Bicycling Magazine Announces Its 2008 Editors’ Choice Winners

Awards Honor the Year’s Best-Performing Bikes in 11 Popular Categories

Bicycling magazine announced last week the winners of the 2008 Editors’ Choice Awards in the bike-specific category. Bicycling’s editor-in-chief, Steve Madden, and product test director, Matt Phillips, presented the awards to the 11 winners at Bicycling’s industry-wide party on April 18th at the Sea Otter Classic, the largest cycling festival in America.

The following bicycles were recognized as the most outstanding product in their category: BEST DREAM ROAD BIKE Crumpton Ultralight

BEST RACE BIKE Pinarello Prince

BEST ENTHUSIAST ROAD BIKE Jamis Xenith Pro

BEST PLUSH ROAD BIKE Cervelo RS Rival

BEST RECREATIONAL ROAD BIKE Cannondale Six13 5

BEST ENTRY LEVEL ROAD BIKE LeMond Reno Double

BEST WOMEN’S ROAD BIKE Cannondale Synapse Feminine 3

BEST PERFORMANCE XC MOUNTAIN BIKE Yeti AS-Rc Carbon XTR

BEST TRAIL BIKE Giant Trance X1

BEST COMMUTER BIKE Breezer Villager

BEST CRUISER Electra Gigi

“The bikes we’ve named as 2008 Editors’ Choice winners represent the absolute best selections available on the market today,” says Bicycling Test Director Matt Phillips. “All of them are outstanding choices and have distinguished themselves against very tough competition in each category.”

From a market of thousands, Bicycling narrowed it down to the best 33 bikes available – all named as finalists in their respective categories – and then selected one winner from each after testing the finalists head-to-head. Products were evaluated on performance, ease of use, durability, price and value versus competitors.

Bicycling Editor-in-Chief Steve Madden calls the awards a leadership program in the cycling industry that Bicycling is uniquely qualified to execute. “An Editors’ Choice award from Bicycling means that a product has been thoroughly evaluated and deemed to outperform its competitors. Our readers know how demanding we are of everything we test, and they trust our recommendations. Shared experience in our team testing approach lets us deliver reliable advice that our readers use to upgrade and identify the gear that will perform best for them.”

Gear coverage has always been at the heart of Bicycling, and the magazine’s testing team delivers comprehensive reviews relevant to the different profiles of cyclists that Bicycling reaches. “We’ve evolved to remain the most reliable source of buying advice for serious cyclists,” Phillips says. “Every year, we revisit our Editors’ Choice categories and the criteria we employ when evaluating bikes and gear to reflect a changing marketplace with more and more great options.”

Bicycling VP/Publishing Director Chris Lambiase points to the Editors’ Choice awards as an example of the magazine’s mission to grow the sport of cycling. “Bicycling subscribers are the opinion leaders who drive today’s cycling market: they’ll spend $1 billion on bikes and cycling gear in the next 2 years and will influence countless purchases by their peers. Recognizing the distinction of an Editors’ Choice Award helps them identify the bikes best suited to their riding style and budget that have impressed the cycling community’s most demanding critics. They’ll ride more, buy more, and get their families and friends involved in cycling to share the experience.”

A feature article in the June 2008 issue of Bicycling magazine, on-sale May 6, profiles all Editors’ Choice finalists and winners in the bike category. Other category finalists and winners will be announced in subsequent issues of Bicycling throughout the year.
Contacts

For Rodale, Inc.
Alissa Neil, 212-431-4411
Alissa {at} alissaneilpr(.)com