Bikes - Road

Kona’s road bikes have never quite made it on to my short list when I’m searching for a new bike, they always catch my eye in the preliminary rounds with snappy colour schemes and loud graphics but have been let down by lowish spec levels considering the price. On the 2010 Haole things have changed though!

Tipping the scales at 15.9lbs, equipped with a SRAM Force groupset and finished off with Ritchey's WCS range the Boardman PRO Carbon is a race bike to be reckoned with, regardless of price. This bike uses the same frame that Nicole Cooke raced on to win a gold medal in the Olympic road race and a road world championship.

What do we know about bamboo? First, that it’s a grass. We all know this because they tell us every week on QI, along with the fact that the koala isn’t a bear, it’s a fruit, and the largest land mammal is Santiago. We also know that bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant on earth, pandas like it for their breakfast and, obviously, that it’s used to make bicycles. What? You didn’t know the bike bit? Read on…

I picked the Lapierre up from roadcc the day after my daughter's first birthday. There we were in the sitting room, her with her new toys, me with mine. I’m not sure who was the most excited. After each tweak of the saddle height or bars, lift the bike again – nope, nothing’s changed, still unfeasibly light – 6.6kg without pedals !!!

Everything in the bike world is carbon these days. Frames, forks, handlebars, seatposts, wheels, even your mini pump and the top cap on your headset. Carbon is definitely a Good Thing. And if it’s not carbon, it’s so last century. Trouble is, we can overlook the fact that lots of things that aren’t carbon are good too… like titanium frames, for example, which can be very light and strong and last aeons. And Van Nicholas’ Astraeus is an absolute beauty.

The S3 is the newest addition to the Cervelo family and with improved aerodynamics, internal cable routing and a shiny £3000+ price tag. It aims to be a superbike and the S3 does not disappoint.

The Cervelo S3 was the frame of choice for the Cervelo Test Team this summer. With riders such as Green Jersey winner Thor Hushovd, 2008 Tour winner Carlos Sastre and 2009 women’s tour winner Emma Pooley among those on their roster these frames have got a lot to cope with.

Felt's AR4 is, as the name suggests, the fourth rung in the American company's AR range – their take on the aero road bike concept as pionered by Cervelo, so how does it stack up?

If you're looking for a new race steed that won't leave you with moths in your pockets, you could do a lot worse than Kinesis' new Alu/Carbon road platform, the KR510. There's plenty of good technology crammed in, and Kinesis' reputation of producing high quality frames at a decent price looks to be safe with this one.

Italy’s Viner have been building bikes and a high-class reputation over 60 years now, becoming one of the most prestigious and sought-after brands out there. The steel Viner Passo is from their new Cycle To Work range. As such, it’s designed with commuting in mind, but also for racking up the miles on big day rides and even lightweight touring.

Every cyclist knows two things about Colnagos. First, every bike comes with Italian tradition and Eddy Merckx-heritage fitted as standard. And second, they offer a silky ride. Well, we don’t really think the whole history thing necessarily makes much difference to ride quality but the carbon fibre CLX is certainly a smooth operator.