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The aluminium bikes available this year are better than they ever have been. After some key models saw reductions in weight this year, it's meant that what used to be the downside to aluminium is no longer all that bad. We have rounded up the aluminium road bikes which we think are the best options in 2024. They span all price points, spec levels, brands and riding styles. We have bikes from Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Canyon and Triban. Which would you pick?
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00:00aluminium road bikes have never been better and the bikes available to you represent some of the
00:05best value options whether you're looking to buy your first bike build up a racing machine
00:09or just tackle some long distance epics we've linked all of the bikes down in the description
00:14below so let's get into them the specialized alley was refreshed earlier this year and is arguably
00:26one of the best known road bikes it's been the gateway drug to road cycling for so many and
00:32after its recent overhaul we think it will continue to chaperone more and more cyclists into the sport
00:37but the question is what is it about the recent overhaul that will mean it continues to serve the
00:43masses of new cyclists well the bike has been kept up to date with the adoption of disc brake only
00:48models the frame has dropped a little weight but more importantly has also taken on a new geometry
00:54to become slightly more comfortable the alley has retained its ability to play host to a pannier
01:00rack and mug guards while also featuring some drop seat stays to help the alley maintain a modern look
01:05as mentioned the alley is now a disc brake only bike meaning the tire clearance has expanded all the way
01:11out to 35 millimeters so whether you're a weekend warrior a gravel path cruiser a commuter or just like
01:18to keep it simple and want a road bike which can conquer both short and long rides then we think
01:23this is arguably the most versatile aluminium road bike that's out there it's certainly not the best
01:28value prices start at 1000 pounds here in the uk for a claris specced bike with mechanical disc brakes
01:35the model we'd prefer would be the la sport version which steps up to a tiaga groupset and
01:40hydraulic disc brakes so if you're happy to pay the price you'll have a bike which can be used in
01:46so many different ways
01:53if you're after bang for buck then it doesn't come much better than the tri-ban rc520 we say this
02:00is
02:00the best value aluminium bike currently on the market thanks to the semi-carbon fork shimano 105 shifters
02:07and derailleurs and frame which can accommodate tyres up to 36 millimeters in size and play host to mud
02:14guards and a panier rack the impressive spec sheet doesn't stop there though despite the fact that
02:20the brakes are cable actuated the calipers are made by trp and house a mini hydraulic reservoir and
02:27hydraulic pistons this means you get a better braking feel and performance something more in common with
02:34fully hydraulic disc brakes coming in just shy of 900 pounds here in the uk means the rc520 is not
02:40only
02:41more affordable than many other road bikes available today but thanks to the spec it's also just
02:46incredibly good value the 36c tire clearance means that this bike can be used in a variety of ways and
02:54much like the specialized alley will likely suit a very large group of riders especially those who do
03:00want to save a bit of money one of the most popular producers of aluminium bikes is cannondale and thanks
03:13to its vast range they do have something for everyone the cad optimo is the brand's most entry-level
03:19aluminium road bike with the optimo 4 coming in at just 900 pounds here in the uk this model comes
03:26with
03:27eight speed shimano clara shifting rim brakes a carbon fork and as mentioned an aluminium frame from
03:33one of the best producers of them out there happily the range does spam multiple models with the range
03:39topping out at 1300 pounds for the optimo one which sees its shifting components be upgraded to shimano 105.
03:47the optimo range is perfect for riders who want a more performance focused road bike without the usual
03:53price tag they are basic bikes which makes them very easy to work on yourself the cost of maintenance is
03:59also pretty good thanks to the really good availability of spare parts and should you want to
04:04make any upgrades to the optimo then that's also easily done too the only thing which may get trickier
04:10to upgrade will be the wheels as more and more bikes become disc brake only
04:20as mentioned cannondale do create a whole range of fantastic aluminium bikes and for those who are a
04:27bit more endurance minded the synapse al could be the right choice the synapse 2 sits in direct
04:33competition with the specialized la sport thanks to its shimano tiagra groupset and hydraulic disc brakes
04:40however the synapse 2 takes things a little further with the addition of a wheel set from dt swiss 30
04:46seat tires from vittoria and a saddle from physique it's not just about the specification though as
04:53what's more important is the frame itself the synapse name comes with a lot of weight as the moniker
04:59has become synonymous with long distance performance and arguably that's likely why you would be going for
05:05this bike the full carbon fork helps keep weight down and increases the vibration dampening qualities
05:12the geometry matches that of the much-loved carbon synapse and the plump 30c tires do a good job of
05:18reducing road chatter and increasing grip without costing you too much in rolling resistance losses
05:24some of the synapse al models also ship with a top tube bag that can be bolted directly to the
05:30frame
05:30which we think is a really classy touch from the american brand
05:34if you're after one of the best aluminium endurance bikes then this is probably it
05:45not all aluminium bikes are created equally and the trekker monda alr is certainly one which sits
05:51head and shoulders above the rest it saw a huge overhaul in 2023 with changes to the aesthetic a more
05:58aggressive race focused geometry a switch from a press fit to a threaded bottom bracket
06:03acclaimed 250 gram frame set weight saving and new aero profiles to help minimize losses two builds of
06:11the bike were created one with a mechanical shimano 105 group set and the other with a 105 di2 group
06:17set
06:17happily if neither of those were to your liking then trek did also make the frame set available to buy
06:23separately for the custom build market we think this amanda alr is perfect for bike races on a budget
06:30since you can build a frame set up with whatever parts you may already own and the new geometry
06:35matches that of the carbon amanda it means you can get racing without having to risk something
06:40costing upwards of six grand if you are unfortunate enough to have a crash then you can be safe in
06:46the
06:46knowledge that the frame won't shatter in the same way that carbon does and you may have a better
06:52chance of a simple repair great value comes in many forms and for the time being you can be assured
07:04of
07:04some fairly good value when shopping with a direct to consumer brand like canyon it has a very popular
07:10endurance aluminium bike in the form of the endure race a l thanks to the unique sales model the german
07:17brand is able to offer a shimano tiagra specced bike with hydraulic disc brakes and a full carbon fork
07:23for just shy of 1400 pounds here in the uk dt swiss wheels are shod in 30 mil schwa 1
07:29rubber but most
07:31impressive is that the wheels feature a 22 millimeter internal rim width ensuring you can make the most out of
07:37a big contact patch with the road aiding in both comfort and grip versatility is covered off too
07:43with space for 35c ties and top tube bag mounting points there is also a shimano 12 speed mechanical
07:50105 build option which comes in at 1649 pounds and it's this bike which we think gives the specialized
07:58alle the biggest run for its money the marketplace for budget race bikes is hotting up and as top end
08:10bikes go stratospheric in price more and more people are looking towards top end aluminium bikes to use in
08:16their local races it's no secret that for a long time now the specialized alle sprint has had a cult
08:22following among amateur racers thanks in large part to the funky frameset colorways it slots in perfectly
08:29with the rider who just wants to build up their own bike and have something cool to show for their
08:33effort
08:34after a refresh last year the alle sprint borrowed the same geometry from the tarmac sl7 and it swapped
08:41out the pressfit bottom bracket for a threaded unit this wasn't the biggest change to the bike though
08:47the engineers over in morgan hill cooked up a brand new down tube and head tube which thanks to a
08:53clever
08:53hydroforming process meant they could do away with one set of worlds at the bottom bracket but also meant
08:59we were left with some fairly unsightly ones at the head tube sadly this fairly controversial decision
09:05marred the bike's initial reception but if you can look past the aesthetics then you are left with a
09:11bike which performs in a similar way to the much more costly tarmac but will not cost you
09:17nearly as much
09:25some aluminium road bikes provide more value than others and trek does a fantastic job with its
09:30demane al much like the carbon version of the demane its aluminium little brother is also endurance
09:37orientated but it's not the tried and tested geometry that we like so much about this range of bikes
09:42it's instead the different builds trek has created and the associated price tags for example the demane
09:50al2 rim comes in at 750 pounds and features two beautiful paint jobs and a shimano claris groupset
09:58look further up the range and you'll find six more builds each upping the spec level progressively until you
10:04reach the top end gen 4 demane al5 with a shimano 12 speed 105 mechanical group sets what's fantastic
10:13about the range of gen 4 bikes is the use of integrated cabling to achieve that popular clean
10:18hoseless look ensuring the demane al stays up to date with modern aesthetics trek sits in a very small number
10:26of brands to offer such a good range of builds and for them all to be competitively priced so if
10:32you're
10:32looking for a specific build and want to know you're not paying through the nose for it the demane al
10:37range
10:38could be worth checking out we couldn't have a video about the best aluminium bikes on the market
10:48without giving special mention to the cannondale cab 13. however we want to be clear we are not saying
10:54the cab 13 is one of the best aluminium bikes you can go and buy in 2024. quite frankly the
11:00cab 13 has
11:01been superseded and has been left in the dust thanks to the sheer amount of effort and innovation other
11:07brands have put into their own aluminium bikes so if there's a bike we hope to see come out in
11:122024
11:13it's a cannondale cad 40. hopefully cannondale has got an ace up its sleeve and will launch something
11:19truly cutting edge cementing itself once again as the kings and queens of aluminium let us know down
11:27below which aluminium bike would you pick if you enjoyed the video then please do drop it a like
11:32subscribe to the channel for more content and we will see you again very soon
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