The comfort racing bike is actually a Swabian invention. In 1998, the German manufacturer Centurion launched the Hyperdrive on the market: a model with a significantly longer head tube than was previously common on racing bikes. The idea behind it: Due to the higher head tube, the handlebars move upwards, which means that the rider has to bend their back less. This means they can ride in a more relaxed manner. A nice idea that unfortunately flopped. The Hyperdrive was a shelf warmer, and Centurion soon gave the model a normal racing bike geometry again.
But times change. From today's perspective, the Hyperdrive was way ahead of its time. If the bike was launched on the market today with the geometry of 1998, nobody would turn up their nose. On the contrary: for some years now, racing bikes that resemble the basic concept of the Hyperdrive have even been in vogue. The impetus for the comfort racing bike 2.0 was provided by Specialized in 2006 with the Roubaix model, which almost became synonymous with the new type of bike. The marketing strategists at the American company had recognised at the time that even sporty, active people perceived the racing bike with its stretched seating position, thumb-thick tyres and narrow seat as an instrument of torture rather than a promising piece of sports equipment.
What does comfort actually mean?
Incidentally, comfort is a misleading term in this context - on a road bike, it usually refers to two different aspects: on the one hand, the comfortable - more upright - riding position and, on the other, the suspension comfort that softens road bumps. However, the two aspects of comfort are not necessarily linked: a frame with good suspension and damping can force its rider into an "uncomfortable" position with a very stretched seating position - and conversely, a frame with a comfortable seating position can be as hard as a rock.
In addition to the Specialised Roubaix SL3 Expert two of these new additions: The Austrian manufacturer Simplon sends the model Kiaro into the race, Focus the Izalco Ergoride as a toned-down version of the well-known Izalco with classic geometry. The fact that both models, like the Roubaix SL3 Expert, have flawless comfort geometries can be seen from the respective stack-to-reach factor.
The test results of the three bikes can be found below as a PDF download.
Downloads:
download
