2024 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for new road bikes and we've managed to get our hands on some of the top models. We've selected 7 brilliant bikes ranging from range topping offerings from Specialized and Cannondale to better value bikes for the everyday rider from Triban and Van Rysel. Let us know which is your favourite and which you're exited to ride in 2024.
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00:00 With the effects of the pandemic now safely in our rearview mirror, bike manufacturers
00:04 have been very busy designing and releasing new bikes, and this year was certainly an
00:09 active one.
00:10 We're going to take a look at the new bikes that have impressed us the most, the ones
00:13 we'd recommend if you're after the latest and greatest, and that doesn't mean the
00:17 most expensive.
00:19 Of course, we do have some so-called 'halo' bikes in our list, but we've looked at value
00:23 for money as well as pure performance, and they aren't all made of carbon.
00:34 First up, we have a bike which certainly sits in the 'halo' category for many - the Specialized
00:39 Tarmac SL8.
00:41 After a handful of leaks and an explosive launch at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow,
00:46 the bike landed to a reception of excitement and intrigue.
00:49 Now, in its 8th generation, the Tarmac has become synonymous with road racing, not least
00:54 because of its name, but since it's been under some of the world's biggest world
00:58 tour teams for over a decade, it's also been the bike which has racked up hundreds,
01:03 if not thousands, of pro victories.
01:06 We gave the Tarmac SL8 5 stars when we reviewed it, because we could not find a single thing
01:11 we would improve.
01:12 It's fantastically light, plays host to a brand new cockpit which helps the bike slice
01:17 through the air while also offering all of the stiffness you could want without a harsh
01:21 ride.
01:22 It's perfectly balanced and leaves nothing to be desired.
01:26 For those looking for a fast, responsive race bike, this is the bike to get.
01:30 One thing the Tarmac SL8 certainly isn't is cheap.
01:34 However, you do get what you pay for.
01:36 Full builds start from £6,000 and go all the way to £12,000.
01:40 However, framesets are available too.
01:43 The pro level model can be purchased for £3,500, while the S-Works frame comes in at £4,750.
01:57 If you're in the market for a road bike under $1,000 or £1,000, you will quickly
02:02 find that there is little choice, especially when it comes to disc brakes.
02:06 In fact, the likes of Specialized and Trek don't actually offer a 2024 disc brake road
02:11 bike below this threshold.
02:14 Triban, owned by sports retail giant Decathlon, has been long known for offering great value
02:19 products.
02:20 And the Triban RC520 is no different.
02:24 The bike features an aluminium frame with an endurance slant.
02:27 It comes fitted from stock with 28mm tyres, but can play host to rubber up to 36mm in
02:34 size.
02:35 Things start to get exciting when you consider that the bike has Shimano 105 derailleurs
02:39 and cable actuated hydraulic disc brakes.
02:42 While the braking setup won't put fully hydraulic systems out of a job, they do still
02:46 perform better than rim brakes and fully cable actuated disc brakes.
02:51 The one area that the bike is let down is in its weight.
02:54 The RC520 is not the lightest bike by any means, with a frame that comes in at over
02:59 1,700g, a fork that's nearly 700g and a wheel set that tips the scales at a claimed
03:05 2,300g.
03:06 However, when we look at the bike as a whole, and considering the ride it provides is pretty
03:11 smooth and stable, it represents itself as a great value purchase in the sub £1,000
03:17 category, which is why we gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
03:21 All we would recommend doing is upgrading the tyres to further improve ride feel, braking
03:25 performance and grip.
03:33 Pinarello is entering 2024 with a completely fresh line-up of bikes, compared to the one
03:38 it entered 2023 with.
03:41 Its road offering is now split into two pillars, the F-Series and the X-Series, with the former
03:47 being a racer's choice and the latter being the endurance rider's pick.
03:52 Both pillars of bikes are led by range-topping Dogma models, but the bikes that sit below
03:57 provide many of the same characteristics, but for a better price.
04:02 One bike stood out to us, that being the F7.
04:05 The F7 plays host to an Ultegra 12-speed Di2 groupset, some carbon wheels, a carbon cockpit
04:11 and the brand's famous Honda fork.
04:14 The carbon fibre used to construct the frame is just one step below what's used for the
04:18 Dogma model, so you're getting a lot of the same performance, but for a much lower
04:23 price.
04:25 We would never say that £7,000 is cheap.
04:27 It's of course a large amount of money to spend on a bicycle, but if you are after the
04:32 kind of performance that the Dogma F provides, but don't want to pay for it, the F7 could
04:37 be for you.
04:39 We found the bike provided a pretty smooth, dynamic and playful ride feel, however we
04:44 would recommend upgrading the tyres to something a little bit more high-end to help you extract
04:49 the most of what this bike has to offer.
04:51 Although the new Cannondale Lab 71 bikes look stunning when ridden in the mountains
05:02 of the Tour de France, the five-digit price tag is higher than the peak of the Kolder
05:06 Tourmalet, but you don't have to spend a massive chunk of change to get a good value
05:11 road bike.
05:12 The Cannondale CAD Optimo 4 with an aluminium frame and carbon fork leans on all the lessons
05:17 the American bike maker learned since launching the CAD line of road bikes in 1997.
05:24 The Optimo 4 is an entry-level aluminium road bike that offers good value for those making
05:28 their first foray into drop-bar bikes without committing thousands up front.
05:33 As the only rim brake bike on this list, you can rest assured that the Optimo has plenty
05:38 of other attributes which make it a worthwhile choice for those wanting a nippy road ride.
05:42 Unsurprisingly, a lot of your money will be going towards the frame itself.
05:47 The ride it provides is one which is stable and predictable, but retains the dull road
05:51 feedback that is so characteristic of aluminium frames.
05:55 The 8-speed Claris gearing isn't quite as impressive as the components you'll find
05:59 on the Triban RC520, but this bike is much lighter.
06:03 So, if you're after a lighter-weight road bike suited to faster-paced riding, but want
06:08 a great value option at around the £1000 mark, then this poses a very good choice.
06:21 Another brand to grace this list from the monolith that is Decathlon is Van Rijssel.
06:26 Back in spring of this year, a new range of bikes were unveiled at the Sea Otter Classic
06:30 Show by the French brand, and one of the new models was the Van Rijssel RCR.
06:36 Known to be the official ride of Team AG2R Citroen, this bike looks to be a do-it-all
06:41 racing machine.
06:43 The reason why we're particularly excited about this bike is because pairing the good
06:46 value of a Van Rijssel with world-tour performance could create an irresistible combination for
06:52 consumers.
06:53 Van Rijssel says it's the perfect balance between lightness, stiffness and aerodynamics,
06:59 and looking at the bike, it's easy to see where it's coming from.
07:02 The sculpted tube shapes and claimed frame weights, hovering around 800g, could be a
07:06 real recipe for success.
07:14 Back in February, Cannondale released the fourth generation of its much-loved Super
07:18 Six Evo.
07:19 The race bike, which holds quite the climbing reputation, saw an aerodynamic redesign,
07:25 as well as frameset hierarchy changes.
07:28 The introduction of the Lab 71 framesets, which dethroned the High Mod as the range-topping
07:32 build option, made headlines with a price tag of $15,000, or £12,500.
07:39 In recent years, we have seen a trend of lightweight bikes becoming more aero, and aero bikes becoming
07:44 more lightweight.
07:46 After completely remodelling the Super Six from its previous generation, the new Super
07:50 Six Evo has continued down a more aerodynamic path, receiving some serious revamping for
07:56 2024.
07:57 However, there's a good reason why we awarded the latest generation our Climbing Bike of
08:02 the Year award, because during our period of testing, we found that the bike retained
08:06 its snappiness when put under pressure riding uphill, but it still floated a sweet balance
08:11 between being a fast-handling bike, without being overly skittish on the descents.
08:17 We also liked that the bike has reverted to a threaded bottom bracket, has clearance for
08:21 tyres up to 34mm in size, and has cleaned up its method of internally routing cables
08:26 in the head tube.
08:28 It's clear that the fourth generation is far more refined than its predecessor, and
08:33 has been successful in rediscovering some of the Super Six's climbing DNA.
08:37 Happily, the new generation is available in a multitude of different builds, spanning
08:42 an incredibly wide price bracket, making this one of the more accessible platforms to get
08:47 onto.
08:54 The Factor 02 VAM is a road bike that has looked to captivate the weightweenie audience,
08:59 instead of going all out with aero claims.
09:02 Debuting at the 2023 Tour de France, the new 02, with its claimed frame weight of 730g,
09:08 is clearly right in the Superbike category.
09:11 But how does it ride?
09:13 We knew even from our first ride of the Factor 02 VAM that this bike was a real contender
09:18 in the Superbike space, and it has continued to impress us ever since.
09:24 If you're in the market for one of the best road bikes, then the Factor 02 VAM should
09:27 definitely be making your shortlist.
09:30 We really like that the tried and tested geometry has remained largely the same, bar a small
09:34 increase in stack height, and we also just enjoy how light the bike is.
09:40 The 02 we had on test came in at 6.33kg, resulting in a bike which is incredibly responsive and
09:46 playful.
09:47 The area this bike is let down in is its flatline speed.
09:51 It's simply not an aero bike, or even a do-it-all race bike, meaning if you do live anywhere
09:56 particularly flat, you will be missing out on some wind slicing properties.
10:00 But for those who spend as much time riding up hills as they do going down them, then
10:05 the 02 could be for you.
10:09 Let us know down below, which of these bikes would you pick?
10:12 If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more
10:16 content and we will see you again very soon!
10:18 [Music]
10:27 (whooshing)
10:29 (whooshing)