Making the switch. Impressions of the Scott Speedster S20

Earlier, I said I had gone through five machines so far, starting out some time in 1986 on a tiny little Raleigh, right through to my current Specialized mountain bike.

To date I've stuck pretty solidly with mountain bikes, which suited the kind of riding I grew up doing.

I have never had anything approaching a true road bike, but these days I hardly ever go off-road to the extent that I traded out my MTB tyres for (literally) bullet-proof Schwalbes a couple of years ago. With the Specialized approaching 12 years of age and starting to show it, it was time to trade it out for something new.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to go for either a hybrid with dominant roadie genes, or a full-on road bike, and my ultimate choice - it's a 2011 Scott Speedster S20 - seems to sit somewhere between the two.

There's certainly no describing the Scott as a hybrid; slim tyres on eye-catchingly beautiful white rims and lightweight build (9kg or 20lbs give or take) rule it firmly out of that category. This said, a flat handlebar arrangement gives it a more upright riding position than the classic road bike, and brings it a bit of Hoxton fixed-gear cred, if that's your thing.

In terms of looks, there's no doubting this is a handsome and highly nickable machine. The white and red colour scheme is absolutely a head-turner, and there's pay-off in terms of visibility in traffic, which is kind of a win-win. And it will of course, hold its head high among the more snobbish of the roadie set - no upturned noses here. Well, maybe a second glance at those handlebars but hey, some of us don't want to be stretched out over the bars all day...

Of course the flipside of a white colour scheme is obvious; it's a royal pain in the arse to keep clean, and after a day of ownership I've already wiped it down with a damp cloth. Twice. This is not a bike that will be at home in the wet or mud.

Based on three rides so far, each with a laden rucksack, my first impressions are uniformly positive.

To start with, there was no doubt the Scott was slower than my MTB. The Specialized's kevlar tyres ate the notoriously pitted roads of Mitcham and Carshalton for breakfast, and I could cane the 9.5 miles from Clapham to my workplace in 38 minutes during the school hols. This morning, the Speedster did it in 41 and I felt every bump. But do bear in mind that until May 5 I had never ridden a road bike, so a bit of wobble is surely par for the course.

So sure, it lacks the durability of the MTB, but I quickly found that the payback comes in terms of manoeuvrability; slimline wheels let you skirt hazards with relative impunity - I also traded up to Specialized Armadillo tyres to lessen my chances of puncturing - by mid-afternoon today I was up to and surpassing my average MTB speeds. This baby will coast along at 16 without this rider breaking sweat, happily does over 20, and given a fair breeze and a bit of a slope will climb well into the upper 20s.

The light frame (and a stonking 30 gears to choose from) also meant that this afternoon it breezed up the hills of Richmond Park with not a whisper of complaint. I'm small and unnaturally light and not a bad climber on an MTB, but this was simply in another league, and I clocked my best time yet on a 30 mile ride.

Cons. Are there any? I'd call them niggles, they're certainly not enough to make me reconsider the outlay. The rear fork design seems - on my first try admittedly - to make light attachment a bit tricky. I use a Knog Frog Strobe rear light and it is currently not positioned for maximum safety (if I was a copper I'd stop me). The supplied handlebar grips do not seem to be amazing quality, and the gear indicators are poorly positioned for visibility.

In summary? For me this has been a literal revelation and a note-perfect introduction to proper road cycling. It's a sub-£1k road bike that will do hybrid riding if you ask it nicely. If you give a toss what the Pinarello set think of you then the S20 will ensure you pass their test. But you know, I'll wager you might even scalp one or two of them and you'll definitely be more comfortable when you do it.

Photo lifted from Evans Cycles and is presumably copyright Scott Sports SA. Problem? Say so!