00:00Aerobikes are all about raw speed and they just keep getting faster. Today
00:05we're going to have a look at the bikes that we think are going to be the ones
00:08to beat in 2024, both in the WorldTour and the Townsend Sprint and there are
00:14plenty to choose from. With the UCI removing the three-to-one regulation
00:19which prevented tubes from being more than three times deeper than their
00:22width, engineers have quite literally gone deeper in the pursuit of speed and
00:27that has resulted in some really exciting bikes. While we might not have
00:31seen a huge number of new aero bikes in 2023, the bikes we do have are still
00:36undeniably leading the cutting edge and should be the go-to choice for anyone
00:40seeking pure speed. But beware, speed doesn't come cheap.
00:50We'll start with a bike that stirred up plenty of debate when it launched and is
00:54UCI legal, the latest version of the Trek Madone. In the case of the Madone,
00:59the Camtel tube shapes were overshadowed by the bike's eye-catching Isoflow
01:04technology. We think the majority of people are now pretty used to seeing the
01:08Isoflow hull out in the wild, but what does it actually do? Well, Trek claim that
01:14by removing the adjustable Isospeed system of the last Madone, the bike
01:18became both simpler and lighter. Combined with the use of 800 series OCLV
01:23carbon, the new frame weighs 300 grams less than the previous model. But of
01:28course, the cutout section was also created with aerodynamics in mind. Trek
01:33say it's a way to direct some high energy flow into a low energy region of
01:37the bike. What that means is the seat tube area creates a disproportionate
01:42amount of drag and the hull helps dissipate this by adding what Trek call
01:46a jet of fast-moving air. The new frame is claimed to be almost 20 watts faster
01:52than the last generation, which equates to 60 seconds per hour when ridden at 45
01:57kilometers per hour, and that's a lot. When we tested the bike this year, we
02:02gave it our best aero bike award, thanks in large part to the frame technology
02:07and how it rides, but also because of the thought and effort that Trek put into
02:12making the handlebars work for every size of rider, meaning whomever climbs
02:16aboard this bike has the opportunity to be the best they can be.
02:25The Cervelo S5 is the bike the all-conquering Jumbo-Visma have been
02:30racking up many of their victories on, and when you look at the bike you can
02:33see why the S5 may have helped. The frame has typically deep aero profiles, a
02:39product of the relaxing of the UCI regulations. This is most notable at the
02:43head tube and the bottom bracket area. Elsewhere, the trailing edges of the
02:48tubes are aggressively shaped, while the rear dropouts have been simplified a
02:52little due to the frame being only compatible with electronic group sets. It
02:57comes with new reserve wheels that have differential rim profiles and save over
03:015 watts compared to the wheels previously found on the old S5. The front
03:06end has a funky handlebar that, despite the radical Y shape without a
03:10conventional stem, also has the benefit of reducing the system weight by a
03:14little over 50 grams. When we tested the bike we really liked it, which is why it
03:20rolled away with our overall race bike of the year award. We loved how the bike
03:24handled in the corners, the sheer smoothness in ride quality and the
03:28undeniable straight line speed. It all came together, resulting in a bike which
03:33can do everything, everywhere, and do it fast.
03:41Having been out for around two years, the Scott foil still boasts some pretty
03:46impressive numbers. Scott claims the foil is 20% faster, 10% more comfortable and
03:529% lighter than the outgoing version. Of course, like the other
03:56manufacturers, Scott took advantage of the UCI rule change and redeveloped the
04:01new foil, pushing right up to what's legal. That meant deeper cross-sections
04:06for the tubes, as well as the fork crown being a little higher up from the front
04:09wheel, and the oversized head tube acting as a fairing, according to Scott. The
04:15bottom bracket also has been beefed up, while the seat tube now follows the arc
04:19of the tyre much more closely, before the seat post itself transitions to shoot
04:24straight upwards. The seat stays are designed to shelter the brake calipers,
04:28but they've also been angled at 10 degrees to force the steady airflow into
04:32the spinning spokes. While these changes and claimed improvements in speed,
04:36comfort and weight are all very impressive, we care more about what the
04:41bike is actually like to ride. Happily though, when we tested it, we found that
04:45the bike was incredibly fast, and held its speed beautifully. It handled
04:50incredibly well, and thanks to the seat post with the D-shaped cutout covered by
04:54a fairing, comfort and road chatter was greatly reduced. It may be slightly on
05:00the heavier side, but when considering that the foil was built to shine on flat
05:04roads, the extra few grams won't weigh heavy on the rider's mind.
05:14Like the new Czech Madone, and many other bikes on this list, the Giant Propel
05:19Advanced SL is claimed to be both lighter and faster than ever before.
05:23However, it's not the increased claims in performance which make the Propel shine,
05:28because for us, it's the value of the bike that really makes it stand out.
05:32Compared to all the other bikes on this list, the Propel can be obtained for
05:36thousands less, but you still get to enjoy many of the same performance
05:40features across the entirety of the range. It's no surprise why the Propel
05:46went on to win our Best Value category in Race Bike of the Year, thanks to the
05:50bang for buck that this bike delivers. But putting cost aside, the performance
05:55metrics of the bike alone are still worth paying attention to. Giants say the
06:00Propel is 225 grams lighter than its predecessor, with the new Advanced SL
06:05frame weighing 845 grams, with the complete frameset claimed to be almost
06:1014% lighter than the previous model. To make the Propel faster, Giant used a
06:15combination of airflow simulation software, wind tunnel testing, and real
06:20world application. The resulting aero system shaping led to what Giant
06:24described as truncated ellipse airfoil shapes across the downtube, c-tube, and
06:29seat stays, as well as a redesigned frontal area, an area of course which is
06:34crucial to the reduction of drag. The result is a bike that Giants say is 27
06:40seconds faster over 40 kilometers at 40 kilometers per hour, thanks to a
06:45reduction in drag by more than 6 watts. But we think the cost savings this bike
06:50represents against its rivals might be even more impressive to the masses.
07:00Lastly, we want to give a special mention to the Specialized Tarmac SL8. It's
07:06famously not an aero bike, but is an all-rounder, since Specialized decided
07:12that separate aero and climbing bikes aren't necessary. But when it was
07:16released, the SL8 was claimed to be faster than the brand's previous aero
07:20bike, the Venge. So it stands to claim that the SL8 could be seen as being a
07:25better version of an aero bike. If it really is as fast or faster while
07:30combining lightweight and performance features, in theory it should be
07:34providing everything the customer of an aero bike is actually after, apart from
07:38maybe a really wacky looking and eye-catching frame. Let us know down in
07:45the comments below, which of these bikes would you choose if money were no object?
07:49If you enjoyed the video then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel
07:53for more content, and we will see you again very soon.
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