Full-speed and full-on adventure! Road bikes: between rebirth, friends with benefits and lots of gravel For everyone else, including the open minded disciples of pain who occasionally want more from riding their bike than just chasing KOMs on Strava, this group test is here to prove that you shouldn’t have to shy away from throwing in a few more gravel segments the next time you plan a route. If you earn a living from racing your bike, demand maximum performance or simply like to believe you’re a pro, you’ve chosen the perfect hobby since you’ll be able to ride almost the exact same bike that you see in the pro peloton. It’s understandable that we’re fascinated by the pros and their bikes, but the majority of mere mortals like us shouldn’t be looking to them for guidance when buying a new bike. Just like us, Sarah and Michael are probably in awe of the performances demonstrated by the world tour pros and the wattage bombs that Mathieu van der Poel drops on a regular basis. For all the road bike individualists like Sarah and Michael who ride 6,000 km/year on average – our readers’ most common names and average annual mileage according to the 2021 GRAN FONDO reader survey of over 11,100 participants (check out the results here). an all-road bike, excels in each of these scenarios.ĭespite the seemingly clear differences between these two schools of thought, newcomers to the sport of road riding will still ask themselves: “Which bike suits me and my requirements? Which is the best complete package? And which is the best bike of all?” This is what a lot of excited newbies sound like and you might recognise yourself in these questions. Regardless of whether it’s a short post-work ride, a relaxed cruise over several hours, hobby races, or gravel shortcuts, a modern road bike that hasn’t been designed specifically for racing and that feels at home on compact gravel, a.k.a. And the enormous potential and capabilities of the newest bikes in this segment, of course. What used to be an endurance, marathon or Gran Fondo bike is now just an all-road bike. Do you recognise yourself here? Good, then this is the group test for you! In times where everything seems to need a new name and the neologism specialists of bike brand marketing departments are constantly trying to outdo each other, a clear line has finally been drawn. The adventurers amongst us are less about racing and more about riding, simply enjoying the time spent in the drops during their post-work jaunts. If that’s you, you’ll find what you’re looking for amongst the endurance, marathon and Gran Fondo segments. On the other side of that you’ve got the connoisseurs of good times: those who don’t follow a strict training plan, don’t always have a race number pinned to their jersey, and put a lot of value on things like freedom when they ride. Check out the group test here to find out which of the 5 race bikes came out on top. To test this hypothesis and find out which is the fastest all-round race bike currently on the market, we got out our stopwatches and power metres for our race bike group test. Competitive riders who are out to race against the clock will find performance oriented bikes that are both aerodynamically optimised for the straights and light enough for the climbs. Innovative components and the constant evolution of materials is allowing them to design bikes that are more versatile than ever, requiring fewer models for specific uses. Things are settling down – many brands’ portfolios seem to have stopped expanding with an ever increasing diversity of model ranges. A sign of the times: full-speed vs full adventure!
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