SHOULD WE STOP TESTING THE PRICIEST KIT?

This question crops up most commonly when a new bike launches, and it's a fair point - not many readers are in the fortunate position to be able to buy the £10k+ bikes we frequently review at launch.

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So why bother?

There are plenty of reasons, but the most important is that we don’t always get to choose which bikes we test. When brands unveil a new model, they usually have a limited number of test samples available. More often than not, these are premium builds the kind of bikes used at press camps and for global launches with key dealers.

Companies understandably want to demonstrate the very best of their new wares, and decking out your pride and joy in Shimano Dura-Ace or Campagnolo Super Record is an easy way to make your product feel more desirable and exciting. While we always stress the value of sending us mid-range models, the reality is they're often not made available to us, and brands rarely have their full range of builds available at launch.

Once the initial hype has passed, our goal is to follow up with reviews at lower price points - the bikes more people actually buy. An example of this process in action is our Cannondale Synapse coverage. We began with the flagship Synapse LAB71 (the bike the brand sent us at launch), in issue 434. At £13,000, this is an absurdly expensive model, out of reach for nearly all riders. Then we reviewed the Synapse Carbon 2 SmartSense, in issue 436. While we're by no means suggesting a £7,250 bike is attainable for everyone, it’s far more relevant to our readers than the top-end model. Plus, we're hoping to test cheaper builds still of the Synapse. Try as we might, unfortunately, some brands are cautious about sending more affordable bikes for review. With tighter budgets, spec compromises are inevitable, and those are easier to criticise. Ironically, that's what makes these bikes more enjoyable to test - and our verdicts more useful to you.