The first bike in our range is a road bike which is the Domane AL 5. Suited perfectly to true road biking, the Domane performs well on Scotland’s sweeping roads. The frame is built from Trek’s highest quality aluminium with a lightweight carbon fork there’s little wonder the Domane has been one of Trek’s best selling road bikes for many years. You’ll find a full Shimano 105 groupset throughout, including hydraulic disc brakes which offer superior braking performance in all weather conditions. The 11-speed gearing and wide-range cassette which means you have the gears to ride up even the most challenging climbs you’ll find on our trips.

Rounding off the bike are hand picked 32mm tyres which may be a little wider than what you’re used to on a road bike but offer a massive increase in comfort and control without any increase in rolling resistance or loss of speed.

In the Trek Domane, we think we’ve found a bike that is ideal for the type of riding you’ll experience in the UK. Whatever the terrain or surface, the Domane inspires confidence while delivering a level of comfort rarely found on a road bike.

The second bike in the range is the Trek FX Sport 4. If your previous experience of hybrid bikes is heavy and clunky, this bike is going to be a big surprise. Lightweight and fast, the Trek FX Sport 4 will inspire you to ride further than you thought possible. What you get is the performance and speed of a ride bike but with the versatility and comfort of a hybrid.

As with the Checkpoint, the bike comes with a lightweight aluminium frame and carbon fork. There is a Shimano Tiagra groupset throughout including hydraulic disc brakes for excellent braking performance. The FX Sport benefits from a wide-range cassette giving you the gears you need for the steepest of grades. The 32mm tyre choice is the same as the Checkpoint and adds further comfort with no loss of speed.

The third and final choice is to embrace the revolution and rent an e-bike for your trip. If you’ve never ridden an e-bike before, be ready for a lot of fun. Everyone who tested these bikes from the Wilderness Team had a smile as wide as the Atlantic, simply great fun.

However, we should probably explain that if you’re looking for a motorbike you’re going to be disappointed! This is still a bicycle which will give you a workout. You will also need to have cycling experience in line with our trip gradings and importantly, road awareness. The motor on the ebike amplifies your pedalling effort, helping you along the way. If you ride an e-bike, you’ll find both the miles and hills less challenging, leaving you to enjoy the terrain and landscapes to the fullest extent. Riding an e-bike may provide the opportunity to experience some of our more challenging trips and also, share the experience with partners or friends.

The e-bikes we have selected are the Allant+5 * which feature a lightweight aluminium frame, and a 500-watt Bosch Performance CX mid-drive motor capable of helping you sustain speeds up to 25 km/h (15mph) all controlled from a handlebar-mounted switch. The Allant+5 also has wide 45mm tyres for extra stability and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes for all-weather stopping power.