GRAVEL AND MOUNTAIN

Take the path less travelled with these tough cookies

1

CANNONDALE TOPSTONE NEO 4

For those who appreciate tackling gravel trails on something that’s light, responsive and set-up like a tough carbon race bike, things don’t get much better than the stunning Cannondale Topstone Neo 4. Alongside its Bosch Performance Line CX 250W motor sits clever kingpin rear suspension, which subtly takes the harshness out of bumpier routes. Shimano GRX 20 shifters and hydraulic disc brakes take care of crisp cog swaps and punchy stopping power, with prickly WTB Riddler tyres warding away punctures and ensuring there is grip for days. Let the gravel-based grins commence. £4,700, evanscycles.com

3

SPECIALIZED S-WORKS TURBO LEVO

Specialized has long been producing showstopping electric mountain bikes, even before they were accepted by the trail-shredding community. This experience means the company has been able to tweak its set up, so it now offers unrivalled power delivery, running time and a ride that will blow minds. The mixed wheel design offers extremely nimble handling, while 150mm of rear travel allows this £12.5k mean machine to soak up enormous amounts of force from lumpy terrain and big jumps. Above all else, the Turbo Full Power 2.2 motor, 700Wh battery and finessed control unit dish out bags of torque and 565 watts of power for up to five hours of ride time. £12,500, specialized.com

2

SCOTT GENIUS ERIDE 900

What’s better than bombing down hills on one of Scott’s most advanced mountain bikes to date? Not having to pedal all the way back to the top again, that’s what. With assistance up to 25km/h (15mph) thanks to an off-road biased Bosch Performance CX motor and punchy 625Wh PowerTube batteries in the frame, the Genius eRide offers serious mountain bike chops with handy electrical assistance. SRAM SX Eagle gearing, a Syncros Duncan dropper seat post and RockShox/Fox suspension means this bike is built to handle the zombie apocalypse, let alone a little light trail riding. £5,499, scott-sports.com

4

LOOK E-765

When specified in its fetching Dark Bronze Glossy finish, there are very few bikes that can claim to make an impact quite like the Look E-765. The fact that it cleverly stashes its powertrain within the downtube and bottom bracket makes it even stealthier, with only the closest inspections revealing that this offers electrical assistance. It pedals perfectly well without any assistance at all (it only weighs 13.9kg, so you totally can), or you can select from two intermediate modes with respective power ratings of 125W and 250W. Finally, a full-fat performance mode delivers 400W alongside your leg power for conquering the really rough stuff without the sweat. £4,750, lookcycle.com