Perhaps the biggest trend to grow out of the road market in recent years isn’t disc brakes, nor 11-speed groupsets, or even electronic shifting, but the rise of the sportive bike – and it shows no sign of slowing.
Call them want you want – sportive bikes, endurance bikes, endurance race bikes, comfort bikes – it is, by and large, the same deal across the board, with a relaxed geometry and carbon construction designed to take the edge off rough roads.
This year’s Core show saw the Neil Pryde Zephyr introduced to the UK. It has all the hallmarks of a machine made for long days in the saddle, with curved fork legs, sweeping seatstays and a skinny 27.2mm designed to improve comfort, and a geometry tweaked to provide a more upright riding position, while still promising race-worthy levels of stiffness.
Every year we see the finest riders in the world swap their everyday race bike for something deemed more comfortable when the cobbled Classics arrive. The Specialized Roubaix takes its name from the Queen of the Classics, the Trek Domane was unveiled ahead of the 2012 race, while the Bianchi Infinito CV and Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod both broke cover at last year’s edition. Expect to see at least one more new addition by the time this year’s cobbled Classics come around.
