Cannondale Slate 105: bike preview

Equally at home on tarmac and trail, this unusual hybrid from America offers the best of both biking worlds

In a world of carbon mania, Cannondale has remained resolutely loyal to the joys of aluminium. In this US builder's hands, it is light, strong, sleek, reliable and - in a frame such as this - just as expensive. But the Slate 105, which has just been crowned Eurobike's 'best road bike', is also a true game changer. It is two bikes in one: a road bike designed to go off-road, or maybe a trail bike with a fondness for tarmac. It features unusually relaxed geometry, an eccentric one-armed front suspension fork (called a Lefty Oliver) and a combination of heavy duty disc brakes and a road-going drivetrain. This means the Slate is both light and stiff for those long- distance schlepps, yet also agile and sturdy for rough ground. It's a two-for-one fun machine"

Price: 2,499
Frame: aluminium
Gears: Shimano 105
Brakes: Shimano hydraulic discs
cannondale.com