Superbikes Bike of the Year
We’ve dispensed with budgets to test 10 money-no-object machines
Ask a dozen road cyclists to name their dream superbike, and you’ll probably get 12 different answers. As always, people’s opinions vary, and the relentless pace of progress in design and construction only serves to further confuse the issue.
The relatively recent introduction of disc brakes to many road bikes has been the catalyst for new disc versions of existing bikes, and some completely new ones. Whether disc brakes make a bike any more super depends on your point of view and riding intentions, but they have certainly been the biggest revolution in road bike design since the introduction of carbon fibre.
We like to test with an open mind and judge on individual merit, so there’s still a pretty even split, with six rim and four disc-braked bikes. All of the bikes have frames that have already been, or could be, raced at the highest level, but that doesn’t mean they’re only suitable for getting competitive on. With a blend of race and endurance rides, and the whole range of aerodynamic consideration, from total to minimal, there is something to suit all interests here, but they’re not necessarily all equal.
Love it or hate it, our bold new Brexit world is playing havoc with import prices, and bikes already cost more. We’ve had to constantly re-evaluate our opinions of value. It doesn’t make superbikes any less super, just possibly a little more unobtainable, and harder to justify. Every one of our top 10 has electronic shifting, with the big three groupset manufacturers represented, and all bar one have carbon rims. So far, so unsurprising? Well, to see which proved superior after months of arduous riding, read on.