Four very different bikes, three very similar philosophies

If this were Have I Got News For You, we might show you four pictures of a walrus, Adolf Hitler, Ambrose Burnside and Jeremy Paxman and ask you to tell us who is the odd one out. But it’s Cyclist, so our subject matter is a little less encyclopaedic and a little more velocipedic. So here goes: what’s the odd one out? The Synapse Disc, Giant Defy Advanced, Deda Atleta or Focus Izalco Donna? The answer is that three of them are brand new machines, while the other has been around a while and has ostensibly been repurposed. Oh yes, and the other answer is Paxman. The rest have had facial hair named after them – the walrus moustache, the Hitler ’tash, and Burnside sideburns. There is, however, no such thing as the Paxman beard. Although he did try to pull off the ‘I’ve been sleeping in my car’

stubble for a while.