Yet another bike from one of the big manufacturers that is caught in a genre limbo, pedalling along somewhere between a road tourer and full blown offroad mountain bike. It takes its wheels from the offroad side, with the 29x2.0 Bontrager Dusters being more than capable to tackle gravel roads and tracks - even sporting a 15mm bolt through axle at the front - while the drop bars and alloy frame owe more to their road-going origins. Hydraulic disc brakes, ready mounted racks for spades of luggage and bar end shifters complete the package.
This mish-mash of direction might make you hesitate, but as we have found, it just works. Yes the fat tyres are slow on tarmac, but probably not as bad as you are thinking. As soon as they hit the gravel they come into their own of course, skimming over softer ground and stones where their road cousins would long since have ground to a halt. If you are looking for a versatile road bike with light offroad capabilities, you have come to the right place.
The alloy frame and hydraulic discs might horrify died-in-the-wool tourists for their lack of repairability off the beaten track, but if your adventures are closer to home they both give the 920 a real edge day to day. The brakes are superb, all weather performers with a pleasantly fit and forget nature, while that OCLV alloy frame contributes to the sprightly acceleration and feel of the 920.
For long days in the saddle that may - or may not - include some offroad excursions, the 920 is a real winner. The offroad SRAM groupset performs flawlessly in this environment and when not loaded up it is a distinctly fun and nimble bike to ride. Loaded it gets its head down and rises to the challenge too, so it could be the bike that just keeps on giving.
