During the Tour de France I constantly found myself lusting after the bikes ridden by the pros. As I watched Vincenzo Nibali climb in the Alps or Alejandro Valverde descend in the Pyrenees, I started daydreaming about flying over (or down) similarly beautiful mountain passes. Then I realized two things: First, I’ll never climb or descend like a pro. And second, the bikes they were riding aren’t really what I need. While their whips are a thing of beauty, they’re designed for racers. I’m not a racer.

Instead, the bikes I’ve come to love belong to what’s commonly called the “adventure” category. They borrow some design elements from race bikes so they’re plenty fast. But they’re also built to be more comfortable and versatile. They’re the bike you want if you’re going to ride a Gran Fondo or just want to get out and pedal for a couple hours on the weekend. My new favorite in this category is the Grade from GT. For the past couple of weeks I’ve tested it over several hundred miles of riding, at times finding myself hollering out loud because it’s so damn fun.

GT Grade Jakob Schiller/WIRED

What makes it such a pleasure to ride is the balance it strikes between speed and comfort. Thanks to an oversized down tube and full carbon construction, it’s plenty light and efficient. But it’s also one of, if not the most forgiving, road bikes I’ve ever ridden. That's thanks to things like super-thin composite glass fiber and carbon seat stays, a triple-triangle design, and a taller head tube. With a lower bottom bracket and longer wheelbase, the bike is considerably less twitchy than a typical racer and much easier to handle.

My test bike came with 28c tires and there’s clearance for up to 35c because GT intended for the Grade to be ridden on all kinds of pavement and dirt. The bike would have done great on stage five of this year’s Tour, which featured all the cobbled streets, and 28s or 35s cruise along on most well-maintained dirt roads. When you’re riding normal pavement these fatter tires weight you down a bit, but they also make the ride a lot more plush.

The final selling point for me is that the top build for the GT Grade retails for $3,300. Yeah, that’s a chunk of change, but quite reasonable for what you get. My tester came with Shimano Ultegra Di2, but the bike normally comes with a mechanical 11-speed Ultegra group set that will last forever. You also get Shimano hydraulic disc brakes that are well tuned and will bring you to a full stop even when it’s dumping rain. And the wheels are Stan’s NoTubes’ new Grail disc road rims with DT Swiss 240 Hubs, so they roll smooth and fast.