With their brutally efficient narrow tyres and dropped bars, road bikes are the sports car of the cycling world. Fast, fun and free, they open up miles of road throughout the country and are an ideal way to keep fit.
Whether it is for racing, socialising or just plain exploring your local area, getting the right bike is important. Pedalling your pot holed local lanes on a thoroughbred racing machine might seem like a good idea when you want the best you can get, but you could be far better off on a more forgiving ride to soak up the bumps and rest your aching back.
We got the wind in our hair and took to the back roads to seek out the best road bikes of 2019.
Orange R9 RS | £3900
BEST FOR Fast endurance riding and racing.
With a beautifully constructed all-carbon frame, the R9 oozes long range speed straight out the box - the geometry and ride has been tuned to distance and comfort rather than all out sprint potential, but make no mistake, this will be a rapid machine.
Shimano Ultegra 8000 is specced throughout, from the superb disc brakes to the innovative Di2 electronic gear shift system, so you know the components couldn’t be a whole lot better in terms of function. If you are prepared to think out the box and a top road machine from what is traditionally thought of as an offroad brand, you won’t be disappointed..
VERDICT: A thoroughbred endurance racing machine, well specced for performance straight out the box.
Giant Contend SL 2 Disc | £999
BEST FOR Your first serious road bike or winter workhorse.
Coming in a hair under that magic £1000 mark, the Contend SL 2 Disc maximises on value for money while maintaining the advantages of disc braking and a top notch ALUXX SL aluminium frame.
The SL frame is lighter than the base aluminium model and has a tapered (or Overdrive as Giant call it) head tube to accept the carbon fork, standard across the range. Tiagra levers drive Giant’s own Conduct disc brakes, while the drivetrain is a sensible clean sweep of Tiagra kit which, despite being at the budget end of the Shimano range, will serve for a good long time before needing replacement.
VERDICT: An excellent first road bike or winter hack for more seasoned riders.
Vitus Vitesse EVO CRI Ultegra Di2 | £2899
BEST FOR Racing straight out of the box.
The lightest bike in the Vitus range, the Vitesse has been pitched as a pure-bred racing machine and is even certified by the UCI as being race-ready. That said they make a play of the carbon frame having ‘all day comfort’ to tackle long stints in the saddle over rough roads.
Pretty much everything is designed for power transfer, from the stocky 386 EVO bottom bracket standard that allows a stiff and wide drive area to the efficient and punchy Shimano Ultegra Di2 drivetrain.
To save a bit of weight over its disk equipped brothers this model comes with caliper brakes which, although Ultegra are superb and functional, aren’t a patch on disk brakes for consistency or power. If braking power and consistency are more important than weight, go for the CRI Disc Di2 at £3200.
VERDICT: UCI approved as race ready straight out the box, this is a bargain rocket.
