- A few months back, we pitted a bike
that we found on Ebay for 100 pounds
against this super bike, a Canyon Aeroad,
with Shimano's top of the range Dura-Ace 9170 groupset.
And the results were pretty stark.
This one was significantly faster.
But what was really surprising was the margin of victory.
I mean, this was on another level.
And so it got us thinking, just how much money
would you need to spend in order to actually shut that gap?
And to be fair, many of you wondered exactly the same thing
in the comments section under that previous video.
So we have come back to our horrible climb
and our torturous descent and our flat time trial.
But with this, a Canyon Endurace AL 7.0.
Now, it retails for just over €1000,
or just under £1000,
making it a purchase for a committed bike rider,
but very much still in the mid-range category.
It's got a lightweight aluminum frame.
It's got Shimano's ever-reliable
workhorse groupset, the 105.
And it's also got a very sprightly
set of Mavic wheels on there.
But just how much faster will this super bike still be?
I tell you what, I'm going to need
some help for this, actually.
I can't do it on my own.
Matt?
Matt!
Matt!
- [Matt] We're going to test these,
firstly on our horrible climb.
It's not exactly an Alp, but it's plenty hard enough.
Although just two kilometers long,
the average gradient is 11%,
and there's a really big chunk at 22%.
- On a climb like this, the major difference in speed
between these bikes is going to come down to the weight.
Now this super bike, if you remember, is no featherweight.
Its major strengths lie elsewhere.
But that aside, it's still pretty
remarkably light at 7.3 kilos.
- Now remember, our cheap bike
weighed in at 11.95 kilograms.
For this mid-range bike also, let's weigh her in.
- 8.9, so that's a pretty bonkers
3 kilos weight saving between
our bargain basement and our mid-range.
Although clearly, to save more weight
is going to cost quite a lot more money.
In this case, what's that,
like 1500 grams costing five grand.
- So, Si, let's put our money where our mouths are.
- Yeah, how much faster does 1500 grams get you?
- Getting a bit nervous. - Yeah, I am, actually.
- I know, it's a tough climb, isn't it?
- It is, I remember how much it hurt last time.
Right. - You focused?
- Yeah, I think I am, actually.
- Right then. - Okay.
- I'm going to count you in. - Alright.
- Alright.
(imitating beeping)
(energetic music)
(imitating beeping)
Didn't get me foot in.
Almost disaster at the start, but here we go.
- Run number one and I'm riding the Aeroad
and Matt is on the Endurace.
We are going to ride this climb flat out.
And on paper, you might expect to see the Aeroad
have a margin of victory of about six seconds,
because of the weight saving.
But the Endurace may just have a trump card,
because the 105 gears that are specced on there are compact,
so that could allow us to ride the steepest section
at a more comfortable cadence, a more optimal cadence.
Now, we specced the Aero, meanwhile,
with standard race-oriented gears,
although it does take advantage still
of the new Dura-Ace's ability
to use a 30-tooth cassette at the back.
But nevertheless, the smallest gear
on the Aeroad is still bigger.
(upbeat music)
(heavy breathing)
Hey, Matt.
How'd that feel, mate?
- Pretty brutal, but not too bad,
considering it was my first ride for quite a long time.
It felt really light.
Gear selection, although not quite as smooth as Di2.
Functional, no issues with the gears, nice low gear ratio.
And I actually managed to stay seated
for the vast majority of the climb,
which is saying something, since we're talking about that.
Do you know what, it felt pretty good.
What about you?
- Well, I can't complain, if I'm honest.
It's everything you'd hope, isn't in?
- I was going to say, yeah.
- Well, I have to say, the chain's a bit dirty.
- [Matt] Not much to--
- [Si] But you need to scrub it off a bit.
- Not much topping that, it's better than your shades.
Okay, run number two.
I get to go on that one.
(imitating beeping)
- Go on, go on. - That was quick.
That's not seconds. - First time, you're in.
Go on, three is enough.
- Tell you what, first impressions, very positive.
(imitating beeping)
- He's in!
Here we go.
Run number two and a quick bike swap.
So that we haven't altered the bike spec at all,
we're using PowerTap P1 pedals to monitor power output,
as well as just going full gas.
Another difference between the two
is that while the Dura-Ace of the super bike
has a power meter option, 105 doesn't.
As we mentioned, the Endurace is really light,
particularly for the price.
The frame is about 1390 grams,
which is only about 300 grams more than the Aeroad.
(energetic music)
- Whose idea was it to do max effort?
(heavy breathing)
Terrible idea.
(heavy breathing)
There he is.
Super.
Right, well, leaving aside the fun factor for the ride--
- It was fun? - Yeah.
What of the results, Matt?
Let's get straight in there.
- [Matt] Well, 10 seconds quicker on this bike, but--
- [Si] 10 seconds.
- But for pretty much the same power.
So not much, isn't it?
- No, well, to be fair, this one,
this one, I, was even closer.
Eight seconds faster on the Aeroad.
- [Matt] Eight seconds, that's not much at all though.
- [Si] No, it's not.
- [Matt] Wow.
- I mean, to a certain extent, we can't be too surprised,
because a climb that steep doesn't really
play to the advantages of our particular super bike.
And the weight difference of 1.5 kilos,
that's not the be-all and end-all, is it?
That's probably what's made the difference,
a shade of 10 seconds or eight seconds.
And you know, the other thing
that the can come into play, really, are the gears.
But actually the difference in performance, really,
between Endurace and 105 is quite slight, isn't it?
- It is, well, the first thing to mention,
of course, is that 105 is a bit heavier.
So that's-- - Fair enough.
- So that's one of the contributing factors
for this bike being heavier.
But from a performance perspective,
there's not much separating them at all.
There's 22 gears.
They've got a similar array of ramps and pins.
Now, the main difference in relation
to separating the price points
is the materials used and also
the manufacturing process as well.
- The only other thing that I noticed,
and I don't think it affected the performance,
just perhaps the fun factor slightly, was just the position.
It's just a little bit more cramped on the mid-range bike.
But I could've sorted that out
with a swap of the stem, which wouldn't cost much.
Drop it 10 mil, get an extra 20 mil longer stem,
and that would've meant that I probably
felt a lot more comfortable.
But that's just what I'm used to, I guess, as well.
- Yeah, I mean, I felt exactly the same thing.
And remember I said I spent most of the time sat down?
I must've been, when I got out
of the saddle on the mid-range bike,
it didn't feel quite as comfortable.
But it felt pretty efficient, sat down.
Whereas on this one, I was out of the saddle a lot more.
It just felt far more efficient.
But again, same power but 10 seconds quicker.
So not much at all to call it, mate.
- Right then, mate, challenge number two is calling.
- Break time. - No, braking time.
Yeah, sorry, not break time.
On to challenge number two, braking.
Last time the might of the disc brakes
versus old, flexy rim brakes,
paired with some slightly ropy wheels, was no contest.
In fact, the stopping distance was almost doubled.
- [Matt] What though, when you have a good set of wheels
with a machined braking surface
and a really solid set of rim brakes?
- The test is a simple one.
We ride at 40 kilometers per hour,
and then when we hit this line, we jam the brakes on.
Just how long does it take these bikes to slow down?
Run number one is going to be
this Canyon Endurace mid-range bike.
And on it, we've got Shimano 105 rim brakes.
The caliper itself is made out of aluminum,
meaning that it is light and it's also stiff.
And that's the really important part,
'cause it means that the braking force
exerted by your fingers is transferred through the cable
and then directly into the pads,
and therefore onto the rim, slowing you down.
With a flexier caliper, although your power
does still eventually get to the rim,
the flex in the caliper means
that you don't have quite as much control
or as much feel over what is happening with the brakes.
The other factor that should help this bike
slow down quickly is the wheels.
So we've got Mavic Aksiums on here,
that again, made out of aluminum.
They've got a CNC machined brake track.
And that means it's almost a perfect surface
for those brake pads to grab onto.
(energetic music)
Run number two, disc brakes.
Now, not much can be said about disc brakes
that has not been said before.
Inside the brake line we've got hydraulic fluid,
as opposed to a steel cable.
So that improves the responsiveness of them even further.
And while those Mavic rims are very nicely machined indeed,
so too are our disc rotors.
And whereas with the rim brakes we've just got
rubber pads being squished against them,
the pads inside the disc brake
are much, much harder non-rubber compound.
So again, that improves the responsiveness.
And while we might not need
all the power that these brakes offer,
what we will take advantage of is the extra modulation
that allows us to use that power more effectively.
(energetic music)
Well, almost identical.
Has that taken us by surprise?
Not particularly, actually, it has to be said,
because we know that the brakes
on the mid-range bike are fantastic.
And actually, disc brakes only really
come into their own in the wet.
And thank goodness today is not wet,
because unlike disc brakes,
GCN presenters do not tend to come into our own in the wet.
Now, there is also a slightly funny
thing here we've got to mention,
in that a mid-range bike is almost always
going to come with aluminum rims on there,
which tend to offer better
braking performance than carbon ones.
Not always, some carbon rims are on a par with aluminum.
But there could've been a situation here where,
were our super bike to have had rim brakes,
it may actually have performed worse
in this test than our mid-range bike.
That said, a Dura-Ace rim brake caliper
would offer better modulation than a 105 one.
And particularly, if you're able to
go for the direct mount option,
which means that it bolts onto your frame
via two bolts instead of one.
That stiffens it up even further.
- Right then, so far, so good.
The difference between the mid-range bike
and super bike is pretty small.
But will the tables turn, now the speed's about to go up?
Test number three, it's the descent.
Unlike the cheap bike before, there's not going to be
too much of an advantage with braking here.
But we've yet to mention the trump card of the super bike.
And like its name suggests, the Aeroad,
well, it's aerodynamic.
- Not all super bikes are going to have that strength,
but then, we chose this one precisely because it does.
The Shimano C40 wheels should save a chunk of time.
So the deeper rim on there means that it causes
less turbulence as it passes through the air.
And that's helped by the wider profile,
and what's called its toroidal shape.
Now, because it's made out of carbon fiber,
it's still super-lightweight.
Were it to be made out of aluminum, like those rims,
then it would probably weigh a ton.
Now, you can, of course, stick those wheels into any bike.
But harder to swap are the aerodynamic
handlebar and stem on here.
But then even more intrinsic to the Aeroad
are the very shapes of the tubes that make up the frame.
And they are designed to cut through the air.
(cheering)
(energetic music)
Well, just like last time,
it is tough to truly put two bikes
through their paces downhill on an open road
without an unduly high risk of serious injury or death.
But nevertheless, once again the Aeroad steals a victory.
Why, well, we can only guess.
But the aforementioned aerodynamics
will likely be playing a role,
and the increased modulation of the discs
also instilled a greater feeling of confidence in us,
meaning that we were able to brake later and harder.
It's challenge number four, and it's crunch time.
You remember this?
It's the time trial.
Completely flat course, out and back.
And I suspect that just as when we put
our bargain bucket bike against a super bike,
this one is going to totally crush it.
Because aerodynamics are even
more important than people think.
And that bike is aero, and this one is not.
- And I get to go on this one first.
- You do make it look aero, mate.
- It does, look at that.
It's just built for speed, isn't it?
- Depends who's riding it.
No, actually, it doesn't.
It's built for speed, no matter who's riding it.
- Thanks mate, yeah.
(imitating beeping)
- [Si] You should've held me up, actually.
- Go on, Si.
(energetic music)
(imitating beeping)
(energetic music)
- Around 300, kept it.
8:39 was the time.
God, bit rusty there, mate.
Felt fast. - Yeah.
- Was so fast, what of yours?
- It felt really good, actually.
It's got to be said, it's a world away from that cheap bike.
Like it feels fast, like a proper road bike.
But I just have a feeling it's just going to be,
just not quite as quick as that one.
- No, I mean, this, like I said, it's really comfy.
The only thing that's wrong with it
is the engine at the moment.
But no, it certainly felt as quick
as I could push it, anyway, mate.
- Quick change and then-- - Round two, yeah.
Give it another nudge.
Super bike time for you, okay.
Three, two, one.
(imitating beeping)
(energetic music)
Well, I'm glad that's over.
- [Si] Yeah, so we got to find somewhere
for a coffee and a piece of cake,
get through these results.
- [Matt] Perfecto.
- You know what, Matt.
I'm not entirely sure what to think here.
That mid-range bike clearly represents
such great performance for the price.
It's kind of leaving me wondering
exactly what it is about a super bike that's so super.
- Well, one's thing for certain, Si.
It's good news, because after our
cheap bike V super bike test,
we were just left a little bit concerned
at the cavernous gap in performance.
And it's actually reassuring to know
that cycling isn't the preserve of the super-rich.
And maybe we're not as elitist
as a lot of people previously thought.
- Yeah, that is right, isn't it, actually?
Because while there's nothing stopping
the rider of our mega-cheap eBay bike from having fun,
the bike was seemingly stopping us from riding fast.
Whereas in this case, that mid-range bike
is super good fun and it is pretty darn fast as well.
I mean, the frame is what, 400 grams heavier.
The groupset behaves flawlessly.
And even when we try and put it to the sword,
aerodynamically, it wasn't that far behind.
- [Matt] It's a lot of extra money
for relatively minor performance gains.
Yet just the feel of it is far more engaging.
It's more agile, it's more responsive.
It's like it's willing you on.
- At this point, I suspect that you
are going to be split on this.
For many of you, this is just a sign
that you do indeed get minimal return
for your extra investment when you buy a super bike.
It is, of course, predominantly about the rider.
And actually, you probably think
that Matt's previous statement is just a bit fluffy.
Sorry, Matt, it's true.
But then for many of you,
you're going to agree wholeheartedly with Matt.
And that, yes, you can't actually explain
the difference between these two bikes with stopwatch alone.
Can you quantify just what makes
that super bike so rewarding to ride?
- Well clearly, Si, there has to be
something tangible that distinguishes super bikes,
because many people are lucky enough to own them.
And if that wasn't the case, they wouldn't.
Now, us as cyclists, it's a fact,
have become far more attuned
at noticing very small differences.
So drop your tire pressure, for example,
by 20 PSI, and you'll know about it.
Drop your saddle height by two mil
and it's going to drive you insane.
So as long as there's going to be
a measurable difference, you'll know about it.
So whether it's downhill, whether it's on a climb,
whether it's braking, or whether it's on the flat.
It's no surprise that we can still perceive that.
- Yeah, that is true, actually,
isn't it, when you think about it.
'Cause if you extrapolate out our short tests,
in percentage terms, on the climb, it was 2%.
On the TT, it was 4%.
So over an hour's ride, that would then be what,
two and a half minutes, roughly?
And so on a two hour ride, that's five minutes.
Quick maths there.
And you would definitely notice if you got to the cafe
five minutes earlier, wouldn't you?
- [Matt] So would your mates as well.
- That's a good point, actually.
And not only that, you'd also have to
buy another coffee, wouldn't you?
But I still can't get away from the fact that
that Endurace gives you so much bike for the money.
I mean, in terms of groupset alone,
when the bikes that we were racing on not 10 years ago,
the Dura-Ace, I don't think was as good as this 105.
I mean, it was 10-speed, this is 11-speed.
The shifters were a lot bulkier.
Like, that's just amazing.
That costs a grand and you could race on it brilliantly.
- I mean, there's no doubt the difference
between that eBay bike and the mid-range bike is vast.
And we should also throw in another
slight curveball when buying a super bike.
Although it performs better in every regard,
spending that bit more money
also allows you to tailor the bike.
Now, 7.2 kilograms is pretty light.
You could buy one for five kilograms and climb faster.
- Yeah, you could.
Or actually, you swap out the wheels
on that one for deeper ones,
and you could go even faster
on the flats and on descents as well.
So having more money does allow you more choice, doesn't it?
- But that still leaves plenty of room
to go further and find value in a super bike.
Yeah, the differences aren't that big,
but they're still significant and measurable.
And that doesn't even take into account
the kind of unquantifiable side of things as well.
- Yeah, I mean, like we said,
you get to the cafe five minutes earlier.
That's measurable and significant, isn't it?
- Definitely.
- Measurable in terms of time and also finances,
'cause you got to fund that extra flat white.
- And probably caffeine dehydration on top of that as well.
- Yeah, complex topic.
Now, I would imagine that this
is going to stir up quite a bit of debate.
So if you are not in the comments section already,
please head down there and let us know
what you think on this subject.
Do you feel that there isn't enough of a difference
between a mid-range bike and super bike
to justify that extra expense,
or do you feel that you can easily justify
a super bike if you can afford one?
Make sure you let us know.
- Yeah, now, if you want just a little bit more
of a detailed look at this very subject,
why not watch our geek edition
over on the tech channel to find out?
- Yeah.
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