00:00In the world of bikes, and more specifically, world or proven road race bikes, the world's
00:12cheapest and fastest are rarely heard in the same sentence. But the bike brand that I have
00:17underneath me might be about to change things forever. I am, of course, talking about Van
00:22Riesel. Cast your minds back to the end of 2023 and French
00:30pro team AG2R made a splash in the cycling press when they announced they would be partnering
00:36with Decathlon for 2024. At the same time, they also announced they would
00:40be riding Decathlon's premium cycling brand, Van Riesel. Now, this had some people scratching
00:46their heads as surely a more budget-orientated retailer like Decathlon wouldn't be able to
00:51match the likes of Pinarello and Colnago when it came to out-and-out performance in the
00:56world tour. Well, if the 2024 road season is anything to go by, then it looks like Van
01:02Riesel and Decathlon have done just that. At the time of filming, the AG2R team have piloted
01:08their flagship Van Riesel RCRs to 26 victories at the highest level. But perhaps the most
01:14striking thing is that you can go into a shop and buy the exact same bike as the pros use
01:20for just £9,000. Of course, £9,000 is far from cheap, but when you consider that Colnago
01:27and Pinarello's world tour race bikes cost well north of £10,000, the RCR starts to look
01:33far more competitive on price. And cyclists bought into the hype, with the first batch
01:39of top-spec Van Riesel RCRs selling out within minutes when they went on sale in the UK. So,
01:47it seems like competitive pricing and high-end performance can be offered at the same time.
01:52But what could this mean for the entire bike industry? Well, you'll have to watch to the
01:57end of the video to find out. Before that, I'm going to tell you a little
02:02more about Van Riesel and why they are causing such a stir.
02:09At this stage, you may be wondering what Van Riesel is and where did they originate from? Well,
02:17Van Riesel, which incidentally translates to Made in Flanders, originated in 2019 and is Decathlon's
02:24premium bike brand. And while Van Riesel has only been in the World Tour since 2024, Decathlon has a
02:31strong history of making bikes for professional teams such as Cofidis and AG2R Provoyance in the
02:37early 2000s. It's worth mentioning that Van Riesels aren't just rebranded from other Decathlon models.
02:44They're a whole new line with a dedicated team of engineers striving to make the best performance
02:49road bikes possible. The marketing speak is all well and good, but why should you be excited about
02:55Van Riesel bikes? For me, I think there are four reasons. Number one, it's just great to see a
03:02relatively new brand on the scene that isn't afraid to shake things up and put their money where their
03:07mouth is. Sponsoring a World Tour team is not cheap and it's a huge risk for any new brand. So,
03:14to see Decathlon AG2R teams doing so well aboard Van Riesel bikes, well, can only put a smile on your face.
03:22Number two, and you're going to be hearing this a lot throughout this video, it's got to be the price.
03:27As we all know by now, bikes are seriously expensive in this day and age and that isn't going to change
03:32any time soon. The fact that Van Riesel are trying to offer something at a more competitive price
03:38can only be a good thing. Number three, they're in it for the long haul. Decathlon and Van Riesel have
03:44committed to a five-year partnership with AG2R, so I'm pretty sure this won't be a flash in the pan thing.
03:51Brands making long-term commitments is great for the likes of you and me, as the tech that the pros
03:55get eventually trickles down to the bikes we get to buy in the shops. And number four,
04:01it's teamed up with some very interesting partners, including the likes of Swiss Side,
04:06Data Elementi and French Aerospace Research Laboratory, Oneira. Now, Oneira is based around
04:13the corner from Van Riesel's headquarters in Lille, so I can imagine having such an amazing facility
04:19nearby will mean Van Riesel are in the best position possible to make good on their claim of
04:24making the fastest and cheapest bikes possible. In terms of who I think should consider buying a
04:35Van Riesel bike? Well, in this video, I'm riding the mid-range Van Riesel RCR, which features SRAM's
04:41Force Axis groupset equipped with a power meter. This is exactly the same frame shape and geometry
04:48as raced by the pros, albeit with a marginally heavier carbon layup, and we're only talking about
04:53a 40-gram difference, which is barely noticeable. Van Riesel says the RCR is in their lightweight aero
04:59category of bikes, coming in at £5,000 here in the UK. With this in mind, I think a bike like
05:06this would be ideal for the amateur racer, keen sportive rider, or just someone who likes to go
05:11fast and doesn't want to break the bank. It also features zip wheels and some pretty tasty
05:17Michelin power-cut tyres, so wouldn't need any upgrades to begin with. There are different models
05:23if you're looking to spend less than five grand, and as I've already mentioned, there's the all-singing,
05:28all-dancing pro replica model if you want to spend a little bit more. All this to say,
05:34if you're looking for a performance-focused bike that's ready to ride or race straight out of the
05:39shop, then Van Riesel should have something to suit your budget. At this stage, you may be wondering
05:47how to actually go out and buy Van Riesel products. As you'd expect, you can go over to the Decathlon
05:54website and find the bike I'm riding today, along with other products from the Van Riesel range.
05:59It's available in a range of sizes, and you can then arrange for it to be delivered to your closest
06:05Decathlon store, where you can go and pick it up. Or, if you're after a more bespoke retail experience,
06:11then you can head over to Van Riesel's own concept store in London, where you can access services like
06:16bike fits and hands-on experience with their full product range.
06:27Finally, let's get onto what Van Riesel's presence in the market means for the cycling industry
06:32and you, the viewers. As we're at such an early stage in the brand's development, I can only speculate for
06:39now. And things may change, but here are my takeaways. Number one, the fact that we have a
06:46World Tour team racing and winning on what are perceived to be more affordable bikes can only be
06:52a good thing. We're often sold the idea that the most expensive product is the best, so it's refreshing
06:58to know that you can buy the same performance at a more competitive price. At the time of filming,
07:04AG2R Decathlon were ranked sixth out of 21 World Tour teams, so I'd wager any concerns the riders had
07:11about racing bikes from Decathlon have long disappeared. Number two, in the future, we may
07:17see more brands leading with the affordability of their top-spec road bikes rather than their performance.
07:24Van Riesel created quite the buzz when they released the world's cheapest World Tour bike,
07:29and I'm sure that's one of the main reasons they sold out so quickly,
07:33rather than any performance claims. And number three, if Van Riesel continues to build on their
07:39success of selling high-performance bikes at more affordable prices, will we see more premium brands
07:46having to reduce their prices to keep up? Again, it's just speculation for now, but my instinct
07:52says probably not. Our buying decisions are based on far more than just price, with marketing, brand history,
07:59region, and after-sale support, and a whole host of other factors coming into play. In short,
08:06I don't think we can expect a sub 10 grand top-spec Pinarello or Carl Nargo any time in the near future.
08:13But hey, it's amazing to think that with Van Riesel we can now buy a World Tour winning race bike for
08:19well under £10,000. And in terms of change within cycling, I think that's one that we can all get behind.
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