RACING EDGE
Bikes built for endurance racing may not have the thrills of an aero road bike or an ultra-lightweight racer, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been laboured on and developed as much by designers and engineers as their glamorous stablemates have.
Each of the three bikes on test here has been worked on by the aerodynamic fairies. Take the Giant Defy, with its noise reducing D-Fuse components and integrated aero approach: it’s every bit as ‘advanced’ as the Giant TCR or Propel. Cannondale’s Synapse has evolved into a light sports machine with tube-shape manipulation working in conjunction with carbon layup to make the ride as smooth as possible. Whereas Simplon, with the Kiaro, has combined its groundbreaking lightweight carbon with its comfort concept, design-flattening tube shapes and elongating carbon weaves to enhance comfort-giving flex.
But, which of these endurance rides around the £4k mark can cut it for triathlon training and race day in terms of handling, speed and, of course, comfort? And what are the cheaper (and even more expensive) options from Cannondale, Giant and Simplon? Read on to find out…
GIANT DEFY ADVANCED PRO 2 £3,›99 GIANT-BICYCLES.COM
The Defy defined a genre. It took the best elements of Giant’s racing TCR and combined them into a ride position that’s not at pro-level extremes of long and low. The Defy comes with some very clever bits of design and execution in the form of Giant’s D-Fuse concept. The D-shaped seatpost debuted
