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With its own brand Van Rysel, the omnipresent sporting goods chain Decathlon is increasingly setting exciting trends: The latest models illustrate the transformation from a low-cost provider to a serious player in the highly specialised racing bike market. In connection with its commitment to professional sport - the discounter has sponsored the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team as a supplier since 2024 - two competition racing bikes were presented that have nothing to hide from the established competition. For example, the aero racer RCR-F proved to be one of the fastest racing bikes in the world in the TOUR test. Following the successful entry into top-class sport, the company is now increasingly focussing on amateur cyclists. The new EDR CF Ultra will round off the racing bike portfolio as a modern and versatile endurance racer with a carbon frame.
More road & gravel bike innovations 2026 in the test
The simply designed model aims to score less with exalted technical solutions, but above all with an uncomplicated approach and good value for money. We tested the entry-level model, which costs €3499 with an electronic Shimano 105 groupset. At first glance, this doesn't sound exceptionally cheap; you can get this configuration for less money from suppliers such as Cube or Rose. Looking at the other features, the EDR still seems attractively priced: Carbon wheels and even a power meter are included on the Van Rysel.
In the saddle, we notice other special features and equipment details that we find extremely good. The handlebars, developed in collaboration with the Italian component specialist Deda, have exceptionally large and ergonomically well-shaped contact surfaces for the hands on the top bar; the own-brand saddle is comfortable. The wheels with DT Swiss hubs and classic steel spokes look high quality and in the event of damage, the supply of spare parts is guaranteed. The simple power meter, which only measures on the left crank side, also turns out to be a useful device: it delivers plausible values and can be conveniently charged with a magnetic cable; an upgrade to double-sided measurement is easily possible. The 32 millimetre wide all-season tyres from Continental roll surprisingly well, but should offer significantly better puncture protection and better grip in the wet than their well-known race counterparts.
Potential for comfort
Otherwise, the practical test revealed few surprises. The steering behaviour is characterised by a very smooth ride, the bike goes around corners like it's on rails and never feels unsafe in any riding situation. On the test bike, which was unfortunately delivered a little too small, we sat quite sportily, but the seat post offers an enormous adjustment range and with a slightly longer stem we could have imagined longer tours. In the medium size, the EDR offers classic endurance geometry with a relatively upright riding position. When studying the geometry table, it is noticeable that there are huge differences between the larger sizes in particular: The handlebars move up three centimetres from M to L and to XL. Long-legged riders might therefore be able to cope better with the bike in a smaller size. We found the suspension to be quite firm for a marathon racer, which was confirmed by the measurements in the test lab. The suspension comfort on the saddle is average; most of the competition can do better. However, a more compliant seatpost - the one fitted with a round cross-section has standard dimensions and is easy to replace - would also easily remedy this shortcoming. Otherwise, the bike does not have any weaknesses in the evaluation.
The EDR has a lot to offer in terms of practical details: Space for tyres up to 38 millimetres wide also makes it suitable for use on unpaved roads. Even then, mudguards should still fit on the frame and fork; there are mounts on the fork and rear triangle, as well as space for a third bottle cage or a tool box on the down tube. However, the bike does not have eyelets for a top tube bag, which is now common on many endurance racers. Instead, the fork crown has a thread for a front light mount. Unfortunately, only the fork of the top model has a cable duct to the hub dynamo, which is equipped with a Busch+Müller headlight, DT Swiss hub dynamo and a USB charging socket on the stem as standard. It comes with the SRAM Force AXS component group and costs 5099 euros >> available here. In addition to the low-cost version shown here, there is also a higher-quality model with Shimano's Ultegra Di2 and all-road wheels from Swiss Side on offer for 4899 euros >> available here.
Van Rysel EDR CF Ultra: test grade, price, geometry, equipment, measured values, advantages and disadvantages
- Price: 3499 Euro >> available here
- Weight of complete wheel: 8.2 kilos
- Frame sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- TOUR grade: 2,3
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 480/528/130 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 555/373 millimetres/1.49
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 607/530 millimetres/1.15
- Wheelbase/caster: 1010/61 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano 105 Di2 (2x12, 50/34, 11-36 t.) | Shimano 105 Di2 (2x12, 50/34, 11-36 t.) Note: 1,5
- Brakes: Shimano 105 (160/160 millimetres) Note: 2,0
- Tyres: Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR 32 millimetres | Note: 1,5
- Impellers: Van Rysel VR 35 Carbon
- Impeller weights: 1351/1941 grams (v./h.)
Measured values
- Weight of complete wheel: 8200 grammes | Note: 3,3
- Driving stability: 8.25 N/mm | Note: 1,7
- Rear comfort: 172 N/mm | Note: 2,7
- Comfort front: 92 N/mm | Note: 2,7
- Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness: 61 N/mm | Note: 1,0
Van Rysel EDR CF Ultra: advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
Well equipped all round, good value, unagitated driving behaviour, many additional features
Disadvantages
quite hard on the saddle
How TOUR tests
Jens Klötzer
Editor
