OVERALL VERDICT

Any test that pits the best of the best is going to be a close-run, and if you were lucky enough to have any of these three in your life you wouldn’t be disappointed.

The relative ‘bargain’ of the bunch, Cube’s Litening, is a fast bike, both in terms of acceleration response and handling. It lacks the out-and-out refinement of some of its rivals but it’s a real stunner from the German brand.

With the Gallium Pro Disc, Argon 18 has once again showed technical mastery; the chassis is a real achievement in terms of weight, comfort and handling, but in this build spec, it looks pricey, so it could be worth checking out some of the more affordable models in the Gallium range.

So it’s Cervélo’s R5 that takes this test’s top spot; it handles like the Evo, has the smooth ride quality of the Tarmac and comes with the highest levels of equipment to match the best. Surprisingly, especially for Cervélo, it achieves this pinnacle of performance at a much lower price tag than its rivals, not that we would in any way call it cheap!