The 10 Best Endurance Road Bikes for Comfort and Speed in 2024 

I know the budget aluminum bikes don't get much love, but would love to see this same comparison for the al spec'd bikes.

Love the way how you describe the bikes how they feel as well and not just on the technical specs. Helps a lot. Thanks!

Best endurance road bike is a used mechanical shifting rim brake model being sold second hand for pennies on the dollar. So many good bikes available for cheap from people chasing improvements not necessary in most recreational situations.

Interested to hear you views on the Pinarello X - potentially the X7, and thank you for all your hard work reviewing such amazing bikes in such great detail, thanks!

Thanks Dave. My dream endurance bike for 2024… Synapse with: - no smartsense - sram force AXS 12-speed - hollowgram r-s 50 carbon wheels - integrated bar and stem like the vision trimax - possibly a high-mod frame version option Basically a synapse version of the super six evo 1 Aaah - that would be beaut

Still ride my 2017 Cannondale Synapse for my endurance bike with a Redshift suspension stem. Early on I raced this bike as well (without the stem), however after ruining a race by jamming stones under the brake caliper I moved to a disc brake TCR for racing. Both bikes are setup with the same positioning, however the Synapse is rock solid in the wind while the TCR is twitchy once the wind gets up. But I think the Synapse is my favorite bike (I have six bikes).

The downtube storage should be mandatory in all but the bikes pros ride (ok...not just pros but pros and everyone who rides with a car behind ready to give you assistance in case of flat or mechanical). Thus, for every day riders, downtube storage is the most aero option outthere. Just think at the time specialized and cannondale spent on slimming down the seatpost just for a every-day-rider to place a saddle bag there. It's the most dumb thing ever. If you need to use a saddle bad (I do), then downtube storage is the most aero feature one could get.

Certainly not dead for me. Changed my interest in riding for sure. Was riding a race bike for years until this summer. Got a nice deal on Canyon's CF Endurace and pulled the trigger. First new bike in over a decade. And boy do I wish I had done it sooner. The comfort over my old bike, particularly as I age, was really something I didn't realize was so important. Now I ride all the time. The bike is smooth and fast. I love it.

I bought a Synapse Carbon 4 (Tiagra 2x10) without the unnecessary gubbins with lights etc.....I love it and have been doing some light gravel/bridleways on it (35c Gravelking SS tyres) in dry conditions and, after fitting a Redshift stem, have found it very comfy indeed.....I am 60, and need more of a relaxed geometry, so it fitted me for the stuff I do rather well. Saying that, in the past few weeks in the UK with constant rain, I'vebeen on my gravel and 29er bikes so I don't ruin the new one..... I do understand the thing about owning 2 sets of wheels and am definitely thinking about it with my Synapse....One with 30c road tyres and the other with 35-38c gravel tyres as there seems to be enough clearance....Hmmm ?

I have a Domane SL 5 Gen meanwhile withe 105 DI2. Best bike I ever had. And I have a Argon 18 Kryton GF in the "old" version. This bike I cam highly recomand too.

I only picked Canyon because it allows standard 27.2 round seat post. Put Redshirt suspension seat post into it, absolutely love the comfort and do not need wider tires

BMC Roadmachine, Merida Scultura Endurance

Mountain biker and I would like to have a road bike again. This was very good and helpful. Thank you.

I've recently bought a Cube Attain GTC SLX, I think its great value for money with its 105 Di2 and carbon frame

Great review, would love to see where the Pinarello X factors into this list.

Endurance is the way to go for long rides and comfort. I love my Canyon . 35 mm tires

I have a BMC Roadmachine (endurance) its a great bike ! Should be in the list for sure 👍

Cervelo Caledonia is a great option

Great review ! I have a Bianchi Infinito CV 2022, I would love to have it included in this video because it’s very hard to find any review… great bike with a very comfy frame with its countervail technology. But no idea how it compares to the one in this video…

Fantastic video! Dave, for those of us looking at the 'sportier' endurance bikes, with a not-too-relaxed geometry and upright position, it looks from your comments that the DEFY and the WILIER are the best option (leaving aside the Cannondale for the reasons you flagged in the video). As between those two, which one would you recommend? Wouldn't the WILIER be harder on climbs? Thanks!!!!

How can comfort be king if bike manufacturers put integrated cockpits on endurance bikes (*cough, Canyon)? Tweaking a bike's fit with different length stems, handlebars and cranks is essential to maximizing comfort.

Add the BMC Roadmachine. I bought one 3 years ago and it is pretty terrific as an endurance bike

David since you ask about other bikes, I’d love to know why you (and other journos for that matter) never review Cube bikes. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t market that much but it really puzzles me. They are well made, well finished with great build quality and in terms of value for money are in many cases even better than Canyon but can be bought in LBS. To take their highest spec endurance bike for example, the Agree C62 SLT, here in Ireland you can get a DuraAce bike, with deep dish carbons, integrated cockpit and internal cable routing, weighing just 7.4kg for €6,000. An equivalent spec/weight Trek or Specialized is over double the price and won’t be any faster for the average mortal. Similarly with their Aero bike, and some lady called Lucy just won Kona in a record breaking performance on their tri bike. What’s the catch?

Kudos on putting out so many videos even though I don't always agree with you. 35mm tyre limit on the Canyon is as much as you need for an endurance bike IMO. If you want more then you need a gravel bike. I thought you were putting a case forward for why you may want an endurance bike instead of a gravel bike?

I would be really interested in you reviewing the new Krypton Pro from Argon18. It seems to be the bike that checks all the boxes for me. Unfortunately here in Germany there isn‘t anywhere to actually test it out. And love the channel!!

Hi David - really enjoy your videos . . . perhaps the Felt brand is not distributed in G B but here in Montreal I had the good fortune to compare the Giant, Trek and Cannondale endurance bikes with the Felt VR Advanced Endurance (Shimano Ultegra Groupo) and quite frankly the Felt won out by a fair margin in terms of comfort and handling . . . I realize that comfort is subjective but if one has the opportunity, one ought to include the Felt VR in their shopping list. I did a LOT of research on the brand and the all carbon frame/fork configurations and carbon lay-ups are the result of a very high level of R&D by a C F specialist firm consulting with Felt. Definitely worth a look see :-) BTW, I have NO affiliation whatsoever with the brand . . . Just a happy Felt rider P.S. pretty bikes too :-)

Fairlight and ritchey are making two of the nicest riding bikes in this segment

David-- you spent a fair bit of time on the Giant Defy with the shortened trail in comparison to previous years. Did you have any issues with toe overlap of the front wheel?

A bike i often see advertised at the moment is the Isaac Boson. Kind of racier endurance bike, just like the Giant Defy. There aren't many reviews on it but I'd love to see how these bikes compare to each other

Would love to see a review of the Look 765!!!

I've got a 2022 Scott addict rc 20. Lovely fast and comfy bike with good tyre clearance that is relatively light when compared to the alternatives...worth reviewing?

Synapse, the endurance bike with the battery that doesn't last long enough for endurance riding but you have to carry it around anyway - even if you're using a dynamo. Synapse I think should be reclassified a commuter bike.

@davidearthur Great video and thanks for the advices. You make another video like this on the best 10 gravel bike of 2024 ? and for mtb ?

Hi. I would be very happy if you could review the Look 765 Optimum. I'm very curious about your opinion about this bike.

Hi-I'm just getting back into cycling after a long absence (my road bike is a Scott CR1-Comp from 2011). Of these reviews I liked the Vitus Venon Evo due to its 2-in-1 road/gravel capacity. But you called it a "jack of all, master of none." I love my road bike because it's light and feels like a racer but with relaxed geometry, but I could use more comfort for longer rides both in the seat and the handlebars. Is there something that combines these two elements and the road/gravel options in one bike? Does the Vitus Venon Evo do this?

I’ve been shopping for a new and my first carbon road endurance bike. Ive been using my gravel bike as a road/endurance. I was really digging the Endurace but that tv remote top clip I just can’t get past. It just looks so cheap with that cover considering it’s an expensive piece of sport tech.

I would be very interested to hear you opinion on how the BMC Roadmachine and the colnago C68 all Road sit among this bunch

Any thoughts on Felt bikes? So many options and I'm a bit lost. Thank you!

Having some Cube reviews would be really nice! Usually any reviews on Cube are in german, and they are not very common. The price + quality always gets me

I signed up to buy the Merida Scultura Endurance 8000 to replace my venerable Canondale 6/13 (composite construction), which I loved but unfortunately broke the bottom bracket. At 72 years, I was hoping for rather more relaxed ergos and some latest tech to keep me in the saddle. The bike was on the water and due in 8 weeks, but dear me when the time came to collect, the bike no longer existed. Bad form Merida, very bad. Did I say badly disappointed? I changed the order to a Trek Emonda SL6 Di2, added a Bontrager DuoTrap S sensor, Garmin Edge 540 and a Garmin Forerunner 745 at Black Friday prices. The Trek was $400 more expensive than the Merida with a lower spec groupset (105, not Ultegra) and lower spec wheels. I flipped over the head bracket to raise the handlebars and rotated back the drop bars to give a more upright riding position. Overall the result provides acceptable comfort and I no longer get the sore neck I had with the 6/13. The steering is a bit more fidgety than the 6/13 but I have adjusted. I stay on the bitumen but the roads in the Adelaide Hills are often roughly patched. Not a forgiving setup, so technique is important on the descents to keep weight off the saddle and avoid sharp steering corrections in the corners.

I would love to see a review on the new focus paralane, can't find any information anywhere!

I would highly recommend the bmc roadmachine. Super comfortable bike and with a good pair of lightweight wheels it's surprisingly fast

Interested on hearing your views on Ribble SLR as an Endurance bike.

Do you think you can review a Soma Fog Cutter road+ bike. It fits like 650x48mm slicks with endurance road bike geo & touring mounts.

Have you ridden a Pinarello Paris disk 105? I know it's a discontinued model, but want your opinion. You make great content. Thanks for all the valuable and informative information.

The best one i had were a Colnago , fuji ace , cannondale synapse , mikado longrifle

If possible, at some point it would be nice to have Your opinion on LOOK 765 Optimum+.

A great selection of endurance bikes and not all carbon

ENDURANCE ROAD BIKE equals……fixing up your old racer from the 80’s & 90’s! Love my old LiteSpeeds!

Bang for buck nothing comes close to the Polygon S8D beautiful styling

Hi David, what about the Colnago C 68 Allroad?

Recommend a review of the new Lauf Uthald Race Wireless as a ‘fast’ endurance bike.

Will you be testing the new Laud Uthald?

Does anyone know if the giant fast road ar advanced hybrid is the same frame as their endurance or gravel bike?

I think the defy will be back in roubaix and flanders next season.

Merida Scultura Scott Addict Pinarello X Cervelo Caledonia

What about the Cervelo Caledonia 5?

BMC Road Machine?

which mudguards are those on the J.Laverack J.ACK? they look pretty nice and clean. I'm looking for some mudguards for my caledonia which I love

Please review the scott addict

I'd love to see you review some of the Ribble bikes, if you haven't already done so.

How comfortable are the drops vs road bike. Does the shorter reach make you feel like you would fall over while trying to have a good straight back?

Do the Pinarello Dogma X please

I totally agree Cannondale crucified the Synapse with integrated battery and lights. 😢😢😮😮

BMC Roadmachine? Pinarello X?

Old guy here, very less flexible. Which has the best geometry for old and not very flexible?

Cervelo Caledonia

Time ADHX?

dear dave what could be the real difference between these bike and a gravel bike with right geometry (open up/wide)?

Cervelo Caledonia 5 ?

Hey David… you forgot Rose Reveal?😮

No mudguards mounts on the canyon/willier, wtf are manufactures thinking about?

the best thing Trek did was get rid of the IsoSpeed Decoupler upfront. The Gen 3 model was a turd. The Gen 4 model has a massively better ride.

If you ride a Domane RSL ( race version)2023, you won’t ride anything else. Comfortable and fast.

What do you think about Rose bikes?

Time ADHX!!

Basso Astra??

What about the Cervelo Aspero??

And as expected there are no rim-braked bikes in this review. What about people who prefer rim brakes over discs like myself? Oh, I see, it's either disc brakes or just keep and cherish and upgrade components on your older bike/s like I did 😉 Disc for dirt, rim for road.

Scott addict man 😢

What about roadmachine

New Oreo gold stc

Lapierre Pulsium

I regret buying the Defy and not the Revolt.

BMC Roadmachine

rose reveal?

Mud guards😂. My granddad had those on his bike

I thoroughly disagree david and will hopefully make my case clear in a future video of some sort 😉

Why can bike manufacturers devise a tool of firing paint ball that cars that fly by you close to scare you get a big dose on medicine.

Synapse 4 does not include smartsense

ORBEA

In case you didn't know: Bikes don't go fast, riders do. Silly.

I think it is rather the death of the normal road bike

those are all to expensive...

Good selection of bikes but there is no such brand as Veetus, its pronounced VITUS with an i, not ee |||

Dont buy cannondale, too many proprietary parts

Laud Uthald ?

Why make a video like this if you do not mention prices? Useless.

I will never ride Giant anything. Total crap!!!

The 2021 Trek Domane SL6 is an excellent endurance bike. Can be found cheap enough online