WINNER Kinesis 4S Disc › You want only one bike? This could just be it...
Rarely has a bike test been so much fun. Even taking into account some foulweather riding these bikes brought a real joy – fun, thrills and genuine cycling enjoyment.
The least expensive bike on test holds its own with similarly priced aluminium bikes from the bigger names, and Cinelli’s Experience has moved with the times: slimline seatstays and a massively tapered head-tube delivering a modern, dynamic ride and a great entry to Campagnolo. It looks good, too.
The other genuine road bike is even better. Canyon’s Endurace regularly
hits the high spots in bike tests – the AL8.0 Disc is no exception. The kit is as good as it gets, futureproofed with tubeless-ready wheels, fantastic braking and impeccable gearing. It’s also comfortable and decently quick.
Merlin’s Roc Disc is a good price at its full RRP, at its present £1299 it’s a bargain: a versatile, practical ride with the hydraulic Ultegra groupset. Our sextet’s dark horse lacks only hydraulic brakes. Fuji’s Jari 1.3 is a genuine all-rounder. Great on the gravel it’s designed for but also good on the tarmac it’s likely to find itself on most of the time.
As with the Fuji, our final pairing also have SRAM 1x gearing with wideranging cassettes. Poland’s Rondo and the UK’s Kinesis both offer fantastic bikes that major on fun as much as they do on performance.
Rondo’s Ruut offers unique Vario Geo geometry and is equally enjoyable in both modes – superbly comfortable with great handling on gravel, ripping along nicely on tarmac. Two bikes for the price of one, both of them first rate. But while it’s more expensive, we think Kinesis’s 4S Disc just – just – edges it. Our road version equalled the Rondo Ruut when it came to sheer enjoyment and if you’re riding mainly on tarmac with occasional adventures off road, the Kinesis will leave you pink with joy.