Condor launches Leggero SL Disc

We gave you the heads up about Condor’s all-new Leggero SL Disc in our Cycle Show preview, and we made a beeline for the London-based brand’s stand at the NEC to see it in the flesh.

The Leggero SL, if you’re not familiar, is Condor’s lightweight race frame used by the JLT Condor team. Now it’s available for disc brakes as a sub-900g frame. The frame is based around a race geometry available in six sizes from 46cm to 61cm.

The frameset will set you back £3,499.99, while Condor will offer full builds from £4,699.99 with SRAM Rival 22 or Shimano 105. That said, the sky’s almost the limit with Condor’s online bike builder.

The Cycle Show also gave us the opportunity to take a closer look at the Condor Bivio, launched earlier this year. The Bivio is Condor’s gravel/adventure bike based around a Custom Columbus Spirit triple-butted steel frame (claimed weight 2,100g) and carbon fork.

You’ll find clearance for 40mm tyres, an oversized 44mm headtube, and mudguard/rack mounts. If you want to put together your own build, the frameset costs £1,199.99, or complete builds start from £1,950.

Whyte Glencoe ‘road plus’ adventure bike breaks cover

You don’t need us to tell you that gravel/adventure bikes are all the rage and Whyte has joined the party with the new Glencoe (yours for £1,299). Jumping on a trend within a trend, the Glencoe is also designed as a ‘road plus’ machine for use with 650b wheels (see also the Genesis Fugio launched earlier the month).

The Glencoe has an aluminium frame at its heart, paired with an alloy fork (though we’d normally expect to see carbon fork blades at this price). The own-brand rims are wrapped in 47mm WTB Horizon tyres; a combination which gives the same rolling circumference as a 700c x 28mm setup, according to Whyte.

You also get a 1×11 drivetrain, which sees a 44-tooth Whyte chainset paired with a SRAM Apex rear mech and 11-42t cassette. TRP’s mechanically-actuated hydraulic HyRd brakes provide the stopping power, while steering inputs are handled by the huge 50cm wide handlebar. With road handlebars typically around 42cm, the extra width here is designed to offer more off-road control.

Bianchi Aria aero bike in the flesh

Moving away from the British brands launching new bikes at the Cycle Show, here’s Bianchi’s entry into the ‘affordable’ aero bike market. The Aria was launched back in June as an aero option that’s easier on the wallet than Bianchi’s top-end Oltre bikes. These things are relative, with this Shimano Ultegra-equipped Aria coming in at £2,650, but the point is you’re saving a chunk of cash compared to the upper echelons of the Bianchi range.

Claimed weight for the carbon frame is 1,150g and the aero features are easy to spot, with deep and sculpted tube profiles, a shallow rear wheel cutaway, and an internal seatpost clamp. The fork and dropped seatstays are also inspired by the Aquila time trial bike, according to Bianchi.

Canyon gets ‘cross with Inflite CF SLX

Canyon’s Inflite range has been around for a while now, but the aluminium-framed bike has sat somewhere between a cyclo-cross chassis and all-weather road machine. However, while the alloy Inflite remains in the range, Canyon has now got serious about ‘cross with the launch of the Inflite CF SLX.

We first told you about Canyon’s first carbon fibre cyclo-cross frame in August but, with the ‘cross season upon us, now seems a good time to take another look. The 940g frame is distinctive, to say the least, with a kinked toptube designed to offer a comfortable shouldering position for the bike and to leave more of the seatpost exposed to improve comfort.

Other design features include a steeper downtube angle to provide more clearance between the front tyre and, according to Canyon, tube profiles shaped to shed mud. You’ll also find an integrated, carbon fibre cockpit.

The bike pictured here is the range-opening Inflite CF SLX 8.0 Race with a SRAM Rival 1 drivetrain, available for £2,499. There’s also options with Shimano Ultegra and SRAM Force CX1 for £2,899 and £3,599 respectively. Otherwise, the frameset costs £1,799.

Moving on and here’s something altogether different from Canyon. While we focus on drop-handlebar bikes here at RCUK, we couldn’t help but stop and take a look at this super-commuter – the Roadlite CF 9.0 Ltd.

Canyon has take the commuter/fitness bike to the next level with its new Roadlite CF range, based around a super-light 990g carbon fibre frame. Combine that with a SRAM Force 1 single-ring groupset, aero cockpit, DT Swiss ERC 1400 carbon wheels and Canyon’s comfort-boosting VCLS 2.0 seatpost, and this is one of the most pimped-out flat-handlebar bikes we’ve seen.

Overkill? Maybe, but the price is typically compelling at £2,549, while there are also bikes with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (£2,099), Shimano Ultegra Di2 (£1,749) and Shimano 105 (£1,449). For riders who, for whatever reason, can’t have or don’t want a drop-handlebar bike, the new Roadlite CF looks to provide a performance-focussed alternative.

First look at Cube’s NuRoad bikes

Cube launched the NuRoad range a couple of weeks ago so the Cycle Show gave us the first chance to take a look at the German brand’s adventure offering.

Head over to our launch story for the full scoop but, in short, the NuRoad is based around a disc-ready aluminium frame with 40mm tyre clearance and three competitively priced spec options.

The cheapest bike, pictured above, comes with a Shimano Sora groupset and mechanical disc brakes for £999. Step up a level and you’ll get upgraded Shimano 105 components and hydraulic disc brakes for £1,299, while the top tier bike comes equipped with mudguards and a rack for an extra £100.

The launch of Cube’s NuRoad range also saw the announcement of the German firm’s Cross Race C:62 carbon cyclo-cross bikes. Cube has deployed its top-level C:62 carbon for this frame, and the three-strong range is specced to match.

The Cube Cross Race C:62 SL pictured here gets a SRAM Force 1 drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes, alongside Newmen components, including the carbon cockpit and Evolution SL R.32 alloy disc wheels. This will set you back £2,499, otherwise there’s a Shimano Ultegra mechanical spec for £2,199 or Shimano Ultegra Di2 build with carbon wheels for £3,799.

Updated Cannondale Synapse takes centre stage

The arrival of Cannondale’s updated Synapse endurance bike has been one of the key launches of 2017. With a redesigned disc-only frame and additional tyre clearance (up to 32mm), the latest Synapse is very much the blueprint of the modern road machine.

The new flagship frame comes in at a claimed 950g, which is 220g lighter than the outgoing chassis, according to Cannondale, while there’s also a second-tier model which tips the scales at 1,110g.

Cannondale says the Synapse’s comfort-boosting SAVE tech has been refined in the chainstays, seatstays and fork to make the latest frame plusher than before, while there’s also a new Synapse-specific handlebar and stem also designed to increase comfort (although that’s not fitted on the bike pictured).

This flagship machine comes with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, a Cannondale HollowGram SL Carbon Disc wheelset and Enve finishing kit for £7,799, though the range starts at £2,199.99.