With 2021 upon us, it’s nearly time for the road.cc Bike of the Year awards. Every year at this time we reveal the best bikes that we've reviewed over the previous 12 months, and starting on Monday (11th January 2021) we'll be presenting awards in several different categories:
• Road Superbike of the Year
• £1,000 and Under Bike of the Year
• Gravel and Adventure Bike of the Year
• Sportive and Endurance Bike of the Year
• Frameset of the Year
• e-bike of the Year
• Road Bike of the Year
• Commuter Bike of the Year
Then we'll include the best models from these categories in:
• Bike of the Year Overall Award
How do we pick the winners?
First of all, for a bike to be eligible for an award it must have been reviewed in 2020 on road.cc or one of our sister sites: off.road.cc or ebiketips.
We'll just make that clear once again because every year we get asked why a particular bike that we haven't reviewed during the relevant period isn't included: a bike has to have been reviewed by road.cc, off.road.cc or ebiketips during 2020 to be considered. If a brand didn't send us the bike to test, we can't comment on its performance and it doesn't go in. Simple.
We compiled a list of bikes in each category that were awarded an overall score or at least eight out of 10 during testing. That's the easy bit. Then we go back to the original reviews, consult the testers and start the process of deciding on category winners. This involves a lot of discussion, debate and – usually – argument.
We could simply add up the scores given in our tests and leave it at that, but we don't. Why? Because although we try to standardise the marking in our reviews, some reviewers might be slightly more generous than others.
Also, the landscape of a particular category can alter significantly over the course of a year. A bike that scored highly in January, say, might be outclassed by bikes released in the summer and look less of a bargain by the end of the year. We take this into account and view the market as a whole with the benefit of hindsight.
In some categories there's a standout winner, in others it's more of a tight-run thing. You might not agree with our selections, and that’s fine. The right bike for you depends on the sort of rider you are, the riding you do, your budget and many other factors, but our awards represent a fair and honest assessment of the bikes we've ridden in the last 12 months.
Last year’s winner
Last year's winner was the Triban RC 500 Disc, a £529.99 road bike that offered an outstanding performance and stunning value for money. Check out the full top 10.
Which bike will follow it as road.cc Bike of the Year? Stay tuned and we'll start revealing the results on Monday, beginning with our Superbike of the Year.
I think so too. I've used it twice in that time as have many of my colleagues. ...
YouGov poll of who Conservative party members want to be the next PM....
Exactly. People are so hung up on the name and lord knows what else. Ignoring the fact that even Tiagra from today is better than the very best...
I think last year he won on Ventoux from the breakaway group when the main GC riders were in the pack. His objective within the team this year is...
Riders with wheels on the edge of the cobbles (on the cobbles none the less) and spectator filming riders that had already passed whilst leaning...
Had a gardener round to tidy up and he got my old bike out from the undergrowth. It's over 30yrs old but I think it'll buff up ......🤔
Great to see electronic shifting will soon be availiable for the everyman's groupset - 105 - but i'll stick to the tried and true mechnical...
I'd give half an arm for some semi-humerous articles today. Well, maybe 1/4 of one.
A couple we've seen already this tour:...
I noticed Viagra was being advertised during the TdF highlights on ITV4 last night too!