The bikes
Cervélo Soloist Ultegra Di2
£6,800
Trek Domane SLR 7 eTap Gen 4 P1
£10,150
Canyon Ultimate CFR Di2
£10,399
Giant Propel Advanced SL O
£11,499
Need to know
All four of these top new road bikes for 2023 show off some impressive new design and technology...
AS WE USHER IN A NEW YEAR
we have high hopes for new models and equipment, such as Shimano's more cost-effective 105 Di2. There are new wheels, tyres and tech on the horizon too.
For this month's bike test, we've picked four exciting new road bikes and given them a closer look. Alongside updates to current favourites such as Giant's groundbreaking Propel aero bike, Canyon's flyweight allrounder the Ultimate, and Trek's classics focused endurance bike the Domane, we also have Cervélo revitalising its classic Soloist as a ride that brings aero gains to real-world riders like us.
01 Going solo
Cervélo has revived the Soloist from the original that debuted 20 years ago and inspired the whole aero-road bike genre. The Soloist was a legendary design for Cervélo and the new bike brings the brand's extensive aerodynamic design knowledge and wraps it up in a bike described by Cervélo as an aerodynamic race bike that's fast to ride yet easy to live with.
This new model is aimed at amateur racers and riders alike. That's reflected in the specifications of the range, which tops out with this Ultegra Di2-equipped model and starts with a mechanical Shimano 105 edition.
02 A new Domane
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GANARY A COALMINE
The James Brown tune 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World' comes on the radio, filling the coach, and does nothing for my pre-event nerves as I sit surrounded by serious-looking, wiry, tanned men in Lycra. It's 6.30am, pitch black outside and I'm feeling very out of my depth as a relative newcomer to the world of clipless pedals and hurting for fun. Last night's stress dream involved being very unprepared to get married and being handed my great-grandmother-in-law-to-be's hideous silver dress with lace trim to wear minutes before the ceremony was due to start. I'll let you psychoanalyse that one.
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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.
