On-site appointment in the GST wind tunnel in Immenstaad on Lake Constance: 15 spectacular aero racers compete in a great test of strength. It's all about the question that has increasingly become the driving force behind the further development of competition bikes in recent years: who can build the fastest racing bike in the world? Word has long since got around among racing cyclists that this depends less on weight than on the best possible aero performance. Here in our online gallery we show additional detailed photos of the bikes:
The entire article and the test results of these models can be found below as a PDF download:
- BH G6 Pro Dura-Ace Di2
- BMC Timemachine TMR01
- Canyon Aerorad CF SLX 9.0 Ltd.
- Cervélo S5 Dura-Ace Di2
- Felt AR FRD
- Fuji Transonic SL
- Giant Propel Advanced SL
- Look 795 Aérolight
- Merida Reacto Team-E
- Ridley Noah SL 20
- Rose X-Lite CW X-8800
- Scott Foil Premium Di2
- Specialised S-Works Venge ViAS Di2
- Storck Aerfast Platinum
- Trek Madone 9.9
This time, the test is particularly exciting because Trek and Specialized, the heavyweights of the industry, have presented exciting new aero bikes that could have a significant influence on road bike design in the coming years. At the very least, the Trek Madone and the Specialized Venge ViAS are road bikes like none before. For both of them, the development process was characterised by a no holds barred approach and no compromises. Both kept armies of engineers on their toes, underwent elaborate computer simulations and received their finishing touches in the wind tunnel. As a result, they were far removed from the familiar image of the racing bike.
Disc brakes in the aero test
To get straight to the point: In terms of aerodynamics, the effort was obviously worth it. Both bikes left our wind tunnel test as best in class. There are other reasons why they didn't end up winning the overall test.
After all, the Venge ViAS and Madone are not the only interesting new aero racers in this comparison. Scott is competing with the second generation of the Foil, which also raises high expectations. Ridley will be there with the Noah SL, on which André Greipel took four stage wins in the recent Tour de France. The new X-Light CW from Rose, the only model with disc brakes in the comparison, is also exciting. How do the discs perform in the battle against the wind? We expected to gain some initial insights from this test.
The formally breathtaking 795 Aérolight from Look is extraordinary in every respect. In terms of design effort, it is on a par with Venge ViAS and Madone - handlebars, brakes, seatposts and cranks are integrated. The French manufacturer is thus maintaining its reputation as a creative outsider in the road bike industry. At the same time, the 795 is the only model in the test, apart from the Madone produced in the USA, whose frame is not manufactured in Taiwan or China, but in Tunisia. The field is completed by other new models such as the Aerfast from Storck as well as already familiar participants, including the S5 from Cervélo as the fastest bike ever measured by TOUR.
New rating system
This test is not only interesting because of the high-calibre competition. It also marks a turning point in the more than 20-year history of the TOUR test procedure. It means saying goodbye to a rating system that lumps all road bikes together, regardless of their intended use. This is our response to the trend that traditional road bike construction - a manufacturer develops a frame and completes it with components from suppliers - is no longer up to date, especially for high-end models. Increasingly, companies are designing their racers as complete vehicles, technically customised for the respective purpose. One may regret this because it makes the bikes more complicated and also more expensive. But when it comes to getting the last ounce of performance out of a design, this approach seems unavoidable.
Another reason for further developing our test method is the increasing differentiation of the market. Just a few years ago, most bikes were very similar, with geometries and equipment mostly orientated towards the ideal of the typical competition bike. Accordingly, they could also be rated according to a standardised key. Today, however, there is a clear dividing line between aero and lightweight models - both primarily developed for racing - and bikes that are primarily aimed at leisure riders and emphasise comfort aspects more strongly, keyword "marathon racing bikes". Different development goals apply to both categories, which are always more difficult to recognise if the same evaluation standard applies to both.
Aero test as standard
In future, our assessment procedure will therefore differentiate between bikes according to their intended use. For models that were primarily developed for racing, we will give more weight to the particularly relevant criteria of aerodynamics and weight in the grading, while reducing or excluding other points such as suspension comfort or impact resistance of the paintwork. However, we continue to assess both criteria for marathon models, where we give more weight to comfort overall and leave out aerodynamics. Conversely, in future we will measure all models that have been developed primarily for competition use in the wind tunnel. Aerodynamics will therefore become an equally important criterion alongside weight, riding stability and comfort for all competition bikes - and no longer just for selected aero models, as was previously the case.
So how do the new top road bikes fare in this test?
Both the Venge ViAS and the new Madone from Trek are at the top of the aero rankings, replacing the Cervélo S5 as the previous reference. With 204 watts each at 45 km/h, their lead over the S5 (205 watts) seems negligible at first glance. However, a closer look at the curves of the bikes over the different angles of attack from -20 to +20 degrees reveals something interesting: with a frontal approach, which is typical for very high speeds, the Venge and the Madone have a small but significant advantage over the S5, which is slightly faster at flat angles. But even though the Venge and Madone are practically on a par in the wind tunnel, Trek is the clear winner of this duel: the Madone is the more complete road bike. With its frame that flexes noticeably in a vertical direction thanks to the IsoSpeed joint between the top tube and seat tube, it offers better suspension comfort than many marathon racers. It is also lighter than the unexpectedly heavy Venge, which can therefore only utilise its aero advantage on flat routes. The more metres of elevation gain come into play, the more clearly the Madone sets itself apart, as our route simulation with 1,000 metres of elevation gain over 100 kilometres makes clear.
Another plus point for the Madone: Trek has not yet fully utilised the aerodynamic potential of the bike supplied for the test, for example with the wheels. If you measure the Madone with other wheels (Zipp 404 Firestrike) and tyres (Continental Grand Prix 4000S2, 23 millimetres) in the wind tunnel, it improves by almost three watts. On the Venge ViAS, on the other hand, the optimum was achieved with the supplied 64 millimetre high Roval rims and aerodynamically optimised front tyre. The 404 wheels did not bring any improvement either.
Perfect harmony
The Trek Madone 9.9 sets a new standard in terms of aerodynamics and also masters the other disciplines that count on road bikes. With faster tyres and better brake pads, the test victory would have been possible. Instead, Canyon took it with the Aeroad and Scott with the new Foil, both of which have mastered the quadruple crown of aerodynamics, lightweight construction, riding stability and suspension comfort equally well. Because they are a shade ahead of the Madone in the overall ranking, which takes all test criteria into account, they emerge from this test as joint overall winners. They also belong to the exclusive circle of the best road bikes in the world. For the new Madone, however, one thing remains to be said: When it comes to riding as fast as possible with as little energy input as possible, this bike is the new benchmark.
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