Ready For Anything
During the cold, dark months of winter, you need a bike that can stand up to the worst that the British weather can throw at it
Cyclist heads to Snowdonia to test three bikes that reckon they can stand up to the very worst the British weather can throw at them
The view probably hasn’t altered much since Edmund Hillary looked up at it while tying his boots outside the Pen-y-gwryd hotel over half a century ago. Nestled in the lee of Mount Snowdon, this is where he and Tenzing Norgay made their final preparations before attempting to become the first men to summit Everest, a feat they duly achieved on 29th May 1953.
Our mission may be less grand than Hillary’s but our reason for being in Snowdonia is principally the same. Hillary chose to train here prior to the Everest expedition because the terrain – with its sheer rock faces and scree slopes – is among the most challenging in Britain, especially in winter. Likewise the scarred and seldom-flat roads in the Snowdonia National Park can make for a seriously tough day out on a bicycle, and that’s what we’ve come in search of. The plan is to put three sturdy, allBritish workhorses through their paces, to see which would make the perfect winter bike.
What, no carbon?
First on our test list is the Genesis Equilibrium Disc 20, as ridden by Cyclist staff member Sam. It comes from a stable that has built a solid reputation for well-priced, practical machines, specialising in frames made of metal – in this case Reynolds 725 heat-treated chromoly steel.
Next is the Ribble CGR, ridden by Neil, a local mountain biker who spends more time on a road bike than he’d care to admit. The CGR stands for ‘cross, gravel, road’, an acronym designed to indicate this bike’s versatility.
That leaves me piloting the Whyte Suffolk, which, like the Ribble, is based on a hydroformed aluminium frame. It’s the cheapest of the bunch at £1,350, but it comes with a well-appointed spec, so I’m confident that I won’t be at much of a disadvantage.
On the subject of price, it should be noted that each of these bikes is cheap by comparison to top-end carbon race machines, but price is not the defining aspect of a winter bike. In my view, while you don’t want to spend a fortune on a bike that is going to get blasted by winter conditions, it’s worthwhile investing in reliable components that will serve you well after innumerable coatings of grit and grime. We’ve selected all the bikes in this test on that basis.
Coming round the mountain
It’s winter in North Wales, so predictably it’s bitter. Standing in Neil’s garage, looking at the freezing fog through the window, we agree procrastination is the best course of action, so we delay our departure in favour of more tea.
Eventually we can put it off no longer, and we creep tentatively outside. Thankfully, as we begin our ride, the sun starts making occasional appearances, just enough to keep temperatures on the more pleasant side of zero.
After a brief stop at the Pen-y-gwryd hotel to make minor saddle adjustments, we approach Mount Snowdon. Its knife-edge arête, Crib Goch, is dusted in snow, and pops in and out of view as the clouds tease us with a now-you-see-it-nowyou-don’t act. Brief bursts of sun temporarily warm our faces but I can feel my fingers tingle as the cold air seeps through the protection of my gloves. We’re about to get hotter, however, as the first uphill test of the day is almost upon us.
The road to Pen-y-pass snakes up between drystone walls, and although it’s a short climb at 1.7km, and not overly steep at 5%, it’s more than enough to indicate how our respective bikes fare against gravity. On the scales there’s barely anything between them – just a few hundred
It’s worthwhile investing in reliable components that will serve you well after innumerable coatings of grit and grime
grams splits the lightest (Ribble, 9.92kg) from the heaviest (Genesis, 10.16kg) so no one has that as an excuse for dropping back. Those weights might sound hefty by today’s standards, but they’re what we’d expect for metal-framed winter bikes.
When we regroup at the high point of the Pen-y-pass climb, through clouds of condensed breath each rider discusses the first impressions of the bikes and everyone seems pretty satisfied. One thing I was listening out for on the climb was the telltale zinging of disc brake rub, yet none of our trio seemed to suffer from that metronomic grating noise that is often indicative that something is not as stiff as it ought to be. All the bikes remained pleasingly silent, with not even so much as a rubbing mudguard. So far, so good. And just like that, it starts to rain.
Sam seems strangely happy about this. It could have something to do with the fact that Neil and I have been berating him for wearing a baggy rain jacket, but now it looks like he might have the last laugh.
A note of caution
With the road now glistening from this dousing, extra care will be needed on the descent. Neil rides this pass regularly and warns us that the
corners can be tight and it’s easy to get carried away with the temptation to really let fly down the straight sections. We need to be cautious, but I’m also certain that descending is where these bikes should fare well. Their longer wheelbases, resulting from slightly less aggressive geometry, longer chainstays and extra tyre and mudguard clearance mean stability at speed ought to be good. The caveat is that these traits can lead to sluggish handling. We’re about to find out.
The descent from the Pen-y-pass is stunning. If you’ve never visited Snowdonia, you may still have seen this road, as it features in the Skoda TV ad featuring Bradley Wiggins (although he’s riding up it from the other direction). It’s flanked by rocky crags and the slopes are strewn with boulders and criss-crossed by mountain streams. The road is hemmed in by stone walls, which is slightly unsettling as it leaves little room for error should we need to avoid a car or sheep.
I’m finding it tricky to gauge just how hard to push the Suffolk through the bends. As predicted, it’s super-stable in a straight line and it’s responding well to my weight shifts and steering inputs, but I’m struggling to tune myself in to the sense of grip on offer as I tip into fast corners. Maybe it’s the tyres? Or perhaps the tyre pressures? I can’t yet decide for sure.
We stick close together, a test not just of the bikes but our nerves too. If one of us does fall we could all find ourselves on the deck. Mercifully the passing shower seems to have been limited
We stick close together, a test not just of the bikes but our nerves too. If one of us falls we could all find ourselves on the deck
to the higher part of the climb as lower down the road is dry once more and we can begin to lean more into the turns.
I’m repeatedly thankful for the superb, predictable performance of Shimano’s 105 hydraulic disc brakes. They give me confidence to scrub speed without fear of losing control, but I can’t quite get to grips (literally) with the shape of the lever hoods. They’re just too big and bulky for my liking. I quiz Sam once the road flattens out, as he’s got the same set-up on his Genesis, and he agrees. The hoods let down an otherwise excellent product.
Veritable feast
Pete’s Eats cafe in Llanberis is too enticing to pass by. It has a reputation as the place to go to refuel after a hard day’s hiking, climbing or biking around Snowdon. Neil’s clearly a regular. Before we step through the door he’s already decided what he’s having.
‘You get proper mugs of tea and coffee in here, and as far as the portion sizes go, they always assume you’ve just hiked up Snowdon so you’ll have a pretty big appetite,’ he says. Sure enough Sam’s order of ‘monster omelette and chips’ is exactly that – a huge proteinfest alongside a mound of chips that looks like a scale model of Snowdon itself. I’m just happy to be thawing my hands on a large mug of coffee.
Despite the huge portions, we order a round of Welsh cakes as well. ‘It would be rude not to,’ Sam suggests, although the truth is we’re procrastinating again. No one is in a rush to leave the warmth of the cafe.
Once we extract ourselves and climb stiffly back onto our bikes we settle into a pleasant pace, hard enough to generate body heat but not so hard as to regurgitate lunch. There are plenty more miles to be done before this day is out.
As we ride we continue to compare the bikes. The chat seems to be very favourable towards the Ribble. There’s no getting away from the fact the fluoro paintjob really works. Some fluorescent finishes can cheapen the look of a bike but we all agree it enhances the Ribble. The Ultegra
A winter bike – doesn’t have to be a donkey unloved and only untethered when the conditions are grim
groupset is also classy and the whole package seems good value at £1,550, especially as the rest of the spec shows no signs of cutting corners.
Getting Vittoria Corsa G+ 25mm tyres at this price point is another boon, and not just because the amber sidewalls look cool. Neil is full of praise for their assured feedback and grip, but he reckons that 25s look skinny on the CGR. With so much clearance on offer, he argues 28mm or even 30mm tyres would suit it far better.
On the subject of tyres, I feel like I’ve drawn the short straw. I’m not overly confident in the 28mm Maxxis Rouler-tr tyres on the Whyte. I’ve felt the rear tyre break away a little too readily a few times, so I drop the pressure from 85psi down to 75psi to see if it makes a difference.
Immediately the Whyte becomes smoother over rough asphalt and the tyres feel grippier. I can no longer unsettle the rear wheel by pushing hard out of the saddle, even on slick, damp road surfaces, something that was apparent before. It shows how small changes can bring very beneficial results.
Other than that I’ve found the Suffolk hard to fault. Sam’s not complaining about the Genesis either, claiming it’s one of the most comfortable bikes he’s ridden. On the climbs he’s noticing the extra grams it gives away to its rivals, but on the flats the Equilibrium provides a blissfully smooth ride of the kind that well-made steel bikes are famed for. It’s just a shame for Sam that there are so few flat sections around these parts.
Chasing the shadows
With short days of winter upon us, we know we’d better aim for home soon before the sun drops behind the mountains and the (really) cold and dark sets in.
The ride has thrown hard climbs and harsh weather at us, but we’re all in good spirits, and the bikes seem to be relishing every metre of it. They may lack the ultra-light weights and finely tuned reactions of the best carbon machines, but all three of our bikes today have proven themselves to be highly capable and lots of fun.
It goes to show that a winter bike doesn’t have to be a donkey – unloved and only untethered when the conditions are grim. It can be a reliable partner and, considering the changeable nature of the British weather, it could easily prove to be your regular summer bike as well. Stu Bowers is deputy editor of Cyclist and will soon have enough material to write a book on Britain’s best cycling cafes