The Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 has won the Best Budget Road Bike award in our 2017 Bike of the Year testing, one of 11 Bike of the Year categories that represent the culmination of a season's worth of intensive testing.
This year's awards are a collaboration between BikeRadar, Cycling Plus magazine, What Mountain Bike magazine and Mountain Biking UK (MBUK) magazine, bringing a vast amount of expertise to the process.
The road bike testing was headed up by Cycling Plus, Britain’s leading road cycling magazine, which tested dozens upon dozens of the latest and greatest bikes to find a winner. You can read more about the Budget Road Bike of the Year category in the latest issue — issue 327 — on sale now.
With a nominal budget of £1,000, the Budget Road Bike of the Year featured a shortlist of 10 road bikes ranging in price from £850 to £1,050. A thousand pounds is roughly the amount of money many of us spend on our first serious machine, it's the cut-off for most cycle-to-work schemes in the UK, and it's just enough cash to buy something genuinely excellent.
There were strong performances all round, but the Budget Bike of the Year award came down to a German head-to-head, with Rose and Canyon vying for the win.
We appreciated the Endurace's uncomplicated frame and its exceptionally generous spec that includes, among other things, a set of tyres that retail at £100. It's equipped with a full Shimano 105 groupset, along with Mavic Aksium wheels. Most importantly, it's a joy to ride, with a lively and willing personality that comes with a side order of real comfort.
Rose's Pro SL 2000 is significantly cheaper, arguably more up to date looking thanks to a very slick frame, and perhaps a touch racier, but the Canyon is just such a thoroughly complete package.
It's a little bit lighter than the Rose, it has better tyres, and it's slightly smoother without sacrificing any of the excitement. Even after a 25 percent post-Brexit price increase, the Endurace AL 6.0 is one hell of a bike for the money.
For full reviews of the other nine contenders, click on the links below:
- B'Twin Ultra 720 AF
- Cannondale CAAD Optimo Tiagra Disc
- Genesis Delta 20
- Giant Contend SL2 Disc
- Ribble Evo Pro Spring Edition
- Rose Pro SL 2000
- Specialized Allez E5 Elite
- Trek Émonda ALR 4
- Vitus Zenium VR Disc
Subscribe to Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
