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The Van Rysel RCR Dura-Ace Di2 in the TOUR test
"We just love our job," says Louis Defaut. The young man in the blue sweatshirt and with fashionable glasses on his nose pauses briefly, but can only stifle his laughter for a moment. After all, the months and years behind him have been extremely labour-intensive. Defaut is responsible for the development of the racing bikes at Van Rysel.
The same division that set off a veritable firework display of new products at Velofollies in the spring: The young own brand of the French sporting goods giant presented no fewer than seven new models at the trade fair in Kortrijk, Belgium.
They are due to roll into (online) shops by 2024 - including the new Van Rysel RCR, a competition bike that aims to achieve a symbiosis of speed, lightweight construction and comfort in the style of an all-rounder. Sounds exciting, we thought, and were the first trade magazine in the world to test the bike in a wind tunnel, laboratory and in the wild.
It couldn't be fresher
At the time of testing, the RCR was still so new that Van Rysel was only able to send a prototype from Lille to Germany. However, apart from the finish, it was exactly the same as the version that will be available in the shops next year and is rumoured to be ridden by the professionals of the French team AG2R. If this is confirmed, the World Tour team can look forward to a bike that has hardly any significant weaknesses and will outshine some established manufacturers in the core disciplines.
With a total weight of 6.9 kilograms and an aero performance of 207 watts at 45 km/h, the RCR sets a new benchmark in the race all-rounder category. No other model has ever been faster and lighter in the GST wind tunnel than the Van Rysel, which is also one of the top ten fastest bikes in the TOUR test.
The ranking is otherwise dominated by aero racing bikes, which are between 310 and 1290 grams heavier. What a coup! On the scales, the RCR benefits not only from the lightweight frame set manufactured in Vietnam, but also from the high-quality equipment.
In terms of aero performance, the cooperation with the French aerospace authority has borne fruit, with tube shapes and add-on parts being optimised in their wind tunnel in Lille and - measured against flat aero models - resulting in a restrained design. The most striking feature is the extremely narrow one-piece cockpit, which is just over the permitted UCI minimum width of 350 millimetres and offers little surface area for the wind to attack.
Van Rysel RCR - New image, new prices
On the road, the new model is correspondingly agile and masters the various riding situations as if it had never done anything else. However, there are two small drawbacks: due to the lightweight construction, the suspension is not super stable - less of a problem for emaciated professionals than for heavier riders. In addition, the seat post is relatively unyielding. The Van Rysel therefore drops two tenths in the overall score and just misses out on the elite top club of the best bikes in the TOUR test, but at the same time holds its own against established World Tour bikes.
With the RCR, Decathlon's own brand is also heralding a turning point in its pricing policy and is pushing its own claim to be perceived as a sporty, ambitious brand in a competitive market. "We got a lot of people into cycling, but once they reached a certain level, they moved on to other brands," says Head of Marketing Maxime Delabre: "We want to keep people with us with Van Rysel.
The four equipment variants of the current model year with electronic shifting technology (Shimano or SRAM) and carbon wheels (Shimano or Zipp) cost between 4200 and 8500 euros. The tested RCR with Dura-Ace, Swiss-Side wheels and a printed saddle from Fizik will be available from next year for 9000 euros. This makes the race all-rounder rather cheap in comparison, but whether Van Rysel can establish itself against established brands remains to be seen. A team at the Tour de France would certainly help to kick-start this process.
Individual evaluation and details of the Van Rysel RCR
- Price9000 Euro
- Info: www.decathlon.de
- Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 911/384/51 grammes
- Frame sizes** XS, S, M, L, XL
- Seat/top tube/head tube 485/555/149 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR*** 562/380 millimetres/1.48
- Wheelbase/caster 990/58 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/Circuit Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (2x12; 52/36, 11-34 t.)
- Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace (160/160 mm)
- Wheels/tyres (weights)**** Swiss Side Hadron 500/Continental Grand Prix 5000S TR 25 millimetres (front/rear: 1150/1540 grams)
Measured values & individual grades*****
- Weight of complete wheel 6.9 kilos Grade 1,7
- Steering head stiffness 87 Nm/° Grade 2,0
- Lateral stiffness fork 50 N/millimetre Grade 1,7
- Bottom bracket stiffness 52 N/millimetre Grade 2,3
- Seatpost spring stiffness 212 N/millimetre Grade 2,3
- Aerodynamics****** 207 watts Grade 1,3
>> The Van Rysel RCR gets an overall TOUR score of 1.6
*Weighed weights.
**Manufacturer information Test size bold.
***Stack/Reach Projected vertical/horizontal dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube;
STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched sitting position, 1.60 means an upright sitting position.
****Impeller weights including tyres, cassette, quick release/threaded axles and brake discs if necessary.
*****Single noteswhich are weighted differently in the overall grade, are only partially printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are shown with rounded decimal places.
******Aerodynamics Theoretical pedalling power required to overcome air resistance at 45 km/h, measured in a wind tunnel with a pedalling leg dummy.
Julian Schultz
Editor
