While some hill climb bikes fall into the weird and wonderful category many more are just older machines, retired from regular use and adapted for a new life. A bike that can no longer keep up with the contemporary and the cutting edge on the flat can still serve a purpose in this very specific arena, where competitors race - usually solo and against the clock - on an almost always entirely positive gradient. In fact, some of the attributes which make it outdated are beneficial when viewed through the prism of going as fast as you can uphill.
Lee Ager’s Canyon CF SLX is a case in point. It started life in 2013 as his first ‘good’ road bike. It served him well for almost a decade before being replaced with something new and shiny. But thanks to its lightweight carbon frame, rather than sell it on, he chose to begin modifying it ahead of the 2022 hill climb season.
