The bikes
Cannondale Synapse Carbon 4 £2,400
Cube Attain GTC SL 62.499
Giant Defy Advanced O £2.899
Need to know
What makes an endurance road bike different to a performance road bike, and what should you consider when buying one? Here's our five-step guide
AN ENDURANCE BIKE, at first glance, looks much like the bikes you'll see racing through France in July, but look more closely and you'll see there are some subtle but significant differences, which make them more suitable for the likes of you and I rather than two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar and his pro peloton pals. An endurance bike is made for day-long comfort, putting you in a more upright position that puts less strain on your lower back, for example.
01 Geometry for big rides
It really is all about ride position. While a performance race bike has a longer, lower riding position, using stack and reach (see Bike Tech Explained box) to maximise aero gains, an endurance bike ups the comfort, with a shorter reach and taller stack. Though the riding position is still sportier than you'll find on a gravel bike or tourer.
02 Year-round use
An endurance bike should also be better for year-round use, with increased tyre clearances so you can fit larger, more weatherproof tyres come winter and its more treacherous riding conditions. They may also have useful details such as mudguard mounts.
03 Sporty but not just for sport
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2022 من Cycling Plus UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2022 من Cycling Plus UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
No limits
Not every adventure needs to be that epic, says bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz
UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Josh Patterson was one of 34 starters for the inaugural edition of Unbound in 2006. Now, with more than 5,000 riders taking part in today's event, he charts the rise of the most important race in gravel
FOREST COMMISSION
Looking for a goal race in 2025 that'll stimulate the synapses and live long in the memory? You'd struggle to do better than ENID CRV in Finland
15 OF THE BEST ADVENTURES
Featuring Yorkshire, the USA, Sri Lanka and more, here are our picks of the world's greatest gravel races and routes
The stuff of dreams
Ned sings the praises of the Paris Olympics road-race course
"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"
Recordbreaking cyclist and triathlete Kate Strong, 45, took to the road to raise awareness of environmental issues
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
We venture into the hidden gem of the glorious Creuse, one of France's least populated regions
STAR TREK
New tube shapes and carbon lay-up makes the eighth generation of Trek's legendary Madone an aero and climbing bike all rolled into one
GOLD RUSH
With conflict around the world, Paris 2024 was a ray of light. Here are our highs of a mighty Olympics