Women’s bikes
Three of cycling’s big names battle it out for 2022 Women’s Bike of the Year road bike honours, but which one will triumph?
The bikes
Cube Axial WS Race £1,749
Weight 9.59kg (50cm)
Frame Aluminium 6061 T6
Fork Carbon fibre Gears Shimano 105 11-speed (50/34, 11-34)
Brakes Shimano 105 hydraulic disc
Wheels CUBE RA 1.9 Aero Disc
Finishing kit Cube Performance alloy seatpost and SL alloy stem, Cube Compact Race alloy handlebar, Cube Natural Fit Venec Lite women’s saddle, Continental Ultra Sport 3 SL Kevlar tyres
The Good
Quality shifting and braking; great value
The Bad
Uninspiring paint job; awkwardly shaped handlebars
Liv Langma Advanced 1+ Disc £3,149
Weight 7.93kg (S)
Frame Carbon
Fork Carbon
Gears Shimano Ultegra 11-speed (52/36, 11-30)
Brakes Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc
Wheels Giant Carbon SLR-2 36 Disc WheelSystem
Finishing kit Giant Variant carbon seatpost, Giant Contact alloy stem, Liv Contact alloy bar, Liv Approach saddle, Giant Course 1 25mm tubeless tyres
The Good
Comfortable, dependable and upgradable, not to mention stylish
The Bad
Non-series cassette and excess cable length
Scott Contessa Addict RC 15 £5,699
Weight 7.5kg (S)
Frame HMX Carbon
Fork HMX Carbon
Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2 (50/34, 11-30)
Brakes Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc
Wheels Syncros Capital 1.0 35mm
Finishing kit Syncros Duncan 1.0 Aero carbon seatpost, Syncros RR 1.5 stem, Syncros Creston 1.0 compact carbon handlebar, Syncros Celista 1.5 V-Concept cutout saddle, Schwalbe 28mm ONE Race-Guard tyres
The Good
Effortlessly carries speed and always turns heads
The Bad
Aggressive race position won’t suit everyone
OUR THREE WOMEN’S road bikes take in one Shimano 105-equipped aluminium machine and a pair of carbon bikes with Shimano Ultegra, one with mechanical shifting, the other with Di2 electronic gears. This being 2022, all have hydraulic disc brakes and thru-axles.
The Axial WS Race is a well-priced bike from Cube, a German company known for its well-specced, high-value bikes, though in spite of the ‘Race’ in the name, we think it’s more of an all-round bike than one designed for the competitive rider. It’s up against the Langma Advanced 1+ Disc lightweight all-rounder from Liv, the ‘women-powered’ arm of Giant. This accompanies Shimano’s Ultegra with a Giant carbon wheelset that comes tubeless out of the box. The final bike in our trio is Scott’s Contessa Addict, a bike that has set alight the women’s professional peloton.
But will the overtly racy bike work just as well for the more recreational rider?
Alloy, alloy!
Topping out Cube’s High Performance Alloy (HPA) category, the Axial WS Race features Shimano 105 alongside a subtle, shimmering paint job and tan sidewall tyres. While there’s no particular mention of women-specific design, sizes are smaller and it’s fitted with a women’s saddle.
Even though I tested the Axial WS straight after its more expensive rivals here, I still really enjoyed the ride. There’s this sense of deep satisfaction from a tidy, well-specced bike that doesn’t cost the earth.
On the flat, it rolls incredibly well, without any harshness, the well-chosen 28mm Continental tyres that measure 29.7mm on the rims helping. The own-brand wheels have rims with a 19mm inner diameter, though they’re not tubeless compatible.
The geometry is fairly relaxed with a relatively upright riding position, which means getting fitted and comfortable from the get-go was easy. I’d say the fit caters for novice riders, with a slightly wider 40cm bar than you usually find on bikes this size.
The result is a more stable cockpit, though I felt a more compact design would be better. I got on with the women-specific Cube saddle, which resembles Specialized’s Power saddle with a slightly recessed central channel and short nose. It won’t be suitable for all, but it’s a great start.
Steering is confident and let me put the bike exactly where I wanted it, whether on narrow, twisting city bike paths or rough, gritty and often potholed lanes. Although designed for paved riding, it isn’t fazed by light gravel. At 9.59kg it’s not that light, but at this price other elements are prioritised: comfort, handling, reliability and most importantly, affordability. So, while it may not be the nippiest on the climbs, the Cube is still great fun and will serve a range of riders, with its commuting credentials boosted by mudguard mounts.
Sitting between budget road bikes and pricier, lightweight carbon models, Cube’s alloy Axial WS Race benefits from a great spec with excellent hydraulic braking, smooth, reliable shifting and a wide gear range from Shimano 105 with a useful 34×34 bottom gear. Ignore the ‘Race’ name: this is built for accessible all-day comfort, hilly riding and practicality rather than eye-watering speeds and aero advantages.
While a few tweaks could improve the Axial’s fit and look, it offers great value that’ll especially appeal anyone fairly new to road cycling.
All you need is Liv
Liv’s Langma is the women’s equivalent of Giant’s popular TCR. It features the company’s compact frame design with a sloping top-tube and greater length of exposed seatpost, although compared to the TCR it has a shorter reach and longer seat-tube for the same wheelbase.
Although it has some aero features, such as the frame shaping and easily adjustable Giant Variant carbon seatpost, other elements remain traditional, such as the round-profile handlebar and conventional stem. The Advanced 1+ Disc uses Advanced-grade carbon fibre, second only to the SL-grade carbon found on the toptier Langma, and tips the scales at 7.93kg. I like the stylish shimmering finish of the gloss ‘cold iron’ colour.
This model boasts a good-value build. Smooth-shifting 11-speed Shimano Ultegra 8000 is light, although the gearing is aimed more at racers; I’d prefer a compact chainset and wider-range cassette for climbing. Ultegra’s hydraulic disc brakes give controlled, consistent and powerful braking, and the brake levers have adjustable reach.
The Liv’s fairly high Ultegra gearing is aimed more at racers than climbers 
You’ll get a conventional stem and round handlebar on the Langma
The 1,535g Giant SLR-2 carbon wheelset is a good middle ground between all-out aero and a lightweight climbing wheel with its 36mm rim depth. A wide 22.4mm internal rim measurement means that the 25mm Giant Course 1 tyres blow up to 28mm, and they come set-up tubeless.
Finishing kit is in-house, and Liv’s Approach 155mm-wide saddle is very comfortable.
The Langma’s ride quality is testament to how well it has been put together. It offers the perfect balance of speed and comfort, allowing you to challenge yourself on faster-paced group rides. If you’re an outand-out racer you could dial in your fit for a more aggressive, aerodynamic position, but as an all-day rig I have no complaints about comfort, even over rougher lanes.
Cornering felt especially confident, encouraging you to really lean in and maintain your speed. Although this model isn’t the lightest, it certainly won’t hold you back, with a responsive feel tackling shorter, punchier climbs and no slouch on steadier ascents. I couldn’t resist testing the Langma’s versatility on a few light gravel sections. It may not have space for really wide tyres (32mm maximum), but I was impressed by how reliably the bike and tyres handled more challenging surfaces.
Sprightly, comfortable and great value, Liv is a do-it-all race whip. You get a lot for your money with the component choices, plus it has plenty of options for upgrading, should you want to shave a few grams or customise your fit.
Addicted to speed
Scott’s lightweight Addict RC 15 boasts the features you’d expect from a modern race bike: aero, carbon tubing; integrated cable routing; electronic gearing; hydraulic disc brakes; carbon wheels. The finishing kit is from Scott’s Syncros brand and includes a female-specific saddle. Aesthetically, it turns heads. I love the gloss finish with its shimmering texture, and the water-ripple detailing on the fork is a nice touch.
The updated Addict RC frameset is claimed to be 15 per cent stiffer than the previous iteration due to its carbon lay-up application. That’s extra power transfer – which is then maximised thanks to Scott’s patented airfoil tube design. Scott has also dropped the seatstays and integrated the cables to reduce drag.
Gearing is from 12-speed Ultegra Di2 with a compact (52/36) chainset and 11-30 cassette. It’s customisable via Shimano’s E-Tube app, which includes Synchro Shift. This automatically shifts between chainrings when shifting at the rear to avoid cross-chaining. As expected, shifting is lightning fast, but the Synchro Shift’s not as efficient as I’d hoped, a slight shifting lag leading to a loss of rhythm. The ergonomic hoods are great for smaller hands and the compact bar is both aero and comfy.
Ultegra hydraulic brakes provide powerful, reliable, responsive stopping.
The Addict rolls on Syncros Capital 1.0 35mm carbon wheels. Sold separately, these 1,574g climbing rims cost £1,219. A 21mm internal rim diameter boosts the 28mm tyres to 30mm. The rims are tubeless compatible, yet the tyres are not. These are Schwalbe’s popular One Race-Guard slicks, whose tubeless-ready versions cost £54 each. The electronic cables and brake hoses enter the carbon bar at the shifters, run through the stem and headset, then into the frame. Scott claims the design is a ‘mechanic-friendly’ world first, as you can remove the stem without cutting the hoses.
The Addict RC is a race bike with an aggressive position, which may be why I experienced some soft-tissue discomfort when in the drops, so I added spacers.
Syncros offers a range of saddles, too, which should alleviate the problem. Its 7.5kg weight is ‘made for climbers’ but its aero tubing helps to maintain momentum superbly. Also, those tyres cope effortlessly when the road becomes gritty.
All in all, the ride feel is certainly racy in terms of the aggressive geometry and gearing, so the bike will suit riders with competitive ambitions rather than everyday cyclists who may prefer the more endurance-focused Addict.
Synchro Shift automatically shifts between chainrings when you shift at the rear 
The aggressive ride position will appeal to those who race 
Electronic cables and brake hoses run through the frame for a neat front end
Liv forever
So, while the Scott is the bike here for speedsters and the Cube offers great value and comfort, the Liv Langma is the clear women’s winner. Besides that gorgeous, shimmering gloss paint job, it delivers a performance-orientated ride without an eye-watering price tag, and proved to be supremely comfortable all day long.
Lightweight, responsive and built with quality components, the Langma boasts all the modern tech that you need and none that you don’t.