Gear reviews

Bikes

PINNACLE Neon One, £399.99, www.evanscycles.co.ukPublished: 02:43pm 22 Nov 2011

The Neon range has three models and the One we tested also comes in a women-specific version, which includes a lower top-tube, shorter cranks and stem and fetching ‘deep purple’ paintwork.
All Neons have the same style of aluminium ...

PASHLEY Poppy, £435, www.pashley.co.uk Published: 08:38pm 10 May 2011

This is another British-built, ‘Dutch-style’ cruiser that's made with a well-finished, traditionally lugged steel frame. The Poppy uses Sturmey Archer hubs brakes and three-speed hub gear (operated by trigger shifter), both of...

CHARGE Lazy Susan, £499, www.chargebikes.com Published: 08:38pm 10 May 2011

Charge has made a strong impact in recent years with its Plug singlespeed and Tap eight-speed hybrid among others – however, many urbanites rate this as the primo ‘bike named after kitchen fitting’.
A ‘Dutch bike with ...

AZOR Carolina, £499, www.dutchbike.co.uk Published: 08:35pm 10 May 2011

The Carolina is about as trad-Dutch as they come. Black is the default option (gloss or matt), with other colours by special arrangement only. It features all the hallmarks of a classic ‘Dutch bike’, from the hefty steel ...

GLOBE Haul 01, £500, www.globebikes.com Published: 08:31pm 10 May 2011

For some this bike will be love at first sight; others will be more circumspect. Is it form over function? Does the integrated rack add too much weight? How can large loads be secured practically? How is it to ride? 
Globe has certa...

VIVA Bellissimo 1, £549, www.evanscycles.comPublished: 08:31pm 10 May 2011

 

Viva is a Danish company that's been making stylish bikes for a couple of decades. More recently, Evans Cycles has started importing select models from the company’s extensive line-up, including this Bellissimo 1, which is availabl...

VIVA Bellissimo 1, £549, www.evanscycles.comPublished: 08:30pm 10 May 2011

Viva is a Danish company that's been making stylish bikes for a couple of decades. More recently, Evans Cycles has started importing select models from the company’s extensive line-up, including this Bellissimo 1, which is available in a...

GENESIS Flyer 2010, £599.99, www.genesisbikes.co.uk Published: 08:20pm 10 May 2011

The Flyer is the UK brand’s entry-level road bike and it's closer to singlespeed winter training/track bikes than trendy urban fixies, with drop bars and standard positioning of brake levers rather than messenger bars and centre brakes. ...

B’TWIN Elops City, £109.99, www.decathlon.co.uk Published: 08:16pm 10 May 2011

French sports chain Decathlon — with its megastore at Surrey Quays — has always produced suprisingly good bikes at killer prices and, at one sixth of the cost of others reviewed here, the Elops City is no exception. It’s also...

KONA Paddy Wagon 2010, £595, www.konaworld.com Published: 08:16pm 10 May 2011

The Paddy Wagon is the least expensive of Kona’s three-bike singlespeed road range, with the £895 Band Wagon and extravagantly priced £1840 Grand Wagon completing the pack.
This third iteration (named after designer Paddy Wh...

COOPER T100 Monza, £595, www.cooperbikes.com Published: 08:14pm 10 May 2011

The Cooper brand is legendary in motorsport, but in 2010 the company launched its first bikes, designed in the UK, built in the Far East. As well as the flat-bar Monza, there’s a bull-bar T100 Sebring singlespeed at the same price, and t...

QUADRABYKE, £99.99, www.q-byke.com Published: 08:10pm 10 May 2011

 
Is it a bike? A trike? Quad bike? No — it's a QuadraByke, and it's all three. Designer Tony Wayman's multi-axle design lets you add or remove wheels without tools, so you can swap between the three set-ups in minutes. A choice...

TREK District 2010, £750, www.trekbikes.com Published: 08:10pm 10 May 2011

You need to get close to see what makes the District so unique — it uses a belt-drive rather than regular chain (see inset). The technology’s been around for a few years, though only a handful of companies have really trialled it, ...

SPECIALIZED Secteur Sport 2010, £650, www.specialized.comPublished: 08:07pm 10 May 2011

 

The Secteur frame is a less-expensive aluminium version of the carbon one used in Specialized's Roubaix series and this Sport model sits towards the cheaper end of a four-bike Secteur range. It has a fairly upright riding position, and Z...

TREK 1.5 2010, £800, www.trekbikes.comPublished: 08:04pm 10 May 2011

Although it's one of the least expensive bikes here, the Trek 1.5 is a very attractive proposition if you’re buying your first road bike and need a nippy town hacker that’s also good for fitness training. On some short to mid-length ...