The Bike Test THREE GRAND DAYS OUT
Cycling Plus UK|Summer 2022
As prices creep up, senior tech ed Warren Rossiter finds out if big miles have to mean big money by testing three endurance bikes worth under £3,000 each
Warren Rossiter
The Bike Test THREE GRAND DAYS OUT

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

Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA CYCLING PLUS UKSe alt
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...
Cycling Plus UK

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.

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
No limits
Cycling Plus UK

No limits

Not every adventure needs to be that epic, says bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Cycling Plus UK

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

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
FOREST COMMISSION
Cycling Plus UK

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

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
15 OF THE BEST ADVENTURES
Cycling Plus UK

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

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
The stuff of dreams
Cycling Plus UK

The stuff of dreams

Ned sings the praises of the Paris Olympics road-race course

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"
Cycling Plus UK

"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

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
Cycling Plus UK

FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

We venture into the hidden gem of the glorious Creuse, one of France's least populated regions

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
STAR TREK
Cycling Plus UK

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

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
GOLD RUSH
Cycling Plus UK

GOLD RUSH

With conflict around the world, Paris 2024 was a ray of light. Here are our highs of a mighty Olympics

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024