Canyon's Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 is a really tempting option if you want to travel fair distances in comfort at a decent speed. It's a tiny bit heavier overall – 490g – than the same size and similarly specced non-disc unisex version, losing a very slight degree of that excellent bike's 'twitchiness', but that could be seen as a bonus as much as a drawback, depending on how you like your ride.

I took delivery of the CF SL Disc 8.0 after a month or so of riding and testing the non-disc CF 9.0 Di2. The differences between the two are subtle but noticeable. It might help you to understand some of what I'm talking about in parts of this test if you read my review of the unisex model.

> Buy this online here

The CF SL Disc on test here is one of Canyon's new women-specific bikes, launched in May. The non-disc model mentioned above is a unisex frame with various parts specced to suit your average woman: essentially, a wider saddle, narrower bar and shorter cranks. The CF SL Disc is a complete redesign, as reported here.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - riding 3.jpg

Apart from the electronic groupset on the unisex bike, the two models are pretty similar spec-wise – deliberately chosen so I could get as true a comparison as possible.

The ride

I had a first ride on the CF SL Disc at its launch in Germany and was impressed – not surprising really, as I was riding the £5,000+ limited edition model – so I was looking forward to riding it for longer on home soil. By the time it arrived, it had quite a lot to live up to because by then I'd fallen for the non-disc unisex model.

Describing a bike as 'exciting' probably means it's different to the sort of bike you normally ride. (Can an exciting bike continue to be exciting once you've got used to it?) I found the non-disc version an exciting ride; light and flicky, and to be honest probably a little on the racy side for me.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - riding 2.jpg

I felt immediately more at home on the CF SL Disc. Not in a boring way, but an easy-to-live-with, ride-all-day, into the sunset, forever, kind of way. A ride with no surprises – with that being very definitely a good thing.

I'd had a similar experience in Germany: my first outing there was on the new women-specific Ultimate and that was a 'wow!' moment; moving on to the new Endurace was a case of 'ah, that's more like it'.

Compared with the non-disc model, the handling feels more solid and planted, more 'endu' than 'race'. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fast bike with loads of zip, and still light enough to move around when you need it to, it just feels slightly less 'flickable', less twitchy.

You can feel the difference on climbs too – it's not as nimble feeling as the non-disc model – but on descents, in the wet, and going fast on the flat, the disc brakes inspire huge amounts of confidence.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - rear disc brake.jpg

In terms of comfort, to be honest I found it hard to detect a huge difference; both are comfortable bikes to ride all day. The new CF SL Disc has a curved seat tube to add comfort at the rear end, with a shorter seat tube meaning more exposed seatpost to add a degree of flex and help dull road buzz or bumps. The seatpost itself is also curved with more setback, creating a 'bow-like' shape. It certainly felt good, even more so once I swapped the saddle for one more to my liking.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - saddle and post.jpg

The new frame also has more clearance for wider tyres – up to 33mm if you so desired – so if you wanted to add more comfort through bigger volume rubber that you can run at lower pressures, or to use the bike on rougher terrain, there's a world of choice out there.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - seat stays.jpg

One of the things I particularly like about the new model is the 'aquamarin' colourscheme, and I was a bit disappointed to be sent a black test bike. Some might prefer the understated colour, and it's well finished in a shiny kind of way, whereas the aquamarin has a more matt look.

Like the non-disc version, the cables are internally routed, though one design feature had us scratching our heads in the office for a while. Between the bottle bosses on the down tube there's an extra hole, with a sort of 'bung' in it. We asked and were told it's there as a method for holding the cables in place so they don't rattle. And once you put a bottle cage on you won't be able to see it...

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - bosses.jpg

Geometry

Compared with the unisex model, the CF SL Disc has a shorter top tube and shorter head tube. The stack and reach (the vertical and horizontal measurements from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) are shorter too, to better suit the average woman's anatomy, but it's all marginal: about 4mm difference in both top tube and head tube lengths; 3.2mm difference in stack, 3.7mm in reach.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0.jpg

What does that all mean? Well, you don't have to stretch as far forward for the bar, but you're not put in a more upright position, so things stay racy rather than sedate.

Canyon has put a lot of effort into this new range, using the 60,000-odd entries from female customers in its Perfect Positioning System to design the new Endurace and Ultimate WMN frames.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - frame sticker.jpg

One of the key ideas was moving to 650B wheels in the smaller 2XS and 3XS sizes; I'd love to tell you how that feels, but the XS comes with 700Cs.

Another major design choice was making all the models disc brake only, something that Canyon product manager Katrin Neumann – who had overall responsibility for the new women's range – sees as 'the future'.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - front disc brake.jpg

I began my non-disc Endurace review with 'Wow!' and though I'd like to say the same about the disc version, 'Squeal!' would be more apt. Not with excitement – just the noise it made whenever I tried to stop.

Ordering your bike direct from the maker, as you do with Canyon, means you rely on the people building it to make sure everything's working perfectly, rather than your local bike shop. Not being a disc brake aficionado, I wasn't sure whether something needed adjusting or just patience. Patience, as it turned out. Patience and a big long hill to gently apply the offending brake so it scrubbed off whatever was making the noise without scrubbing off too much speed.

Once quiet, the Ultegra-level Shimano BR-RS805 hydraulic discs worked brilliantly – the bike's biggest improvement for me over the non-disc version.

Another case of needing to be aware of what can happen if buying direct is with the gearing setup. The Di2 Ultegra of the non-disc model worked flawlessly, whereas the mechanical Ultegra here had one little glitch in that it was noisy in the fourth smallest sprocket, whether in the small or big chainring up front.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - rear mech.jpg

It probably just needed a tweak by someone who knew what they were doing, but if you don't it's something to bear in mind when buying, though I guess that applies equally to any mail/online orders.

Outside of that fourth sprocket, the gears performed perfectly, and as with the non-disc version the range was a perfect-for-me compact 50/34 up front and an 11-32 at the rear, ideal for hilly rides.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - drivetrain.jpg

What struck me as slightly strange was that the crank length was longer on the new model: back to 170mm from the 165 of the non-disc CF 9.0. It's a marginal thing and I'm no expert on such matters but I can feel the difference and prefer a shorter length.

Finishing kit

The cockpit on the CF SL Disc 8.0 is identical to that on the CF 9.0: Canyon's H17 Ergo AL bar and V13 stem, which I found could pass on a bit of road buzz so my hands got a bit tingly after a few hours. Both the stem length (80mm) and bar width (38cm) are the same, although the spec sheet from Canyon says the XS should have a 40cm. It felt fine, as it did on the CF 9.0, though my own bike has a 40cm.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - bars.jpg

The seatposts differ – a curved Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF on this model works with the 'Comfort Kink' of the seat tube, supposedly improving comfort over the straight S14 VCLS 2.0 CF on the unisex bike. And I found the Fizik Luce saddle here more comfortable than the Selle Italia on the CF 9.0, if not as comfortable as my preferred Specialized model.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - rear.jpg

The DT Swiss E1800 wheels and 25mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres roll easily and comfortably over rough and smooth roads. As with the DT Swiss PR1400s on the unisex bike, they're not deep-section wheels but still have the occasional 'moment' in a strong crosswind. To cope with the extra braking forces from the discs, Canyon has specced 12mm thru-axles front and rear.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - rim.jpg

Value

For £2,199 the disc-brake Endurace WMN CF SL 8.0 offers very good value for money, that ability to buy direct really paying off – as long as you're confident about tweaking gears and scrubbing off brake squeal...

> Buyer's Guide: Sportive bikes — great bikes for long, fast endurance rides in comfort

The same comparisons made in the non-disc review apply here too: Specialized's disc brake Ruby Comp with Shimano Ultegra is £2,650, while Giant's Liv Avail Advanced Pro 1, also with disc brakes and mechanical Ultegra, is £2,899 and Trek's Ultegra-equipped Domane SL 6 Disc Women's is £3,000.

Conclusion

I was sorely tempted to buy one of these bikes for my upcoming Ride Across Britain. It's a lovely ride, the disc brakes are excellent, and the comfort is right up there. If the unisex Endurace sounds a bit too much race and not enough endurance for you, the disc brake version could be just the right mix.

Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 - riding 4.jpg

It's a fast, light, comfortable bike with the twitchiness toned down and the ability to stop improved dramatically. It could just be the perfect long-distance ride.

Verdict

Excellent option for long rides, at speed, in comfort and safety

Calm down, folks, the week's almost over and Canyon's here to give you that last little boost that'll see you through to the weekend.

That little boost, of course, is coming the shape of a bumper DealCatcher Takeover stocked full of bike deals, wheel deals, energy gel deals, and much more!

The selection of Canyon road bikes that are available here today runs straight down the spine of Canyon's bicycle price range.

From Canyon's excellent Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 which at it's discounted price costs a touch over £3000 down to the fantastic cyclocross machine - the Inlfite AL 9.0 - which sits at £1500, there should be something for riders of all ages, abilities and styles.

On top of the two-wheeled offerings, today's DealCatcher features a pair of Zipp 3030 Firecrest clincher wheels, High5's excellent energy gels, Garmin's Edge 1000, and Muc Off's C3 Ceramic Lube.

29% off Canyon's Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0
WAS £3799.00 | NOW £3079.00

Canyon Aeroad CF.jpg

Canyon kicks things off with their aero introductory model, the Aeroad 8.0.

Other than the base details, which we'll cover shortly, we won't go in too deep here. Our tech editor Dave Arthur has already done that in the shape of the 9/10 review he gave the bike which you can read by following the link below.

Within the review Mr Arthur makes it clear that the Reynolds Strike Carbon Clincher wheels, Shimano Ultegra groupset and ST-RS685 hydraulic disc brakes, and super lightweight Canyon carbon frame make for quite the package.

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc review

13% off Canyon's Endurace CF SL Disc 9.0 Di2
WAS £3399.00 | NOW £2949.00

Canyon Endurace CF SL.jpg

Canyon's Endurace range is specifically designed to tackle all sorts of rides. Whether they're on rough terrain or smooth, the entire range handles both quickly and comfortably.

The Endurace 9.0 here is stocked full of great features, the stand-out of which is Shimano's incredible Ultegra Di2 groupset.

Canyon's H31 Ergocockpit which is a carbon fibre integrated stem-handlebar will optimize your position and aerodynamism and Canyon's S15 VCLS 2.0 seatpost will see you over all sorts of bumps comfortably while carrying an incredible aerodynamic profile.

17% off Canyon's Ultimate CF SL Disc 9.0 Aero
WAS £3249.00 | NOW £2709.00

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0.jpg

Race bikes are often criticised for their comfort and the effect the geometry can have on those of you with brittle backs. Canyon's Ultimate range, however, manages to avoid those criticisms.

Canyon has specifically specced the Ultimate to give you a race-ready position without the feeling that you're overextending.

The specs show that this machine is just as interested in speed as the Aeroad above, though. Shmano's Ultegra 6800 groupset and Mavic's Cosmic Pro Carobn wheels scream speed.

7% off Canyon's Ultimate WMN CF SLX Disc 8.0
WAS £2649.00| NOW £2469.00

Canyon Ultimate WMN CF SLX 8.jpg

Another Canyon bike, another road.cc 9/10.

Our man Stu Kerton wasn't testing the women's model that we've featured here, but apart from some geometric tweeks they're both pretty much the same bike.

The review below, which covers exceptionally high praise for this machine, should give you a great idea of what you're getting your hands ono here.

The bike runs SRAM's RED 22 groupset, Zipp's 303 wheelset, and a Selle Italia SLS Flow saddle aboard a carbon fibre Canyon Ultimate frame.

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 review

16% off Canyon's Inflite AL 9.0
WAS £1799.00 | NOW £1519.00

Canyon Inflite CF.jpg

Today's final bike is nice and ready for the coming autumn.

If you're looking to delve into the world of cross racing, or you're sick of your rural, bumpy commute, this bike may well be the answer to your prayers.

Wider 33mm DT Swiss R23 Spline DB wheels carrying Schwalbe X-One Tubeless tyres will see you over the poorer terrain, while Shimano's ST-RS685 Hydraulic disc brakes will help you stop even in the worst conditions.

Finally, Shimano's Ultegra 6800 groupset will keep things moving.

30% off Zipp's 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers - Rear
WAS £1074.95 | NOW £760.95

27% off Zipp's 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers - Front
WAS £895.95 | NOW £653.95

Zipp 303 Firecrest Carabon Clincher 28 Wheels.jpg

Zipp's 303 wheels have seen great success over the years. They've climbed mountains beneath champion riders on the Tour de France, they vravailed the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, and they've even seen a few of you to personal bests - we imagine.

These, here, are the updated carbon clincher firecrest 303's that Zipp introduced a few years back.

They offer significantly more balanced aerodynamics and a greater protection against deformations and punctures than the originals. 

- Read more: Zipp introduces new 303 Firecrest wheels

68% off HIGH5's Energy Gels Variety Box
WAS £24.95 | NOW £7.95

High5 Energy Gel Bundle.jpg

As far as energy gels go, High5's hit all the high notes.

Our man David Else reviewed these little goodies and called them "nice tasting" while praising their portability, texture and performance benefits.

What more could you want from a gel?

- Read more: road.cc's High5 Energy Gel review

28% off Garmin's Edge 1000 Bundle
WAS £546.95 | NOW £394.95

Garmin Edge 1000.jpg

Garmin's excellent Edge 1000 Bundle is our penutlimate deal of the day.

When the device came our way for review, Mr Dave Atkinson called it the best dedicated GPS unit yet.

If you can't take our word for that here, check out the full review below where Mr Atkinson goes into the nitty gritty of what makes this device so brilliant.

- Read more: road.cc's Garmin Edge 1000 review

34% off Muc-Off's C3 Ceramic Lube Dry
WAS £17.95 | NOW £11.95

MucOff Ceramic Lube.jpg

Who wouldn't want to be called "clean and extremely tenacious"?

Well, out of the romantic and bike maintenance fields, it's quite a strange thing to be called.

Fortunately we're looking att one of those fields here.

Our man Shaun Audane put the C3 Ceramic Lube through its paces and gave it the rave review you've read above. This is a great buy, apparently, and it this price it's a no-brainer.

- Read more: road.cc's Muc-Off C3 Dry Ceramic Lube review

Canyon have taken over the DealCatcher once again to round off the week, and once again the deals are spectacular.

If six 2017 model bikes aren't enough to wet your appetite, check out the Garmin Edge 1000, Uvex helmet, Morgan Blue race oil and Reynolds wheels.

There's bound to be something here that'll get your gears turning!

9% off Canyon's Ultimate CF SLX Disc 9.0
WAS £4899.00 | NOW £4449.00

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-ultimate.jpg

The first bike of the day is the sensational Ultimate CF SLX 9.0.

Sensational in looks, that much is evident, but we also know it's sensational from a performance perspective too.

We're not just looking at the Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, DT Swiss PRC 1400 wheels and Canyon's Aerocockpit as evidence, we're talking from experience.

Our man Stu Kerton put the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 through its paces last year and loved it. Check out his 9/10 road.cc review below:

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 review

14% off Canyon's Aeroad CF SLX 9.0
WAS £4899.00 | NOW £4199.00

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-aeroad.jpg

Where the Ultimate above looks to bring a bit of aerodynamism to an all-round race machine, if you're looking for pure speed, Canyon's Aeroad wants to have a word.

Canyon's opening blurb for the Aeroad range targets those of you who haven't ever ridden an aero-specific road bike, and the classic dismissal of the necessity of the extra wattage aero features bring to the table.

It turns out it's really good fun riding an aero machine. Dropping your friends, like Canyon say, "with a few quick pedal strokes," really is good fun.

And the bike? Well, Shimano's Dura-Ace groupset, Reynolds Strike SLG Carbon Clincher wheels, and the Canyon H11 Aerocockpit CF - which saves a whole 5.5 watts on its own - add up to a pretty spectacular set-up.

- Read more: road.cc's 9/10 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 review

12% off Canyon's Ultimate WMN CF SL 9.0 Team CSR
WAS £2299.00 | NOW £2029.00

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-ultimatewmn.jpg

Where the men's edition of Canyon's Ultimate CF SL 9.0 carried Shimano, the women's version carries SRAM.

You're still getting the same wonderful riding experience, just with a geometric design far more suited to the female body shape.

You'll be rolling on Zipp's 30 Course DB Clincher wheels and while you'll be resting on Canyon's excellent H17 Ergo AL cockpit.

18% off Canyon's Endurace AL 6.0
WAS £999.00 | NOW £819.00

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-endurace.jpg

As far as budget racers go, the Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 is one of the better options we've seen.

Following its discount here the bike sits well below the £1000 mark, which for many cyclists out there is a price point they won't dip below.

But with Shimano's 105 groupset, Mavic's excellent Aksium wheels, this bike doesn't have the hallmarks of a sub-£1000 bike.

8% off Canyon's Offspring AL 20
WAS £599.00 | NOW £549.00

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-offspring.jpg

When you're learning to ride a bike, the most important thing is having the freedom to make mistakes on a bike that won't let you down.

The Offspring AL 20 is a kids bike with the most reliable, top-of-the-range SRAM Level Disc brakes, and X4 9-speed groupset. 

The aluminium frame is sturdy and will give your child the security he or she needs to get to grips with the joys of cycling fast. 

58% off Reynolds Aero 46-16 DB Clincher Wheels
WAS £2,113.95 | NOW £894.95

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-reynolds.jpg

If you're looking for a strong balance of aerodynamism, stiffness and comfort, the Reynolds 46 Aero wheels could be the perfect option for you!

The Carbon Rim 6 technology gives the wheel excellent tensile strength, while the dispersive effect termination aerodynamic technology will ensure that your slicing through the wind.

There's even a Brake Wear Indicator to help you stay safely in touch with the state of your calipers.

17% off Garmin's Edge 1000
WAS £492.95 | NOW £358.95

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-garmin.jpg

This is the best dedicated GPS unit for your bike.

Really, that's what our man Dave Atkinson called it when it came our way for review.

If that's not praise enough for you, check out the full review below:

- Read more: road.cc's Garmin Edge 1000 review

20% off Morgan Blue Race Oil 125ml Bottle
WAS £9.95 | NOW £7.95

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-morganblue.jpg

If you're after a chain lube that'll see you through the winter, Morgan Blue's Race Oil "goes the distance," according to our tech editor Dave Arthur.

The pros use it, a couple of us use it now, and our man called it a "high quality chain lube".

Check out the review below if you wanna know more!

- Read more: road.cc's Morgan Blue Race Oil review

55% off uvex Race 5 Helm
WAS £179.95 | NOW £80.95

dealcatcher-canyon-20170914-uvex.jpg

An 8/10 helmet on road.cc certainly isn't something to scoff at.

Our man Stu Kerton gave it that score, while calling it cool, light and well priced.

Plus it looks great.

Check out the review below for a little more info:

- Read more: road.cc's Uvex Race 5 Helmet review

The DealCatcher's got a fantastic selection of deals for you today straight from Canyon. An incredible deal on High5 energy products, plus power meters, helmets and bikes galore feature in today's round-up.

The first deal you'll see is a doozy from High5. The selection on offer, and the price of it, is positively mind blowing, but there's a limited supply so you may well want to get moving quickly.

After that we've got a selection of bikes and other products in descending order of percentage discount!

Canyon's fantastic range of road bikes are clearly the highlight, so get scrolling and find out more.

84% off High5 & Canyon's Exclusive Energy Bundle
WAS £102.95 | NOW £26.95

variety box_2016_groß.jpg

The first deal of the day is this bumper bundle from High5.

This extraordinarily huge discount covers a wonderful range of products. Those products are as follows:

• 1 box of nine Protein Recovery sachets
• 1 box of 25 IsoGel sachets
• 1 box of 20 EnergyGel sachets
• 1 tube of Zero berry flavour electrolyte tablets
• 1 tube of Zero citrus flavour electrolyte tablets
• 1 High5 750ml bottle

All-in-all the bundle represents fantastic value, and we know, because we've reviewed High5's stuff before and we liked it. Check out one of those reviews below:

- Read more: road.cc's High5 Energy Gel review

23% off Canyon's Endurace CF SLX Disc 8.0
WAS £3899.00 | NOW £2999.00

endurace-cf-slx-disc-8_c1212 (1).jpg

While Endurace sounds like endurance, this model from Canyon is very much performanc-oriented.

You're going to get all the performance features we've come to expect from high-end road bikes, but what makes the Endurace special is the geometry that our tech editor David Arthur says "won't leave you needing a chiropractor after each ride."

The bike carries Shimano's fantastic Ultegra groupset, Shimano ST-RS685 disc brakes, and Reynolds's Assault carbon wheels will give you a bit more of a kick.

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Endurace CF 9.0 SL road bike review

18% off Garmin's Vector 2 Power Meter
WAS £1029.95 | NOW £841.95

Vector2_groß.jpg

These days we have access to so much information. Any question you might have about cycling you can access very easily via the search function on road.cc - or Google if you're feeling picky.

But did you know that a wealth of information is accessible about your personal riding style and capacity?

The Garmin Vector 2s work alongside an ANT+ device to keep track of a crazy amount of data which should help you to improve your performance.

We reviewed these pretty thoroughly, and our man David Atkinson thought very highly of them - even highlighting how incredibly easy to use they are.

- Read more: road.cc's Garmin Vector 2 pedals review (9/10)

18% off Canyon's Inflite AL 9.0 S
WAS £1599.99 | NOW £1319.00

inflite-al-9-s_c1108 (1).jpg

Thinking about taking up cyclocross now the autumn is well and truly with us? Canyon's Inflite bike is perfect for those thinking about trying your hand at the sport over the coming months.

Fortunately for those of you who are a little unsure, the Inflite range works just as fantastically off road as it does on-road. So, if it's not your thing you've still got an incredibly capable comfortable commuter in hand.

The model on offer here carries Shimano's Ultegra groupset as well as the brand's BR-RS785 disc brakes, a 7005 aluminium frame which ties everything together to offer an incredibly responsive and forgiving machine.

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Inflite AL 8.0 review

15% off Canyon's Ultimate AL SLX 9.0 Aero
WAS £2399.00 | NOW £2039.00

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When a road.cc review starts with the word "wow," you better prick up your ears and pay attention.

Our man Stu Kerton gave the Canyon Ultimate AL SLX 9.0 Aero a 9/10 when it came our way for review.

He said that the Shimano Ultegra, Reynolds Assault Carbon wheel, and Fizik Antares R5 saddle-carrying road bike offered "stunning performance."

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 review (9/10)

15% off Kask's Mojito Helmet
WAS £116.95 | NOW £98.95

mojito_black_red_original.jpg

A topper that's "hard to top." That's what our man Ash Quinlan had to say about the Kask Mojito helmet.

Sure it's not got all of the shiniest and newest bits of helmet tech, but what it does, it does fantastically.

He said that it's not only lightweight and airy, it fits fantastically well too. 

- Read more: road.cc's Kask Mojito review (9/10)

14% off Canyon's Speedmax CF 9.0
WAS £2649.00 | NOW £2289.00

speedmax-cf-9_c1187.jpg

We don't often feature triathlon or time trial machines here on road.cc, but when we do, the Speedmax is always in the conversation.

In our top 11 time trial bikes, we featured the Speedmax, and our tech editor Mat Brett called it "nuts!"

- Read more: road.cc's 11 super fast time trial/triathlon bikes

12% off Canyon's Endurace WMN CF 8.0
WAS £1499.00 | NOW £1319.00

endurace-cf-8-wmn_c1129.jpg

We covered the concept of Canyon's Endurace range above, but this one is a bit different because it's for women.

Obviously, the concept doesn't change, but one or two other bits do.

The geometry is a little different to accommodate the female frame, and this model carries Shimano's fantastic 105 groupset alongside DT Swiss R24 Spline wheels and a Selle Italia Lady Flow saddle.

10% off Canyon's Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2
WAS £4499.00 | NOW £4049.00

aeroad-cf-slx-disc-8-di2_c1200 (1).jpg

And, finally, Canyon's carbon racer extraordinairre, the Aeroad.

If the branding wasn't enough of a giveaway, aerodynamics, responsiveness alongside unbelievable rigidity and lightness is the name of the game.

While this specific model (the CF SLX Disc 8.0) sits at the bottom of the Aeroad ladder, it still offers unparalleled specs at the price point.

Shimano's Ultegra mechanical groupset, Reynolds Strike Carbon Clincher wheels and a shockingly aerodynamic frame make up an unbelievable package at under £3500.

- Read more: road.cc's Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2 review

• With elongated tube shapes and other wind-cheating features, aero road bikes provide a small but handy speed boost.

• Sleek shapes make for a distinctive look.

• Recent aero road bikes have alleviated the harsh ride that plagued some early models, thanks to improved use of materials.

• Frame aerodynamics is still a marginal gain; if you're wearing flappy clothes an aero bike is a waste of money.

In just a few years aero road bikes have gone from The Next Big Thing to a mainstream bike option. The latest models have been tweaked to be faster than ever, according to the manufacturers, and to alleviate the harsh ride that characterised some early aero bikes.

Aero road bikes essentially draw the aerodynamic features from time trial bikes into a road frame, and balance the demands of weight and stiffness into a package that, on paper, looks to be the ideal all-round choice.

At any decent speed, most of your effort goes into overcoming air resistance, so reducing a bike's drag means you'll go faster, or ride at any given speed with a lower power output. Who doesn't like the sound of that?

Most of your air resistance comes from your body. Wearing non-flappy clothing will help, as will losing weight. But the 20% or so of air resistance from your bike is enough for engineers and designers to focus on making road frames and products more slippery in the air. In the pro peloton aero road bikes have been quickly adopted, where the margins of victory are very slim and there has been a focus on gaining ever smaller performance gains over the years.

Jos Van Emden Giant Propel - front brake

Weight, and the lack thereof, used to be the main driving force of frame development. Along with stiffness, these were the two cornerstones of bike design. These days most bikes are light, many well below the UCI’s 6.8kg weight limit (which doesn’t affect non-racers anyway), and come with more stiffness than is sometimes comfortable.

All that has made aerodynamics more important for manufacturers. Specialized has built its own wind tunnel, for example, and most manufacturers are testing in wind tunnels. Nevertheless, aero road bikes haven't converged on a perfect, slippery common shape. Different engineers prioritise different ways of improving aerodynamics but there are shared design trends: skinny, aerofoil-shaped tubes, integrated brakes, and internal cable routing.

Let's take a look at the latest aero offerings.​

Colnago Concept — £3,150 (frameset)

Colnago Concept.jpg

Colnago has joined the aerodynamic arms race with the brand new Concept, a full blooded aero race bike that is a serious step forward from the Italian company's first aero road bike, the V1-r, from a couple of years ago.

The Concept has all the capability to dice with the fastest in a race situation. The Concept's stiff frame, Vision deep-section wheels and 7.2kg weight give it an insatiable appetite for speed. It's quick in all circumstances: climbs, descents, flat and undulating roads – everywhere, the bike really shines. It's an exciting bike to ride fast, and like all good aero road bikes encourages you to ride flat-out.

That firm ride, and frame and fork stiffness ensure the Concept accurately follows your inputs, whether through the handlebar or pedals. It reacts very positively to your body language, whether you're blasting up an uphill sprint finish or bombing through a curving descent.

But all-out speed isn't all the Concept is about, and it's not just a bike for racing. The Concept provides adequate composure and comfort, allowing you to tackle long distance rides at a few notches below race pace and not be dealt a hammer-blow to the lower back the moment the tyres encounter anything but a billiard-smooth surface. The front end of aero race bikes can often be overwhelmingly harsh, but the special headset and fork steerer tube that Colnago has developed mean it's smoother up front than would normally be expected on an aero road bike.

Read our review of the Colnago Concept
Find a Colnago dealer

Rose X-Lite CWX Disc — from £3,770

Rose X-LITE CW-4100 Di2.jpg

The Rose X-Lite CWX-4100 is a quick, fast-handling aero road bike with disc brakes, and although £4,700 is clearly a lot to spend, it represents good value. You really are getting a lot for your money here.

The CWX-4100 – the name sounds to us like it should belong to some sort of droid – is at its best when you're hammering. The aggressive riding position and the frame's aero features announce loud and clear that this bike is intended to be ridden fast.

Weighing in at just 7.46kg (16.4lb) – light for something with deep, aero-optimised tubes and disc brakes – and with loads of stiffness through the central section of the T40/T60 carbon-fibre frame, it feels every inch a race bike whether you're tearing along flat roads or scampering up the climbs.

Read our review of the Rose X-Lite CWX-4100 Di2 Disc

Merida Scultura 6000 2018 — £2,400

2018 Merida Scultura 6000

The Merida Scultura 6000 just feels right when you get on it. The position, the ride, the comfort… it's one of those bikes that gives you the confidence to push it as hard as you want, knowing that it isn't going to bite back. It's a bit of a bargain too when you consider the frame is being ridden in the pro peloton and weighs a claimed 750g. It's a hell of a lot of bike for the money.

For this revised version of the Scultura frameset Merida has concentrated on increasing comfort, and it's obviously paid off. The frame is handmade in Taiwan, and by tweaking the carbon layup in certain areas it has been able to bring in quite a bit of extra damping without sacrificing stiffness.

Aerodynamics was another target for Merida, using computational fluid dynamics in the design process and wind tunnel testing of various incarnations. It even used a dummy with moving legs to replicate the effect the rider's pedalling has on wind resistance.

Read our review of the Merida Scultura 6000
Find a Merida dealer

Boardman Elite Air — from £1,899.99

Boardman Elite Air 9.2 - full bike.jpg

Boardman's Elite Air 9.2 is just the ticket if you're looking for a fast bike with a good spec but you haven't got very silly money. It's a good package and the performance is impressive straight out of the box.

If you're buying an aero bike, chances are you're doing so because you want to go faster; that, or you just like the look of deep-section tubes.

Do you go faster? The anecdotal evidence suggests a yes: you go faster on this than on standard road bike. Our tester grabbed a downhill KOM on Strava, hung on longer before getting blown out the back of a crit with riders a grade above him and added 10km/h to his top speed on a favourite descent.crit with riders a grade above him and added 10km/h to his top speed on a favourite descent.

Read our review of the Boardman Elite Air 9.2
Find a Boardman dealer

Storck Aerfast Platinum — £10,949

storck-aerfast-platinum-full-bike (1).jpg

At £10,949, the Storck Aerfast Platinum is a massive outlay, but boy, oh boy do you get one hell of a return on your investment. It's a sub-6.5kg race weapon, with aerodynamics that work in the real world, and it offers comfort levels to challenge most endurance bikes.

Taking plenty of things it's learnt from its astonishingly good Aernario, Storck has pushed the design even further down the aerodynamics route, and what it has created in the Aerfast is a bike that's not only unbelievably fast, but light and stiff too.

If you're in the market for an aero bike, speed is going to be topping your list of priorities, and it's where the Aerfast truly excels. Below about 23mph the Storck feels like any other bike to ride, any other superlight bike that is, but all the same it feels like it requires some effort; you've got to work at it.

Get above that speed, though, and the aerodynamics really come into play. It feels like a permanent tailwind is nudging you along, a friendly hand on your back as you watch the numbers climb on the Garmin – with no more effort required than there was 5mph ago. It's a wonderful feeling, and one you never tire of.

Read our review of the Storck Aerfast Platinum

Find a Storck dealer

Cervelo S5 — £6,499

2018 Cervelo S5 Dura-Ace 9100.jpg

Long hailed as the fastest aero road bike by people who know a lot about aerodynamics, the Cervelo S5 received quite a makeover for the 2017 model year. It still looks like an S5 but Cervelo claims to have finessed every tube profile and found significant drag reductions. It’s also increased frame stiffness in the head tube and bottom bracket to improve handling. Another change is the shorter head tube to put the rider in a lower, and more aerodynamic, position. Cervelo has also developed its own aero handlebar which is compatible with a regular stem.

Read our coverage of the Cervelo S5 launch
Find a Cervelo dealer

Ridley Noah SL — €7,249.95

2018 Ridley Noah SL Ultegra Di2.jpg

Aero and discs? It's getting more and more common as bike makers figure out how to mount disc calipers without affecting aerodynamics too much. 

Ridley calls its collection of speed-enhancing aerodynamic features FAST. It includes the slotted F-Split fork and F-Surface Plus, a tube shape that combines an aerofoil with a groove that helps keep the air flowing smoothly over the fork, reducing drag.

As for the discs, Ridley believes they're simply a better way of stopping.

Read about Greg Henderson's Ridley Noah SL
Find a Ridley dealer

Pinarello Dogma F10 — £4,499 (frame, fork)

Pinarello Dogma F10 2017.jpeg

Developed in collaboration with Team Sky, the Dogma F10 follows on from the highly-acclaimed F8, on which Chris Froome won the Tour de france. The F10uses FlatBack tube profiles, a Kamm Tail sort of shape, with a rounded leading edge and chopped tail. Pinarello has also lowered the seat tube water bottle cage and it’s further shielded by the down tube. Meanwhile, up front the fork has been derived from the company’s Bollide time trial bike with an aerodynamic shape, and the crown closely nestles into a recess in the down tube.

Find a Pinarello dealer

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX — from £3,199

2018 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0 LTD

The second-generation Aeroad CF SLX has been inspired by the work on its futuristic Speedmax time trial bike, with razor sharp aero tube profiles and an optional one-piece handlebar and stem assembly. Much of the company’s focus with the new bike has been in reducing the frontal surface area, so along with the new handlebar there’s a narrower and hour-glass shaped head tube to help reduce drag. Other changes include the new tube profile, a variant of the Trident shape used on the Speedmax, and a seat tube that hugs the curvature of the rear wheel. Unlike some aero road bikes that integrate the brake callipers, Canyon has opted for direct-mount Shimano brakes in the regular positions.

Read our review of the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 7.0 Di2
Read our review of the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2

Specialized S-Works Venge Disc Vias eTap — £8,500

2018 Specialized S-Works Venge Vias Disc eTap

If you're going to fly, you need to be able to rein in that speed. Disc brakes give finer modulation of speed with less effort at the lever so as you're whooping into Alpine hairpins you can brake later and waste less valuable speed.

The Venge had a radical makeover last year, with an all-new aero frame, and an aero handlebar and stem with full internal cable routing. The almost complete lack of  cables flapping in the wind, further reduces drag.

Read our review of the Specialized Venge Vias Expert Disc​
Read about Mark Cavendish's Venge at the Tour de France
Find a Specialized dealer 

Scott Foil — from £2,499

2018 SCOTT FOIL PREMIUM DISC .jpg

The Foil arguably kicked off the whole aero road bike trend, bringing aerodynamic design that was once the preserve of time trial bikes to regular road bikes. For 2018, Scott has added disc brakes, arguing along with other manufacturers that you can go faster if you can slow down better.

That's on top of the last series of updates to the Foil that saw the down tube lowered and wrapped around the fork crown, and a smaller rear triangle and internal seat clamp in the top tube. 

And don't think this is just a uncomfortable aero bike, Mathew Hayman rode over a few little bumps on his way to winning Paris-Roubaix.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Scott Foil launch
Find a Scott dealer

Trek Madone — from £3,500

2018 Trek Madone 9.0.jpg

Once an all-round lightweight race bike, the Madone has had a complete aerodynamic makeover. It features a version of the Isospeed decoupler borrowed from the Domane to provide some comfort (aero road bikes have traditionally compromised comfort in the quest for speed) and it’s wrapped up in a frame with Kamm Tail shaped tubes. Like Specialized, Trek has also developed its own brake callipers, and they’re concealed within the fork and seat stays. To keep the cable routing of the centre pull front brake nice and clean, the head tube features flaps that open and close when the fork is turned.

For 2018, prices are down out of the upper stratosphere with a new model, the Madone 9.0, above, that's a bargain at a mere £3,500.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Trek Madone launch
Find a Trek dealer

Merida Reacto — from £1,000

2018 Merida Reacto 7000 E.jpg

Merida’s Reacto features tube profiles shape in accordance with NACA airfoil principles, and using the popular Kamm tail approach of chopping off the trailing edge, tricking the air into acting as if the trailing edge were there. More than any other bike here, the Reacto looks like a time trail bike in drag. There’s an aero seat post, internal cable routing and the rear brake is positioned underneath the chain stays. The front brake, meanwhile, is found on the front of the fork.

Read our review of the Merida Reacto 300
Find a Merida dealer

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX — from £2,649

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Canyon has given its latest Ultimate CF SLX a light touch of aerodynamic influence. It has developed a new D-shaped down tube, seat tube and seatpost, which along with a new internal seat clamp, adds up to a claimed 10% reduction in drag compared to the previous non-aero Ultimate. It doesn’t challenge Canyon’s Aeroad CF SLX for outright slipperiness in the wind tunnel, but does point to a future where all road bikes might one day be shaped in the wind tunnel.

Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc 2018 — £8,998.99

2018 Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc.jpg

Giant has added disc brakes to the Propel Advanced lineup for 2018, claiming that the flagship model, the Propel Advanced SL Disc, has the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any bike in its class and a lower drag coefficient at a wider range of yaw angles than the rim brake version.

“One of the key breakthroughs is a new truncated ellipse airfoil shape – a design that lowers drag at a wider range of wind angles than traditional teardrop frame tubing,” says Giant. “Engineers also found that, with proper integration, a disc-brake design can actually improve aero performance compared to rim-brake configurations.”

As well as a stunning paint job, the top of the range Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc has a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Giant's own SLR 0 Aero Disc wheels with a 42mm deep front rim and 65mm rear.

If you're not loaded, the Propel disc range starts at £2,999 with the Propel Advanced Disc.

Read our review of the Giant Propel Advanced 1  
Read our coverage of the original Giant Propel launch
Find a Giant dealer​

• With elongated tube shapes and other wind-cheating features, aero road bikes provide a small but handy speed boost.

• Sleek shapes make for a distinctive look.

• Recent aero road bikes have alleviated the harsh ride that plagued some early models, thanks to improved use of materials.

• Frame aerodynamics is still a marginal gain; if you're wearing flappy clothes an aero bike is a waste of money.

In just a few years aero road bikes have gone from The Next Big Thing to a mainstream bike option. The latest models have been tweaked to be faster than ever, according to the manufacturers, and to alleviate the harsh ride that characterised some early aero bikes.

Aero road bikes essentially draw aerodynamic features from time trial bikes into a road frame, and balance the demands of weight and stiffness into a package that, on paper, looks to be the ideal all-round choice.

At any decent speed, most of your effort goes into overcoming air resistance, so reducing a bike's drag means you'll go faster, or ride at any given speed with a lower power output. Who doesn't like the sound of that?

Most of your air resistance comes from your body rather than your bike. Wearing non-flappy clothing will help, as will losing weight. But the 20% or so of air resistance from your bike is enough for engineers and designers to focus on making road frames and products more slippery through the air. In the pro peloton aero road bikes have been quickly adopted, where the margins of victory are very slim and there has been a focus on gaining ever smaller performance gains over the years.

Weight, or the lack of it, used to be the main driving force of frame development. Along with stiffness, it was a cornerstones of bike design. These days most bikes are light, many well below the UCI’s 6.8kg weight limit (which doesn’t affect non-racers anyway), and come with more stiffness than is sometimes comfortable.

All that has made aerodynamics more important. Specialized has built its own wind tunnel, for example, and most manufacturers are testing in other facilities. Nevertheless, aero road bikes haven't converged on a perfect, slippery shape. Different engineers prioritise different ways of improving aerodynamics but there are shared design trends: skinny, aerofoil-shaped tubes, integrated brakes, and internal cable routing.

Let's take a look at the latest aero offerings.​

Colnago Concept — £3,150 (frameset)

COLNAGO-CONCEPT (1).jpg

Colnago has joined the aerodynamic arms race with the Concept, a full blooded aero race bike that is a serious step forward from the Italian company's first aero road bike, the V1-r.

The Concept has all the capability to dice with the fastest in a race situation. Its stiff frame, deep-section wheels and lightweight give it an insatiable appetite for speed. It's quick in all circumstances: climbs, descents, flat and undulating roads – the bike shines everywhere. This is an exciting bike to ride fast, and like all good aero road bikes it encourages you to ride flat-out.

That firm ride, and frame and fork stiffness ensure the Concept accurately follows your inputs, whether through the handlebar or pedals. It reacts positively whether you're blasting an uphill sprint finish or bombing through a curving descent.

The Concept isn't just for racing. It provides adequate composure and comfort, allowing you to tackle long distance rides at a few notches below race pace and not be dealt a hammer-blow to the lower back the moment the tyres encounter anything but a super-smooth surface. The front end of an aero race bike can often be overwhelmingly harsh, but the special headset and fork steerer tube that Colnago has developed mean the Concept is smoother up front than would normally be expected on an aero road bike.

Read our review of the Colnago Concept
Find a Colnago dealer

Merida Reacto — £1,250-£9,500

Merida has updated its Reacto to be, it says, lighter, more comfortable and more aerodynamically efficient than before. It has done this by slimming down the tube shapes and introducing a lower seatstay connection with the seat tube, among other things.

Merida – a Taiwanese brand although much of its engineering is undertaken in Germany – says that the new Reacto is more aerodynamically efficient than the previous version by about eight watts at 45km/h. That equates to around 5%.

Comfort has been increased through redesigning the seatstays and giving the S-Flex seatpost a slimmer cross section and a bigger ‘window’ – a notch that’s cutaway to allow more downward movement.

For 2018, Merida is offering disc brake versions of the Reacto for the first time.

Read more on the updated Merida Reacto here.
Find a Merida dealer

Boardman Elite Air — from £1,900-£6,000

Boardman Elite Air 9.2 - full bike.jpg

Boardman's Elite Air 9.2 (£2,299.99) is just the ticket if you're looking for a fast bike with a good spec. It's a great package and the performance is impressive.

Some aero bikes can be a handful, but thankfully the Air 9.2 is a neutral ride most of the time. Considering the amount of side profile, it's really not that much of a handful in the wind. Okay, our reviewer had a couple of interesting moments getting hit by a 30mph sidewind on one ride, but it's generally pretty predictable.

It's fast, it's firm but not uncomfortable, and it responds well under power. There are a few minor niggles – the brakes aren't the best, and some of the components are worth an upgrade to get the best out of the frame – but if you're looking for a fast bike for racing, triathlon or even time trialling then it's very much one to consider.

Read our review of the Boardman Elite Air 9.2
Find a Boardman dealer

Storck Aerfast Platinum — £10,949

Storck Aerfast_Platinum.jpg

Buying the Storck Aerfast Platinum is a massive outlay, but boy, oh boy do you get one hell of a return on your investment. It's a sub-6.5kg race weapon, with aerodynamics that work in the real world, and it offers comfort levels to challenge most endurance bikes.

Taking plenty of things it has learnt from its astonishingly good Aernario, Storck has pushed the design even further down the aerodynamics route, and what it has created in the Aerfast is a bike that's not only unbelievably fast, but light and stiff too.

If you're in the market for an aero bike, speed is going to be topping your list of priorities, and that's where the Aerfast truly excels. At lower speeds the Storck feels like any other bike to ride, any other superlight bike that is, but as you ride faster it feels like a permanent tailwind is nudging you along, a friendly hand on your back as you watch the numbers climb on the Garmin – with little more effort required than there was 5mph ago. It's a wonderful feeling, and one of which you never tire.

Read our review of the Storck Aerfast Platinum
Find a Storck dealer

Cervelo S3 Disc— TBC

Cervelo S3 Disc - riding 3.jpg

Cervélo has redesigned the S3 Disc to smooth out any penalties that might occur from adding disc brakes. The result is a frame that it claims is 9% stiffer, a touch more aerodynamically efficient, and lighter by 40g compared with the regular rim brake model. 

There's a lot to like about the Cervélo S3 Disc. If you want pure speed with the reassurance of hydraulic disc brakes, it's a very good option: it's extremely fast and the handling is lively and direct – just what you want from a race bike – but its composure on rough roads falls some way short of its key rivals. If you're willing to overlook its lack of comfort, it's an explosive bike.

Read our review of the Cervelo S3 Disc Ultegra Di2
Find a Cervelo dealer

Ridley Noah SL — £4,000-£6,400

2018 Ridley Noah SL Ultegra Di2.jpg

Aero and discs? It's getting more common as bike makers figure out how to mount disc callipers without adversely affecting aerodynamics. 

Ridley calls its collection of speed-enhancing aerodynamic features FAST. It includes the slotted F-Split fork with a gap running down the centre and F-Surface Plus, a tube shape that combines an aerofoil profile with a groove that helps keep the air flowing smoothly over the surface to reduce drag.

As for the discs, Ridley believes they're simply a better way of stopping.

Read about Greg Henderson's Ridley Noah SL
Find a Ridley dealer

Pinarello Dogma F10 — £4,499 (frame & fork)

Pinarello Dogma F10 2017.jpeg

Developed in collaboration with Team Sky, the Dogma F10 is the bike upon which Chris Froome won the 2017 Tour de France. The F10 uses FlatBack tube profiles – a Kamm tail sort of shape with a rounded leading edge and chopped off tail, and Pinarello has shaped the down tube so that you can mount a water bottle without ruining the aerodynamic performance. Up front the fork is derived from the company’s Bolide time trial bike with aerodynamically shaped legs and a crown that's integrated into a recessed down tube.

Find a Pinarello dealer

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX — £3,199-£6,349

2018 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0 LTD

The second-generation Aeroad CF SLX has been inspired by the work that Canyon did on its futuristic Speedmax time trial bike, with razor sharp aero tube profiles and an optional one-piece handlebar and stem. Much of the company’s focus was on reducing the Aeroad's frontal surface area, so along with the new cockpit there’s a narrower hour-glass shaped head tube to help reduce drag. Other changes include a variant of the Trident tube shape used on the Speedmax, and a seat tube that hugs the leading edge of the rear wheel.

The Aeroad CF SLX is available in both rim brake and disc brake models. 

Read our review of the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 7.0 Di2
Read our review of the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2
Check out our complete guide to Canyon's road bikes

Specialized S-Works Venge Disc Vias eTap — £8,500

2018 Specialized S-Works Venge Vias Disc eTap

If you're going to fly, you need to be able to rein in that speed. Disc brakes give finer modulation of speed with less effort at the lever so as you're whooping into Alpine hairpins you can brake later and waste less valuable speed.

As well as its aero frame, the Venge Vias has an aero handlebar and stem. The almost complete lack of external cables further reduces drag.

Read our review of the Specialized Venge Vias Expert Disc​
Read about Mark Cavendish's Venge at the Tour de France
Find a Specialized dealer 

Scott Foil — £2,499-£10,999

2018 SCOTT FOIL PREMIUM DISC .jpg

The Foil arguably kicked off the whole aero road bike trend, bringing aerodynamic design that was once the preserve of time trial bikes to regular road bikes. For 2018, Scott has added disc brakes, arguing along with other manufacturers that you can go faster if you can slow down better. That's on top of the last series of updates to the Foil that saw the down tube lowered and wrapped around the fork crown, and a smaller rear triangle and internal seat clamp in the top tube. 

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is an uncomfortable aero bike. Mathew Hayman rode over a few little bumps on his way to winning Paris-Roubaix in 2016.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Scott Foil launch
Find a Scott dealer

Trek Madone 9 Series — £3,500-£9,500

2018 Trek Madone 9.0.jpg

Once an all-round lightweight race bike, the Madone has had a complete aerodynamic makeover. It features a version of the Isospeed decoupler borrowed from the Domane to provide some comfort and it’s wrapped up in a frame with Kamm tail shaped tubes. Like Specialized, Trek has also developed its own brake callipers that are designed to integrate with the fork and seatstays. The head tube features flaps that open and close to accommodate the movement of the brake when the fork is turned.

For 2018, prices are down out of the upper stratosphere with a new model, the Madone 9.0 (above) that's priced at £3,500.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Trek Madone launch
Find a Trek dealer

Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc — £8,999

2018 Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc.jpg

Giant has added disc brakes to the Propel Advanced lineup for 2018, claiming that the flagship model, the Propel Advanced SL Disc, has the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any bike in its class and a lower drag coefficient at a wider range of yaw angles than the rim brake version.

“One of the key breakthroughs is a new truncated ellipse airfoil shape – a design that lowers drag at a wider range of wind angles than traditional teardrop frame tubing,” says Giant. “Engineers also found that, with proper integration, a disc-brake design can actually improve aero performance compared to rim-brake configurations.”

As well as a stunning paint job, the top of the range Propel Advanced SL 0 Disc has a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Giant's own SLR 0 Aero Disc wheels with a 42mm deep front rim and 65mm rear.

The Propel disc range starts at £2,999 with the Propel Advanced Disc.

Read our review of the Giant Propel Advanced 1  
Read our coverage of the original Giant Propel launch
Find a Giant dealer​

Lapierre Aircode SL – £2,899-£6,999

lapierre aircode sl 4.jpg

French brand Lapierre has given its Aircode a major update for 2018. The frame profiles have been refined, and are now shaped using a combination of NACA and Kamm tail profiles. The down tube, for example, transitions from one to the other to keep drag low while increasing lateral stiffness at the bottom bracket. Other changes include a revised geometry, shorter chainstays and fork rake that has been reduced to bring it closer to the Xelius SL. There's also a new aero seatpost, direct mount brakes and 'TrapDoor technology' whereby the Di2 battery is housed in the down tube for better weight distribution.

Lapierre has integrated the fork crown into the down tube to bring the front wheel closer to the frame. It’s also using a direct mount brake calliper which allows the fork crown height to be lower than with a standard brake.

Read our coverage of the launch of the Lapierre Aircode SL
Find a Lapierre dealer

Bianchi Oltre XR3 – £2,800-£4,600

Bianchi Oltre XR3 - riding 1.jpg

Bianchi took the Oltre XR2 as its starting point for the XR3's design and then altered many of the tubes and features, resulting in a very different bike. The head tube is new, for example, the aero design fairly similar to that of the XR4, and the seat tube is new too, although it is still cut away around the leading edge of the rear wheel.

The Oltre XR3 features Bianchi's Countervail technology, Countervail being "a patented viscoelastic carbon material with a unique fibre architecture that cancels up to 80% of vibrations while increasing the stiffness and strength of carbon frames and forks", according to Bianchi.

The Oltre XR3 is nimble and sharp handling, and it offers a ride that's smooth by aero road bike standards.

Read our Bianchi Oltre XR3 review
Find a Bianchi dealer

[This article was last updated on November 21, 2017]

If you have £1,000 to £1,500 to spend on a road bike, you really do get a lot for you money. A benefit of spending this sort of money is that the bikes start to get much lighter than those costing half as much, which will have a significant impact on the ride quality and performance, and your times up your local hills.

Shimano 105 and Tiagra are the dominant groupsets in this price range. While there is a lot of own-brand kit for parts like wheels, handlebars and saddles, which is no bad thing (manufacturers have really raised their game with own label components), there is a lot more branded kit from the likes of Mavic and Fizik.

Giant Contend SL Disc 1 2018 — £1,198.99

2018 Giant Contend SL 1 Disc Charcoal.jpg

Giant has two families of endurance bikes, the Defy series with carbon fibre frames and disk brakes throughout the range, and the Contend bikes with aluminium frames and a choice of discs or rim brakes. This is the top model in the six-bike Contend family. It has Shimano's excellent-value Shimano 105 11-speed transmission, and Giant's own hydraulic disc brakes. We liked the rim-braked 2017 version, but though it could use better brakes.

Read our review of the Giant Contend SL1
Find a Giant dealer

Ribble CGR — £1,438.99

Ribble CGR.jpg

Cross, Gravel, Road, that's what the CGR initials stand for on Ribble's latest all-rounder. A disc brake-equipped, mudguard-shod 'do a bit of everything' machine that makes a lot of sense for the rider who doesn't always want to stick to the tarmac. Thankfully, this jack of all trades is no master of none.

Thanks to Ribble's online bike builder, you can have any spec you like. The CGR starts from £799 with Shimano Sora; the price here is for the option with Shimano 105 and hydraulic brakes, which gives a good combination of slick shifting and powerful stopping.

Read our review of the Ribble CGR

Fuji Roubaix 1.3 — £899

fuji-roubaix-13-2017-road-bike-blue-EV280185-5000-2.jpg

Fuji characterises its Roubaix as a race bike and has completely reworked the frame for 2017, putting it firmly in the category of Very Light Aluminium at a claimed weight of 1,100g.

The fork is all-carbon, as befits a lightweight bike, and there are Shiano 105 gears and brakes to make it stop and go. The Oval Concepts finishing kit includes a chainset with Praxis rings. It looks like an excellent package for the money if you're in the marker for a fast, light traditional road race bike.

Boardman Road Pro Carbon — £1,350

Boardman Road Pro Carbon.jpg

Boardman is making some great bikes this year – both in terms of performance and value – and the Road Pro Carbon is no exception. If you're after a disc brake road bike that's engaging to ride, you should certainly take a look at this. If you're looking for a more versatile all-rounder, it's not such a good fit.

Given that this bike comes from an endurance mould you might expect the ride to be more forgiving than it actually is. The Boardman doesn't have the surface-taming characteristics of something like a Cannondale Synapse or a Trek Domane, it's much more of a road bike feel. It's not uncomfortable, but it is firm. It's well balanced in that the front and the back give about the same level of feedback from the road.

Certainly the frame and fork are a package that's worthy of some upgrades here: it's a very well-balanced bike that responds well to pretty much every kind of road riding. The steering is very predictable and never nervous, and I had no issues with any wobbles, vagueness or lift-off descending at speed.

Find a Boardman dealer

Read our review of the Boardman Road Pro Carbon

Cannondale CAAD12 105 2018 — £1,149

2018 Cannondale CAAD12 105.jpg

When it was launched the CAAD12 set a new benchmark for all-aluminium frames; it still puts a lot of carbon bikes to shame. With a frame weight under 1,100g for the disc brake and regular versions, it's not much heavier than carbon either. Cannondale package the frame with a full Shimano 105 groupset, carbon fibre fork with tapered steerer tube, 52/36 crank, Mavic Aksium wheels and a Selle Royal Seta S1 saddle. You can also have it with disc brakes for an extra £300.

Read our report from the CAAD12 launch
Find a Cannondale dealer

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0 — £1,449

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German company Canyon has made quite an impression in the UK with its direct-to-consumer business model meaning big savings for those prepared to bypass the bike shop for their next bike purchase. The Ultimate CF SL is produced using the same mould as that the Ultimate CF SLX we tested a while ago, it's just using a cheaper carbon fibre. That keeps the price lower. Although the weight does go up a bit, it's still light at a claimed 940g. This is the entry-level model built with a full Shimano 105 groupset, Mavic Aksium wheels, Continental GP 4000 25mm tyres, Canyon's own bars and stem and a Fizik Antares saddle.

Focus Paralane 105 2018 — £1,499

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Focus' Paralane range of go-anywhere endurance/gravel bikes includes this Shimano 105-equipped bike with a hydro-formed aluminium frame. Like other disc-equipped Focus bikes it has the German company's clever RAT quick release axles as well as plenty of tyre clearance and easily-fitted Curana mudguards. We loved the carbon fibre Paralane Ultegra when we tested the 2017 version; this bike brings Paralane versatility to those who don't have three grand to spare.

Find a Focus dealer
Read our review of the Focus Paralane Ultegra

Trek Émonda SL 4 2018 — £1,500

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With a lightweight carbon fibre frame and Shimano Tiagra group, this speedster from Trek's racing range is a good deal.

The Emonda line is Trek's take on making the lightest road bikes it can produce for a given price, which means the frame here is worth upgrading as the parts wear out; it wouldn't be shamed by a Shimano Ultegra group.

Find a Trek dealer

Vitus Bikes Zenium SL Pro Disc - Superlight Ultegra — £1185.49-£1316.99

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Recent price increases mean getting a full Shimano Ultegra group with disc brakes on any bike under £1,500 is unusual, making the offering from Chain Reaction's house brand excellent value with Ultegra spec on an aluminium frame. It comes with Michelin's fast Pro 4 tyres in 25mm width and there's room in the frame to go up to 28mm for versatility.

The frame is the same as the 2016 Zenium SL Disc, which our Stu Kerton really liked when he reviewed it. The SL tames the previous Zenium's harshness a bit, but this is still a fast bike. "I like it," Stu wrote. "It feels purposeful, a kind of 'this is what I am, deal with it' type of thing. With a lot of bikes these days trying to be a bit of an 'everything' option, it's good to get on board something that can just be smashed about a bit and ridden hard."

Read our review of the Vitus Zenium SL

Rose Pro SL Disc 105 — £1,213.26

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German direct-sales operation Rose has some very keenly priced bikes, like this disc-braked sportive/endurance model that boasts and aluminium frame with room for 28mm tyres, and a full Shimano 105 groupset with hydraulic brakes. When he reviewed the next bike up in the range, the Ultegra-equipped Rose Pro SL Disc 3000, Stu Kerton said "Thanks to its neutral handling and impressive build spec, the Pro SL is the ideal steed for a day in the saddle with no surprises."

Read our review of the Rose Pro SL Disc 3000 Hydraulic

If you were to head over to the Canyon website, you'd be doing a dangerous thing. They've just dropped the prices across a massive collection of their 2017 bikes and the savings look really tempting.

Canyon are already know for the savings they can offer through their direct-to-customer sales approach, so anything on top of that is a brilliant bonus.

The bikes below are discounted by as much as £900. Some of the available sizes are limited, so have a dig around if the specific model you're looking for isn't stocked in your size.

You can begin that search by heading over to the Canyon 2017 Bike Sale page where you can get lost in the troves of top quality bargain bikes!

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2 2017
NOW £3,599 | SAVE £900

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Let's kick off with Canyon's most recognisable frame shape. This Aeroad, in stealth black, has all the bells and whistles.

The groupset is electronic, in the form of Shimano's Ultegra 6870. There's also hydraulic stopping power from Shimano's Di2 ST-R785 levers and BR-RS805 callipers.

The wheels are Reynold's Strike Carbon Clinchers which are wrapped with Continental GP4000s II tyres. 

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The identical deal is also available in this red colour-way. I got dropped by a chap riding this very bike up Cheddar Gorge on Sunday, probably because it only weighs 7.8kg. It looks very good, I think, he was moving rather quickly!

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 9.0 2017
NOW £4,749 | SAVE £450

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Sticking with the Aeroad, we've got the 9.0 Disc. What's different? Well, on this one, you get the latest DuraAce groupset and brakes. 

The bike still gets an integrated bar with Canyon's own H11 Aerocockpit CF for extra bling points and the Fizik Arione saddle will be a popular choice.

The wheels are Mavic's Comete SL UST and they are paired with the GripLink and PowerLink tyres, also from Mavic.

Canyon Endurance CF SLX Disc 9.0 2017
NOW £4,479 | SAVE £720

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If long days in the saddle are your thing, or you're looking for a little more comfort, then the Endurance range will be for you.

This model features Canyon's own S15 VCLS 2.0 CF seatpost to provide a little more give at the back end of the bike.

Gearing comes in the shape of Shimano's latest DuraAce, the 52-36 and 11-28 providing a large range.

The DT Swiss wheels have a deep carbon rim which is wide for both aero gains and comfort too. The DT Swiss hubs are excellent, having tested wheels using them or their internals in the past. Continental's GP 4000s II are again the tyre of choice for low rolling resistance and excellent grip.

There's plenty more bikes on sale so head over to Canyon's Factory Outlet now. Just for a look of course!

The Canyon Inflite CF SLX 8.0 Pro Race is a fast and fun cyclo-cross race bike with excellent handling, impressive comfort, commanding mud-plugging capability and a decent specification and weight for the money. If you're shopping for a new cyclo-cross race bike, this is a really good option.

• Pros: Handling, comfortable, great spec and price, easy shouldering
• Cons: Unique looks won't be for everyone

The Inflite isn't a new name in the German company's range, but this is the first carbon fibre cyclo-cross bike it has produced and is a big step forward from the more versatile and general purpose aluminium Inflite that's been a feature of its lineup for a few years.

> Buy this online here

The company's DNA is pure racing, and this bike is a clear statement of intent: a bike fit for the toughest and most demanding cyclo-cross racers and budding amateurs alike. It's light – 940g for a frame – disc brake-only and 1x and 2x compatible, and features the most distinctive top tube we've ever seen.

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The top tube design might look awkward but it genuinely does offer easy shouldering and bike pickup over hurdles and other cyclo-cross race obstacles, while the extended seatpost offers impressive deflection for taking the edge off rough ground.

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You can read all about the frame design below, but first I'll talk about how this bike rides, because that's what's really important. Is it any good for cyclo-cross racing?

Ride and handling

Never judge a book by its cover goes the saying. The same should also apply to bikes. The Inflite CF SLX might not be the prettiest cyclo-cross bike ever produced, but there's nowt ugly about its performance, which is nothing short of stellar.

Since it's a bike designed primarily for racing, I thought I'd better put it through its paces. So over the last couple of months, I've taken part in loads of local races on a range of courses that have really tested the Inflite CF SLX well – not to mention my fitness.

The Canyon immediately impressed. My first impressions were of sheer speed and easy handling, with a delightful nimbleness that makes it easy to steer the bike around often awkward and fiddly cyclo-cross courses.

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I've come straight off racing a similarly specced Specialized Crux, and compared to that the Canyon is lighter and faster, with more comfort in the saddle and more precision when navigating the tight bends of a typical 'cross race course, with better stability at higher speeds.

Canyon has expertise when it comes to carbon fibre frame design, and that shows in the Inflite CF SLX, not only in some of the smart, and distinctive, details but in how the bike performs. It's exceedingly responsive with a high level of stiffness detectable when you stamp on the pedals, as you do often in a cross race, accelerating from near standstill.

But the stiffness is balanced with enough compliance to ensure it doesn't beat you up when riding over rough and uncompromising ground. Naturally, big volume tyres at low pressures help, but I've raced carbon 'cross bikes that feel overly rigid in comparison. The Canyon is well judged in this regard, helped in no small part by the extra flex in the seatpost and the one-piece carbon handlebar.

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That distinctive – and opinion-dividing – top tube is all about racing, pure and simple. Obstacles are, and should be, an essential ingredient of any cyclo-cross race, whether hurdles, steps, sandpits, ditches, bogs or car tyres. The raised top tube makes it easier to shoulder because there's much more space in the front triangle to get your arm through. The kink also serves as a useful handle for when you only need to lift the bike over an obstacle quickly – your hand easily falls to the kink and the bike is well balanced front to rear when carrying it in this position.

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It's an incredibly effective design, and when races can be won and lost on split-second mistakes, it certainly could make a difference. Okay, it's not going to give me enough of an edge to start winning races, but if you're competing at the pointy end of a cyclo-cross race, margins are small and every little helps.

Geometry changes

Geometry has been an important area of development in the new bike. Canyon reckons that cyclo-cross race speeds are increasing, and as a result it needed to look more closely at the geometry rather than replicate tried-and-tested numbers – and it's looked to the world of mountain bikes for inspiration.

It has increased the wheelbase length and reach to increase high-speed stability, while a shorter stem and wider bar provide the necessary agility, and a longer fork rake and the 72.5-degree head angle is intended to provide fast and responsive handling.

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The idea of increasing the length and using shorter stems isn't a new one; Whyte Bikes has been doing this for a number of years with its cyclo-cross models but it's still not very common. It's not unlikely that we'll see a few more brands going down this route as cyclo-cross, and to a bigger extent gravel and adventure riding, evolves away from the traditional geometry of these once-modified road bikes.

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The result is a bike that is agile at lower speeds when navigating the tight corners of a cyclo-cross race course, yet at higher speeds it's very stable. You obviously can't easily change the stem length and handlebar width, but fortunately I found the one-piece carbon handlebar and stem a good fit. I'm 5ft 11in and tested a size medium, which was an ideal fit.

Non-racing prowess

Away from races, I've also used the Inflite CF SLX for general rides, to get dirty in my local woodlands and mix up road rides with stretches of bridleways and byways. I also rode the Canyon in the recent CX Sportive Badlands event around the Chilterns, a long-distance mixed terrain route favouring muddy tracks. This was a really challenging ride, not just because it was uncomfortably cold but because of the varied terrain and the inclusion of lots of very muddy forest tracks and byways, interspersed with fast road sections.

It's not the sort of riding a race bike is intended for, but the Inflite CF SLX excelled. It was comfortable, the bike in no way too harsh for the longer distance and mixed terrain, the saddle noticeably moving backwards underneath you on bigger impacts. The high-speed stability of the handling added real confidence on the faster road sections.

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There were a few occasions when the diminutive tyres were nearing their limits at the low pressures I was running them, but the tubeless setup kept punctures at bay and the Schwalbe X-One All Round tread pattern provided good grip in the slippery mud. There is space for wider tyres if you wanted to use the Inflite CF SLX for this sort of general purpose riding more frequently. And thankfully Canyon has seen fit to retain two bottle cage mounts so you can strap a bottle and pump to the frame for extra practicality.

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Mud clearance is critical in a cyclo-cross race bike, and it's something the Canyon engineers have focused on. Not only have they increased the clearance around the tyres, but they've also sought to reduce the surface area of the frame and areas where mud can tend to clog. And it works. Despite riding in some seriously sticky mud, not once did the Canyon get bogged down, and because there are few areas for mud to stick to the frame the weight didn't gradually creep up during a ride.

So if you are looking for a highly capable cyclo-cross race bike but also want a bike that can be used on longer rides away from competition, the Canyon Inflite CF SLX is that.

Frame details

Wow, it's a striking looking frame. That's the first impression most people have when they set eyes on the Inflite CF SLX, and it's either love or hate at first sight. But every decision is borne from a desire to provide the cyclo-cross racer with a bike that performs at the highest level.

A key focus for the Canyon development team has been to ensure the bike is easy to shoulder and carry. The top tube has been raised and the down tube is 1.5 degrees steeper to increase the gap between it and the front wheel so you can more easily wrap your arm around it.

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To provide additional comfort, the internal seat clamp has been lowered in the frame, which means an increase in the effective bending length of the seatpost of 110mm.

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Canyon has worked its engineering and carbon fibre expertise to produce a frame that weighs a claimed 940g for a size medium. Details include a press-fit bottom bracket, internal cable routing, an integrated chainguide for single ring setups, flat mount disc brake mounts and a tapered head tube.

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Mud clearance is a big consideration, with more of it better when the going is wet and sloppy. Not only has Canyon looked to increase mud clearance around the rear stays and fork, it has also sought to reduce the shelves and contours that can provide an opportunity for mud to build up on the frame and add weight. There are no seatstay or chainstay bridges for example.

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The bike is built around UCI-legal 33mm tyres, but there's plenty of space if you wanted to fit a wider tyre for more adventurous riding.

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Canyon will be offering eight sizes, from 3XS to 2XL, with the smallest two frame sizes built around 650B wheels. The geometry has also been tweaked on these two smallest sizes to maintain the handling, with reduced trail, a steeper head angle and shorter wheelbase.

If the bumblebee yellow and black paint job isn't to your tastes (it has really grown on me) you can opt for a more modest black and grey.

Specification

The new Inflite CF SLX comes in three builds, each using the same carbon frame and fork. The CF SLX 8.0 Pro Race tested here costs £2,499, is the cheapest model, and is very well specced for the money.

There's a SRAM Rival 1 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes and an 11-36t cassette combined with a 40t single chainring, which provides a really good range of gear ratios for cyclo-cross racing as well as longer distance gravel rides.

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The Rival groupset really is faultless. The chain didn't come off once, the brakes are solid and dependable, and the taller hood bodies are a benefit in slippery and technical sections, helping to cement your hands in place on the bar.

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The Quarq Prime crankset is intended to make it easy to upgrade to the company's DZero power meter, because you only have to swap the spider and not the whole crankset, so adding power is relatively straightforward. SRAM kindly sent me a power meter spider to fit to the bike and there'll be a separate review of it soon.

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I've been really impressed with the DT Swiss CR 1600 Spline wheels, too. They might not be flashy carbon wheels, but they're a reasonable weight, strong, dependable and stiff, and the 22mm wide rims are tubeless-ready, which I took advantage of with 33mm Schwalbe X-One tyres.

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I've previously raced cyclo-cross with tubeless tyres and I'm a fan – you can run low pressures without fear of puncturing, and there's no drama about glueing tubs. The X-One is an excellent tyre, fast on harder ground and grippy in the deepest mud; a good fit-and-forget tyre.

Canyon has been rolling out its Ergocockpit CF carbon fibre one-piece handlebar to more bikes in its range since it was first unveiled on the Aeroad back in 2014, and now it's found its way onto the company's new cyclo-cross race bike. It sure look the business, and is also comfortable, with nicely shaped drops that aren't too deep, and aero top sections that are comfortable when cruising – not that much of that occurs in a cyclo-cross race. It's not excessively stiff either, but neither is it flexy, it gets the balance just right. The bar is also swept back a little, reducing the reach when on the hoods.

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The main problem is that you are limited in terms of stem length and bar width, but Canyon does tailor the configuration across the size range. The 42cm width and 90mm stem length on the medium size bike I tested felt spot on. The shorter stem works with the length of the bike, the fit was good and handling excellent. You can adjust the height of the handlebar, and moving the steerer tube spaces around is an easy job.

The Selle Italia SLS saddle atop the VCLS CF seatpost is very comfortable; nicely shaped for me and generously padded.

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If you were feeling flush and fancied some carbon wheels, the CF SLX 9.0 Pro Race (£3,599) gets Reynolds Assault LE Disc carbon clinchers, a carbon crankset and Force instead of Rival, which is going to save some weight and add a bit of bling. My money would be on this £2,499 8.0 Pro Race though, and spend what you save on petrol money to get you to races, and maybe a power meter upgrade if you want to seriously up your game.

And compared with a similarly specced Specialized CruX Elite X1, this Canyon saves you £500, though the Crux does boast a lighter 900g frame, so the potential for a lighter overall build is with the US company. You don't get the power meter-ready crankset on the Specialized though.

> Dirty dozen: 12 of the best cyclo-cross bikes

Head over to the Trek website and you'll see a Boone 5 Disc for £2,800, which also has a carbon frameset with a SRAM Rival 1 drivetrain, and it has the unique IsoSpeed decoupler borrowed from the Domane endurance bike for extra seated comfort.

Conclusion

This bike is ready to race, out of the box. And I've done exactly that. It's a seriously impressive bike. The weight, stiffness, comfort, mud clearance, kinked top tube... it all comes together to form a package that excels in a cyclo-cross race. There's nothing I'd change about this bike, it's nigh-on perfect.

I've dragged it through tons of mud, smashed it over roots and blasted and skidded through rocky trails, dropped it and crashed it, jet washed it and left it caked in mud in the garage after a race, and it's taken it all in its stride and is still going strong. The gears are still shifting smoothly, the brakes are fantastic, the tubeless tyres don't leak and I've not flatted once.

> Your guide to cyclo-cross racing

The top tube design might look awkward but it genuinely does offer easy shouldering and bike pickup over hurdles and other 'cross race obstacles, while the seatpost offers impressive deflection for taking the edge off rough ground.

I've look forward to every ride on the Inflite CF SLX with a smile, knowing I was going to have fun and enjoy riding it.

Verdict

Fast, fun and highly capable carbon cyclo-cross bike at a great price – there's a lot to like, if you can get past the kink...