is a shedload of fun. And that every single bike covered in the pages of this bumper Bike of the Year issue – and on Bikeradar.com – is guaranteed to make you happy. Simple as that.
If only choosing a winner was as simple as that. Sure, we have narrowed all of the 70+ bikes tested by Warren, Robin, Simon and Aoife in the past six months down to a top six, and from that top six, we’ve chosen an overall winner but trust us – any of the bikes in this test will be a great purchase. They all perform brilliantly and boast strengths that will – if necessary – match your very specific needs. We can’t crown them all winners, though, so back up here in Yorkshire we’ve pulled together our six favourite favourites.
And before we start, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. You already know what the winner is. Sure, if no one is actually reading these words then we’ve made a massive error being so blatant with our front cover and I’m looking for a new job. Truth is, we’ve always put the winning bike on the cover but we’ve always been rather coy about it. This year we’ve decided to be completely upfront, and while we may have ruined the surprise we do, of course, hope that you want to find out why the Rondo HVRT CF0 won. And, of course, if you don’t care what the “so called experts” say and decide that the Rondo isn’t for you, then you’ll hopefully find plenty to like about the five other bikes we took up north for a workout.
LANCASHIRE HOTSPOT
As I was riding it at the start of this piece, let’s start with the Ribble Endurance SL Ultegra disc – Warren has written in detail on this on page 56, so we’ll try not to repeat ourselves too much, but it’s fair to say the all-new Endurance surprised us. Extremely pleasantly. At £2709 it is – sharp intake of breath – the second lowest priced bike to make our ‘six-of-the-best’ round up. Lowest priced isn’t by any means cheap but this year we have found that finding better value does actually mean coming in at a slightly higher price.
Whereas previous Bike of the Year tests would have seen us singing the praises of bikes costing between £1500 and £2500 dripping with Shimano’s simply superb Ultegra kit, pressure on prices – let’s just blame the global situation, eh? – means that you now have to spend more to hit this componentry sweetspot. Don’t get us wrong, 105 is really, really good too but if you can we’d say pick Ultegra. And Warren says he’s noticed more and more Shimano Tiagra – good, but still ‘only’ 10-speed – finding its way onto bikes where once we’d have expected so much more.
Which brings us back to the Ribble – even at £2709 it represents brilliant value for money thanks to that Ultegra, and it’s Mavic Kysrium Elite wheels and Yksion Pro tyre combination, but it’s so much more than a bike for the savvy cycling shopper. The ride is simply wonderful and the Endurance, as its name implies, is a fantastic place to be for long, but rapid days in the saddle. It might be from across the border in Lancashire but the Ribble felt as if it belonged on the Yorkshire roads. It’s also worth pointing out that opting for different Mavic Aksium wheels means that you can pick up an Ultegra build for £2199, while the same frame but 105 is £1799. (And if you want electronic gears, Ultegra Di2 models start at just £90 more than our bike, while Ribble’s online Bike Builder means that you can go pretty bespoke.)
MAX ENJOYMENT
Another brand that was once best known for value is Focus. Its Izalco Max took the Bike of the Year spoils in 2012 thanks to a brilliant combination of razor-
“THIS YEAR WE’VE FOUND THAT FINDING BETTER VALUE DOES ACTUALLY MEAN COMING I NATA SLIGHTLY HIGHER PRICE”
sharp handling and lightweight frame (just 750g). The new Izalco Max – at £2649 the least expensive bike in this final six – is a radical departure. It’s one of the answers to ‘I want a bike that’ll make me faster’ so, yes, it’s still quick but it’s been redesigned to be far more aerodynamic while remaining light. (The higher end 9-series frame weighs in a scant 860g for a 56cm). The 8-series frame we’ve tested is built using the same molds but with a more economic carbon fibre layup and the claimed weight for a 56cm chassis is 970g. The new aero frame makes use of plenty of the Kammtail profiles – a shortened aerodynamic wing cross section with the long tail chopped – that are common on aero bikes.
Other interesting design touches see the dropped stays almost bladed in shape (for added aeroness) but skinny too to offer compliance. The same goes for the D-shaped carbon seatpost. The bottom bracket shell is generous but not oversized and the chainstays have a triangulated cross section and drop low and kick up towards the thru-axle dropouts that run Focus’s clever R.A.T. thru-axle system. The R.A.T. axle works with a quarter-turn lock and unlock, making them seriously fast for removing and replacing a wheel.
The fork and head tube is also pretty radical – the headtube is kept as short as possible with the fork crown integrating into the base of the frame’s front end, which leaves huge amounts of clearance between the tyre top and underside edge of the fork crown. Focus claims big aero gains from this design because of a drop in turbulent air being created from the interaction of the fork crown and spinning wheel. We found that the design creates a curious phenomenon when riding into a headwind, or angled head-on breeze, at speeds above 23mph – a whistling whooshing noise, like someone trying to play a flute. We quite enjoy the soundtrack!
Unlike the similarly priced Ribble, the Focus relies on a full Shimano 105 groupset to drive things along. This provides confident and accurate shifts and controlled braking with plenty of feel and quiet operation thanks to the 160mm disc rotors’ ability to resist heat build-up.
The Izalco’s Alex CF45 wheels are quality items – built up on smooth spinning hubs using 24 butted spokes both front and rear and a 45mm deep carbon rim. The broad blunted shape – 26mm externally, 19mm internally – widens the 25mm Continental tyres to a much more generous 27.7mm. They’re excellent in blustery conditions and you get a real feeling of speed when hammering along on the flat while not being compromised when it comes to the climbs. (Helped by a wide 11-30 cassette.)
The frame is stiff – we got not even a sense of lateral movement when charging into a sprint or cranking through corners on descents as fast as we’d dare – and it feels rigid and wonderfully planted. The rigidity is balanced with just enough front-end give aided by the
well-shaped BBB alloy bar wrapped in good quality textured tape, although long-term you might want to upgrade to a carbon bar. At the rear, the combination of carbon post, dropped stays and a great saddle in Prologo’s well-padded and shaped Scratch, means the compliance at the back is more marked than the front.
Geometry-wise the Izalco is a race machine – our large, generously sized 56cm model, has a low 554mm stack and long 400mm reach. That means you’re in a low ‘attack’ position on the Max and it’s certainly a bike that encourages faster riding. The swift handling means fans of the old Izalco won’t be disappointed as the new bike is every inch as exciting when pushed to the limit, as we found chucking it around the twisty bits of the Dales, but it never becomes twitchy or nervous. It’s a tremendous, unashamed race machine and we’ve fallen for its considerable charms.
ULTIMATE FORCE
Canyon, like Ribble and Focus, is a brand that’s built a reputation as providers of outstanding value. Its online only, direct-to-consumer model means it can pass cost savings on to customers. While we’ve always been wowed by the bang-for-buck you’ll get from a Canyon, we haven’t always got on with some of its harder riding machines.
In the past, we’d have likely put bikes from the Ultimate range in the lots of gear, lots of go but not enough give bracket. That changes with the CF SL Disc 8.0 Aero –this latest iteration of its racier ride works both as a competition-ready thoroughbred and an all-day mile-muncher.
Okay, the £3249 Ultimate CF SL isn’t a match for comfort-class leaders such as the Specialized Roubaix, Trek Domane or Giant Defy but that’s not its raison d’etre (the Endurace is Canyon’s ‘softest’ touch). The CF’s ride is still on the firm side of soft thanks to its lightweight (920g) frame and slender, straight bladed fork. But Canyon’s own buzz-killing flexy VCLS seatpost and 28c Mavic Yksion tyres on Mavic’s excellent new Cosmic Pro carbon wheels bring the compliance, especially at the back. Those tyres are shipped tubed, but use them tubeless and the ride’s even better.
Up front the C10 one-piece bar/stem, with its Kammtail-like top shape and smooth leading edge looks great and makes for a great hold. It does, though, make the front-end firmer than the rear. Most of the time it feels great, but rougher tarmac does produce buzz.
Like the Focus, the Ultimate’s geometry is racy. Our large CF SL frame has a 592mm stack and 399mm of reach. The head angle is steep at 73.3°, likewise the 73.8° seat angle and 1011mm wheelbase makes the SL’s ride position forward-centric. It’s a bike that you constantly want to be on top of, pushing the pedals hard and driving for more and more speed.
The geometry also means rapid handling, with instantaneous responses to direction change requests. Sure, it keeps you on your toes, especially when heading downhill fast, but then you should be concentrating at the speeds this thing can travel at.
We’ve mentioned Canyon’s value proposition and this model comes with a complete Ultegra group with the topgrade Ice-Tech rotors for fuss and noise-free operation that’s full of feel, power and, ultimately, control. The gear range is spot on too, with a pro-compact 52/36 up front and a col-friendly 11-30 out back. Add in a great Fizik Antares saddle and those 28c tyres and you get a race-orientated bike that’s also a great all-rounder. (And, as we’ve been talking value, note that you can get an Ultimate CF SL from as little as £1449 if you opt for rim brakes and Shimano 105.)
BIG FRENZIED GIANTS
Is it surprising that the world’s biggest bike brand also happens to be so good at making bikes that two of its machines make the final reckoning? Last year, the TCR Advanced 2 took home the overall win. No shock, then, that the 2019 TCR Advanced is still bloody brilliant.
Our £2999 2019 test bike is a level up from 2018’s. It’s the same frame as last year’s winner – which is the case whether you spend £1299 on the rim-braked, Tiagra-equipped TCR Advanced 3 or the £4299 Di2 TCR Advanced Pro 0. It still utilises the compact shape, which revolutionised bike design when introduced almost a quarter of a century ago, but with hydraulic Shimano
Ultegra brakes, an all-carbon fork and steerer and higherspec Giant Contact SL wheels, bars, stem and saddle.
It’s another bike which puts you into a racy position… Our large test bike has a 1007mm wheelbase, parallel 73° angles, a stack of 581mm and a reach of 402mm. The tight 405mm chainstay at the back helps give the TCR a nice snap to its handling and there’s a wonderful sense of urgency when you want to up the pace. The TCR has a firm but not punishing ride. We’d call it planted and positive, but blimey it’s fast.
We’re big fans of Giant’s own 42mm deep tubeless ready SLR1 carbon wheels. They’re a 1580g pairing that, running on plush 25c tubeless GAVIA AC1 tyres and staying free of flex, contribute hugely to the sweet ride. These wheels alone would set you back £1000 so add a heap of value to the Pro 1.
The own-brand finishing kit is ace as well – the Contact SL stem is stiff, while the ovalised profile compact drop bar offers a great handhold for prolonged climbs and the transition between tops and hoods gives bags of clearance when riding in the drops.
The TCR Advanced Pro 1 is quite simply a stunner – light, lively and comfortable for a race bike. Even at £2999 it offers excellent value – Giant should be congratulated for keeping value high when we are seeing most bike specifications being squeezed.
DEFY EXPECTATIONS
Last summer Warren was shipped to Italy for the launch of Giant’s new Defy Advanced Pro 0 and he came back buzzing after riding the latest iteration of the brand’s best-selling bike up and down the Gavia. (His review was in issue 346.) In the months since, he doesn’t appear to have changed his mind and is still raving about a bike that at £4499 he thinks represents great value for money…
Hear him out – I know what Warren gets paid and he won’t be buying Chelsea anytime soon… The full Shimano Ultegra Di2, top-end Giant SLR-1 wheels, SLR D-Fuse carbon bar, Contact SL Stealth Stem and Giant D-Fuse composite seatpost are all lovely bits of kit and what you’d expect on a bike at this price, but it’s a little added extra from Giant that has Woz coming on like a rogue Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis.
That extra? The dual-sided Power Pro power meter which comes attached to the Ultegra 50/34 crankset. This will likely be sold after-market from 2020 and will cost around £1000 on its own, and we’ve found it as accurate as other meters we use, so when you add that to the sum of the parts the whole Defy Advanced Pro 0 does look like good value if you’re thinking of buying a new bike and a power meter…
But what if you don’t care about power – from your legs or your groupset? Other Defy Advanced Pros are available – the range starts at £2799 with the 105 equipped, everso-slightly lesser-wheeled and seat-posted Pro 2. The £3199 Pro 1 is, basically, the same bike as the 0 but with mechanical Ultegra and no power meter. (The Defy Advanced range from £1499 won’t disappoint either…)
Anyway, take away the power meter from the Pro 0 and you don’t strip it of any of its, erm, power to impress. Defy may be the comfort yin to the TCR’s racy yang but that doesn’t mean this is a bike for pootling around on. It does pretty much everything we want a road bike to do with astonishing ease.
Comfort-wise the Defy’s D-profiled seatpost and handlebar do a quite astounding job of adding cushioning to the already comfortable frame/wheel/tyre combination without the need for pivots, inserts or suspension. The bars, for instance, are designed to give – by 10% more than a standard bar, says Giant – when pressure is applied by pushing as would occur when you hit a rut or pothole, but be 30% stiffer when you pull on them as you climb hard or sprint harder to the cake stop. In practice we find it hard to disagree with Giant’s claims – it works.
The whole bike works. It might not be designed as a ‘racer’ but it climbs beautifully, helped by the generous 11/34 cassette. Hardnuts may scoff but we’re fans. (And we don’t have to say any more about Ultegra do we?) And it rides fast – yes, the frame soaks up crappy surfaces but it doesn’t lack purpose and handles almost as well as the TCR. It’s one of the best adverts for taking up the offer of interest free credit we can think of…
But, as utterly brilliant as the Giants, Ribble, Focus and Canyon are, there was one bike that managed to surpass even these greats…