Compact frame
• Pioneered by the late, great Mike Burrows with the influential Giant TCR back in the 1990s, a compact frame has a sloping top-tube, short wheelbase and small rear triangle. This gives you greater standover clearance and possibly a stiffer, more responsive ride than a traditional-geometry frame with a horizontal top-tube, the sort of frame that was pretty much ubiquitous up until a few decades ago. A compact frame will also have a greater length of exposed seatpost, which should theoretically allow for greater comfort too – especially if the seatpost is specifically designed to offer some flex.
Disc brakes
• Unlike rim brakes, where pads push against the wheel rims when you pull the levers, disc brakes push the pads onto a central rotor. Entry-level systems are…
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Cycling Plus (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2024