£ 4K ENDURANCE BIKES
Can a road bike combine all- day endurance comfort with cutting- edge aero trickery? We find out with these three rides from Cannondale, Giant and Simplon
Bikes built for endurance racing may not have the thrills of an aero road bike or an ultra-lightweight racer, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been laboured on and developed as much by designers and engineers as their glamorous stablemates have.
Each of the three bikes on test here has been worked on by the aerodynamic fairies. Take the Giant Defy, with its noise reducing D-Fuse components and integrated aero approach: it’s every bit as ‘advanced’ as the Giant TCR or Propel. Cannondale’s Synapse has evolved into a light sports machine with tube-shape manipulation working in conjunction with carbon layup to make the ride as smooth as possible. Whereas Simplon, with the Kiaro, has combined its groundbreaking lightweight carbon with its comfort concept, design-flattening tube shapes and elongating carbon weaves to enhance comfort-giving flex.
But, which of these endurance rides around the £4k mark can cut it for triathlon training and race day in terms of handling, speed and, of course, comfort? And what are the cheaper (and even more expensive) options from Cannondale, Giant and Simplon? Read on to find out…
of sportive bikes. Over rough surfaces the D-Fuse post and bar work harmoniously with added smoothness afforded by the new 32c Gavia tyres. We ventured onto a few gravel road sections when testing and the Defy excelled here, as well as it did on tarmac.
When climbing, the Defy has plenty in its armoury. First up is the carbon wheelset: though the Defy isn’t the lightest bike on test, it rides with the same flighty feel as the svelte Simplon with a wheel package that’s 1,500g for the pair, plus tyres that run without inner tubes. It gives the Defy an eagerness when climbing. Great real-world gearing of a 50/34 chainset and wide 11-34 cassette with a low one-toone 34/34 gear meant we went looking for the steepest sections on local climbs to see how the Defy held up. Having gearing this low meant we could ascend double-digit gradients in adverse conditions, with the all-weather grip of the
Gavia tyres aiding progress. The only small niggle is the saddle – this rider’s personal preference is for a more supportive design.
When the road turns downwards, the Defy’s Ultegra disc brakes come to the fore. Our criticism of the 2019 models was that in big sizes (large upwards) the 140mm front and rear rotor pairing didn’t stand up to hard braking, with the small front rotor getting hot and noisy all too often. It now has a 160mm front, and both rotors are premium Ultegra IceTech.
We’re smitten with the Defy’s handling. The 72.5° head angle, and race bike-esque 58mm trail on the fork, add a nimbleness to steering that, when combined with the longer wheelbase of 1,025mm, balance into a bike that is quick to respond without becoming twitchy.
The Defy Advanced Pro 2 is a stunning machine that packs in value and great looks. It’s still early in 2020, but the Defy is already one of the year’s bike highlights.
“The D-shape of the tube maintains lateral rigidity but allows the post to move enough to smooth vibrations from poor road surfaces”
closest comparison is between the Hollowgram and the D-Fuse bar on the Giant. Hold the Synapse bar on the hoods or on the tops and its compliance adds comfort, but get down in the drops and there’s very little in the form of flex when sprinting. It’s a clever design and adds a lot of character. We’d opt for this model, with this cockpit, over the slightly cheaper Shimano Ultegra Di2 model with a standard alloy bar and stem.
The predominantly Shimano Dura-Ace groupset is mated to Cannondale’s own lightweight chainset. Here it’s with the eight-arm spider rather than the superlightweight 12-arm found on the top models. The standard hollowgram crankset is still a light, quality item that shifts as smooth as the Shimano it replaces. Braking with the Dura-Ace hydraulics is spot on. Cannondale has deviated from Dura-Ace with the brake rotors, but without sacrificing performance as it’s switched to the more cost-effective Ultegra rotors but in the optimal IceTech guise, which gave us smooth-controlled and quiet braking, even on long descents.
With a great ride feel, smooth shifting and fantastic braking, this Synapse has a hell of a lot going for it. Add in handling that’s faster than most endurance bikes and a whip-quick ability to change direction or make corrections if you’ve over-cooked a corner. However, it’s not without issues.
Climbing is where the Synapse lacks a spring in its step, the Fulcrum DB 500 wheels are competent, but they aren’t light at around 1,700g a pair. They can be run tubeless (though you’d need to add valves and tape) but the Vittoria tyres aren’t tubeless-compatible. When we switched out the Fulcrums for a set of our own lighter carbon/ tubeless wheels, the Synapse became a true dream machine. As it stands, it’s just very good.
ergonomics. The 8kg weight makes it the lightest on test and there are smart choices on the build. The DT Swiss ER1400 wheels may not have the glamour of carbon but the alloy rims are built onto Dicut 240 hubs with DT Swiss’ lightweight 240 internals. The rim itself is tubelessready and a 20mm-wide pair would set you back around £800. They’re shod with Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tyres (set up tubeless) in 28c and they roll superbly and add real spark to the Kiaro, especially on the climbs where the Kiaro outshines the competition.
The slightly forward position, due to the steep 75° seat angle, means you’re over the cranks and efficiently pushing power through the pedals. The Kiaro rewards hard efforts, especially out of the saddle, and once you’ve crested a climb it’s a confident descender, too.
Equipment wise, the Kiaro can’t quite offer the value for money of Giant’s Defy, but there’s nothing here we ever felt the need to change beyond the decent (but not our personal choice) Selle Italia SLR saddle. It’s comfortable enough with generous padding where you need it and the slender profile is a good fit but the shape is a little flatter than we usually prefer. That aside, the wheel and tyre package is excellent and puts the more expensive Roubaix to shame, the dedicated carbon seatpost offers a lay-back shape and plenty of compliance. Up front, Simplon’s ARC1 carbon bar/stem combo is superb, stiff yet compliant over rougher roads with a greatshaped drop.
Overall, the Disc is a very accomplished bike. It has a comfortable ride that’s beautifully blended to a lightweight package and race bike-like handling. The downside is that it looks expensive on paper for a bike that’s ‘only’ mechanical Ultegra and has alloy wheels. It’s also quite hard to find sin the UK, with only a handful of Simplon dealers around.
“While the Kiaro Disc may look simple, there’s actually a lot going on underneath the understated skin”
OVERALL VERDICT
Each one of these ‘endurance’ bikes is much more exciting than its slow-and-steady marathon tag would suggest.
Cannondale’s Synapse takes more from racing than recreation and the superb chassis with its lively handling and vibration-nulling ride has the potential to be all the road bike you’d ever need. Austrian brand Simplon’s svelte approach makes for one hell of a great product. The spec is smart and the ride superb, but the Austrian masterpiece comes at a price and the lack of mudguard eyes are an oversight for those of us who ride all year.
That leaves Giant’s Defy. It’s a bike that has impressed us over the years in its flagship model. Lesser bikes have compromised key components and never fulfilled the potential, but this 2020 bike comes with the full D-Fuse component package with brake upgrades and a better wheel package than some of the bikes at a much higher price on test here.
It’s a rare thing that the cheapest bike in a line-up also proves to be the best, but rest assured the superb, stealthy, speedy Defy deserves its crown.