Table of contents for Issue 1 2019 in Bicycling

MICHAEL TABTABAI, RIDER, THE RIDE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING, P.54 The saying “Buy nice or buy twice” has served me well over the years. I choose to support brands that have great customer service. Chances are you’ll break something eventually, and companies with great crash replacement programs (like Enve and Rapha) prove their value in how well they support you after the purchase. AARON GOLDBERG M.D. HANDLE ROAD RASH LIKE A PRO P.16 Your best tool for initial wound management is already attached to your bike. Give your fresh road rash a spray from your water bottle (just don’t use a sugary sports drink) to quickly clean the wound. Once you get home, rinsing in the shower is the best way to dilute the polluted wound. Don’t worry about using sterile…

“I haven’t felt this fast in years.” That was the happy conclusion of an email from a friend I’ve been talking through some performance (and weight) ups and downs this year. His new secret to collecting Strava bling: slowing down. As he started spending more training time in lower heart-rate zones, his overall speed went up when he put the hammer down. This sounds totally counterintuitive to today’s “go hard or go home” ethos. #BeastMode is now #EverydayMode for many riders thanks to the soaring popularity of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), which has been at the top of annual workout trend charts for the past 10 years. Admittedly, HIIT was a necessary response to the popularity of the low-and-slow fat burning philosophy from the opposite side of the training spectrum.…

WEND BIKE HOT MELT WAX KIT / $90 Hot waxing a chain is still one of the best ways to get a long-lasting and low-friction lube. This kit from Wend includes a tiny crockpot, a set of Park quick-link pliers, and a 10-ounce tin of Wend’s Chain Wax (which sells for $56 alone). MUC-OFF NANOTUBE CHAIN LUBE / $65 (50ML) Developed to help Team Sky and British Cycling’s best go faster, this pricey lube is claimed to be long-lasting and suitable for all weather conditions. CERAMICSPEED UFO DRIP LUBE / $75 (180ML) The most expensive bottle of chain lube you’re likely to see, UFO Drip is claimed to offer 20 percent lower friction than its nearest competitor, as well as improved drivetrain life. MOLTEN SPEED WAX RACE POWDER / $30…

A natural alternative to ibuprofen. An antidote to anxiety. A sleep aid. A post-workout recovery booster. Those are some of the benefits attributed to cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract that’s being widely touted as a health booster that comes without the drawbacks of marijuana. And because of potential legal changes, you’ll probably be hearing even more about CBD in the next few years. Already, a growing number of athletes consider CBD a key part of their regimen. But before you add it to yours, here’s what you need to know. WHAT IS CBD? // Cannabidiol is one of more than 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis. CBD products are said to deliver their many claimed benefits by boosting the body’s endocannabinoid system, which “is a unique signaling pathway that controls the…

Silca NFS Pro Chain Lube $16 Lube is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to save watts. Silca NFS is the best balance of speed, price, and all-conditions performance. Castelli San Remo 4.0 Speed Suit $400 Windtunnel-designed and proven at the highest levels, this extremely comfortable skin suit helps you slip through the air. Cervélo S5 Dura Ace Di2 $12,000 The Cervélo S5 was already regarded as one of the world's most aerodynamic road bikes. This latest redesign saves another 5.5 watts. (See pg 88 for review.)…

□ Your very first ride. □ The first ride that feels routine. □ The ride when you finally nail that rock feature. □ The first time you get dropped. □ Your first time on a velodrome. “How am I not sliding off?!” □ The ride you do with people that you used to hold up as Really Good Cyclists but now you’ve gotten faster and learned a lot more and you drop them or make it over an obstacle they bobble on and you’re like Whoa, maybe I’m getting good at this. □ The first ride that you fix your own flat. YOUR FIRST CLIP-LESS PEDAL RIDE □ The first ride of daylight saving time. □ The ride where you realize how out of shape you’ve become. □ The ride where…

1 / Mettle Cycling Tool Roll $68 Keep everything you need to fix a flat right under your saddle. Mettle’s tool roll magnetizes shut and secures to your saddle rails with a Velcro seatbelt strap. 2 / Specialized S-Works 6 Shoes $250 Stiff, light, and snug-fitting, these shoes deliver top-notch comfort and durability. 3 / Rapha Pro Team Bib Shorts II $270 You’re going to want a high-quality chamois between you and the saddle. Rapha also uses a different chamois thickness for each bib size to provide a perfect fit. 4 / Silca Tattico Bluetooth Mini-Pump $120 This pump has an embedded pressure transducer, allowing for accurate pressure readings no matter how far you are from home. 5 / Specialized S-Words Tarmac Disc $11,000 Aerodynamic and speedy as can be…

□ The ride when everything clicks, and you feel like a superhero. □ The ride where you realize you’ll never be super fast and honestly it sucks, a lot. □ The ride where you realize that you’ll never be super fast but that’s OK because this is still pretty fun. □ The ride when you realize you’re the asshole. □ The ride that you’ve done a million times where you can just shut your brain off and cruise without worrying about where you’re going. □ The ride where you get to someplace you’d normally only access by car and you realize you can go pretty much anywhere by bike. □ The sadistically magical ride when you put yourself through excruciating pain for a long time and it feels so good. □…

1 / Revelate Designs Mag-Tank, $59. “I never stop to eat. I just snack while I ride. With its magnetic closure, this bag is really easy to open and close—I keep all my snacks in here.” 2 / SP Dynamo Hub, $130 + Sinewave Cycles Beacon Headlight, $350. “I have a front wheel built with a dynamo hub, which powers my headlight and charges electronics. This is essential because I don’t stop long enough at power sources to charge my equipment.” 3 / Ergon GP2 Grips, $42. “Multiple hand positions are key for me while putting in such long days on the bike. My pinky and ring fingers always go numb during multiday races, but these grips help a lot.” 4 / Specialized Airnet $150. “A lightweight and comfortable helmet;…

THE LIGHT FROM long Colorado days filters through the groves of yellow aspen. We ride golden high-country singletrack with a kind of ravenous urgency, like animals storing fat for winter. High-altitude singletrack in the Rockies lives on borrowed time. We never know it’s shutdown day until after that snow comes. Only in retrospect do you realize you’ve ridden those private, isolated trails for the last time this season. Then, like wintering elk, we shift to a lower range, where the rain shadow from the Continental Divide shields the low, semi-arid foothills from most storms. There, even in January, south-facing trails can be swept bare by sun and wind, bone-hard soil frozen but rideable, while miles to the west, the dense conifers hold their snow tight. We do not mourn the…

PRICE: $12,000 / WEIGHT: 16.5 LB (54 CM) THAT FRONT END is crazy, right? But Cervélo claims the unconventional design delivers a 5.5-watt savings. It is also stiff, makes cable routing easier, and leads to smoother shifting with mechanical drivetrains. The rest of the S5 is good, too. Compared to its predecessor, the frame weighs nearly 100 grams less, is stiffer, and fits wider tires. Geometry tweaks improve handling, and the whole thing rides more smoothly. Switching a bar or stem is a hassle, but thankfully you won’t have to do it often, and Cervélo makes it easier to find a good fit. The bar and stem come in several sizes, and the system offers up to 32.5mm of bar-height adjustment and three bar-tilt options. And you can always swap…

PRICE: $1,000 / WEIGHT: 25.8 LB (L) FOR COMMUTING, FITNESS, or just bombing around town, the Alpenchallenge AC02 Three is a solid choice that punches above its weight. The aluminum frame looks rugged and ready to do battle on your daily commute. The 35mm file-tread tires feel fast when rolling on pavement, are grippy enough on cinder paths, and are wide enough to run at lower pressure to take the edge off bumps in the road. That extra width also reduces the chances of getting a wheel stuck in a storm drain, which can be one of the perils of urban bike commuting. A large spacer stack under the stem can put you in an upright riding position to boost your feeling of stability and control. But the frame’s low…

PRICE: $12,500 (AS TESTED) / WEIGHT 18.1 LB (54CM) ROUTT IS THE name of the county where Moots’s Steamboat Springs, Colorado–based shop is located. It’s also a fitting name for this titanium bike that is nicely aligned with how Moots sees the Routt being used—on fast-paced gravel rides where careful consideration of the roads and how they connect matters. Of the three Routt models, the RSL is the most aggressive, with a longer top tube and shorter head tube that puts your body in a racier position. This model fits 700c tires up to 40mm wide and 650b tires up to 45mm. Titanium’s compliance and durability make it ideal for gravel riding and off-pavement exploring. And few companies do it as well as Moots. The RSL’s double-butted tubes keep the…

PRICE: $5,000 / WEIGHT: 29.6 LB (M) THE GT SENSOR is the brand's newest trail bike, but it looks to the past. In this bike, we see a return to the four-bar suspension design that the company used on the popular LTS frame in the mid- to late ’90s, albeit in a different layout. This 130mm 29er has a sturdy build: Even the top-of-the-line Carbon Pro (the rear triangle is aluminum) we tested weighs more than 29 pounds. But for that weight you get a very stiff frame and robust parts like a RockShox Pike fork and 150mm dropper post. Though the bike feels heavy, the SRAM Eagle drivetrain, centered riding position, and good pedaling manners give the Sensor an efficient feel when you’re motoring down trails. This bike really…

PRICE: $1,200 / WEIGHT: 22.6 LB (56CM) HYBRID BIKES ARE often the family sedans of bikes—comfortable, convenient, and easy to operate, but typically lacking style and zip. Many are exceptional utilitarian bikes designed to get you safely and with ease from point A to point B. The Scott Metrix 20 is not that type of hybrid bike. It’s more like a sport coupe. This sporty and versatile bike is equally suited for riding tempo on hard-packed gravel trails, gliding up steep gradients (thanks to a 34-tooth small ring and an 11-32 cassette), smoothly traversing pothole-filled streets, and cruising around the neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. With few exceptions (the stock tires are not designed for techy singletrack), the Metrix is limited only by what you ask of it—this bike can…

PRICE: $3,000 (AS TESTED) / WEIGHT: 19.6 LB (SMALL) DONNELLY’S G//C RIVAL is the first bike from the tire company previously known as Clement. And given that tire companies don’t often start whipping out bikes, it’s impressive. The bike is made for gravel riding (G//C stands for gravel/carbon) and has geometry meant to put you in a good position for long, fast rides and races like the Dirty Kanza 200—the popular and iconic gravel grueler. After a few weeks on the Donnelly, I can say that the bike delivered everywhere I hit demanding, bone-rattling terrain. Because it has a long wheelbase and tall head tube, the G//C won’t necessarily spring out of the staging area when the gun goes off or dive through corners, but it doesn’t need to. Instead,…

DAN ROE TEST EDITOR / VOTED MOST LIKELY TO FALL AT 0 MPH 1 / Cinelli Gazzetta Commuter Bike $860 I bought this online and tweaked it for years: It’s finally the perfect commuter bike. One gear and no brakes means almost nothing can go wrong, and the minimal wear on the steel frame betrays the beating I’ve put on this reliable steed. 2 / Serfas Thunderbolt Taillight $35 Lights are a significant part of your kit when you’re riding home on a Saturday night, rubbing shoulders with potentially inebriated drivers. I trust the Thunderbolt because it lasts 2.5 hours on the “high flash” setting, and at $35, I’m not too worried about leaving it on a locked-up bike. 3 / Shimano Deore XT PD-M8020 Pedals $60 I’ve long been…

Crashes happen. Even when you do your best to prevent going down, it’s sometimes unavoidable; and the resulting road rash is like a cyclist’s rite of passage. When that’s the case, how you respond immediately after and in the weeks following the crash can mean the difference between a quick recovery and prolonged misery—or worse, permanent scarring. These tips will help you heal so you can get back on the bike fast. FIRST COURSE OF ACTION: CLEAN & DRESS YOUR WOUNDS // When it comes to road rash, an infection likely has more to do with negligence than the crash that caused it. Aaron Goldberg, an emergency medicine physician who has served as team doctor for cycling teams, says the first thing you should do is clean your wound with…

I just had not expected I’d be racing against so many children. It all started when one of my mountain-biking buddies, Ben, began raving about how fast he was getting from doing the local weekly training crit. I race mountain bikes. Road racing had always scared me until Ben—and his newfound speed—convinced me it’d be good for my fitness. I signed up for the training crit. Because I had no experience, I was assigned to the early “B” race with the juniors. The few other novice adults and I looked like chaperones on a middle school field trip. The race turned out to be much more harrowing than that. When the whistle blew, I was gripped by a fear like I had never experienced on a bicycle. Disaster seemed constantly…

DO YOU GET HIGH? CBD is non-psychoactive, which means it doesn’t produce a high. IS IT LEGAL? Kind of. Almost all commercially available CBD products are made from industrial hemp, a cannabis plant that, by definition, contains no more than 0.3 percent THC. Hemp-derived CBD exists in a legal gray zone. Only four states—Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas—have strict no-CBD laws. Since the 2014 Farm Bill permitting hemp research, there has been little to no federal enforcement against commercial hemp products. As we put together this report, the 2018 Farm Bill to legalize industrial hemp has not passed. In terms of athletics, hemp-derived CBD was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances in early 2018. HOW DO YOU TAKE IT? You can ingest it (tinctures, oils,…

AFTER WINNING THE biggest stage race on the women’s World Tour, the Giro Rosa, in 2013, I needed an adventure. When my older brother invited me to join his crew for the Steamboat Stinger, a 50-mile mountain bike race through the peaks of Colorado, I was game. The long-climb-up, easy-singletrack-down course sounded perfect for a rider with my cardiovascular engine. I hadn’t mountain biked since high school, but somehow that didn’t strike me as a problem. I rolled my 2003 lavender Cannondale to the start, ready to show off. I reached the first summit in a respectable position. But, roughly five seconds into the first descent I discovered there is no such thing as “easy singletrack” when you don’t actually mountain bike. And so, sandwiched between a drop-off and a…

THE RIDE THAT TURNS INTO A RACE □ The why-are-we-going so-fast-everyone-is-halfwheeling-for-no-good-reason ride. □ The sandbagger ride when your friend whines that they’re out of shape then drops you on the first climb. □ The ride when you break your chain and four of your friends push you eight miles home. □ The ride where you have to wait for the idiot still tuning his bike in the parking lot. □ The New Year’s Eve ride where you all pack little champagne bottles and stop for a toast. □ The ride where everyone yells, “SLOWING!!!” □ The ride when you go so hard to make it to the group on time that you’re blown and almost get dropped. □ The tandem ride! THE SATURDAY MORNING □ The ride where the group…

Build up positive experiences. Don’t push bigger than your skill level, says Slavin. “The whole trick is positive reinforcement. You hit a little jump and you’re scared but things turn out fine. So you move up to a bigger one. Every time it gets easier.” Build up a huge bank of positive reinforcement, Slavin says, so that when negative reinforcement—which is much more powerful—does happen, you can keep going. Baby steps—seriously. When Slavin was learning one-handers, she would lift one hand an inch off the bar for a moment, then replace it. When she was comfortable with that, she lifted it one and a half inches. “Everything I do comes from massive amounts of volume. I work my way up to things very methodically.”…

PRICE: $2,799 / WEIGHT: 42 LB (M, STEP-THROUGH) AT 42 POUNDS, the Parkway is about 15 pounds lighter than the average e-bike and has an impressive claimed range of up to 110 miles. (Of course, as with all e-bikes, how far it can go depends on terrain, rider weight, assist mode, tornadoes, you know the spiel.) Still, I could grab the Parkway for both long and short rides over the course of a week and ride it mostly in turbo mode (because, let’s face it, that’s where the fun is) before throwing the battery on the charger. And even then, it was never more than halfway drained. A Bosch Active Line motor and 400Wh battery keep this solid little e-bike humming along smoothly. I was especially impressed on climbs, where…

PRICE: $4,000 / WEIGHT: 30.7 LB (M) CANNONDALE WAS ONCE impossible to ignore. It was the brand that invented the single-sided Lefty suspension fork; it was the bike company that made a motorcycle. But recent Cannondale mountain bikes have felt less exciting—they’ve been innovative, and good bikes, but not great ones. But the company seems to be finding its flow again. The new Habit is almost unrecognizable as a Cannondale, but it is the best mountain bike from the brand that I’ve ever ridden. The engineering and design are subtle—there’s not a whiff of proprietary technology here. The dual-link rear-suspension is an older design popularized by Specialized that many brands now use. Cannondale’s version, however, is one of best executions I’ve tried. It is reactive, helps the bike flow over…

1 I have that #newbikeday buzz — with this issue, bucking all trends for print publishing, BICYCLING upgrades to better paper for the cover and inside pages, and a bigger size. It’s like attacking the race when everyone is exhausted. We’re doing more than ever to connect with you, to help you find the best gear and get better however and wherever and whenever you ride, and to just plain share and inflame the bike love on bicycling.com, our @bicyclingmag Instagram and Twitter feeds, and in our newsletters, too. The group of bike-mad fools furiously and happily turning themselves inside-out to do all this for you is a mix of stalwarts such as Selene Yeager (p.12), Gloria Liu (p.79), and Matt Phillips (p.38), and fresh talent like Gabe Lodge and…

Considering our tiny, low-horsepower motors, any technical improvement in how much energy gets turned into motion is almost always worth pursuing. So when I saw a concept drivetrain at last year’s Eurobike trade show that claimed to have what would be the world’s highest efficiency, I was intrigued. Created by CeramicSpeed’s USA office and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Mechanical Engineering Department, the 1x13 drivetrain, called Driven, was the result of a quest by both parties to develop a bicycle drivetrain that could hit a mark of 99 percent efficiency. In testing, the resulting concept exceeded the goal, according to CeramicSpeed’s chief technology officer, Jason Smith. The project began with a relatively clean slate. The only requirements were that the system had to use rotating pedals, be adaptable to a…

▸ Face your fears. Research shows that gradual exposure to a phobia, followed by experience that disconfirms the negative (like jumping into a crit then not crashing), can decrease anxiety. ▸ Try again ASAP. A 2010 study found that the brain can rewrite traumatic memories if they're updated with non-fearful information between 10 minutes to two hours after a trauma. Jumping back into the race minutes after my crash prevented the development of a hardwired association of road racing with crashing. ▸ Bring friends. Having familiar people around provides “safety stimuli” that decrease your perception of a threat, says a 2018 article published by the Association for Psychological Science. Having Ben—and later, a couple other mountain-biking friends—at the crit helped me keep my cool. ▸ Focus on technique. Studies show…

IT’S A FEAT INCONCEIVABLE TO MOST SOUND-MINDED MORTALS: LAST SEPTEMBER, DENISE MUELLER-KORENEK RODE A BICYCLE AT NEARLY 184 MPH—FASTER THAN THE TAKEOFF SPEED OF AN AIRBUS A340—AND CRUSHED THE MOTOR-PACED BICYCLE LAND-SPEED RECORD. Standing on the end of a five-mile salt flats course, Mueller-Korenek mounted her custom-built bike and tethered it inside a fairing on the back of the race car. Over the first 1.25 miles, the 1,000-horsepower dragster accelerated to 110 mph—the velocity necessary for the rider to turn the cranks on the bike’s massive, 529 gear inches. As she began winding up the pedals, her driver released the tether. The dragster continued to speed up, and Mueller-Korenek kept hammering under the protective fairing. Over the course’s final mile, she averaged a world-record 183.93 mph. The bike’s GPS registered…

MOLLY RITTERBECK, HEALTH & FITNESS DIRECTOR OAKLEY DRT5 $253 Even in the woods, I always wear glasses for eye protection when riding trails. The trouble is: I have nowhere to stash them during a snack break or when sessioning a feature. I’ve tried the back collar of my jersey and helmet vents, but neither is a great option. That’s what makes the Oakley DRT5 MTB helmet so cool. The removable clips on the back safely stow your glasses in an accessible place without blocking airflow or threatening to launch them into the abyss. Plus, the helmet has a washable gel pad that soaks up the sweat from your forehead and prevents it from dripping down—basically everything I’ve dreamed of in a stylish lid. BOBBY LEA, TEST EDITOR OAKLEY JAWBREAKER SPLATTERFADE $213 I’m…

Define your story. “There are a lot of charity rides out there. Be really clear about what makes your story exciting. Have the elements of great branding: a great name, logo, and photos. Those things sound hard but in every town there’s a photographer and a graphic designer who are looking for opportunities to grow their portfolios.” Pick a hero sponsor. “For that first ride in 2013, our strategy was to convince Rapha to believe in us, even though we don’t look like Rapha models. Once they backed us, it was exciting for other brands to participate. Focus your energy on landing that hero sponsor, because it will set the tone for others.” Make a pitch deck. “We always have one each year. We designed the deck to feel how…

IT’S BEEN A hellish week, and nothing in you wants to ride, but your annoying pal talks you into it, and when you arrive, the 12-person pack says, “It’ll be a simple ride.” So you roll out, hoping to emerge from this dark mood. But there are hills to climb, and an hour into pedaling, you’re seething. The rage only gets worse, and you begin to hate everyone on the ride for enjoying the day and for talking you into what they said would be easy. Two hours in, you’re still pedaling in the direction of the abyss. You’ve barely spoken to the pack, mostly because you are always just off the back but also because their chattiness is horrifying. They decide to overtake a small deli. No one can…

IN 2016, LAEL WILCOX WON THE 4,200-MILE TRANS AM RACE OUTRIGHT, BEATING BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. THAT CEMENTED HER STATUS AS THE BEST CYCLIST IN THE WORLD AT RIDING INCREDIBLY LONG DISTANCES. BUT WHAT MAKES A SEEMINGLY MELLOW PERSON PUSH TO THE EDGE OF EXHAUSTION FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES, BATTLING OTHER RIDERS TO SEE WHO CAN SLEEP LESS AND RIDE MORE? LAEL IS A TRAVELER, A MENTOR, AND A CONTRARIAN—BUT SHE DIDN’T PLAN TO BE A RACER. SO WHY DOES SHE DO IT? WE SPENT A FEW DAYS WITH HER, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES HER TICK. 1 Ask the seventh-grade girls at Steller Secondary School in Anchorage, Alaska, to describe 32-year-old Alaskan Lael Wilcox, and they’ll tell you that she smells like spruce trees. “She’s almost like a tired…

□ The #MessLife ride through a city, squeezing between cars, taking your own damn life in your hands. □ The ride that turns into a century because you’re on a roll and just keep going. □ The freaky, foggy, misty ride. □ The I’m-going-to-see-if-they-serve-me-in-the-drive-thru ride. They don’t. □ The Halloween’cross race. □ The ride where you see a gun-wielding hobo. □ The I-don’t-have-any-where-else-to-be ride. □ The ride when you “borrow” water from a stranger’s hose. □ The ride where you made an incredible playlist and can’t believe what good taste you have. □ The candy-fueled ride. □ The hit-all-the-sprinklers ride! □ The naked ride. □ The ride where you only got out the door because you promised yourself a soft pretzel from the good-smelling place along the route. □ The…

LOOK BLADE 795 RS PRICE: $9,999 (AS TESTED) WEIGHT: 16.3 LB (58CM) THE NEW BLADE 795 RS, which replaces the 795 Light RS, is an entirely new bike that Look designed to be aero on the flats, light enough for big climbs, stiff when you’re sprinting, and supple on the cobbles. It also does away with the proprietary parts and anxiety-inducing fixed-position seat mast that made its predecessor harder to love. The integrated, aero cockpit looks sleek and fast, and although the stem is proprietary to fit the rectangular steerer tube (nice benefit: the stem will always be properly aligned), the clamp can accept any bar with a 31.8mm clamp diameter. A seatpost is a welcome change for anyone who doesn’t like taking a hacksaw to a carbon bike, and…

PRICE: $580 / WEIGHT: 23.6 LB (52CM) STAND AND PUSH hard into the State Warhawk’s pedals. One revolution, then two, and three. And then—BAM—before you begin to breathe heavily, you’re on top of the 36/19-tooth gear and cruising. The simplicity of this single-speed is a big part of its appeal. The Warhawk is a low-fuss ride that in the right situation (which is a wider band of options than you might expect) is a really sweet ride. And the low price makes it even more attractive. State calls the Warhawk a single-speed cyclocross bike, and it works fine as a stripped-down ’cross racer. The sharp handling lets you carry a lot of speed into corners and rip through the apex, and the 35mm Kenda Small Block 8 tires provide good…

PRICE: $2,700 / WEIGHT: 18.6 LB (54CM) FOR ANYONE WHO’S ever hit that point in a ride where you wished for a little more energy or to be closer to home because you’ve given all that you have, the Fuji Gran Fondo 2.1 appeals. Its wonderfully smooth ride reduces fatigue so you can pedal farther, harder. The bike’s carbon frame features a layer of polyurethane-coated fibers that help diffuse vibrations, and the 30mm tires smooth a lot of the energy-zapping buzzing and rumbling that harsh roads dole out. The bike’s endurance geometry—taller stack and shorter reach than on race bikes—makes it easier to find a comfortable riding position that won’t strain you over long rides. And the partial Shimano Ultegra compact drivetrain with 11-32 105 cassette provides a gear range…

PRICE: $7,000 / WEIGHT: 22.3 LB (M) THIS CANYON LUX leaves little doubt that it’s made for XC speed. Its aggressive geometry, 100mm of travel (110mm front), a remote suspension lockout, and room for two water bottles in the frame declare its intentions loudly. Like Canyon’s other high-end bikes, this one comes with better parts for the price than many of its competitors. In addition to top-of-the-line components, you get a dropper post, which adds weight but makes the bike more capable on technical racecourses. And as a race bike, the Lux is fantastic. It pedals efficiently with supportive suspension that keeps the bike riding high in its travel. The rear suspension is progressive, so you’re not likely to bottom it out, yet it’s not harsh. The frame’s lateral stiffness…

PRICE: $4,200 / WEIGHT: 19 LB (58CM) EVEN WITH 28MM tires, 20mm of front suspension, and 15mm of rise in the handlebar, the comfortable, compliant, all-day-pleasant Specialized Roubaix Comp endurance bike feels as fast and responsive as a traditional road bike—or race bike, for that matter. That’s because the Roubaix blends smoothness and speed in a way few bikes do. It’s solid and sharp through turns and on high-speed descents. It climbs and sprints like a high performance road bike. But it’s so much smoother than the average road bike. The Future Shock hidden under the stem has 20mm of movement to tame harsh bumps. To my surprise, it doesn’t feel overly squishy when riding out of the saddle. Additional damping comes from the seatpost’s 18mm of deflection, which keep…

PRICE: $7,199 / WEIGHT: 30.4 LB (M) MY FIRST RIDE on the Mondraker Foxy Carbon RR 29 was so smooth that it felt slow on the descents. But after the ride, I checked Strava: PRs everywhere. This Foxy is an enduro 29er, so it should go downhill well. But I’ve ridden other long-travel 29ers, and the Foxy was faster. The difference seems to be Mondraker’s geometry. This bike has an exceptionally long reach and long wheelbase. The company popularized the long-geometry trend that other brands are embracing, but Mondraker’s bikes remain more extreme than most. It’s the longest bike I’ve ever ridden, and its downhill speed convinced me of the benefits of extra-long geometry. I had to adapt to the bike’s handling—not steering, but getting over the front wheel and…