Speed and Distance

Riding a bike on the open road gives you a sense of freedom and satisfaction however you do it. On a lightweight road bike or fast recumbent you can hurtle along at high speed, catching an adrenalin rush on the descents, and letting the stress evaporate like sweat on the climbs. On a laden tourer, you can relax as you ride at your own rhythm, absorbing the slowly changing scenery around you. Either way, you win, and the riding itself is its own reward.

When you’re racing you get a real sense of speed. Your proximity to rushing tarmac, or to rocks bouncing past beneath your wheels, puts you in the scene in a way that other forms of transport don’t. It’s a unique thrill, not least because you’re travelling under your own power – or the power of gravity – and it’s a thrill that you don’t have to be a competitive rider to enjoy. Touring is all about self-sufficiency, carrying all you need on a machine specially built for the task. Long haul comfort is the name of the game. You’ve got the independence to go where you want, when you want. And your speed – fast enough to go places, slow enough to see things – is just right for getting the most out of any place you travel through.

There is a huge selection of cycles, which between them enable you to travel as far or as fast as you want, in as much comfort and style and with as much luggage as you need. Super-light road bikes will convert the power from your legs into forward motion in the most efficient way imaginable, and they’re light enough that you might think twice about attaching a cycle computer to for fear of adding too much weight. Low-profile wind-cheating recumbents – whether for racing or touring – offer the rider a different slant on cycling. Then there's the classic touring bike, a product of years of experience, made all the more practical by inspired design and cleverly applied technology.

Technology moves fast in the world of cycle racing. Races are won or lost by a matter of seconds. Having the best technology is integral to the sport. Riders know this, and so do the designers and the engineers. New materials are tried, frame designs are tweaked or sometimes radically altered to achieve that perfect blend of lightness, stiffness and aerodynamics. Somehow, for the professional road racing scene at least, this all has to be done within the confines of regulations laid down by the UCI (the international governing body of cycle sport). With recumbents, there are no such limitations – the UCI having banned recumbents from racing alongside conventional road bikes in the 1930s. Anyone who has attended an HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) championship will tell you that the diversity of the machines participating is quite breathtaking.

The results of these advances in cycle technology and design are now available to us mere mortals as well as the professionals. In the next few pages you will find the products of the drawing boards and the imaginations of many specialist cycle manufacturers from around the globe. From the exotic to the practical – open your mind to the options and you will find a bike here that is ideally suited to your needs.