00:00 A couple of weeks ago I published a video which went into detail about some of the bikes that I
00:04 would love to see be released in 2024. But, rightly so, some of the viewers thought I'd
00:10 missed out some of the better value brands. So I went back into the archives to dig out
00:15 six bang for buck road bikes which I would love to see get an update in 2024.
00:25 First up we have the German brand Cube. Currently it sponsors the world tour team
00:30 Intermarché Wontego Bair and they are running the brands Lightning Aero and Air. The former,
00:36 as the name suggests, is Cube's aero bike and the latter is its lightweight climbing bike.
00:41 It was only in 2022 that Cube launched the Air, so I don't believe that a new version of the bike
00:47 will be coming next year. And that's just as well because it doesn't actually really need updating.
00:53 It boasts a claimed weight of 6.6 kilos and features most of the latest mod cons meaning
00:59 it looks right at home racing up the side of a mountain amongst the other bikes in the peloton.
01:04 However, it's when we turn our attention to the Lightning Aero that some of the tech
01:08 starts to look a little bit outdated since it was last updated in 2019, so is well overdue some TLC.
01:16 For starters, the claimed weight of the frame is a pretty hefty 980 grams. Of course,
01:23 it's not terrible and since this is an aero bike it will always be a little bit heavier,
01:29 but I believe that the brand has the opportunity to save at least 100 grams from the frame
01:35 while also refining some of the tube shapes. Some parts of the frame are undoubtedly good looking,
01:41 like the head tube and the top tube and the fork and actually the down tube too. However,
01:46 it's when we turn our attention to the seat tube cluster that things start to look a little bit
01:51 dogged. The seat post also looks like it was a bit of an afterthought, so perhaps if this were to be
01:58 slightly more integrated with the overall frame shape, the bike could start to look even more
02:03 attractive front to back. The Californian bike brand, Felt, is one which has left me a little
02:14 disappointed in recent times. In the past, it felt like they had a bit of a heyday but haven't yet
02:21 returned to those same heights. When I look at its range of bikes, I can start to see why, which is a
02:28 real shame because it is a brand which I think has some great innovation behind it and has the
02:34 potential to offer so much more. Currently, both the AR and FR look pretty dated and even the specs
02:41 of those bikes reflect that as many of them are still wearing 11 speed Shimano group sets. But
02:47 I do like how on the top models, Felt has opted to fit third party wheels like the Zipp 353 NSWs
02:53 or the Reynolds AR58s lower down in the range. If the brand could give both range of bikes a
03:00 complete refresh so that they can compete with the likes of the Tarmac SL8 and the Cannondale
03:05 Super 6 Evo, it could be on to a real winner. Felt always used to deliver a really good level
03:11 of bang for buck and it always felt like you were getting something which should have cost at least
03:15 a thousand or so more. So if it can get back to that and release a new aero and climbing bike
03:21 which delivers some superb value, then I cannot see why it won't return to being one of the go-to
03:27 choices for consumers. You cannot speak about bang for buck bikes without speaking about Van Riesel.
03:38 Back in spring of this year, it released an entirely new range of bikes and there is one
03:43 which I'm particularly excited for, that being the RCR. Soon to be the official ride of Team
03:49 AG2R Citroen, the bike looks to be a do-it-all racing machine. The reason why I'm particularly
03:56 excited about this bike is because pairing the good value of a Van Riesel with world tour
04:01 performance could create an irresistible combination for consumers. Van Riesel says
04:07 that it's the perfect balance between lightness, stiffness and aerodynamics and looking at the bike,
04:13 it's easy to see where it's coming from. The sculpted tube shapes and claimed frame weights
04:18 of around 800 grams could be a recipe for success. Only time will tell how it fares when we get it
04:24 in for testing, but I am happy to take a small amount of confidence in it becoming AG2R's new
04:30 bike. The team wouldn't just accept anything, so it must have conducted some internal testing on
04:35 the bike along with Van Riesel itself. So I'm hoping that the cross collaboration will have
04:41 resulted in one of the best bang for buck race bikes out on the market.
04:48 British brand Ribble is also one to watch in 2024. It has fully established itself as a brand which
04:58 delivers value above pretty much all else. However, the Ribble Ultra SLR has also tested pretty fast
05:06 in the wind tunnel too. Launched back in 2021, the bike landed like a bit of a space rocket.
05:12 The deeply sculpted frame and radical handlebar design set it apart from pretty much all other
05:18 bikes on the market. But now, as we approach 2024, there is a small chance we could see
05:24 something new and updated from the brand. I'd imagine it would come in late 2024,
05:30 if it comes at all. But if and when it does come, I'll be expecting something pretty exciting
05:35 and otherworldly, and likely something that not many people could even imagine up.
05:40 One bike in the Ribble range which I believe is crying out for updating is the Endurance model.
05:47 I would love it if Ribble could spend some more time making the frame set just a little bit
05:53 lighter. If Ribble could reduce the overall weight by about 10-20%, that bike would quickly become
06:00 a lot more playful and a lot more fun to ride. The other area of improvement I'd like Ribble
06:05 to focus on would be its own in-house wheels. These need to be wider and they need to be lighter.
06:11 If it can sort these issues out, the Endurance would make really big steps forward in its appeal,
06:16 performance and ride feel. This year, Vetus launched a new gravel and/or road bike,
06:27 the Venon. We loved the bike and how you could buy it as a full gravel setup or in a more road-going
06:33 Endurance build. There's one bike in the Vetus line-up which in the past we have also shown a
06:38 lot of love to, that being the Vitesse Evo. In 2021, we gave it our Editor's Choice Award.
06:45 Thanks to the bike's fantastic build options paired with how the bike performed out on the road,
06:49 it all came together as the ideal choice for riders looking for a great value road bike that
06:54 performed like others, but cost much, much more. This is why I'd love to see Vetus give this bike
07:00 a refresh next year. It's fair to assume it may only be an incremental improvement from the
07:06 current generation, but since what Vetus currently has is so good, anything it can do to make the
07:12 Vitesse even a bit better is only a win in our eyes. It's not often that you can buy a bike with
07:18 a full SRAM Red AXS groupset for around the $6,000 mark, so for the next generation, I would
07:25 love to see more Shimano builds offered at a similar level of value. And also, more frameset
07:31 availability and colour options really wouldn't go amiss for those that want to build one up
07:35 themselves. Last on this list is the Focus Izalco. It's not a bike which puts bang for
07:46 buck right at the heart of its ethos, as it does cost quite a lot to get onto the platform,
07:52 and has some fierce rivals which a number of people I believe would prefer to go for,
07:58 but the Izalco does still retain a loyal fanbase. This loyalty can be attributed to the bike's
08:04 stiff frame, but one which still allows you to hammer out the miles, and owners also rave about
08:10 how the bike handles and performs when the road gets twisty. It really does embody the do-it-all
08:15 race bike mantra. However, in the UK, you have to spend over £5,000 to get a bike with electronic
08:21 gears, and even then, you're only getting SRAM Rival AXS. The only price point which slightly
08:28 redeems the Izalco is right at the top end, as the Dura-Ace build mercifully tops out just shy
08:34 of the £10,000 mark. This is where other brands could probably be charging another couple of
08:39 thousand on top, but Focus does hold back here, probably out of recognition of its place in the
08:45 market. So, if we are to see a new model launched in 2024, I would hope Focus retains a lot of what
08:52 its loyal fanbase loves so much, because all it really needs are a few tweaks to the frame shape
08:57 and a small reduction in the full build weights. Let me know down below, which bang for buck bike
09:03 would you love to see be updated in 2024? If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,
09:09 subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again very soon.
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