Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Cycling Plus

There’s a hill south of Bristol that looms over my rides. While it’s hardly Ventoux, Limeburn Hill just feels relentless, sinister even. Whether it is, to misquote Indiana Jones, both the years and the mileage, it never gets any easier for me. Hopefully, help is at hand for those of you in similar need of a hill-climbing boost with our new Training Zone section (from p111), which focuses on supercharging your ascending skills. There are also recipes for fuelling those big rides, how the latest sports science research can improve your cycling, plus inspirational tales and more. Enjoy the issue…. SUBSCRIBE! NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO CYCLING PLUS CAN GET A LEZYNE POCKET DRIVE MINI PUMP WORTH £25! ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Get access to exclusive content, competitions and offers. Turn to p108…

PLANET X LONDON ROAD SRAM APEX 1 £799.99 Yorkshire’s king of the well-priced road bike has put together a straightforward triple-butted aluminium commuter-plus bike based around a SRAM Apex single-ring setup, thruaxles and mechanical disc brakes – in the form of the rarely seen dual-piston Rever Havits. A good set of Fulcrum wheels, tough and 32mm wide Panaracer tyres and a full-carbon fork round out an attractive package. ORBEA AVANT H60-D £1159 An endurance geometry that’s designed for big days out over roads with varying surfaces means it should be okay for Blighty’s battered blacktops. The Avant’s triple-butted and hydroformed aluminium frame is accompanied by a carbon fork with an aluminium steerer, Shimano’s eight-speed Claris drivetrain with hill-friendly gears and mechanical disc brakes from Tektro. BOARDMAN SLR 8.9 £1100 Boardman…

Back in 1992 a little-known furniture maker rode a carbon dream bike to Olympic individual pursuit gold. In 2021 the name of that rider adorns the SLR 8.9, one of the two least expensive carbon road bikes you can buy, along with Vitus’s disc-braked, Tiagra-equipped Zenium. What sets the SLR 8.9 apart from the Vitus, and most of the aluminium-framed bikes at this price, is that Boardman has managed to spec a near-complete Shimano 105 groupset, which goes a long way to justifying the £100 price increase over the 2020 model. Can this bike rule the roost at £1100? The frameset is unchanged from last year. But in addition to the headline move to 11-speed 105 from 10-speed Tiagra there have been a few other less noticeable but mainly welcome…

When Egan Bernal won the 2019 Tour de France at the tender age of 22, he became the youngest Tour winner in 110 years. He appeared to be a once-in-a-generation talent, but with the emergence since of Tadej Pogaĉar (an even younger Tour winner last season at just 21), Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert it appears that Bernal was just leading the way for perhaps the most exciting generation of cycling talent in the sport’s history. “I think it is,” agrees David Millar, the first British rider to wear the leader’s jersey at all three Grand Tours. “I’ve never been more excited to watch bike races, these are the most amazing riders. It’s like I’ve been watching cycling in black and white and…

A well thought-out bike: the ride is superb and the handling is ideal for the commuting environment When it comes to commuting bikes, a lot of brands are happy to settle on a bike that just ‘does the job’. The result is a plethora of uninspiring commuting workhorses that aren’t going to fire up anyone’s enthusiasm for riding to work on a grey day. But Canyon has applied the same attention to detail into its commuter ranges as it has to its pro-level race bikes, and one of the results of that approach is its bold, mustard-coloured Commuter 7. This comes with a rear rack, full-length aluminium mudguards, a clean and commuter-friendly Gates Carbon belt drive, front and rear dynamo lighting and even a bell. In other words, the complete…

£374.99 Shoes promising unrivalled support Fizik’s Venta Stabilita Carbon shoes work using the latest version of its Dynamic Arch Support (2.0), which combines a wired tension setup that uses Boa dials that are attached to a zero-stretch ribbon anchored to the outsole at two points. When you tension the upper of the Boa dial it pulls in the ribbon, thus tensioning the shoe’s upper inwards and wrapping around your midfoot closely with no gaps. The lower Boa dial controls the volume of the shoe around your forefoot. The Boa dials are made from recycled plastic and are smaller in diameter and lower in profile height than previous versions. Fizik claims this improves the aero qualities of the shoe; it also means more room for winter overshoes. The Stabilita is Fizik’s…

£89.99 Gravel-specific saddle The idea of ‘gravel’ specific often means an olive green colourway, or a bit of camouflage in the finishing. Thankfully that’s not the case with Fizik’s Terra Argo. Fizik has taken its popular Argo short saddle back to the drawing board and introduced a host of features that increase its off-road credentials. Most importantly the profile has changed. The Terra has a much more defined ‘wave’ to its short 270mm length, which helps you sit planted in an almost fixed position. This is critical to getting the best from the Terra and, thankfully, Fizik has moulded a handy marker 75mm from the nose of the saddle enabling you to line the saddle up perfectly on setup. While you are fixed in position you can shift your weight…

Whether you want to power up the steep slopes of the Lake District on the Fred Whitton or conquer the snaking bends of Alpe d’Huez on a weekend getaway, climbing is the most exciting, painful and rewarding part of cycling. But to climb like Slovenian pro Tadej Pogaĉar – who won the GC, young rider classification and King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour in 2020 – you first need to think like a pro. That doesn’t mean you need to do brutal seven-hour training sessions, simply that you should commit to refining every single component of your climbing skill set, from your power output to your kit choices, in pursuit of progress. With the help of an elite team of experts, we’ve created a blueprint to help you…

BORDER STATS Location Peebles, Scottish Borders Next date 5 September 2021 Distances 120km/88.8km Price From £68 The ‘Touro’ was started by local riders in 2012 and has been growing in reputation ever since. A real riders’ course on closed roads with spectacular scenery, it also features some famous local bakery produce at feed stations. PRE-RIDE PREP The Touro is a very varied ride, with steep hills, long hills, rolling hills and draggy hills. So, it’s hilly, not excessively so like the Fred Whitton, but you should be prepared for climbing – there aren’t a great deal of truly flat roads on the course. The hardest hill tops out at a 20 per cent gradient, and the longest hill could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your speed, so that’s definitely…

RIBBLE HYBRID AL E FULLY LOADED £2299 Ribble has a full range of ebikes based around Mahle’s ebikemotion system. This uses a slimline internal battery and a rear-hub motor and links up to a clever app to give you total control over available power. The Fully Loaded edition has full mudguards, rear rack, lights and a one-piece bar and stem for a stylish-looking bike. RALEIGH MOTUS TOUR £2200 The Motus Tour comes in standard, open (dropped top tube) and a low-step version. All come with lights, full mudguards, a covered drivetrain and rear rack – all you need to get you to work quickly and cleanly. Assistance comes from Bosch’s ever-reliable Active Line mid-drive motor and a large capacity 400Wh powerpack for a claimed 99-mile range. CANYON PRECEDE:ON CF 9…

CANNONDALE SUPERSIX EVO NEO 2 £5500 The 12.1kg Cannondale takes the absolute best of what the SuperSix EVO has to offer in terms of its race-bike-heaven handling and adds in a light, tuneable and incredibly usable e-assist system from Mahle. Its combination of racy road-bike dynamics, great spec that includes an Ultegra groupset, and assistance gives just enough boost to aid performance. TREK DOMANE+ LT 7 £7800 The 13.8kg Domane+ LT 7 combines the smooth ride quality of the regular Domane with handling that’s the epitome of endurance stability, plus big-volume tyres that open up more than the road. The price is high, so we’d suggest you take a serious look at Trek’s carbon Domane LT+ with mechanical Ultegra at £4900 or the aluminium Domane+ ALR at £3500. SPECIALIZED S-WORKS…

If you’ve had a sandwich in Sandwich, a scone in Scone and cheddar in Cheddar, complete the set with a fry up in Fryup. Yorkshire Cycle Hub is one of Britain’s most spectacularly situated bike cafes: the patio tables overlook Great Fryup Dale, and while you’re only a few minutes’ ride south of Lealholm station on the Esk line to Whitby, it really feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s a delightful nowhere called the North York Moors, of course, offering compact but awesomely beautiful day rides on tarmac or bridleway, with several 33 per cent climbs. (Britain’s steepest road, Rosedale Chimney Bank, is only a few miles away.) Maybe the best approach to the cafe is from the head of Rosedale, off Blakey Ridge: the singletrack road…

The phrase ‘keep it simple, stupid’ has become a cliché for good reason: there’s a lot to be said for stripping things down to the basics. And that’s just what Planet X has done with its London Road, which it describes as “the do-it-all super bike… just as capable on the cyclocross circuit, on gravel road and on canal paths as it is on the road”. The London Road stands out from its competition here. Not for the monochrome frame that seems to be a bit of a theme for 2021 – though it’s also available in a bright Zesty Lime – but Planet X has eschewed the usual Shimano double for SRAM’s 1x chainset. Having just one chainring majors on simplicity but the trade-off is a compromise in the…

The most expensive of our quartet isn’t carbon. It’s not aluminium. It’s constructed from a substance that has served bike manufacturers since the 19th century. Yep, we’re talking steel, in this case a handcrafted Reynolds 725 frame. But it’s not a case of Ribble’s designers reminiscing about Victorian technology while squinting through rose-tinted Oakleys. The Endurance’s triple-butted chromoly frame is accompanied by a tapered carbon fork, disc brakes, thru-axles and wheels from one of cycling’s biggest names. And it looks great. As for price, high-quality steel can’t compete with aluminium, which is why you’re paying £200 more than for a Tiagra-equipped aluminium bike. Steel is also going to find it hard to compete with aluminium on weight, but while this Ribble is perceptibly heavier when you pick it up, you…

I’ve always admired the Revolt. I like that Giant has blended elements from its superb Defy endurance bike and the racy TCX cyclocross machine to create a composed, yet wonderfully exciting gravel machine that’s a very capable all-rounder. The star of the show is the Advanced carbon chassis. The Advanced construction method, called modified monocoque construction, sees the main frame using smart-mould technology, which forms it in a single piece That won’t mean much to most riders, but Giant says the level of control in this process results in stronger, more accurate frame construction at a lower weight than traditional multi-section bonded methods. I say it adds up to a bike that rides superbly well in all conditions. The frame design uses a deep triangulated head tube and a slimming-to-slender…

DMT FK1 ENDURO SHOES £146.99 Flat-sole supremacy Riding to work on flat pedals is the most convenient foot-to-bike interface but their pins and grips can make short shrift of expensive trainer soles, so I’d recommend a pair of bike-specific flat shoes every time. DMT’s FK1 is part of its Enduro Mountain Bike range but they’re proving to be a superb option for commuters, thanks to the tough and grippy (in both wet and dry conditions) Michelin OCX compound sole. This sole is flexible enough to walk in but thick enough to last. Upper-level comfort The FK1’s stand-out feature is the upper, which is made with an innovative 3D-knitted construction. The whole of the upper is one piece with multi-weaves throughout to provide plenty of support and lots of breathability. Within…

£99.99 (pair) Waxed canvas carry-alls Altura’s new Heritage panniers are part of a range of luggage that includes a rack bag, bar bag and backpack, as well as a smaller pannier. All are made from waxed canvas, a waterproof material with a history dating back centuries. This gives them a slightly worn and battered look from new. Each pannier has a large external top pocket with a key fob and though its zip isn’t waterproof, it sits behind a large waxed canvas lip that should keep water out. The pannier’s main section has a drawstring and toggle to secure it, a small zipless drop-in pocket and is lined in polyester, though there’s no laptop bag. A detachable strap with a padded section comes in handy for when you’re off the…

Bye bye thermal jackets and central heating, hello the short-sleeve cycling jersey and the waft of barbecues… summer has at last arrived in the UK, and for it you’ll need a cycling outfit that can tackle riding in the heat. Alongside breathable bib shorts and a ventilated helmet, the short-sleeve cycling jersey is a key part of that summer riding combo. Within the sub-£100 collection of jerseys on test here, you’ll find open-mesh designs, UV protection and breathable and lightweight fabrics to aid those midsummer sojourns at home or, hopefully soon, abroad. There’s lots of tech trickling down from the pro peloton in the jerseys here Cut and coordination are key when it comes to choosing a jersey. The fit needs to be tight to wick sweat and aid aerodynamics,…

For all that we prize our metal bikes and laud the resurgence of premium aluminium, the lure of carbon has never really waned. Affordable carbon bikes as we once knew them seem to be in decline however, between the rise of disc brakes, rampant worldwide demand for bicycles pushing prices up and entry-level models being replaced by alloy alternatives. These days ‘cheap’ carbon means bikes closer to two grand, which is a decent chunk for anyone, and so we present three very different ways to spend around that much cash. Two are disc race bikes – the Merida Reacto 4000 is cutting-edge and aerodynamic, while the Holdsworth Corsa Superlight is more classic in its approach. Giant’s cheapest TCR rounds things out, a rim-braked race bike that’s at once ultra-modern and…

“During lockdown two it came to light that my racing for Brother UK OnForm and Hill Climbs would be postponed until spring. As a single parent of a seven-year-old son, trying to juggle training with the school closures and financial pressures ensured lockdown was mentally very tough. I suffered with depression and anxiety as I lost control and autonomy, especially at the thought of comprised bike training as I rely on school hours to train.” “I dragged myself on to the turbo to beat the circumstances. When my head was struggling while on the turbo, it reminded me of my 12-hour TT Welsh Championship [which Rebecca won in 2018]. I started thinking about a 12-hour turbo to raise awareness for mental health.” “The 100-mile record holder, Jonathan Shubert, told me…

01 GEAR UP To glide up climbs like a pro, you first need the right gear ratios. “A 28-tooth lower gear should see you up most climbs,” advises performance coach Phil Paterson. But even some pros use 30-tooth sprockets on mountain stages, so don’t be shy about going large. “Also consider switching to a compact or semi-compact front chainring for more generous climbing ratios,” adds Paterson. A standard ring has 39 teeth, but a compact has 34 and a semi has 36, making it much easier to spin the pedals when you’re tackling steep climbs. 02 CONSUME LOW-FIBRE FUEL Nutritionist Will Girling (willgirling.com) suggests a low-fibre breakfast – such as a banana and almond butter on toast or a bowl of white rice and eggs – to replenish your glycogen…

As we spin past Stony Cross, I try to assure myself that the Malvern Hills aren’t the Alps… All is well as we crest the hill, smiling in the bright spring Herefordshire sunshine, with green shoots bursting into life around me. Then I look up and see that ancient wall, massive against the sky and yet hulking in shadow, impervious to optimism and utterly irrefutable. My legs weaken at the mere sight of it. As we spin past Stony Cross, I latch onto the welcome distraction of a winding descent, trying to assure myself that the Malvern Hills aren’t the Alps. Well no, they’re not, but this is Britain and these unusually steep, often raggedy roads pose a formidable challenge in their own way. It’s no wonder that our ancestors…

EBIKES ARE EITHER POWERED BY A REAR-HUB MOTOR DESIGN OR A ‘MID-DRIVE’ MOTOR 01. CONTROLS Most ebikes have controls on the handlebar or top tube and some have LCD screens, which make it easier to switch between modes, monitor battery life and see your speed and mileage. Some systems also now offer Bluetooth connectivity and phone apps, so you can track your heart rate and other data. 02. FRAME As batteries and motors become smaller and better integrated, ebikes are becoming almost indistinguishable from regular bikes – at least until you spot the beefed-up bottom bracket or big rear hub, or an ebike-riding cyclist blasts past you on the climbs at warp speed with little apparent effort. 03. BATTERY While battery range is getting bigger, the power packs themselves are…

Brits are world-beaters at queuing and waiting in line to begin the Dartmoor Classic sportive in June, early in the morning in a less than clement Newton Abbot Racecourse, brought all our skills to bear. After so long without sportives, it was held as a pilot event at close to capacity and, despite the weather not living up to the fantasies of the riders after so long on the sidelines, it didn’t dampen the joy – once on the road – of being out there again.…

01 BAR FLY 4 STEM CAP £19.99 If space on your bar is at a premium, or you like to run a bar bag, Bar Fly’s Stem Cap replacing mount system is a good solution. This 24.7g alloy mount replaces a standard stem cap and it comes with fittings for Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, Mio, Magellan, Cateye, PowerTap, and Bryton. You can even use the (included) action mount to run a GoPro, or another action camera. 02 SCOTT SHIELD SUPERSONIC EDITION £89.99 Limited-edition ‘drift’ purple frames and a wild pink chrome lens for Scott’s brilliant retro-styled glasses based on the 1989 design made famous by former American pro Greg LeMond. Great protection and optics at a price the likes of Oakley and 100% can’t get close to. Highly recommended. 03 MASTER…

Our four test bikes cover a very hard-fought price range. They’re all road bikes with a leaning towards endurance rather than super-fast riding, though one of these machines has slightly more racy aspirations. Three of our quartet have disc brakes and three different Shimano groupsets are on display – Claris, Tiagra and 105. But our least expensive contender stands out with its SRAM Apex 1x single-ring setup. The £799.99 London Road is Planet X’s ‘do-it-all’ road bike and has been designed to take in the demands of tarmac and trail. Its triple-butted aluminium frame and the carbon fork have thru-axles, Fulcrum R900 wheels are a real treat on a bike at this price and the 32mm tyres should take the sting out of things. Our first Shimano-equipped bike out of…

This new Orbea demonstrates how difficult it now is for the bike industry when it comes to offering the value we’ve become accustomed to. Orbea’s Avant H60-D is one of many bikes that suffered a price rise between the time we started and finished testing – climbing from £999 to £1159. The first thing you notice about the Avant is its striking hydroformed aluminium frame and – unusually at this price – an integrated cockpit. Orbea’s ICR – Integrated Cable Routing – creates an exceptionally tidy-looking front end, which routes the cabling beneath the stem and through Orbea’s dedicated headset spacer and into an Acros headset. It’s inherited from higher-end Orbeas and, apart from aesthetics, there will be a small aerodynamic benefit, though I’m not sure this is significant on…

A carbon fibre frameset, aero features and a distance-friendly ride is a winning combination There were no poor bikes among our quartet though in the case of three of the four, value has slipped over the last year. Our least expensive bike, however, proved to be a revelation and great value. If you’re looking for a commuter bike on a budget, Planet X’s £799.99 London Road hits the spot nicely – and its wide touring tyres mean it’s not just restricted to short urban endeavours. Unless you can spin the cranks like a cartoon figure its slightly restricted top gear does limit its training bike credentials in this 1x setup, but that’s about the London Road’s only limiting factor. It’s practical, versatile, has good gears and brakes and balances performance…

The unique selling point to Vaast’s well-priced gravel bikes is the material that’s being used to build them. Fellow American company Allite produces a magnesium-alloyed tubeset called Super Magnesium (well you wouldn’t expect false modesty from a US brand, would you?). It’s an alloy that was originally designed for use in the world of defence and aviation but used on the A/1 by Vaast. Magnesium alloys have been used in bikes before. Initially with the radically designed Kirk Precision in the late Eighties and early Nineties, created by one-time Ford employee Frank Kirk. The odd-looking frame was apparently inspired by the bumper on the Ford Sierra. Italian racing legends, Pinarello, also dabbled with magnesium back in 2004 with a magnesium alloy-framed Dogma at a time when most of its rivals…

£109.99 Urban helmet approved for ebikes American company Bern has a strong reputation for designing good-quality helmets for snow and water sports, skateboarding and BMX. The Hudson, however, is aimed at commuters and in this, its latest guise, it’s been beefed-up as one of the few helmets around that are deemed safe for ebikes. That means the Hudson has been tested for speeds up to 43kph/27mph. Depending on which state you are in, the American limit on ebikes can be much higher than in Europe: 30kph/18mph compared to our 25kph/15.5mph. In testing the Hudson has 10 per cent more impact put on it than a standard helmet with a 21 per cent increase in velocity, so it must be capable of absorbing 43 per cent more energy than a standard…

£296; £258; £62 Aero makeover for the cockpit The latest road bikes with their aero-optimisation and integrated cockpits are all well and (expensively) good, but if your bike doesn’t come with everything integrated making things more aero is a tougher call. Aero specialists Zipp has a solution with its SL Sprint Stem, matching Garmin mount and SL 70 aero bar. The bar and stem make a fetching combination. The SL Sprint stem is made from carbon fibre, aside from the domed alloy aero-faceplate. Zipp claims that the Exogram construction makes it the stiffest by weight, and at 173.2g for my 110mm test sample it’s light too. The addition of the 97.7g out-front mount keeps your bike looking sharp and the net weight added is 67g (as the faceplate it replaces…

FROM THE EDITOR… As if the chance to save 30 per cent and to have every issue of Cycling Plus delivered direct to your door wasn’t enough of an incentive, this issue we’re also giving new subscribers a great gift – a Lezyne Pocket Drive Mini Pump. Worth ?25, this compact pump is fashioned from CNC-machined aluminium and, despite being just 140mm in length, it punches well above its weight, being able to inflate up to 160 PSI. A handy tool for any cyclist – don’t leave home without it! PLUS ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE OFFERS & COMPETITIONS AS PART OF OUR SUBSCRIBER CLUB! FEATURES • Just 140mm in length • Handle is lightly knurled for slip-resistant operation • Overlapping handle and integrated ABS Flex Hose • Maximum inflation pressure of…

Raspberry ripple baked oats This is a perfect pre-ride breakfast choice that’s all about fuelling the gas tank! Alternatively, it can be enjoyed as a post-ride recovery option, with the added protein used to support and aid recovery ready for your next training session. It’s also full of strong flavours and texture. INGREDIENTS SERVES 2 • 100g oats• 300ml boiling water• 2 peeled bananas• 80g frozen raspberries• 25g almonds (skin on)• 1 teaspoon cinnamon• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract• 2 tablespoons honey• 200ml almond milk• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds METHOD 01 Preheat oven to 180°C. Meanwhile, place the oats in a bowl and pour over boiling water so they're just covered and soak them for 10mins. 02 Slice one banana and set aside before mashing the other banana in a bowl…

WORKOUT 01 CADENCE SWITCHES TIME 45 minutes THE BENEFITS High-cadence efforts train you to spin faster on climbs, which is more energy-efficient than grinding uphill in a big gear. Low-cadence efforts prepare you for steeper ascents when your cadence will be slow. “Spending time at both lower and higher cadences (rpm, revolutions per minute) helps you adapt to changes in gradients without endlessly flicking your gears to give a more consistent pace,” says Phil Paterson. KIT SUGGESTION You can do cadence switches outside but a smart turbo trainer with a programmable function will make it easier to focus on your cadence, suggests Paterson. NUTRITION Fuel up with a banana 15mins before your workout. WARM-UP 8mins @ 40-70% FTP/40-70% HR 2mins @55% FTP/55% HR MAIN SETS BLOCK 1 2mins @ 80%…

DISTANCE 146km/90.5 miles TOTAL ELEVATION 1417m/4650ft GRADE Distance + Malvern Hills = a tough day out DOWNLOAD komoot.com/tour/377354744 WHERE TO STAY We stayed at Lemore Manor, set on 20 acres of grounds near Eardisley. It offers accommodation in the manor house, as well as shepherd’s huts. WHERE TO EAT The Crown Inn, Woolhope is a well-established local pub offering exceptional food, and advice on how to match dishes with their local ciders and perries. Customers can enjoy a new outdoor kitchen since it re-opened for summer THANKS TO… Andy Turner for accompanying us @atp_ performance; to Little Pomona littlepomona.com; Scott Bikes for the loan of the Foil 10, and The Orgasmic Cider Company orgasmiccider company.co.uk FIND, PLAN AND SHARE ADVENTURES WITH KOMOOT Komoot is an app that lets you find,…

We’re in the middle of a commuting and ebike revolution in the UK, with Aviva Insurance reporting that one in three bikes sold over the last year was e-assisted. At the same time, the appetite for using public transport has diminished significantly, further increasing the appeal of e-transportation. If you hadn’t considered an ebike before, now is the time to think of assisted, two-wheeled travel. There’s a wealth of options, from small foldable ebikes that are the perfect park-and-ride companions to fully equipped commuter bikes to superbike-level road racers that’ll see you ride triple figure distances and Alpine passes in one epic day. Even if you’re a committed cyclist, an ebike still gives you exercise but won’t leave you wiped out after a week of commuting so you can still…

BOSCH Mid-mounted system highly regarded for its powerful motor and reliability. The wide range of models from Bosch cover everything from load carrying urban bikes (see the Benno Boost on p20) to celebrated high-performance sports bikes (read about the Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty on p24). MAHLE eBikemotion X35 is Mahle’s lightweight rear hub system. It’s aimed more at sports riders and mostly found on fast road bikes (Scott Addict eRide, p32) but can also be found on light commuter bikes too. SHIMANO STEPS Steps from the Japanese giants is a mid-mount system that offers six different motor options, covering everything from commuter bikes to high-performance e-mountain bikes. FAZUA The Evation 1.0 system is a mid-motor design (Trek Domane+ LT 7, p33) that’s designed for subtle assistance rather than the out-and-out-torque…