00:00A couple of weeks ago I published a video which went into detail about some of the bikes that I
00:04would love to see be released in 2024. But, rightly so, some of the viewers thought I had
00:10missed out some of the better value brands. So I went back into the archives to dig out
00:15six bang for buck road bikes which I would love to see get an update in 2024.
00:201. Cube
00:25First up we have the German brand Cube. Currently it sponsors the world tour team
00:31Intermarche Wanti Gobert and they are running the brands Lightning Aero and Air. The former,
00:36as the name suggests, is Cube's aero bike and the latter is its lightweight climbing bike.
00:42It was only in 2022 that Cube launched the Air, so I don't believe that a new version of the bike
00:47will be coming next year. And that's just as well because it doesn't actually
00:51really need updating. It boasts a claimed weight of 6.6 kilos and features most of the latest mod
00:57cons meaning it looks right at home racing up the side of a mountain amongst the other bikes in the
01:03peloton. However, it's when we turn our attention to the Lightning Aero that some of the tech
01:08starts to look a little bit outdated since it was last updated in 2019, so is well overdue some TLC.
01:16For starters, the claimed weight of the frame is a pretty hefty 980 grams. Of course, it's not
01:24terrible and since this is an aero bike it will always be a little bit heavier, but I believe
01:30that the brand has the opportunity to save at least 100 grams from the frame while also refining
01:36some of the tube shapes. Some parts of the frame are undoubtedly good looking like the head tube
01:42and the top tube and the fork and actually the down tube too. However, it's when we turn our
01:47attention to the seat tube cluster that things start to look a little bit dogged. The seat post
01:53also looks like it was a bit of an afterthought, so perhaps if this were to be slightly more
01:58integrated with the overall frame shape the bike could start to look even more attractive front to
02:04back. The Californian bike brand, Felt, is one which has left me a little disappointed in recent
02:16times. In the past it felt like they had a bit of a heyday but haven't yet returned to those same
02:23heights. When I look at its range of bikes I can start to see why, which is a real shame because
02:29it is a brand which I think has some great innovation behind it and has the potential to
02:35offer so much more. Currently both the AR and FR look pretty dated and even the specs of those
02:41bikes reflect that as many of them are still wearing 11 speed Shimano group sets, but I do
02:47like how on the top models Felt has opted to fit third party wheels like the Zipp 353 NSWs or the
02:54Reynolds AR58s lower down in the range. If the brand could give both range of bikes a complete
03:00refresh so that they can compete with the likes of the Tarmac SL8 and the Cannondale Super 6 Evo,
03:06it could be on to a real winner. Felt always used to deliver a really good level of bang for buck
03:12and it always felt like you were getting something which should have cost at least a thousand or so
03:17more. So if it can get back to that and release a new aero and climbing bike which delivers some
03:22superb value, then I cannot see why it won't return to being one of the go-to choices for consumers.
03:33You cannot speak about bang for buck bikes without speaking about Van Riesel. Back in spring of this
03:39year it released an entirely new range of bikes and there is one which I'm particularly excited
03:44for, that being the RCR. Soon to be the official ride of team AG2R Citroen, the bike looks to be
03:52a do-it-all racing machine. The reason why I'm particularly excited about this bike is because
03:57pairing the good value of a Van Riesel with world tour performance could create an irresistible
04:04combination for consumers. Van Riesel says that it's the perfect balance between lightness,
04:09stiffness and aerodynamics and looking at the bike it's easy to see where it's coming from.
04:15The sculpted tube shapes and claimed frame weights of around 800 grams could be a recipe for success.
04:22Only time will tell how it fares when we get it in for testing but I am happy to take a small
04:27amount of confidence in it becoming AG2R's new bike. The team wouldn't just accept anything so
04:33it must have conducted some internal testing on the bike along with Van Riesel itself, so I'm
04:39hoping that the cross-collaboration will have resulted in one of the best bang for buck race
04:44bikes out on the market. British brand Ribble is also one to watch in 2024. It has fully established
04:57itself as a brand which delivers value above pretty much all else. However, the Ribble Ultra SLR
05:04has also tested pretty fast in the wind tunnel too. Launched back in 2021, the bike landed like a bit
05:11of a space rocket. The deeply sculpted frame and radical handlebar design set it apart from pretty
05:17much all other bikes on the market but now as we approach 2024 there is a small chance we could
05:24see something new and updated from the brand. I'd imagine it would come in late 2024 if it comes at
05:31all but if and when it does come I'll be expecting something pretty exciting and otherworldly and
05:37likely something that not many people could even imagine up. One bike in the Ribble range which I
05:43believe is crying out for updating is the Endurance model. I would love it if Ribble could spend some
05:50more time making the frame set just a little bit lighter. If Ribble could reduce the overall weight
05:56by about 10 to 20 percent that bike would quickly become a lot more playful and a lot more fun to
06:02ride. The other area of improvement I'd like Ribble to focus on would be its own in-house wheels.
06:08These need to be wider and they need to be lighter. If it can sort these issues out the
06:13Endurance would make really big steps forward in its appeal, performance and ride feel.
06:23This year Vitus launched a new gravel and all road bike, the Venon. We loved the bike and how
06:29you could buy it as a full gravel setup or in a more road-going Endurance build. There's one bike
06:35in the Vitus lineup which in the past we have also shown a lot of love to, that being the Vitesse Evo.
06:42In 2021 we gave it our Editor's Choice award. Thanks to the bike's fantastic build options paired
06:47with how the bike performed out on the road it all came together as the ideal choice for riders
06:53looking for a great value road bike that performed like others that cost much much more. This is why
06:59I'd love to see Vitus give this bike a refresh next year. It's fair to assume it may only be an
07:04incremental improvement from the current generation but since what Vitus currently has is so good
07:11anything it can do to make the Vitesse even a bit better is only a win in our eyes. It's not often
07:17that you can buy a bike with a full SRAM Red AXS groupset for around the six thousand dollar mark
07:23so for the next generation I would love to see more Shimano builds offered at a similar level
07:28of value and also more frame set availability and colour options really wouldn't go amiss
07:34for those that want to build one up themselves. Last on this list is the Focus Izalco. It's not
07:45a bike which puts bang for buck right at the heart of its ethos as it does cost quite a lot to get
07:51onto the platform and has some fierce rivals which a number of people I believe would probably prefer
07:57to go for but the Izalco does still retain a loyal fan base. This loyalty can be attributed
08:04to the bike's stiff frame but one which still allows you to hammer out the miles and owners
08:09also rave about how the bike handles and performs when the road gets twisty. It really does embody
08:14the do-it-all race bike mantra however in the UK you have to spend over five thousand pounds to get
08:20a bike with electronic gears and even then you're only getting SRAM Rival AXS. The only price point
08:27which slightly redeems the Izalco is right at the top end as the Dura-Ace build mercifully tops out
08:33just shy of the £10,000 mark. This is where other brands could probably be charging another couple
08:39of thousand on top but Focus does hold back here probably out of recognition of its place in the
08:45market. So if we are to see a new model launched in 2024 I would hope Focus retains a lot of what
08:52its loyal fan base loves so much because all it really needs are a few tweaks to the frame
08:57shape and a small reduction in the full build ways. Let me know down below which bang for
09:02buck bike would you love to see be updated in 2024. If you enjoyed the video then please do
09:08drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I will see you again very soon.
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