What does Sportive mean? (newb question)

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Hi,

I have seen this term next to certain bikes in catalogues, looked it up on internet and it seems it's a kind of event/race. Could somebody please explain a bit more about it and what is different about a "sportive" bike?

I havn't found a web page that explains the basics...

Thanks.

you got it right when you say a sportive is an event/race. some people treat it as a social ride with friends, others race it like theres a world champions jersey at the end.

a sportive bike tends to be a race bike with more comfortable geometry ie higher bars, shorter top tube, easier gearing. you want the lighter weight of a race bike but not the super aero position or high gears as most sportives are of reasonable distance (100 to 200km) and usually hilly.

Great, thanks for the reply. Very helpful.