2017 Buyer’s Guide: Endurance road bikes

Trek Domane S 6 Disc

The Trek Domane S 6 Disc might look like most other disc-equipped road bikes, but the company’s IsoSpeed decoupler system sets it apart from that crowd. IsoSpeed effectively separates the front and rear triangles of the bike by adding a pivot where the seatstays meet the seat tube, providing a small degree of rear-end flex to minimize road chatter and reduce rider fatigue. There’s also a rocker cup in the head tube to allow fore-and-aft flex at the front. Trek has paired this technology with a full Shimano Ultegra 11-speed mechanical drivetrain, hydraulic disc brakes and a healthy dose of Bontrager components for a bike that is ready to tackle the roughest roads around. (trekbikes.com)

Specialized Roubaix Expert UDi2

The Roubaix Expert UDi2 takes its name from the famous Paris-Roubaix race in Northern France, which is marked by long and exceedingly rough cobblestone sectors. The bike is designed to handle these types of torturous roads and brings with it the technology to do so. Specialized worked with McLaren Applied Technologies to develop the Future Shock suspension, which provides 20 mm of adjustable travel in the steering tube to smooth out rough roads. The spec on the bike is excellent: a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 11-speed electronic drivetrain, including crankset, with Specialized parts at the contact points and DT R460 disc wheels. (specialized.com)

Cervelo C3 Ultagra 6800

Cervélo has been carving out a name for itself on the pro circuit for years now. The Canadian-born brand definitely attracts a loyal following. The C3 may be the company’s more “value-conscious” model of endurance bike, but that doesn’t mean it is any less capable than the top model. The C3 Ultegra 6800 combines a full carbon frame and fork, a mix of Ultegra 11-speed mechanical drivetrain parts, hydraulic disc brakes, Rotor cranks, FSA components at the contact points and Hed Ardennes Plus GP Disc wheels into a well-rounded package that will give you the boutique-brand cachet and performance without putting you in the poor house. (cervelo.com)

Felt VR2

Felt launched its new VR line this past August, adding another set of endurance bikes to complement its Z line. The VR2 is the top model in the line. The full carbon frame sports a Shimano Ultegra Di2 drivetrain, an FSA SL-K crankset and Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc Allroad wheelset. Cockpit parts are from 3T; the saddle is from Prologo. Shimano calipers and Ice Technology rotors – 160 mm in front, 140 mm at the back – modulate your speed. When you hit a tough climb, you’ll really like the super-compact 46/30-tooth gearing matched to the 11–32 tooth cassette. (feltbicycles.com)

Garneau Gennix D1 Elite

Garneau is a familiar name to generations of Canadian cyclists. The Gennix D1 Elite is the company’s second-tier endurance road bike. The 52/36-tooth crankset, however, seems to be aimed more toward road racing than endurance riding. The bike combines the benefits of hydraulic disc brakes with the cost savings of a mechanical drivetrain. The bike has been spec’d with full Shimano Ultegra components. The bar and stem are from 3T, and are paired with a Fizik saddle. The frame has enough clearance to let you run 28c tires on the Shimano RX31 disc wheels. Sizes run from extra small to extra, extra large, so there’s likely a Gennix for everyone out there. (garneau.com)