DREAM ROAD BIKES AT WHEELBASE!

If you’re a road cyclist who has been battling through the winter, you’ll have no-doubt been riding in some pretty challenging conditions, head to toe in thermal, waterproof gear or will have been putting in endless hours indoors on your smart trainer staring at the same piece of wall in the ‘pain cave’. Well, there’s hope on the horizon, it’ll warm up, you’ll soon be shedding layers and enjoying long rides on dry roads again.

It’s not so bad, the next few weeks and months will fly by; things WILL get better. One way you can really build in an incentive to get through the tail-end of winter is to begin to start planning your dream bike, why not make this the year you finally indulge yourself and allow yourself to ride the bike that you’ve always lusted for, after all you’ve worked for it. Whether you’re a keen racer looking for a new road bike to meet the demands of fast and frenetic racing throughout a packed season or are planning a summer of long, challenging rides there’s nothing like a new dream carbon fibre road bike to re-focus your attention on riding and enhance your enjoyment of cycling throughout the summer months.

To get your juices flowing we’ve pulled together a showcase of some of the hottest road bikes for 2021 available from the best brands that we stock here at Wheelbase. Super-aero, feather-light, extra-comfortable or maybe all of the above! Each brand has their own take on what makes the ultimate modern road bike; needless to say, all bikes feature hydraulic disc brakes which has quickly become the established norm then there’s lightweight carbon wheels and in some cases electronic gear transmission and fear not, with each brand offering their flagship models in a range of different specifications there’ll be an option to suit you and your budget. Speaking of budgets, don’t forget that all of our 2021 road bikes are available with 0% Interest, Zero Deposit Finance to help you spread the cost of your dream road bike; find out more about our 0% Finance here.

 

Trek Émonda SLR

Launched in the middle of 2020 while the world was coping with the Coronavirus pandemic the all-new Trek Emonda didn’t launch in the usual way that Trek typically launch their flagship road bike. Rather than its debut being assigned to the Tour De France as previous incarnations have the  Emonda was revealed to the public first with the pro riders having to wait until later in the year to showcase just exactly what this cutting edge road bike could do. Happily when the Tour De France did eventually take place we saw Trek Segafredo professional Richie Porte take a very well deserved 3^rd place podium spot in Paris onboard the next-generation Trek Emonda.

This newest iteration of the Emonda saw some significant changes with Trek taking the super-popular model and bringing in more aerodynamic frame profiling throughout. The Emonda mixes all of the ultralight properties from the former model and have combined it with a fair share of the aerodynamic benefits seen on their most recent Madone model. The finished result gives us a range of bikes that are ultra-light AND aero making this the fastest climbing road bike that Trek have ever made. That’s a pretty bold claim from the American manufacturers, however, they have a lot of solid science and test results behind them to back up the claim and can show evidence of the bike being more aerodynamic even at the slower speeds encountered when climbing long hills.

This bike is a great choice for the cyclist who is looking for a contemporary, cutting edge road bike that’s capable of doing it all. This brilliant all-rounder benefits from the years of development and refinement that have preceded it with the previous models. The Emonda’s geometry is truly confidence inspiring; this bike feels agile without being skittish and is equally at home riding long epic rides in the hills as it is in a sprint finish at your local race track.

 

Focus Izalco Max Disc 

The German designed Focus Izalco Max Disc is a race-ready road bike which is super-aero and catches the eye thanks to its minimal, clean lines and aerodynamic silhouette. The Focus Izalco Max frameset goes well beyond eye-pleasing aesthetics though with some serious science and German engineering behind its development. Focus have struck that magic balance between lightweight and aero with all of the frame’s tube profiles designed and refined after many hours in the wind tunnel. The use of Kamm tail profiles have allowed the engineers to create an aero frame while cutting overall weight.

Despite the Izalco Max’s aero properties and racey look the Focus designers paid particular attention to how comfortable the bike feels over long distances. Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest difference; a good example of this is the Izalco Max’s carbon seat post design. Focus have developed an aero-profiled D-profile post which kills two birds with one stone, firstly it’s aerodynamically profiled and secondly it’s flattened rear profile has been designed to flex a little giving you added comfort in the saddle.

A subtle but really effective tweak to the frame’s geometry adds even more comfort and compliance. To maintain the optimum sitting position Focus have pushed the seat tube forwards so that the effective offset is only 2 mm. This means that you can enjoy the comfort of a seat post with 15 mm offset, without having to forgo an efficient, aero racing sitting position.

If you are looking for a versatile, modern road bike that ticks all the boxes, namely – disc brakes, aero-profiled frame, enhanced comfort, high-performance stiffness and responsiveness, then the Focus Izalco Max Disc may be for you. But just to reinforce the point, this is not a bike you’ll only want to ride on race day, as previously highlighted this aero road bike is also deceptively comfortable and is more than ready for all-day epic road rides over the hilliest routes you can find.

 

Specialized Aethos

The first thing you’ll notice about the Specialized Aethos is that the silhouette of the bike looks distinctly different to the type of high-end road bikes that are currently being launched. The latest generation of performance road bikes are firmly focused on aero-efficiency with each tube profile shaped to cut through the air and with fully integrated components and cables being the norm; Specialized themselves have recently relaunched their iconic Tarmac model as a more aerodynamic, complete do-it-all road racing bike that climbs brilliantly but is super-aero too, the Aethos completely bucks this trend.

Specialized say that this bike has been made simply for the love of riding; for once they admit, they’re not in it to win. They focused instead on the vast majority of cyclists out there who ride for the love of the sport and the freedom they feel while riding. By ripping up the established rule book which typically leads manufacturers to design modern, contemporary competition-focused road bikes, Specialized achieved a ground-breaking frame design and manufacturing process which gave the Aethos its feather-light weight of just 585grams for the frame, making it the lightest production disc frame ever made. The Aethos frame’s shape is what drives performance in terms of stiffness and responsiveness and Specialized discovered that tubes with subtle, elongated conical sections deliver the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio; they called this new approach their ‘Continuous Curvature Design’ strategy.

With a weight that comes under UCI rule 1.3. 019 which states that race bikes in UCI-sanctioned events must weigh at least 6.8kg (14.99lb) this road bike might just be too good for professional cyclists; for the rest of us though we can enjoy a light, stiff and balanced road bike that handles brilliantly. With key features including hydraulic disc brakes throughout the range, convenient threaded bottom bracket and clearance for tyres up to 32mm wide the Specialized Aethos is the perfect option for those road riding purists who seek out the perfect riding experience and don’t obsess about all things ‘aero’.

 

Cannondale Systemsix

The Cannondale Systemsix which is already well-proven on the UCI World Tour as one of the bikes available to the riders in Team Education First. Usually used for the flatter, faster sprint stages of the Grand Tours this bike is renowned as a super-aero high-performance road bike, however, it’s worth pointing out just how versatile this road bike is. How do we know? Well this model is used by our very own Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli road racing team which saw action in the (albeit limited) races that took place in 2020. The team will continue to ride the Systemsix in 2021 too; we love the feel of this bike which is super-aero, reducing drag and helping you to ride faster for longer. As we all know, small differences in performance can be hard to measure but when your road bike is this aerodynamically efficient you don’t just benefit from enhanced straight line speed but also gain an advantage in tight sprints, technical descents and even on long climbs.

The Systemsix ticks all of the boxes of what is expected from a modern aero road bike; namely an aerodynamically profiled carbon frame, internal brake & gear cables, neat flat mount disc brakes and fully-integrated handlebar and stem which features internal cables that run seamlessly into the frame, all helping to make this bike efficient at cutting through the wind. Through personal experience and valuable feedback  from our Team members we can confidently say that the Cannondale Systemsix is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a fast, race-ready road bike; it’s perfect for taking on your local weekly crit or even your club time trial thanks to its speed, versatility and supreme handling.

 

Pinarello Dogma F12

The Dogma F12 is Pinarello’s flagship race bike as ridden by the world dominating INEOS professional road racing team (formerly Team Sky). This iconic bike has seen many tweaks and refinements over the years with the addition of disc brakes and more aerodynamic profiling being the most recent developments. The success of this bike is undisputable with significant victories and high podium places achieved even in the stilted, abridged 2020 race season where we saw Tao Geoghegan Hart taking a storming overall win in the Giro D’Italia and Richard Carapaz taking second place at the Vuelta Espana.

Their fastest bike to date the Pinarello Dogma F12 features advanced aerodynamics and carbon construction that has been further refined to be 10% laterally stiffer than the F10 helping the bike to handle brilliantly and respond instantly to pedalling input. Part of the Dogma’s improvement in aerodynamic efficiency is down to its fully integrated design with all gear and brake cables stowed within the handle bars, stem and frame; as well as improving performance it looks great too, with that iconic Italian styling shining through once again.

One significant aspect worth noting is the wide choice of sizing and spec and choices available for the finished Pinarello Dogma F12 road bike. There are 13 frame sizes available as well as 16 handlebar sizes giving up to 208 combinations for a truly user-friendly optimum fit. Now the only thing left to consider is which groupset to adorn your Dogma with, do you go with the classic combination, keeping things all-Italian with Campagnolo, spec Shimano’s flagship Dura Ace Di2 option or go for SRAM’s brilliant eTap Wireless groupset…

 

Specialized Tarmac

There was a surprised reaction when Specialized launched the all-new Tarmac SL7. The cycling press and fans alike were initially shocked to see that Specialized had made the Tarmac much more aerodynamic than its predecessor. Specialized already had the Venge, their out and out aero road bike in the range, so why make the Tarmac more aero? Well, the Specialized engineers realised they could effectively morph the two bikes together creating a road bike with all the climbing and handling performance of the previous Tarmac with all the advantages of a more aerodynamic machine, and see benefits even at slower climbing speeds.

The well loved Tarmac model has been around for nearly two decades in one form or another, this latest version still has all the positive aspects of previous models with regards to handling, climbing prowess and snappy acceleration on the flats and uphill sprints. Aero-profiled tubing holds the key to the SL 7’s leap in performance with seat tube, seat stays, head tube and fork blades all benefitting from refined shaping which Specialized engineers claim gives 45 seconds advantage over 40km.

The all-new Tarmac SL 7 is another great choice if you’re looking for a true ‘all-rounder’ road bike. Race-ready but not at the expense of comfort you can confidently take on a season of races with more casual epic all-day rides in between with no need to change anything on the bike. Disc brakes are so common now they barely need to be mentioned but again, it’s worth noting the versatility that disc brakes have brought to road bikes enabling you to run a slightly larger tyre to add comfort on long days in the saddle on rough roads. The Tarmac is a streamlined do it all machine.

 

Cannondale Supersix

2021 sees the second year that Cannondale have carried the revised Supersix in their range. When the all-new version was launched in 2020 it was quite a significant departure from previous generations of this bike. Opinion was initially divided as the classic looks of the original Cannondale Supersix were iconic and well-loved within the road cycling fraternity. To be fair, the drastic overhaul was long overdue and it’s funny how dated the original version now looks. What seemed controversial at the time is now the established norm – aero-profiled tubing, disc brakes and dropped seat stays all make sense and have solid science behind these refinements.

Not everything from the past has been ignored though with the bikes’ light weight and telepathic handling of the being inherited from the previous version; the Supersix now gives a smoother, more capable and much more aerodynamically efficient ride. Cannondale engineers have managed to reduce drag by a massive 21% compared to the previous generation Supersix. Further aero advantages are gained by clever integration of gear and brake cable running through the handle bars, stem and frame and gives the Supersix its clean, clutter-free silhouette.

The Cannondale Supersix is an awarding winning bike with Bike Radar announcing it as their Bike of the Year Overall Winner. The Supersix has also won the Cycling Weekly Editor’s Choice Award for 2020, described as ‘the race worthy bike thatrolls like a storm cloud beneath you’. You can read a full review here

The Cannondale Supersix is another great all-rounder; the bike is available in a large number of specifications and a couple of choices of carbon construction making it a very good choice for a wide range of budgets. This modern road bike is ready for anything, it’s race ready, super-comfortable and confidence inspiring to ride.

 

 

So, that’s just some of our favourite road bikes available for the 2021 season. You can see all of our options here over on our website and of course if you’re in the area why not call into our Lake District, Yorkshire or North East stores and talk to one of our road cycling specialists.

Blog written by Johnny Dodgin