Bikes - Road

Comfortable enough for all day in the saddle, but without being boring, stiff enough to spank the pedals but without being rock solid, the Velocite Geos 2.0 is a playful bike to ride, a bit like taking an excited terrier for a walk.

For those of you who've embraced electronic shifting and are after a titanium race bike without breaking the bank we give you...well actually, Van Nicholas give you the Aquilo.

More often than not, I've found women's bikes to be much more comfortable straight from the shop, with far less tweaking than required by unisex or men's bikes. I'm clearly Ms Average as far as women's bike builders are concerned - and I found that to be true for the Specialized Ruby Elite too.

The Cyfac Gothica CS is a gorgeous bike for long days in the saddle. It's light, it's fast, and we'd say that it's one of the most stylish looking bikes we've ever had on test here at Road.cc.

Frame

The Giant TCR Advanced 3 is a fast, precise road bike that offers a smooth ride. We like it a lot.

The Kinesis Racelight is considered the winter training bike by professionals and amateurs alike. Good, solid, double butted tubing in a racey geometry is how it got this image. In a new build for 2012, with Tiagra 10sp, R500 wheels, a carbon fork and FSA finishing kit, does the bike still hit the mark as a true all-rounder?

It's a cracking bike, the Jamis Quest. Comfortable and versatile and quick. The bike it reminds me of most is the Genesis Equilibrium, which I liked enough to buy one. It's a close call, but for me I think the Jamis might be even better. Test bikes come and go, but I'll certainly miss the Quest when it's gone.

Frame and Fork

This, folks, is the Canyon Ultimate AL 9.0 Di2 and it's putting in an early bid to be road.cc's Bike of the Year. It's one of the cheapest bikes out there to come with electronic gear shifting and it has plenty more to offer too. You get quality components across the board and a fast, involving ride.

We'll take the best bits one by one, starting with the most obvious...

Last Sunday was the first weekend day that felt like spring to me, so I filled a couple of big bottles, put on some shiny new kit and headed out on the Specialized Allez Comp for my first 100-miler of the year. After a few hours on the back roads of Wiltshire and Berkshire, I came home thinking that this is a really neat, value-packed bike that deserves some serious consideration.

Kovert's top of the range FX-Pro is pitched at what is probably the most hotly contested bike battle of 2012 – the one to be the best affordable electronic shifting bike. Launched at the 2011 Cycle Show, Kovert's ethos is to bring race bikes to the market at affordable prices. The brand's racing commitment is underlined by the Kovert Elite Racing Team who are already bringing in the early season results using the FX-Pro frameset.