Road bikes are available to suit many different styles of riding, from racing to recreational riding such as day touring, or even commuting. Here we look at the different types of road bikes and the benefits and drawbacks to each.

There is plenty of overlap between the categories and with a few component changes some road bikes can be adapted to increase versatility and capability.

Endurance or All-Road bikes:

This is our most popular type of road bike and for good reason. An endurance road bike (often referred to as an All-Road bike) is an evolution of the traditional drop handlebar road bike, blending low weight with a comfortable riding position, a wide gear range and smooth-rolling, high volume tyres. It’s the type of bike that hits the spot for most riders, especially on the steep and rough roads of Devon.

The Trek Domane is a perfect example of a fully-evolved endurance or all-road bike. Available with a carbon or aluminium frame (with every model using a carbon fork), all but the entry-level model are designed around disc brakes. This brings unparalleled year-round capability, with consistent, wet weather braking performance and plenty of clearance for confidence boosting, wide (32 to 38mm) tyres. Full length mudguards can be fitted too.

The riding position of the Trek Domane has a focus on comfort and efficiency. With a higher front end (head tube and stack height measurement) than a race focused road bike, you’ll be placing less of your weight on the handlebars and feel more relaxed. With the handlebars in this higher position you’ll be able to reach the drops more easily too. The longer wheelbase of an endurance bike adds stability, which increases confidence on rough descents and keeps you on line.

A wide range of gear ratios are standard on endurance bikes. This allows you to tackle steep, challenging climbs at the end of a long ride, without losing out on fast, smooth descents.

If these qualities in a road bike align with your planned riding but the smooth ride and long lasting finish of a titanium frame appeal, then check out the Reilly Spectre.

Race-focused and Aero road bikes:

If higher-paced road riding is on your agenda, or you just fancy a super-light machine with a race pedigree, then these are your bikes. Where endurance bikes prioritise stability, rider comfort and a wide gear range, high performance race-focused bikes will give a more involved, exciting ride that’s paired with low weight.

With closer ratio gears, you’ll need flatter terrain to get the best from these road bikes, or a higher level of fitness for hillier rides. The frame geometry puts the rider in a more aggressive ‘head down’ position, so a good body flexibility and core strength is beneficial too.

These road bike types are light – lower in weight than an endurance bike of equivalent price – but that doesn’t mean a compromise in comfort. Take the new Gen 7 Trek Madone, a bike with race pedigree in its DNA but loaded with technology to smooth the ride without compromising on weight or handling. Here Trek pairs IsoFlow frame technology, with high modulus carbon, aero frame profiling, disc brakes and supple 25mm tubeless tyres. The result is an urgent, involving, yet forgiving ride.

Low weight is often a key consideration when choosing a road bike, so if this is at the top of your list then the Trek Emonda may hit the spot. This road bike is ideally suited to short to mid-distance rides, where average speeds are high and hills are attacked energetically. Unlike the tech-heavy Madone, the Emonda’s frame takes a more minimalist approach, to keep weight incredibly low. The higher gear ratios and more aggressive riding position are matched to the bike’s racier intentions, so the Emonda is best suited to a fitter, more experienced rider.

Reilly has titanium options in these categories too. We can take a Fusion, T640D or T235D titanium frame and custom build you a lightweight road bike to suit your exact needs. Reilly even offers the T325 with rim brakes if you want to take a more traditional approach.

Specialist road bike options:

If time trials or triathlons are on your agenda for the season, then Trek has the Speed Concept road bike. Like the Madone and Domane, the Speed Concept model has been through years of evolution, making its debut at the time trials of the 2009 Tour de France. We’ve equipped regular, long-standing customers with Speed Concept road bikes, so we have experience on sizing and set up to get you perfectly dialled in.

We stock Trek road bikes with aluminium or carbon frames and custom Reilly road bikes with titanium frames. All these bikes use a carbon fork.

All of these three frame materials have their benefits but your budget will dictate what frame material options you have.

Aluminium: This is the most affordable frame material for contemporary road bikes. If your budget is a Trek road bike below £2500, then you’ll get an aluminium frame, paired with a carbon fork. An aluminium frame is lightweight, durable and translates into a fast ride. With modern aluminium road bikes using wider, higher volume tyres and a carbon fork, the resulting ride is smooth and comfortable.

Carbon: Road bikes with a premium carbon fibre frame blend smooth lines and a refined ride quality with urgent acceleration and direct handling. Carbon road bikes from Trek start at £2775 for the Domane SL 5 Gen 4, which is offered in nine frame sizes. It uses Trek’s latest IsoSpeed tech to smooth out rough roads and sports internal frame storage in the downtube. This is a fully evolved design and worlds apart from budget carbon frames.

Titanium: For the smoothest ride and long-lasting, elegant looks, it’s hard to beat a titanium road bike. Now is a great time to consider titanium, as road bike design has evolved to a point where technology and frame standards have plateaued. For titanium we turn to Reilly Cycleworks, a UK brand that’s had years of experience with this material and offers a comprehensive range of neatly detailed, well designed road frames. With a Reilly, we usually suggest a custom build, with disc brake framesets (including a forked headset) starting at £2399. For an off-the-peg Reilly titanium road bike (with disc brakes), prices start at £4199. Please get in touch to discuss custom build options.

Each of the road bikes we sell will have a maximum recommended tyre size for its frame and fork. Although there are front and rear specific tyres available from some brands it's best to match the front and rear tyre sizes exactly. It's also worth bearing in mind wheel choice too, as rim width will dictate an optimum tyre size.

Disc brakes have opened up more space within the frame and fork allowing for wider tyres. As a tyre’s width increases, so does its height. This means a wider tyre will have a higher volume and can be run at a lower pressure to provide more grip and better cushioning.

Modern, race-orientated road bikes with disc brakes (such as a Trek Emonda), will normally run 25mm tyres, with a maximum size of 28mm.

High performance endurance bikes have a focus on longer rides on rougher roads, so a smoother ride is a priority. For these bikes a 32mm tyre will be standard, but versatile models such as the Trek Domane can run up to 38mm, allowing light gravel tracks to be ridden comfortably.

If your budget allows then we certainly recommend electronic gears. This is now a mature technology, with good spares backup and reliable batteries. Our choice is the latest generation Shimano Di2, which is available from 12 speed 105 level upwards.

At the end of a long, tiring road ride, the light, intuitive shifter action of electronic gears can be really welcome. Trek endurance road bikes with a carbon frame and electronic gears start with the Domane SL 6 Gen 4 at £4175.

Drop handlebars on a road bike offer a wide variety of riding positions. This is advantageous, especially on longer rides, allowing an optimum position whether you are climbing, descending, or tackling a strong headwind. Your hands will move around the bars over the course of the ride, so you’re not locked into a fixed position.

Drop handlebars vary in shape and size. These handlebars will have a different shape depending on the type of road bike and bar width will usually increase with the bike’s frame size. For a custom build, we can select the perfect handlebar shape and size to suit you and your riding style.