Cycling
These are the top 5 winter bikes to help you beat the elements
Are you raring to go, but don’t want to risk your best bike so early in the season? These five winter bike options might be the answer.
It’s the same old story when it comes to winter riding. Rain, sleet, snow, mud, salt, grit and gravel are all part of the game. It can put us off when our only option is to ride our summer road bike. The answer, though, could be a dedicated winter bike, ready to deal with the inclement conditions and make your winter riding more enjoyable.
Now, we all know that when it comes to the correct number of bikes to own the old equation of n+1 stands the test of time. There's more good news too in the form of the current raft of 'adventure'-style road bikes equipped to tackle the colder, muckier climes. Gone are the days when the only winter recourse was a cyclocross machine.
1. Specialized Diverge
Specialized Diverge
© Specialized Bicycle Company
The Specialized Diverge’s party piece is its versatility. Available in a carbon or alloy frameset, Specialized say that they've developed a brand-new geometry for the frame, known as ‘Open Road’, which fuses playful handling and predictable steering on gravel.
The bike also benefits from disc brakes, as well as clearance for chunky 38mm tyres including mudguards, and Specialized’s own FutureShock front suspension unit, which adds adjustable compliance without compromising the wheelbase length. That guarantees consistent handling, while the bike can also sport the SWAT storage device, maximising the amount of spares you can carry on a ride.
The range toppers also include the latest gravel/adventure/call it what you want benefits of dropper seat posts.
2. Trek Checkpoint ALR 5
Trek's Checkpoint ALR 5
© Trek
Specialized's eternal rivals Trek produce the new Checkpoint ALR 5. It too is available in racy carbon-fibre construction, as well as good value aluminium builds. It's the Wisconsin firm's take on the gravel/adventure market and is the product of extensive testing and development.
This, alongside rack and mudguards mounts, disc brakes, as well as clearance for wide tyres, makes it a great road-specific winter bike option.
3. 3T Exploro
3T's revolutionary Exploro
© 3T
When it comes to making waves in the road-bike world, there are few brands as accomplished as 3T. Their take on drop bar off-the-wallness is a refreshing one with many echoes from the MTB world (shorter stems, longer reach and single front rings).
Their race-specific Strada is a thing of beauty and has already won races at the highest level, but it's their new Exploro which is more geared for winter use and abuse. Chunky road tyres, cyclocross or even skinny MTB rubber will fit inside its frame and fork. It's also aerodynamically adjusted and features enough bottle cage mounts to festoon an entire spin class. It's not the cheapest bike in the world, but if you're of the opinion that your winter hack should be as desirable as your winter super bike then look no further.
4. Whyte Wessex One
Whyte Wessex One
© Whyte Bikes
Anything designed to survive in the UK climate should prove a hardy bike anywhere and that was the goal behind the creation of Whyte's Wessex One.
The Wessex features clearance for 34mm tubeless tyres for improved rolling speed, comfort and overall ride efficiency on the bike, while the frame features integrated mudguard mounts, internal cable routing and sealed cable entry points to keep the elements at bay.
Whyte say that these all-important winter features are designed into the bike from conception, while the range developed in 2018 to include the Wessex One, which has more than one eye on keeping its drivetrain spinning smoothly through even the longest of British winters via its single front ring.
5. Cannondale Synapse
Cannondale Synapse
© Cannondale
The Synapse has a strong reputation as a winter bike, thanks to its clever carbon-fibre frame design that retains lightweight performance with the characteristics of an endurance machine. If you want a ‘racy’ winter bike, the Synapse could be your bike.
The Synapse allows clearance for up to 32mm tyres and has discreet mudguard mounts. The rider position is slightly more upright from the aggressive position often found on pure road race bikes, which aids in stability when riding on slippery roads.
The Synapse is designed from the ground up to run disc brakes, while the frame is integrated with the SAVE micro-suspension system and a SAVE seatpost to add compliance without losing ride excitement.
6. Enigma Etape
Enigma Etape
© Enigma
Titanium and steel bike specialists Enigma produce a number of frames suitable for winter riding, but arguably none better than the Etape. The bike's designed to be used for touring, endurance riding, gravel and commuting.
An essential aspect of the model was to include the latest bolt-through dropouts and flat-mount disc-braking system. Disc brakes carry with them the dual benefits of reduced maintenance and increased tyre clearance – up to 35mm in the case of the Etape.
Enigma chose to design the Etape with fully external cable routing for ease of maintenance and clean performance, incorporate mudguard mounts for cleaner riding, as well as specific-to-size tubing to ensure the ride is as impressive in a 52cm size as it is in 60cm.
Santa Cruz Stigmata
Santa Cruz's Stigmata
© Santa Cruz Bicycles
Possibly best described as 'the mountain biker's road bike', the Stigmata is far from being simply a fan-boy roadster for the ever-loyal army of SC fans. The Stigmata is a carbon-fibre all-rounder, at once capable of cyclocross self-flagellation along with back-lane surfing.
The latest Stigmata will accommodate 41mm-wide tyres and features the kind of sleek silhouette familiar to fans of their mountain bikes.
As alluded to earlier, there's a degree of 'cool' at work here which suits the wintry gusts the bike was designed to thrive in. It's good-looking enough to help you look forward to winter, while also having the technical wherewithal to back that up.
