Cycling Plus

Cycling Plus is the manual for the modern road cyclist. Whether you're cycling weekly, an occasional new rider or a Tour de France fan you’ll find everything you need. Each issue is packed with buying advice and tests of essential cycling gear - everything from bikes to bags! Cycling Plus is the place to find training advice, nutrition secrets and practical tips guaranteed to improve your bicycling. It's also full of inspirational rides, real-life cycling stories and entertaining riding-related features.

FROM THE EDITOR…

CYCLING PLUS • THE UK’S BEST TESTS FOR OVER 25 YEARS

OUR AWARDS • Look out for our Best On Test award. We only give this to gear and bikes that really deserves your attention

Tour de Force • Sonder Santiago Rival 1

Ribble Endurance SL e Ultegra Di2

Rough play • £3249 British titanium for the rough stuff

Top contender • £1000 Good kit, lovely ride and tubeless-ready

SHOOTOUT • Sub-£1000 adventure-cum-gravel bikes tussle for track and trail

HUB

THE SPIN A MILLION TO ONE • 82-year-old Russ Mantle’s landmark mileage shows that age is a mere number

WHY YOU WANT… ACTIV5 • £119.95 A full-body workout in the palm of your hand

WHY YOU NEED… FOUR ESSENTIALS

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE STEVENAGE • Hertfordshire’s quiet lanes and varied scenery are a day rider’s delight

LIFE CYCLE TAKE HERTS • My kind of New Town, Stevenage is. Rob Ainsley celebrates its overlooked cycleways

CAKE STOP INDEPENDENT PEDALER, CANTERBURY • Head to this hip cafe that’s well-positioned for cyclists with locally sourced produce

TOP FIVE HILL CLIMBS OF GREAT BRITAIN • Every issue, Cycling Plus writers take a subject and debate their all-time top five. This month, we gaze skywards and muse over some of our favourite British hill climbs…

FAST & FORGIVING • We pitched five of the latest premium endurance machines against each other to find out which one provides the best blend of comfort and performance

THE BIKES ON TEST…

GIANT DEFY ADVANCED PRO 2 • £3499 The legendary Defy with added value

CANNONDALE SYNAPSE CARBON DISC DA • £3999.99 Top-flight drivetrain for Synapse

SIMPLON KIARO DISC • £4406 Lightweight long ride bike from Austria

SPECIALIZED ROUBAIX COMP UDI2 • £4400 Future Shock-equipped winning machine

TREK DOMANE SL7 • £4900 The ultimate in road-smoothing goodness

AND THE WINNER IS… GIANT DEFY ADVANCED PRO 2 • A Giant amongst endurance bikes

DT SWISS CRC 1100 SPLINE 38 T

HEAD TO HEAD

RITCHEY WCS CHICANE STEM & RITCHEY WCS STREEM III BAR

LONG-SLEEVE WOOL TOPS • £44.99 – £85 Wool and wool-mix baselayers and jerseys for sweat-free cycling warmth

RUDY PROJECT KEYBLADE

CATEYE AMPP1100

SHIMANO RX8 SHOES

GORE C5 INFINIUM THERMO JACKET, GORE C7 WINDSTOPPER PRO BIB TIGHTS+

Wilier Triestina Zero SLR • €11,100 Super-light, highly integrated racer with disc brakes and aero features

CYCLING PLUS SAVE 30% • SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND RECEIVE A LUSSO DRYLINE SS BASE LAYER!

COLD WAR • OUR 10-STEP WINTER SURVIVAL GUIDE WILL HELP YOU ENDURE, EVEN THRIVE, THROUGH THE SEASON CYCLISTS DREAD MOST…

10 OF THE BEST… RAIN JACKETS • Waterproof coats to keep you dry while pedalling through the damper months

A NEW HOPE • How Hope Technology is helping Team GB take on the world at the Tokyo Olympics with a revolutionary bike, the HB.T

A New Hope • Ahead of the game

NORTHERN SOUL • Titanium takes on carbon in two well-specced, attractively priced gravel bikes from British brands

Make more time to ride… • Periodisation is the answer to getting more miles in when you’re busy, says...