Downgrade the upgrades

I always find it interesting to read your long-term bike tests, but I find that the reviews of the actual bikes aren’t all that informative. Take Rob’s Whyte for example. It now has a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork, SRAM X01 Eagle AXS drivetrain and who-knows-whatelse on there. Us mere mortals can’t always throw three-grand’s worth of upgrades onto a £3,750 bike. Surely this makes the longterm tests almost meaningless, if all that’s left at the end is the frame? I know you have to test these things to see how far they can be pushed, but it kind of skews the long-term test for those who’d ride the bike stock.

Peter Pheasey, via email

It’s a fair point Peter, but that’s why we call the section Long-Term Rides rather than Long-Term Test. Yes, one of the reasons for hanging on to these bikes for a year is so that we can see how they perform and hold up in the longer term. But they also play an important role as test beds for new kit, as well as giving us something to ride in mag features and photoshoots.

We think it’s useful to potential buyers if we can find ways to improve them, whether that’s by swapping parts or trying out modifications. But we’re always trying to find the right balance – both of testing the bikes versus using them to test kit, and the price of the bikes themselves versus the upgrades we’re fitting.

Ultimately, we do have to test top-end kit, simply because that’s where most of the innovation happens, plus it’s the gear that brands are keenest to send us. But we do try to keep upgrades sensible where possible. Yes, Eagle AXS is one hell of a step up for a sub-£4k bike, but the 2020 Lyrik Ultimate fork Rob has fitted replaces a 2019 Lyrik RC, allowing useful comparisons to be made.