FOCUS PARALANE CARBON 105
it into life with the latest technical tricks. Unlike the other two frames on test, the Wessex gets aerodynamic profiling, including a fork crown that blends into the ovalised down tube and webbed head tube. The tapered seat tube is rounded and the A-frame chainstays that meet it at the bottom bracket are flattened to allow some flex. Fork legs and chainstays are tapered and end at 12mm thru-axles with slotted guides for easy wheel fitting. There’s room enough for 35mm or 30mm tyres and Whyte’s 42mmwide mudguards (600g, £35.99). The seatpost clamp is internal and protected from the weather by a rubber seal.
The Whyte scores well straight off the first bat by virtue of having Ultegra shifters, mechs and brakes, components from a tier higher than the 105 parts specced on the other bikes here. The brakes also get the latest Ice-Tech Freeza cooling rotors in a power-boosting 160mm size.
Its cockpit is built around a compact Whyte road bar with a comfortable flat top and shallow, vertical drops covered in bar tape with reflective logos. Whyte provides its own 27.2mm-diameter seatpost and saddle for the perch but the bike’s wheels come in the form of Easton AR21 rims with Schwalbe G-One tyres, which you can run tubeless for extra puncture protection and low-pressure comfort. It’s the lightest wheelset on test and helps make the Wessex
“The Whyte soaks up shocks and hammers across rough roads”
the lightest complete of the trio. The combination of tactile and grippy Schwalbe tyres on wide rims and a damped, dependable-feeling fork and chassis feel makes the Wessex really surefooted. Add 160mm discs front and rear and the Whyte oozes confidence, however treacherous the conditions. This further backed up the bike’s weather-proofing features – sealclamp seal for itself; mudguards for its rider – which minimise the damage and discomfort road spray and debris can cause.
The way the Wessex’s frame soaks up shocks means it can be hammered across rough roads and tracks without punishing you or putting you off your stride. If you decide to use the mudguards, as long as you check the mounting bolts are tight after the first couple of rides, they remain secure on-road and don’t shake themselves lose off- road, unlike those on the Focus Paralane. They do buzz off the tyres if you run them too close, so if you’re doing a lot of off-piste riding on really rough tracks we’d suggest removing them (regular off-road use is officially outside the remit of the Wessex; the Friston and Gisburn are Whyte’s dedicated gravel bikes). Back on the road where it belongs, the smoothly damped frame and grippy tyres have a slightly muted rather than rigidly efficient roadbike feel or the springy power transfer of the Genesis Datum or Focus Paralane.
Low wheel and overall weights mean the Wessex picks up speed and climbs easily, and faster tyres make a difference to cruising speed. While it’s not a fully aero bike, the tube profiling will also save a few Watts when the wind is against you and the further/rougher/wetter the ride, the more you’ll appreciate the complete Whyte package. NOT NEW, OR OUTDATED Heading into its third year, the Genesis Datum has its work cut out to compete in a sector of the market that’s changing as rapidly as this. But thanks to a sweet-riding frame and tyres that slightly offset its hefty wheels, the Datum remains a dynamic delight both on the road and off.
The 24/30T modulus carbon frame with its full-carbon fork, topped with a 1.1/8-1.1/2in tapered steerer tube, has received rave reviews ever since it first appeared so we can see why Genesis isn’t in a hurry to change what isn’t broken. The tapered and sloped top tube, scooped-back seat tube and flat seatstays still give an outstanding ride. It’s specced with 105 but has Shimano Di2 electric shift compatibility, as well as three bottle cage mounts, discreetly hidden mudguard fixtures and enough room for 45mm mudguards and 33mm tyres (or larger tyres if you leave the mudguards off). It’s a thoroughly versatile machine.
We’d rather it had a screw-in instead of a press-fit bottom bracket, and at 1.9kg for the frame it’s not light. The fact it uses a mountain bike standard 15mm diameter front thru axle rather than the road standard 12mm, while the rear uses a normal quick-release instead of a thru axle also dates it slightly. We never suffered any back wheel security issues, though, and most wheels can still be configured like that, so upgrading shouldn’t be too hard.
And the wheels would be the first thing we’d upgrade, as while the Jalco 29er mountain bike rims, plain gauge spokes, Formula hubs and
basic brake rotors are tough, they build into a hefty set-up, and they’re not tubeless either. The centre ridge, herringboneshouldered Clement Strada USH tyres are impressively fast rolling but manage to remain grippy in the corners, on tarmac and gravel.
Apart from the lumpy shifters, which some testers hated, there’s nothing to gripe about with the Shimano 105 groupset. But although we liked the 16° flare of the bars’ drops on descents, the compact curve does make it hard to reach the levers, even if you’ve got big hands. Small-pawed riders are likely to struggle with these.
The strength of the Datum is that, despite a few niggles, the ride quality managed to consistently keep it at the top of our enjoyment chart. It might be the heaviest bike
“The Genesis ride quality keeps it at the top of our enjoyment chart”
here, once mudguard weight is taken into the equation, but the muscular main tubes and tapered chainstays give it an encouraging spring whenever you press down on the pedals.
The slightly longer and lower than average ride position, and fastrolling Clement Strada tyres mean you have no trouble sustaining speed on the road. Its stretched front end, flared bar and 72° head angle underwrite a safe and stable feel that lets you push hard through corners or off-piste sections even when things get greasy or gravelly.
Careful composite layering, a 27.2mm seatpost for forgiving flex and the leaf spring seatstays mean it skims and skips over rougher sections remarkably well. It always felt dynamic and encouraging rather than just damped and dutiful whenever we rode it.