6 Value Road Bikes We Want In 2024 | Cycling Weekly
Road bikes are undeniably expensive, however, there are brands out which do put bang for buck right at the heart of their ethos. So, if you're looking for the latest and greatest road bike from brands who do try to offer you more than more value than premium manufacturers, then, watch this video as Sam Gupta lists all the road bike manufacturers which he believes will be updating their ranges in 2024.
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00:00 A couple of weeks ago, I published a video
00:02 which went into detail about some of the bikes
00:04 that I would love to see be released in 2024.
00:07 But rightly so, some of the viewers thought
00:10 I had missed out some of the better value brands.
00:13 So I went back into the archives
00:15 to dig out six bang for buck road bikes,
00:17 which I would love to see get an update in 2024.
00:20 (upbeat music)
00:23 First up, we have the German brand, Cube.
00:28 Currently, it sponsors the world tour team
00:30 Intermarche Wante Gobert,
00:32 and they are running the brands Lightning Aero and Air.
00:36 The former, as the name suggests, is Cube's aero bike,
00:39 and the latter is its lightweight climbing bike.
00:41 It was only in 2022 that Cube launched the Air,
00:45 so I don't believe that a new version of the bike
00:47 will be coming next year.
00:49 And that's just as well,
00:50 because it doesn't actually really need updating.
00:53 It boasts a claimed weight of 6.6 kilos
00:56 and features most of the latest mod cons,
00:58 meaning it looks right at home
01:00 racing up the side of a mountain
01:01 amongst the other bikes in the peloton.
01:04 However, it's when we turn our attention
01:06 to the Lightning Aero that some of the tech
01:08 starts to look a little bit outdated,
01:10 since it was last updated in 2019,
01:13 so is well overdue some TLC.
01:16 For starters, the claimed weight of the frame
01:18 is a pretty hefty 980 grams.
01:22 Of course, it's not terrible,
01:24 and since this is an aero bike,
01:27 it will always be a little bit heavier,
01:29 but I believe that the brand has the opportunity
01:32 to save at least 100 grams from the frame
01:35 while also refining some of the tube shapes.
01:38 Some parts of the frame are undoubtedly good looking,
01:40 like the head tube and the top tube,
01:43 and the fork, and actually the down tube too.
01:45 However, it's when we turn our attention
01:48 to the seat tube cluster
01:49 that things start to look a little bit dogged.
01:52 The seat post also looks like it was a bit of an afterthought,
01:55 so perhaps if this were to be slightly more integrated
01:59 with the overall frame shape,
02:01 the bike could start to look even more attractive
02:04 front to back.
02:05 (upbeat music)
02:08 The Californian bike brand, Felt,
02:12 is one which has left me a little disappointed
02:15 in recent times.
02:17 In the past, it felt like they had a bit of a heyday,
02:20 but haven't yet returned to those same heights.
02:23 When I look at its range of bikes,
02:25 I can start to see why,
02:27 which is a real shame because it is a brand
02:30 which I think has some great innovation behind it
02:33 and has the potential to offer so much more.
02:37 Currently, both the AR and FR look pretty dated,
02:40 and even the specs of those bikes reflect that,
02:42 as many of them are still wearing
02:44 11-speed Shimano group sets.
02:46 But I do like how on the top models,
02:48 Felt has opted to fit third-party wheels,
02:51 like the Zipp 353 NSWs or the Reynolds AR58s
02:56 lower down in the range.
02:58 If the brand could give both range of bikes
03:00 a complete refresh so that they can compete
03:02 with the likes of the Tarmac SL8
03:04 and the Cannondale Super 6 Evo,
03:06 it could be onto a real winner.
03:08 Felt always used to deliver a really good level
03:11 of bang for buck,
03:12 and it always felt like you were getting something
03:14 which should have cost at least 1,000 or so more.
03:17 So if it can get back to that
03:19 and release a new aero and climbing bike,
03:21 which delivers some superb value,
03:23 then I cannot see why it won't return
03:25 to being one of the go-to choices for consumers.
03:28 You cannot speak about bang for buck bikes
03:36 without speaking about Van Riesel.
03:38 Back in spring of this year,
03:40 it released an entirely new range of bikes,
03:42 and there is one which I'm particularly excited for,
03:45 that being the RCR.
03:47 Soon to be the official ride of Team AG2R Citroen,
03:50 the bike looks to be a do-it-all racing machine.
03:54 The reason why I'm particularly excited about this bike
03:57 is because pairing the good value of a Van Riesel
04:00 with world tour performance
04:02 could create an irresistible combination for consumers.
04:06 Van Riesel says that it's the perfect balance
04:08 between lightness, stiffness, and aerodynamics.
04:11 And looking at the bike,
04:13 it's easy to see where it's coming from.
04:15 The sculpted tube shapes and claimed frame weights
04:18 of around 800 grams could be a recipe for success.
04:22 Only time will tell how it fares
04:23 when we get it in for testing,
04:25 but I am happy to take a small amount of confidence
04:28 in it becoming AG2R's new bike.
04:31 The team wouldn't just accept anything,
04:33 so it must have conducted some internal testing on the bike
04:36 along with Van Riesel itself.
04:38 So I'm hoping that the cross collaboration
04:40 will have resulted in one of the best
04:42 bang for buck race bikes out on the market.
04:45 British brand, Ribble, is also one to watch in 2024.
04:55 It has fully established itself as a brand
04:58 which delivers value above pretty much all else.
05:01 However, the Ribble Ultra SLR has also tested pretty fast
05:05 in the wind tunnel too.
05:07 Launched back in 2021,
05:09 the bike landed like a bit of a space rocket.
05:12 The deeply sculpted frame and radical handlebar design
05:16 set it apart from pretty much all other bikes on the market.
05:19 But now, as we approach 2024,
05:22 there is a small chance we could see something new
05:25 and updated from the brand.
05:27 I'd imagine it would come in late 2024, if it comes at all.
05:31 But if and when it does come,
05:33 I'll be expecting something pretty exciting
05:35 and otherworldly, and likely something
05:38 that not many people could even imagine up.
05:41 One bike in the Ribble range, which I believe
05:43 is crying out for updating, is the Endurance model.
05:47 I would love it if Ribble could spend some more time
05:50 making the frame set just a little bit lighter.
05:54 If Ribble could reduce the overall weight
05:56 by about 10 to 20%, that bike would quickly become
05:59 a lot more playful and a lot more fun to ride.
06:03 The other area of improvement I'd like Ribble to focus on
06:06 would be its own in-house wheels.
06:08 These need to be wider and they need to be lighter.
06:11 If it can sort these issues out,
06:12 the Endurance would make really big steps forward
06:15 in its appeal, performance, and ride feel.
06:18 This year, Vitus launched a new gravel
06:25 and/or road bike, the Venon.
06:28 We loved the bike and how you could buy it
06:30 as a full gravel setup or in a more
06:32 road-going Endurance build.
06:34 There's one bike in the Vitus lineup which, in the past,
06:37 we have also shown a lot of love to,
06:39 that being the Vitesse Evo.
06:42 In 2021, we gave it our Editor's Choice Award.
06:45 Thanks to the bike's fantastic build options
06:47 paired with how the bike performed out on the road,
06:49 it all came together as the ideal choice for riders
06:53 looking for a great value road bike
06:54 that performed like others, that cost much, much more.
06:58 This is why I'd love to see Vitus
07:00 give this bike a refresh next year.
07:02 It's fair to assume it may only be
07:04 an incremental improvement from the current generation.
07:07 But since what Vitus currently has is so good,
07:11 anything it can do to make the Vitesse even a bit better
07:14 is only a win in our eyes.
07:16 It's not often that you can buy a bike
07:18 with a full SRAM Red AXS groupset
07:20 for around the $6,000 mark.
07:22 So, for the next generation,
07:24 I would love to see more Shimano builds
07:26 offered at a similar level of value.
07:29 And also, more frame set availability and color options
07:33 really wouldn't go amiss for those
07:34 that want to build one up themselves.
07:36 (upbeat music)
07:39 Last on this list is the Focus Ezalco.
07:44 It's not a bike which puts bang for buck
07:47 right at the heart of its ethos,
07:49 as it does cost quite a lot to get onto the platform,
07:52 and has some fierce rivals which a number of people,
07:55 I believe, would probably prefer to go for.
07:58 But the Ezalco does still retain a loyal fan base.
08:02 This loyalty can be attributed to the bike's stiff frame,
08:05 but one which still allows you to hammer out the miles.
08:08 And owners also rave about how the bike handles
08:11 and performs when the road gets twisty.
08:13 It really does embody the do-it-all race bike mantra.
08:16 However, in the UK, you have to spend over 5,000 pounds
08:20 to get a bike with electronic gears.
08:22 And even then, you're only getting SRAM Rival AXS.
08:26 The only price point which slightly redeems the Ezalco
08:29 is right at the top end,
08:30 as the Dura-Ace build mercifully tops out
08:33 just shy of the 10,000 pound mark.
08:36 This is where other brands could probably be charging
08:38 another couple of thousand on top,
08:40 but Focus does hold back here,
08:42 probably out of recognition of its place in the market.
08:46 So, if we are to see a new model launched in 2024,
08:49 I would hope Focus retains a lot of what its loyal fan base
08:53 loves so much, because all it really needs
08:56 are a few tweaks to the frame shape
08:57 and a small reduction in the full build weights.
09:00 Let me know down below,
09:02 which bang for buck bike would you love to see
09:04 be updated in 2024?
09:06 If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,
09:09 subscribe to the channel for more content,
09:10 and I will see you again very soon.
09:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]