Cycling Weekly — December 07, 2017

with the Fulcrum Quattro
carbons, which have carbon
braking surfaces, they’re
slightly underpowered.
The Fulcrums themselves
are a good all-round option
for the Nazaré SL. They are
not the most aerodynamic,
with their 40mm rim depth,
but they handle well and
are lightweight.

For

J Lightweight

J Aero

J Great handling

Against

J High-ish front end

J Underpowered braking

9

Verdict

The Nazaré SL Dura-

Ace is a well designed,

good-looking, fast bike

with a low weight and

top spec that will attract

the discriminating rider

who doesn’t follow the

herd. It may not have

the most aggressive

geometry or highest

level of component

integration but for many

that will go in

its favour:

it has all-

round

appeal with

the aero

advantage.

rims you can make them rub

on a steep hill.

For an aero bike we also

expected more aggressive

geometry: compared to its

equivalent-sized Canyon

Aeroad the stack is high. And

the 73°-square frame is

classic geometry, perhaps

at odds with modern

riders who are often

looking for steeper

seat angles and a

longer reach.

Handling was

fast and direct:

the wheelbase

at 985mm is

short, making

the Nazaré

very manoeu-

vrable with a

great ride feel.

As for

comfort, we

didn’t find it

harsh despite

the aero seatpost,

though it is better at

soaking up road buzz

than flexing for bigger

hits, which do tend to make it

kick up a little.

The Nazaré SL is

undoubtedly fast: clearly we

didn’t wind tunnel test it but

empirical evidence seemed to

suggest that it was a good half

to one mile-per-hour faster

than a round-tubed, heavier

bike around a lumpy hour-

long training loop.

Value

At just under £5K we’re in

superbike territory and the

Ride

An aero bike is rarely as

laterally stiff as a climbing

bike due to the shape of its

tubes, and this is the case

with the Nazaré SL. There’s

a lateral flex that is not

unwelcome — a good-quality

carbon frame such as this one

feels springy — but if you set

the brake pads too close to the

Custom one-piece

bar and stem

Separate pivot points

offer extra power

NeilPryde Nazaré SL with

Dura-Ace 9100 is ballpark

rather than bargain. The

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0,

which is also equipped with

mechanical Dura-Ace, is

£300 cheaper. However, it’s

important to bear in mind

that Canyon can generally

undercut most brands,

making the NeilPryde, which

is something different and

arguably more boutiquey,

worth the extra outlay.

Cycling Weekly | December 7, 2017 | 37