In this article, I maintain a list of good bikes and cycling gear that I am considering buying some day.
First, some vocabulary to know about frames:
- AL or AL usually means an Aluminum frame
- CF means a Carbon Fiber frame
- SL means Super Light
- SLX stands for Super Light Extreme
- WMN means it meant for women
Bikes
Famous and commong bike brands
- Specialized
- Trek
- Cannondale
- Giant
- BMC
- Cube
- Felt
- GT Bicycle
- Kona
- Lapierre
- Merida
- Pinarello
- Ridley
- Scott
Here are the bikes on the Tour de France.
Bikes I am considering
Road
How to choose the right frame size.
General rule of thumb: the longer the reach and the shorter the stack, the more aggressive the bike. Likewise, the more the head angle is closer to 90 degrees and the smaller the wheel base is (long wheel base is for increaed stability), the more aggressive it is.
| Reference | Price | Weight | Type of brakes | Groupset | Brand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMC Teammachine ALR | ✅ 1,299 euros | ✅ 9.16 kg | ✅ Rim | ❌ Shimano Tiagra | BMC |
| Cannondale CAAD Optimo | ✅ 1,079 euros | ✅ 8.9 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Cannonale |
| Canyon Endurace AL 7.0 | ✅ 1,099 euros | ✅ 8.21 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Canyon |
| Canyon Endurace CF 7.0 | ✅ 1,399 euros | ✅ 7.96 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Canyon |
| CUBE ATTAIN GTC Pro 105 - Carbon Roadbike - 2019 | ✅ 1,249 euros | ✅ 8.4 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Cube |
| Cube Attain | ✅ 849 euros | ✅ 9.6 kg | ✅ Rim | ❌ Shimano Claris | Cube |
| Felt FR30 road bike (2019) | ✅ 1,119 euros | ✅ 8.3 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Felt |
| Felt FR40 road bike (2019) | ✅ 849 euros | ✅ 9.1 kg | ✅ Rim | ❌ Shimano Tiagra | Felt |
| Felt FR5 road bike (2019) | ✅ 1,199 euros | ✅ 8.26 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 R7000 11-speed | Felt |
| FOCUS IZALCO RACE 9.7 105 Roadbike | ✅ 1,449 euros | ✅ 8.1 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Focus |
| Giant Contend SL 1 2019 | ✅ 1249 euros | ✅ 9.04 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 (except brakes) | Giant |
| Giant TCR Advanced 2 (PC) 2019 | ❌ 1620 euros | ✅ 7.95 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Giant |
| Specialized Allez Elite | ✅ 1,299 euros | ✅ 8.83 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 (except brakes) | Specialized |
| Trek Domane AL 3 | ✅ 849 euros | ✅ 9.75 kg | ✅ Rim | ❌ Shimano Sora | Trek |
| Triban RC520 (road version) | ✅ 850 euros | ❌ 10.8 kg | ❌ Disc | ✅ Shimano 105 | Decathlon |
| VÉLO DE ROUTE VAN RYSEL ULTRA RCR AF SHIMANO 105 NOIR | ✅ 900 euros | ✅ 8.9 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Decathlon |
| VELO ROUTE EDR AF 105 noir | ✅ 999 euros | ✅ 8.8 kg | ✅ Rim | ✅ Shimano 105 | Decathlon |
Short List
-
- https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/canyon-endurace-al-7-2020review/
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/canyon-endurace-al-7-0-disc (2018): good
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/canyon-endurace-al-7-0 (2019): not so good
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/canyon-endurace-disc-7-0 (2020): good
- https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-road-bike-under-1000/
- https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-road-bike-under-2000/
-
CUBE ATTAIN GTC Pro 105 - Carbon Roadbike - 2019
- Geometry is not as aggressive as the other two
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/cube-attain-gtc-race: review is on a model with disc brakes and Ultegra Shimano, which qualifies it as a comfort-oriented bike
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UCbv6FzJSM (oct 2018): good comfy bike
- https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/your-complete-guide-cubes-road-bike-range-252760
-
FOCUS IZALCO RACE 9.7 105 Roadbike
- On the official Focus website, the wheels are different (though they are the same on this archive page) as well as the weight (8.65, 8.1 on bike24)
- https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-road-bike-under-2000/: positive review
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/focus-bikes-352805 (oct 2019): The Focus Izalco Race aims to take a speedy, racing chassis to the masses.
- https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/focus-izalco-race-review/ (nov 2018): excellent appart from the wheels but they have changed since 2018
- https://road.cc/content/review/235885-focus-izalco-race-carbon-sora (jan 2018): excellent review on a different model
More references
- https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/: a classic, worldwide
- https://www.bikeradar.com/features/bike-of-the-year/: excellent list!
- https://road.cc/: a classic in UK
- https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews: a good one
- https://99spokes.com/: to compare bike geometries
Where to buy
- https://www.bike24.com/: a classic, in Germany
- https://www.wigglesport.de/rennrader/felgenbremse-bremsentyp/?mi=600&ma=1300&omi=310&oma=8000&cc=EUR&bc=EUR&ris=1&o=3
- https://www.bike-discount.de/en/road-bike/
- https://www.probikeshop.com/en/gb/road/complete-bikes-road-bikes-c10084.html: they are very expensive!
- https://www.alltricks.fr/C-40958-route/N-774769-type~velo-de-route/N-790051-type-de-transmission~mecanique/N-774906-poids~moins-de-10-kg/N-774915-freinage~sur-jante?N774913=groupe~shimano-105
Gravel
- Triban RC520 (gravel version)
Cycling gear
Puncture proof tires
- Continental Grand Prix 5000 (folding tires, clincher type) (why, and why) for road bikes
- Schwalbe marathon plus (very heavy though) for commute bikes
Bike computers
- Ordinateur de vélo GPS ELEMNT BOLT: no turn by turn navigation from a Strava route export, you have to export from Ride with GPS or Komoot. Appart from that, seems like the best one on the market.
- Garmin Edge computers (530 is affordable, 830 is very expensive)
Smartphone mount
Lights
- Sigma Buster 700 (front light)
Route planner
- Strave
- Komoot
- Ride with GPS
Cameras
360 degrees
- Rylo
- Insta360
- Garmin VIRB(R) 360