00:00You
00:05In the world of bikes, and more specifically, worlds of
00:10proven road race bikes, the world's cheapest and fastest are rarely heard in the world.
00:15But the bike brand that I have underneath me might be about to change
00:20things forever.
00:21I am, of course, talking about Van Riesel.
00:25Cast your minds back to the end of 2023.
00:30And French pro team AG2R made a splash in the cycling press when they announced
00:35they would be partnering with Decathlon for 2024.
00:38At the same time, they also announced
00:40they would be riding Decathlon's premium cycling brand, Van Riesel.
00:44Now, this had...
00:45Some people scratching their heads, as surely a more budget-orientated retailer
00:49like Decathlon.
00:50Decathlon wouldn't be able to match the likes of Pinarello
00:53and Colnago when it came to...
00:55Out and Out performance in the World Tour.
00:57Well, if the 2024 road season is...
01:00anything to go by, then it looks like Van Riesel and Decathlon have done just that.
01:05At the time of filming, the AG2R team have piloted their flagship Van Riesel RCR
01:10to 26 victories at the highest level.
01:13But perhaps the most striking...
01:15thing is that you can go into a shop and buy the exact same bike as the pros use.
01:20for just £9,000.
01:22Of course, £9,000 is far from...
01:25cheap.
01:26But when you consider that Colnago and Pinarello's World Tour race bikes cost well...
01:30north of £10,000, the RCR starts to look far more competitive.
01:35on price.
01:36And cyclists bought into the hype with the first batch...
01:40top-spec Van Riesel RCRs selling out within minutes when they went on sale.
01:45in the UK.
01:46So, it seems like competitive pricing and high-end...
01:50performance can be offered at the same time.
01:53But what could this mean for the entire...
01:55bike industry?
01:56Well, you'll have to watch to the end of the video to find out.
02:00Before that, I'm going to tell you a little more about Van Riesel and why they are...
02:05causing such a stir.
02:10At this stage, you may be wondering what Van Riesel is and...
02:15where did they originate from?
02:17Well, Van Riesel, which incidentally translates...
02:20made in Flanders, originated in 2019 and is Decathlon's premium...
02:25bike brand.
02:26And while Van Riesel has only been in the World Tour since 2025...
02:30Decathlon has a strong history of making bikes for professional teams such as...
02:35an AG2R Provoyance in the early 2000s.
02:38It's worth mentioning...
02:40that Van Riesels aren't just rebranded from other Decathlon models.
02:44They're a whole new...
02:45line with a dedicated team of engineers striving to make the best performance road bikes.
02:50The marketing speak is all well and good, but why should you be...
02:55excited about Van Riesel bikes?
02:57For me, I think there are four reasons.
03:00Number one.
03:01It's just great to see a relatively new brand on the scene that is...
03:05who isn't afraid to shake things up and put their money where their mouth is.
03:09Sponsoring a world...
03:10world tour team is not cheap and it's a huge risk for any new brand.
03:14So...
03:15to see Decathlon AG2R teams doing so well aboard Van Riesel bikes...
03:19well...
03:20can only put a smile on your face.
03:22Number two.
03:23And you're going to be hearing this a lot through...
03:25throughout this video.
03:26It's got to be the price.
03:27As we all know by now, bikes are seriously...
03:30expensive in this day and age and that isn't going to change anytime soon.
03:34The fact that...
03:35that Van Riesel are trying to offer something at a more competitive price...
03:38can only be a good thing.
03:40Number three.
03:41They're in it for the long haul.
03:42Decathlon and Van Riesel have committed to a...
03:45five year partnership with AG2R.
03:47So I'm pretty sure this won't be a flash in...
03:50the pant thing.
03:51Brands making long term commitments is great for the likes of you and me.
03:55as the tech that the pros get eventually trickles down to the bikes we get to buy in the shops.
04:00And number four.
04:01It's teamed up with some very interesting partners including...
04:05the likes of Swiss Side, Data Elementi and French Aerospace Research Lab...
04:10the factory...
04:11Oneira.
04:12Now, Oneira is based round the corner from Van Riesel...
04:15of Fizzle's headquarters in Lille.
04:16So, I can imagine having such an amazing facility nearby...
04:20will mean Van Riesel are in the best position possible...
04:23to make good on their claim...
04:25of making the fastest and cheapest bikes possible.
04:30In terms of who I think should consider...
04:35buying a Van Riesel bike.
04:36Well, in this video, I'm riding the mid-range Van Riesel...
04:40which features SRAM's Force Axis groupset...
04:43equipped with a power meter.
04:45This is exactly the same frame shape and geometry as raced by the pros...
04:50with a marginally heavier carbon layup.
04:52And we're only talking about a 40 gram difference.
04:55which is barely noticeable.
04:56Van Riesel says the RCR is in their lightweight aero...
05:00category of bikes...
05:01coming in at £5,000 here in the UK.
05:04With this...
05:05in mind...
05:06I think a bike like this would be ideal for the amateur racer...
05:09keen sportive rider...
05:10or just someone who likes to go fast...
05:12and doesn't want to break the bank.
05:14It also features...
05:15wheels...
05:16zip...
05:17wheels...
05:18and some pretty tasty Michelin Power Cup tyres.
05:19So...
05:20wouldn't need any upgrades to begin with.
05:22There are different models if you're looking to spend less...
05:25than £5,000...
05:26and as I've already mentioned...
05:27there's the all singing, all dancing pro...
05:30a replica model...
05:31if you'd want to spend a little bit more.
05:33All this to say...
05:34if you're looking...
05:35for a performance focused bike...
05:37that's ready to ride...
05:38or race...
05:39straight out of the shop...
05:40then Van Riesel should have something...
05:42to suit your budget.
05:45At this stage...
05:46you may be wondering...
05:47how do I actually go out and buy Van Riesel?
05:50as you'd expect...
05:52you can go over to the Decathlon website...
05:54and...
05:55buying the bike...
05:56I'm riding today...
05:57along with other products from the Van Riesel range.
05:59It's a...
06:00available...
06:01in a range of sizes...
06:02and you can then arrange...
06:03for it to be delivered...
06:04to your closest...
06:05decathlon store...
06:06where you can go and pick it up.
06:08Or...
06:09if you're after a more...
06:10spoke retail experience...
06:11then you can head over...
06:12to Van Riesel's own...
06:13concept store in London...
06:14where you can...
06:15access services...
06:16like bike fits...
06:17and hands-on experience...
06:18with their full product range.
06:20for more training...
06:22if you're after a more training...
06:23in...
06:24without...
06:25Finally, let's get on to what Van Riesel's
06:30presence in the market means for the cycling industry and you, the viewers.
06:35As we're at such an early stage in the brand's development, I can only speculate for now.
06:40And things may change, but here are my takeaways.
06:44Number one.
06:45The fact that we have a world tour team racing and winning on what are perceived to be.
06:50More affordable bikes can only be a good thing.
06:53We're often sold the idea.
06:55That the most expensive product is the best.
06:57So it's refreshing to know that you.
07:00Can buy the same performance at a more competitive price.
07:03At the time of filming.
07:05AG2R Decathlon were ranked 6th out of 21 World Tour teams.
07:09So.
07:10So I'd wager any concerns the riders had about racing bikes from Decathlon have long distance.
07:15Number two.
07:16In the future.
07:17We may see more brands leading with the affordability.
07:20Of their top spec road bikes.
07:22Rather than their performance.
07:25So, Ramrizal created quite the buzz when they released the world's cheapest World Tour bike.
07:30And.
07:30And I'm sure that's one of the main reasons they sold out so quickly, rather than any
07:35performance claims.
07:36At number 3, if Van Riesel continues to build on their
07:40success of selling high-performance bikes at more affordable prices, will we see
07:45more premium brands having to reduce their prices to keep up?
07:49Again, it's just...
07:50It's just speculation for now, but my instinct says probably not.
07:55The buying decisions are based on far more than just price, with marketing, brand history...
08:00And after-sale support, and a whole host of other factors coming into it.
08:05In short, I don't think we can expect a sub-10 grand top-spec Pinarello
08:10or Carl Nago any time in the near future.
08:13But hey, it's amazing to...
08:15It's hard to think that with Van Riesel, we can now buy a World Tour winning race bike
08:19for...
08:20Well under £10,000.
08:22And in terms of change within cycling, I think that's...
08:25One that we can all get behind.
08:30So we'll get back to each other.
08:31See you next time!
08:32Cool.
08:33Yeah, we'll see you next time.
08:34Good night.
08:35My surprise.
08:36Good night.
08:37Cheers, Guys!
08:38Cheers, guys.
08:39Cheers!
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