It is undisputed that recreational athletes need a different type of road bike than performance-orientated racers. Those who don't necessarily have to ride as fast as possible, but prefer to ride longer and a little slower, will be happy, for example, to sit a little more upright and therefore more comfortably and be shaken less. Our test of twelve current marathon road bikes shows that there is now widespread agreement on how such a bike should be designed - and yet there are still differences.
The test results of these marathon racers can be found below as a PDF download:
- Canyon Endurace CF 9.0
- Centurion Hyperdrive 4000
- Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc
- Felt Z5
- Focus Izalco Ergoride Ultegra
- Ghost Nivolet LC Tour 3
- Giant Defy Advanced 1 Ltd
- KTM Revelator 3500
- Lapierre Sensium 500
- Rose Xeon Team CGF-3000 (TOUR test winner)
- Specialised Roubaix SL4 Sport
- Trek Domane 4.3
An initial orientation is, of course, provided by the classification of the bikes by the manufacturers themselves: They are usually labelled under the term "endurance". This term makes it clear that the design as a piece of sports equipment is taken very seriously and that it is a real racing bike despite all the tricks for more comfort. Some manufacturers also call it a marathon or comfort road bike. But regardless of the label under which the bike is sold - what is meant is
usually the same: The frame and equipment are tailored to the needs of amateur athletes. The typical ingredients are a more or less relaxed, slightly more upright riding position, significantly lower gear ratios than in racing, usually 25 mm wide tyres instead of the usual 23 mm and, within the narrow limits of the classic diamond frame shape, as much suspension travel as possible on the saddle and sometimes even on the fork, without active suspension elements as on mountain bikes. Not the very first, but a widely known pioneer of this type of bike was the Roubaix model from Specialized - a bike that was still ridiculed for its "unsportsmanlike" design when it was launched in 2004. In the meantime, however, it has become one of the Americans' most successful models and every major racing bike manufacturer now has an entire "Endurance" line in its programme.
Differently upright
The riding position on a bike is the second important criterion that we use when the manufacturer's categorisation is not clear. The riding position - i.e. how high and how upright or stretched you sit on the bike - is determined by the ratio of frame height to frame length. This in turn can be expressed as a quotient of the two geometry measurements stack (for height) and reach (for length; more on this under "How TOUR tests"). This ratio varies between 1.36 (very stretched) and 1.60 (very upright) among the road bikes available on the market, which we visualise in our individual descriptions in the "Seating position" bar. We consider everything "left of centre" to be comfort geometry. By far the most comfortable bike in this sense in our comparison is the Domane from Trek, followed by Canyon and Cube. The bikes from Ghost and KTM are debatable as to which category they fall into. However, as neither manufacturer offers more comfortable or sportier geometries, there is nothing to stop them from taking part in this test.
The third criterion for categorisation as a marathon or long-distance bike is comfort, which is achieved through compliance or real suspension travel. A lot can be done with the right choice of parts - saddle, handlebars, tyres - but there is also potential in the design of road bike frames, and this is where manufacturers are making their mark. Positive, because exceptionally effective examples in this test field are shown by Canyon, Giant and Specialized with specially developed, very compliant seat posts. There are also elements on many frames that are designed to increase suspension comfort - although their contribution is sometimes rather dubious. With one exception: the Isospeed frame construction of the Trek Domane, in which the seat tube and top tube are flexibly connected with a ball bearing, works visibly and noticeably and results in a very good measured value.
Reliable companion
At prices of around 2,000 euros, buyers can expect well-functioning and durable equipment on the bikes. Without exception, our current test bikes are equipped with reliable, problem-free Shimano shifting systems; compact cranks and mountain sprockets with very small gears are the norm. Modern disc brakes are an option in this class, with many manufacturers offering both: Disc or rim brakes. Shimano's 105 gears are common among specialist brands; mail order companies offer the higher quality Ultegra, as well as higher quality wheels, tyres and components. The expensive tyres make a noticeable difference, but they can easily be retrofitted to other bikes.
When new, the higher-quality wheels work no differently than the simpler ones, but are lighter, which has a noticeably positive effect on handling. This naturally puts them ahead in the evaluation. The specialist dealer bikes have weaknesses in the details, for example when very simple brakes or tyres are used to keep the overall price of the bike low. However: All candidates are literally good bikes, which is also reflected in the scores. Among both the mail order companies and the specialist brands, you should therefore focus primarily on the geometry. Because this is where the real differences lie.
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