Bike of the year 2021
The contenders
BOARDMAN SLR 9.4 AXS DISC CARBON £2700
CANNONDALE SUPERSIX EVO CARBON DISC ULTEGRA £3950
GIANT TCR ADVANCED PRO 1 £4199
RONDO HVRT CF1 ULTEGRA £4699
Thousands of miles ridden on roads and gravel tracks. Some 21 bikes tested (not to mention the countless models that didn’t make the final cut). And £101,185 of the greatest drop-bar bikes all in one place. The 2021 Bike of the Year has, once again, been gruelling but rewarding, intense but inspiring. And plenty of fun.
The 2021 edition has also been far from normal with a backdrop of a global pandemic, unprecedented shortages and pricing pressures from a combination of global factors and political decisions. My usual collaborative efforts when it comes to whittling down to the winning bikes have also been disrupted, with group riding and round-the-table-discussions over coffee, beer and good food in Gran Canaria or San Remo replaced with Microsoft Teams and plenty of hard yards in the Wiltshire countryside.
The 2021 edition of Bike of the Year has been far from normal with a backdrop of a global pandemic, bike shortages and rising prices
That hasn’t made our discussions any less deep or the arguments less heated, however, with myself and my three Cycling Plus test pilots all in agreement that the final four bikes are the best on offer in 2021. And yet we all have our own favourites among this glittering group. So it’s time to let battle commence as we choose our ultimate Bike of the Year winner for 2021.
Judgement days
First up there’s Ade – Cycling Plus’s very own one-time Team Alpecin rider. He’s smitten by the cheaper version of the nine-grand Giant TCR Advanced SL 0 that’s featured on p60 (our Superbike of the Year for 2021). Ade is in
