Cannondale Slate 105

From £2,500, cannondale.com

That’s a green bike.

You must have been teacher’s pet in art class, knowing your secondary colours like that. Yes this is a curious-looking thing, but don’t let its Frankenstein façade fool you – this is one super bicycle. Blending many different styles to create the ultimate do-it-all bike, the Slate is a recipe for cycling nirvana.

Do-it-all... So it will go anywhere?

The Slate looks able to race its way across muddy fields, down gravel paths and along tarmac. Basically, if you can see it with your eyes, this thing will probably be able to go there, and it’ll like it.

What makes it so versatile?

The bike looks like it’s missing a fork at the front, but that’s intentional. Cannondale’s Lefty – first seen adorning its mountain bikes – is a left-side-mounted fork that gives 30mm of ride-smoothing suspension. Cannondale says the unusual design offers all of the benefits of regular suspension forks, but with more stiffness and strength, and less weight.

Suspension, on a road (ish) bike?

Yep. The Lefty’s one-push lockout mechanism enables you to go from plush off-road riding to firm and secure when you hit the road again.

Nice. Is there anything else I need to know about this bike?

Yeah, the wheels are pretty cool. While the majority of bikes are fitted with 700c-type wheels, the Slate sports 650b ones, which are smaller, meaning they can be shod with larger-volume tyres. This gives the bike the same sprightly rolling speed as bikes with bigger wheels, but with added comfort and grip – ideal for when you’re flying off kerbs and blasting across trails.

When can I get my Slate on?

You can pre-order the bike now and pick it up in February.