What Type Of Road
Bike Should I Buy?

Endurance bikes are designed for riding long distances over rough road surfaces. They offer a stable, comfortable ride which makes them are ideal for new cyclists as well as experienced cyclists who don’t mind sacrificing a little speed for a bit more comfort.

Compared to a road race bike the steering on an endurance bike is more relaxed and the wheelbase is a little longer. This makes them feel more stable, so they’re easier to ride on less than perfect road surfaces. The riding position is a little more comfortable too. This is thanks to the taller headtube which means that you don’t have to stretch so far to reach the handlebars. You won’t be able to get such an aggressive aero tuck on an endurance bike, but the more upright riding position feels more comfortable on long days in the saddle.

Road race bikes or climbing bikes combine an aggressive race focused riding position with a lightweight frame. Nimble and agile these bikes are fast and fun to ride. These are the lightest bikes at any given price point, but they are also nice and stiff for immediate power transfer and assured steering control. This makes them the fastest bikes up the hills and are the bikes that the pros will ride on mountain stages.

With shorter head tubes than endurance bikes road race bikes offer a flat backed, stretched out riding position. This makes you more aerodynamic, so you can ride faster. The downside is that they will less comfortable and harder to ride if you are new to the sport. Short chainstays and lightning fast steering response offer a very dynamic ride. This is so you can change direction quickly as you cut through a crowded pack of riders or race past your buddies.

Aerodynamics make a huge difference when you are cycling at speed and aero race bikes are designed to cut through the air as efficiently as possible. These are the bikes that you’ll see the pros choose for flatter stages of the race. They are also the bike of choice for sprint finishes. Other than specialist time trial machines these are the fastest bikes on the roads.

With short head tubes and chainstays, aero bikes have the same aggressive flat backed riding position and dynamic steering response as road race bikes but are a little heavier. This is because the aerodynamic design, that helps these bikes slice through the air faster, adds weight to the frame. When riding fast on flat roads the aero gains easily make up for that small weight penalty, it’s only on the big climbs that these bikes get overtaken at the front of the pack.

Not confining themselves to the road, gravel bikes are built for versatility, filling the gap between road and mountain bikes for those who want a fast, fun and efficient ride. With wider tyres and handlebars gravel bikes allow you to cycle confidently and efficiently on both smooth and rough surfaces. You can ride these bikes pretty much anywhere.

The wider tyres found on gravel bikes feature a knobbly tread pattern that offers grip when riding off-road but won’t slow you down too much when cycling on tarmac. Slack angles and tall front ends offer a confident ride on sketchy surfaces as well as being comfortable on long rides. These bikes also tend to have lower gearing than road bikes to make off-road climbing easier.

The differences between the components may seem slight but they are significant and do make a difference to the way that the bike performs. Generally speaking, more expensive components are lighter weight and offer smoother operation.

When buying your first road bike it is worth taking a close look at the gearing options. More ‘speeds’ don’t necessarily give you a bigger range of gears. An 8-speed 11-32 cassette has the same range as an 11-speed 11-32 cassette. The gaps between the gear ratios are shorter on the 11-speed cassette which means that you can more easily find the right gear between the extremes. It is worth looking at the numbers though as an 11-32 11-speed cassette offers more ‘easy’ climbing gears than an 11-28 11-speed cassette.