Product News: Which is the right bike for you?

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Cycle Division, situated near J28 on the M1, now have a lot of road bikes in stock and have written this guide to which one is right for you

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Read more here on their blog page: http://cycledivision.co.uk/blog/

Sportive / endurance bikes
Bikes with an upright riding position for those who place comfort above all out speed. These bikes have a higher head tube (front end) and a shorter top tube, this is designed so the rider doesn’t have to be in such an aggressive stretched out position, they often come complete with a shallow drop short reach handlebar which increases comfort even more by making the drops on the handlebars more accessible.

CannondaleSynapse

The gearing on these bikes will generally be compact, 50/34 chainrings up front with an 11/28 cassette at the back.

This gearing should be enough to get most cyclists up the toughest climbs in the UK. Sportive bikes start at around £600; the Cannondale Synapse (above)  and Scott Solace are two bikes in this category and both come in a range of specifications.

The Scott has a unique forward thinking frame design with the rear brake located under the bottom bracket, this frees up the seat stays and allows them to act as a shock absorber. The Synapse is available in many models, aluminium and carbon and even with disk brakes. The Carbon framed version is one of the most versatile bikes currently available, it’s comfortable but also incredibly stiff and fast.

Race bikes
The race bike is generally an aggressive bike with a low front end and an extremely stiff rear which is designed to make sure every bit of power is transferred to the back wheel and is turned in to speed.

The race bike still needs to be comfortable enough to ride all day, fast up or downhill bike and have very responsive handling. Race bikes can be extremely light (under 7 kilos for the lightest), they come with compact or standard gearing (53/39 chainset 11/25 cassette). Race bikes can be had from £400 upwards although the general consensus is if you wanted to race the bike you’d be looking at £1,000 upwards. This isn’t a hard and fast rule though and it’s not uncommon to see £500 bikes on start lines across the country.

The Cannondale CAAD bikes are a great choice for the new racer, with a strong and light aluminium frame and race geometry they strike a great balance of performance and price. Carbon Evo bikes are the next step up with a 750g frame that’s supers stiff and yet strong enough to stand up to the rigors of the Tour De France.

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Scott make the aluminium Speedster and the carbon race machine is the super light Addict. The Evo and Addict (above) are ridden by professional teams around the world at the highest level, they’re also available from us.

We also have the Trigon TR426 which is a fantastic race bike with 11 speed gearing and a carbon fibre frame set, this bike starts at £1600 and is an ideal race bike for anyone out there.

Aero bikes
Aero bikes are the new kid on the block and built with aerodynamics and performance in mind. The tubes will be shaped to minimize drag and to cut through the air. These bikes work best on flatter roads but they will still perform extremely well on steeper gradients.

You can expect standard gearing on these bikes and occasionally even deep carbon wheels. The front end will be low and there are features such as hidden brake callipers, integrated seat clamps and full internal cables. Aero bikes don’t have the same comfort levels as endurance bikes but they can still be used for long distance rides.

Trigon TR437

£1000 is the current starting price for these machines. They’re generally carbon but there are a few aluminium versions starting to appear although they are on the heavy side.

The Scott Foil is an aero bike that performs as well as anything out there. They start at £2000 and are available in a variety of options. The bike is both light and aero and any version could be raced straight out of the shop.

Trigon TR437 (above) is another aero bike, with hidden brake callipers and aero wheels, it’s a true speed machine. The Trigon really stands out from the crowd, with high level carbon fibre and a vibrant colour scheme there aren’t many aero bikes available quite as exciting.

If you need any help or advice on bikes and accessories the team are here to help. Website: Click here to learn more 

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