What Is The Best Road Race Bike In 2024?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- What Is The BEST Road Race Bike In 2024?
This video contains product placement for MET helmets. Thanks to them for helping make Bike of the Year 2024 possible. Check out the link to learn more: www.met-helmets.com/en/
We have been testing the best road race bikes to determine which should be crowned our 2024 Race Bike of the Year.
The final choice came down to the Specialized Tarmac SL8 Pro, the Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8 Aero, and the Focus Izalco Max 9.8. but which came out on top?
Let us know what your choice would be in the comments!
#bikeoftheyear #racebike #cycling
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:39 The Final Three Bikes
01:07 Price
03:02 Builds
06:29 Framesets, Geometry & Ride Impressions
09:15 Final Thoughts
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What would your winner be? 👇
Izalco Max for sure! ;)
Whoever pays more, obviously.
Trek Madone. Cervelo R5. Pinarello Dogma. Cannondale System 6.
2020 you were able to buy ultegra carbon ultimate with 2500. Prices have doubled 😂. 3000€ gets you an entry level carbon roadbike now, this needs to stop.
Complete bikes are stupid expensive now, but groupsets are 50% off pretty much across the board and the choice of framesets and wheelsets is bigger than ever. That's the way to go right now.
If you've got a disc frameset, definitely upgrading groupset is the way to go. Ultegra DI2 is excellent and easy to install.
say thx to covid business plan.
I was thinking about exactly the same thing.
And manufacturers wonder why they can't sell shit.
Imo the best bike for amateurs like us is the one that looks prettiest. Bike technology has surpassed our physical ability long ago, and none of us really needs the latest tech. Cycling has become a hobby too expensive for younger generation, and I’d like to see more entry-level bikes introduced with realistic price.
A friend just bought a van rysel, the fancy carbon version like the tour riders, SRAM force axs, 50mm zipp wheels, 4k EUR from decathlon, new. How is that not crushing these bikes that cost 50-100pc more?
£5500 in the UK. Still a good price but not 4k
@@broady666 Take the boat over and buy one in France.
@@davidmurphy9151 just checked and the Force AXS one is 7k euro, 4k man is telling porkies
£4k is the price he told his wife 😂
He paid 21000 Ron in Bucharest four weeks ago for the rcr force axs, in black. That's 4.2k euro. You don't need to believe me, doesn't change the facts.
Canyon is NOT selling other handlebar lengths to their customers even if you are begging the customer service. The forums and Ebay are full of people who are trying to get other cockpit dimensions. It's absolutely beyond me how such a big brand won't sell crucial parts like this.
Oh how many times I spent hours choosing a Canyon bike and deciding against them because of their proprietary cockpits. They are willing to sell 20% cheaper, but not touch the crank arms length or the cockpit.
Wise man say “The best bike every year is the one you already own.” Don’t buy upgrade. Ride upgrade.
The smart move is buy a alu frame or 2nd hand carbon frame (good condition) then slap some compo you like to it. It is more cost effective and let you pick the bits you really like.
Great bike, useful review.
The Schwabie one tubeless tyres came second-best in your least rolling resistance test. I’m surprised you see them as needing changing.
You also mentioned in the rolling resistance test that you and your colleagues have lots of experience with them and little to complain about them . i’m bit confused!
Hi Simon - the confusion here is that we tested the Schwalbe *Pro* One TLE in our rolling resistance test, which is a more expensive (and, in my opinion, much better) tyre than the standard Schwalbe One TLE tyre.
It's a small but significant detail - just that small change costs a lot of watts!
Hope that clears it up. Simon
Hi Simon, absolutely thanks for clearing that up. Simon.
Were you choosing among all-rounders, climbing bikes, or aero bikes? How did you narrow down your selection to these three? I have so many questions!
They have been paid. Have you ever seen a Bike Radar comparison that doesn't have a Canyon included??
Hi, that's a great question, thanks. The simply answer is that we ask all of the major brands who have new or recently updated models to send us their latest bikes (for all categories in BOTY), but in the end we can only test and include what we get sent.
In this case, I also tested a fourth bike, the Handsling A1R0evo, but as it didn't make the top 3 we decided to cut it from the video. If you're interested, you can read that review here: www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/handsling-a1r0evo-classified-powershift-road-bike-review
It's a difficult one for us, because of course we'd love to test all of the latest bikes for this test, but ultimately if a brand can't or won't send us their bike - whether because they don't have confidence in their bike or they simply don't have stock of the right size/spec available - then we can't just review and include it based on spec sheets and marketing alone.
To be clear, none of the brand's included in this test paid for it. BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent, they always have been and they always will be.
As noted in the video, our sponsor for this test was MET helmets - their support helped make this project viable for us, but hopefully you can appreciate that this wouldn't have had any impact on the bike reviews.
Hope that helps and thanks for watching. Simon
It's crazy to think Canyon doesn't have a custom option for those willing to spend extra for a spec that's suits them better.
Because it would cost them more, if they offered this option.
I agree that sounds like an ideal solution - though, as others have commented, perhaps it doesn't make financial sense for them. Cheers for watching! Simon
Still go with my Van Rysel RCR Pro. Love this beast
You forget to mention weights ;) that's is also important
Fair point - in this case, they're all fairly similar (since they all have similar builds), and I don't think it makes much difference to performance... But you're right, it would have been useful to mention the weights.
Here you go:
- Focus Izalco Max 9.8: 7.9kg (size 56cm)
- Specialized Tarmac SL8 Pro: 7.46kg (size 56cm)
- Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8 Aero: 7.83kg (size M)
As always, you can head to our website for detailed reviews and specs - here are links to each full review:
www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/focus-izalco-max-9-8-review
www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/specialized-tarmac-sl8-pro-sram-force-etap-axs-review
www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/canyon-ultimate-cf-sl-8-aero-review
Always good to see a bike that isn't boring black.
TCR for life yo.
yes 😅. I got mine
Love a TCR (I own two!) but unfortunately we couldn't get hold of that latest model in the right size, so we weren't able to include it in this year's BOTY test.
Would imagine we'll look to include it next year, though!
Cheers for watching! Simon
Looks like an awesome bike of the year!
Seeing the Thumbnail of this YT video on my subscriptions feed, reminded me that if you can't see logos on the Frame + Wheels, it's actually quite hard to tell which 'make' of bike is being looked at!
(with the modern trend towards 'aero but light' design, it's very understandable that a lot of bikes looks exactly the same).
Yep. Looks like an OEM Chinese frame
Looks like a copy of a Scott Addict
i thought thats what it was lol
Yeah, rear end is pure V4RS, especially at the seat stay- post junction
They do look very similar at a glance to be fair, although you could argue nearly every brand is using a similar formula (truncated aero tubes, dropped seat stays, etc.) these days. Cheers for watching! Simon
Can Canyon's handlebars be easy for packing in a bike bag? But, yeah unable to adjust stem length really is an issue.
If you have enough wiggle room for the brake houses so that you don't have to disconnect them, yes. So... Probably?
I wonder how much Focus paid to BR
Hi, Focus didn't pay us anything - nor did any other bike brand included in our Bike of the Year test. BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent and always will be.
Me and the bots just vibin'
The Focus looks best!
How did you narrow it down to those three bikes?
Whichever brand pays the most.
The best race bike but can’t find it in any race lol
Not yet 😜
They sell focus in the us as well
Im in the states. I suggest looking at Felt bikes if you are in the states. If you can find one?
Hi, we love Felt but it hasn't released a new road bike since the latest AR in 2020 (if I remember correctly), which we included in our 2020 and 2021 Bike of the Year tests, though: www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/felt-ar-ultegra-di2-review
When Felt releases a new bike, we'll be sure to try and get hold of one to test.
@@bikeradar there are new bike available. New vrs and new frs, but they are hard to get. I wish that wasnt the case. Anyway, you can find them but you really have to dig
@@universe-juice Good spot - we hadn't heard anything about those, but you're right. Thanks for the heads up, we'll keep those in mind for future tests.
@@bikeradar thanks buddy. Felt sponsored athletes are racking up win after win on new felt bikes. Kindof exciting, Felt being my favorite brand and Kindof the underdog. Everyone loves a good underdog! Keep up the good work 👍
The izalco max is not aero (performed extremely poorly in tour wind tunnel test). It is not light. It's not stiff. I don't get this choice.
6:06 this is what Origine Cycles do in France: custom specs. Delivery takes a while (could be months) but you get a 100% custom bike for less money than most brands. And their bikes are great by the way.
What I found interesting was that you seem to have spent more time talking about the canyon than the focus
Hey Jaime, that's a fair observation but I wanted to spend time analysing those specific points around the Canyon's handlebar as it's a unique design and it poses some specific fit limitations. Hopefully you found my take on it helpful! Cheers for watching, Simon
I owned Focus izalco max 2018 version. ut di2 11speed. still going strong after 50k km. not much difference with the new Izalco..
Same for me with a 10y old izalco❤️
If you want to customise this and that, Orbea is the way to go. 👍
Ribble too
Orbea frames are made in Spain, right?
@@yonglingng5640 depends on how you look at it. LOL.
But to me, if you’re not riding a Time, Look, Sarto or a Festka, does it even matter? 😂
is focus made in taiwan now?
How about the trek madone
Hi Richard, we reviewed the latest Trek Madone SLR as part of last year's BOTY test - you can read my review here: www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/trek-madone-slr-7-gen-7-review
As noted elsewhere, we try to focus our efforts on testing bikes/specs we haven't previously tested, rather than re-testing a load of bikes we've already reviewed.
That does mean not including some obvious bikes but we don't have unlimited time or resources so we have to be smart about how we go about things.
Cheers for watching. Simon
Cute bike that Focus but thats no where to be found in the USA…Probably would stick with the Supersix Himod, SL8, TCR, Cervelo, etc that available worldwide without a risky order from overseas. Also, as many Canyon customers have found, it’s nice to have a LBS that is a service rep for warranty work. At that price range, I don’t think most customers will quibble over spending +/- $500 to get the bike they want.
Not sure why Cannondale always gets left off the European list, the bike is stellar and has been for a long time, I assume they don’t spend enough on advertising there?
Hi Thomas, it's got nothing to do with advertising spend. The SuperSix is a great bike, but it was actually one of our main contenders in Bike of the Year last year: www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/cannondale-supersix-evo-hi-mod-2-review
Obviously we don't have unlimited time and resources so we try to focus our efforts on testing bikes/specs we haven't previously tested, rather than re-testing a load of bikes we've already reviewed.
Cheers for watching! Simon
❤
"The best bike is the one by whoever pays us the most."
There, I corrected it for you. You're welcome, BR.
Hi, that's simply not true. None of the bike brands included in test (or any other) paid anything for it. BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent and always will be.
As always, any sponsored content on our website, channel or podcast will always be clearly marked as such. In this instance, our sponsor was MET helmets. Support from sponsors in this manner helps make these big group tests financially viable, but this had no impact on the bike reviews.
Thanks for watching. Simon
looks alike V4RS
Seems like most road racers are preferring the Canyon Aeroad over the Ultimate these days.
Colnago V4rs
I'm not against Focus. I have a Focus MTB. Great bike. But realistically, how much did Focus pay you for this video?
Hi, none of the bike brands included in test (or any other) paid anything for it. BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent and always will be.
As always, any sponsored content on our website, channel or podcast will always be clearly marked as such.
In this instance, our sponsor was MET helmets. Support from sponsors in this manner helps make these big group tests financially viable, but this had no impact on the bike reviews.
Thanks for watching. Simon
Giant TCR should have been there
bike prices are insane
All the great and no idea unless you are cat 1 or elite rider you don’t need any of these 😂
Buying the best bike is wonderful thing until you are dropped by someone on a rusty Huffy.
You're not wrong - but that's not something we can help you with 😅Cheers for watching, Simon
Teammachine R.
This bike did terrible in Tour Magazin aero tests.
Which of the multiple bikes featured in this video is "this" bike?
Tour Magazin is a great publication and we'd love to be able to do some of the aero testing they do - it's valuable info.
However, I also think it's fair to say that aero performance isn't everything when it comes to a bike. Maybe the Canyon is 'more aero' than the Focus in isolation, but if you can't adjust your bike fit as well then it might not be once a rider is on it, for example.
Likewise, handling and ride feel also make a significant difference and you can't learn about those things inside a wind tunnel.
Again, not saying aera data isn't important - it is - but it isn't the only thing that counts, in my opinion.
Cheers for watching, Simon
That doesn't LOOK like a Sir Velo S5!
Cervelo* S5 - never trust your speech-to-text.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 No sir, I typed Sir Velo out quite deliberately
Say`s who !
Giant propel advanced pro 0 anyone?
Hi, that bike won our Aero Bike of the Year category last year: www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/giant-propel-advanced-pro-0-axs-review
As noted elsewhere, each year, we focus our efforts on testing bikes/specs we haven't previously tested, rather than re-testing a load of bikes we've already reviewed.
That does mean not including some great bikes, but we don't have unlimited time or resources so we can't test everything every year.
Cheers for watching. Simon
@@bikeradar I bought it off the back of your review. Fantastic bike
Hello❤
The bike looks boring and very unattractive
😅😅😅ohh boy
That’s bs. I can keep up with my friends on fancy carbon road bikes that cost triple of my Giant Revolt 0 aliuminium with Hunt gravel wheelset and grx group set and gravel Tufo tires. And I don’t even need to do that many more watts. Eff expensive bs bikes.
No one said the bike was more important than the rider 🙂Totally agree that the rider makes the biggest difference.
As always, a posh bike is optional - if you're happy with what you've already got, then that's great. No one needs to buy a new bike if they don't want one.
Cheers for watching, Simon
Merida bikes are far better than that in my opinion.
The Specialized is made by Merida.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 if you stick that “S” brand on it you add £££,€€€,$$$ to the price of the bike.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 putting the “S” logo on adds£/€/$ to the price though.
Merida bikes are great, but we've tested all of their current models already. When it releases a new bike, we'll be keen to test it!
As noted elsewhere, with BOTY we focus our efforts on testing bikes/specs we haven't previously tested, rather than re-testing a load of bikes we've already reviewed.
That does mean not including some great bikes, but we simply don't have unlimited time or resources so we can't test everything every year.
Cheers for watching. Simon
The handling comments based on geometry are nonsense. You would change the fit based on your preferred reach/height, etc. Come on.
Absolutely predictable pick of choices to go against the Focus. Showing bikes that are not even available in the states? I can name 6 brands that should have been on test. Flawed.
not much of a race bike if it doesn't carry bottles.....
Bull shit…you need to get out more often…Argonaut, Prova, Baum, Bastion, Time, Festka…another shill blurb to your advertisers…
the best race bike is the one Pogacar rides 😂
It is not the best bike but yes Colnago is a good bike with a rich history. Would be my third choice after Pinarello and Bianchi.
@@wingtip76 No, no it is not like this. You put Pogacar on a Pinarello or Bianchi or my daughter’s trike and it immediately becomes the best race bike in the world.😂
@tonyg3091 True I see what you mean. 👍
Please, everyone of those frames is probably made in Taiwan. The Focus looks exactly like my BMC road machine. I'm not knocking Taiwan. They build to tremendous ISO Specs and they are as good from Taiwan if they had come from France, Switzerland, the US, Italy or Germany. And the components are either SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo. It's all very good. I'd take any one of them but really they are so close. The skill of the rider determines what's best. Not the bike. I love my bike but I'm no Tadej Pogacar. No one is except for Jonas Vingegaard.
8k for a bike? Absurd. Y'all out of touch with normal people. 105 Mechanical plenty good enough for me, and some cheap carbon hoops make a decent ride.
Not yet. I think best bike available yesterday, today and tomorrow Specialized Aethos S-Works ( 565g frame) and total - less than 6kg.😊
I am SO with you 🫡 Liam
Why is the best? Next channel claims the other brand is the best!
I explain in the video - did you watch it??? Simon
You "get a lot of bike for the money"??? No you DO NOT.
You get a lot of bike but it's for a lot of money. There's no value to be had.
Das beste ist das, das ich mir Leisten kann. Und Räder ab 6000,- könnt ihr euch behalten!😡
beautiful looking bike but, in 2024, no bike should be coming with a press-fit bottom bracket.
If the bike is manufactured properly, they're fine. I've done over 20k km on such BBs, as long as it's not a Cannondale bb30, it's probably fine.
@@pierrex3226 i could not disagree more - i have never had a press-fit bb that didnt cause issues. i replaced the press fit bb on my bike for the third time this weekend when it started creaking - it has less than 10,000km on that bb.
@@ignus16 What bottom bracket did you use? A pure Press-Fit one?
Hate to break it to you, but press-fit is a better system than threaded for BBs 😉 th-cam.com/video/RUTlc5Uhq90/w-d-xo.html
@@bikeradar ill remember that next time im listening to my bottom bracket creaking :/ you guys really missed the mark with this one.
Road race bikes are only suited for the pros, like racing cars are best driven by pro drivers. Everybody else is kidding themselves.......