No doubt, when you start looking for a bike, you will either fall in love with the first one you see, or be numbed by all the choices and decisions you can make. Choose from sleek and sporty frames or ones with bright, high-visibility colors for riding on the road. We’re relentlessly focused on being the best place for you to buy your next bike.
KEY PERFORMANCE FACTORS Lightweight The compact Advanced Composite frame, with slender tubing, and stiffness tuned for the female rider, is a serious climbing weapon. Aero-features Combining innovative tubing design with the Flux stem to slice through the wind without sacrificing weight or stiffness. Precise Handling This climbing weapon can tackle the return descents or any technical flat corner, with appropriate lateral stiffness and disc brake control. The slender tubing and light weight combine for quick accelerations so you can conquer the climbs, power through flats, and rail technical descents.
Just try a few until you find something comfortable – many saddle manufacturers will also offer demo services via their dealers. While most brands have bike fit charts on their websites, it’s vital to just go and sit on the thing if you are new to cycling. Shimano and SRAM are, by far, the most common drivetrain brands, although you will also find Campagnolo, Microshift and FSA components out there too. Road bikes used to be called 10-speeds, referring to the two chainrings up front multiplied by the five cogs in the rear. Road Bikes are the perfect commuter ride for anyone who loves the clean, timeless aesthetic offered by State Bicycle Co. but needs the gears to help with a hilly commuter. Most groupsets are mechanical, using cables from the shift levers to change gears.
The truncated ellipse airfoil tube shapes and Contact SL Aero cockpit help produce the best overall aero performance. Total control – Integrated disc brakes deliver powerful stopping power and modulation for added control in variable weather. Thru-axles boost stiffness and improve overall handling, and an integrated WheelSystem with a 65mm rear rim and shallower 42mm front rim optimizes aerodynamics and control. Unrivaled efficiency – Advanced-grade composite frameset features high-performance materials and modern manufacturing processes for optimized stiffness and the lowest weight in its category. What if we used every ounce of experience we’ve gained serving riders over the past 46 years and built a bike made simply for the love of riding? Pair that with an entirely new layup and process that we’ve perfected over multiple decades, and you have the lightest frame out there (585 grams, S-Works, size 56cm).
And, there are tapered carbon forks that are wider at the base of the steerer for enhanced handling. High-quality steel frames integrate great design, superior assembly, and better alloys in the tubing. Frames built of these materials are famous for their combination of responsiveness and comfort.
If you’re looking to ride to work, head to our guide to the best bike for commuting. A 25mm width is usually the minimum and even race bikes often have 28mm tires, while endurance machines may go to 30mm or more. These lower weight and are often deeper, to improve aerodynamics over a shallow wheel. Road bike wheels are typically 700c size, although Canyon for one fits smaller 650b wheels to smaller sized frames in some of its bikes, so that their geometry is more consistent with larger sizes. Bike makers push their bikes’ aero credentials, especially on more expensive machines, with claims of wind tunnel testing and time saved.
Sometimes, these designations appear on frame “tubing” decals. Carbon fiber (also called “carbon,” “composite” and “graphite”) is unique because it’s not a metal. It starts out as a fabric (or sometimes just a thread that’s woven into fabric) that’s impregnated with a glue called resin.