Searching for a new bike is a challenge. Every brand has wild marketing claims and tells you they have ‘the best’.
I have dedicated the past 8 years of my life to become the fastest cyclist I could be. The results were racing multiple years at semi-professional level, working in the bicycle industry and unforgettable experiences.
As part of a UCI team, we could not freely choose the equipment for races. Looking back, I lost quite a few races with a very small margin. Races that I could have won? Who knows.
So, after retiring from racing I decided to build the bike I have always wanted.
The ultimate aero road bike.
This article dives deeper in what makes an aero road bike ‘the best’.
3 factors that make the ultimate aero road bike
The ultimate aero road bike is:
- Fast
- Enjoyable
- Secure
1. Fast – The bike to win
5 factors that make a bike faster:
- Aerodynamic
- Low rolling resistance
- Low friction
- Lightweight
- Stiff
Faster is better. Period.
We want a bike that helps us win.
Win races, win group rides, win at life.
The fastest bike is a bike that helps us to get to the finish line with the minimum amount of effort. At the finish line it helps us to win the sprint from our competitors or friends.
Therefore, a faster bike is a better bike, because it helps us win.
Aerodynamic
Air resistance is the greatest force slowing us down on the bike, therefore we need to be as aerodynamic as possible. That means an aerodynamically optimized frame and wheels, but also the ability to get and stay in the fastest position.
It was interesting to see the evolution of positions in the past 8 years. Especially on the time trial bikes. The handlebars have moved up a lot, to let riders lower their head and shrug their shoulders more. This results for most riders in a faster and also more powerful position.
That’s why the best aero road bike is aerodynamic and lets you get into the fastest position.
Low rolling resistance
The lower the rolling resistance of the tires, the faster we go. 8 years ago, 23 mm tires were the most popular. Nowadays, 28 and 30 mm are the new standard. We learned that a wider tire is more comfortable and more safe, while being as fast or even faster than narrower tires.
That’s why the best aero road bike has wheels optimized for a wide tire and enough tire clearance.
Low friction
On a moving bike there are a lot of parts that rotate, causing friction. The amount of friction is dependent on the materials that rotate and the lubricant that is used to smooth the rotation.
The best aero road bike has a combination of low friction parts and fast lubricants.
Unfortunately, the fastest lubricants require almost always the most maintenance. There is a tradeoff between speed and easy maintenance. Do we want to spend 2 extra hours per season to service bearings that give us a 0.1% loss in friction? Probably not.
That’s why the best aero road bike has low friction parts, while staying low maintenance.
Lightweight
A lightweight aero bike is faster uphill. The benefits are greatest on steeper gradients.
Another advantage of a lightweight bike is that it is easier to accelerate. Therefore, a lightweight bike is also faster on a flat course with corners.
That’s why the best aero road bike is lightweight.
Stiff
With an aerodynamic, fast rolling, low friction and lightweight aero bike, we will save energy for the moment it matters most. The finish.
Unless you cross the finish line after a solo effort, we need to win the sprint. The stiffness of our bike is important to transfer all the power from our legs into the ground. We also feel the benefits of a stiff bike when we are sprinting out of corners.
That’s why the best aero road bike has the best power transfer due to exceptional stiffness.
2. Enjoyable – The bike to enjoy life with
4 ways a bike can make your life more enjoyable:
- Beauty
- Comfort
- Durability
- Maintainability
Enjoyable, happiness. Words that not everyone would use to describe the best aero road bike. If we can choose however, between two identical bikes in all performance metrics, but one is better looking than the other. We will choose the better looking.
The way a bike makes you feel and the amount of time and effort spent to keep it running smoothly are important parts of the quality.
Therefore, a more enjoyable bike is a better bike, because it encourages you to ride more.
Beauty
Winning the mental battle is often the most important battle.
That’s why it is important to choose a bike that excites you to train and go to group rides and races with. A bike that instills fear in the heart of competitors.
Besides winning, beauty is a goal in itself. A more beautiful world is a better world.
That’s why the best aero road bike is a very beautiful bike.
Comfort
The most aerodynamic and the stiffest bike is irrelevant, if you cannot stay on it for hours while pushing hard.
A bike that puts you in a state of physical ease and freedom from pain and constraint is always faster and more enjoyable.
That’s why the best aero road bike is a very comfortable bike.
Durability
A bike can be extremely fast. But if it wears just as fast, we will soon forget the extra speed that we bought.
The ideal bike requires the absolute minimum amount of maintenance.
That’s why the best aero road bike is very durable.
Easy maintenance
As much as some people love to tinker with their bikes, it is mostly a pain in the ass. Especially when we want to go out training or spend time with family, but some part of our bike has to be replaced first. We might have to drive to a repair shop or spend the entire night in the shed.
To avoid spending precious time on maintenance, there are 2 ways to make it easier.
First, the amount of different tools required to maintain our bike should be the absolute minimum.
Second, replacement of parts should be fast and easy.
That’s why the best aero road bike is very easy to maintain.
3. Secure – The bike you’re safe with
5 factors that will improve our feeling of security:
- Strong parts
- Good brakes
- Grippy tires
- Predictable wheels
- Warranty
The third and possibly most important factor for the ultimate aero road bike is safety.
Going super fast, before crashing and breaking your neck, is not the best strategy to stay healthy for a long time.
Therefore, a better bike is a more secure bike, because it keeps you alive with peace of mind.
Strong parts
Strong parts not only make the bike more durable, but they prevent all kinds of accidents.
Riding around at high speeds, while doubting if anything breaks, is a sure way to quickly lose the pleasure of riding.
That’s why the best aero road bike has strong parts that do not break easily.
Good brakes
Good brakes are another no-brainer. Being able to stop in time should not be something that is left to chance.
That’s why the best aero road bike has excellent brakes.
Grippy tires
Grippy tires help us go faster through corners, but also prevent crashing in the same corner.
In my cycling career, I have much too often seen the tarmac from up close. Coming back from fractures and other injuries is definitely something to avoid.
That’s why the best aero road bike has very grippy tires.
Predictable wheels in crosswinds
Crosswinds can be very annoying and dangerous if we do not have wheels that are built for them.
Knowing how a front wheel reacts to gusts of wind, will improve our handling and confidence on the road.
That’s why the best aero road bike has predictable wheels in crosswinds.
Warranty
Finally, having the best warranty conditions, lowers the risk of a purchase. On one side, the manufacturer shows they trust their own product, and on the other hand we will not take any of the downside when they are incorrect.
That’s why the best aero road bike comes with the best warranty conditions.
Conclusion: the ultimate aero road bike
The ultimate aero road bike:
- Most aerodynamic
- Lowest rolling resistance
- Lowest friction
- Lightest
- Stiffest
- Most beautiful
- Most comfortable
- Easiest to maintain
- Most durable
- Strongest
- Best braking power
- Most grippy tires
- Most predictable wheels
- Best warranty conditions
Unfortunately, to score the best at all these criteria is not possible.
The most comfortable is probably not the fastest.
The strongest is probably not the lightest.
The lowest friction is probably not the most durable.
For me, speed is the most important of the 3 factors. For you, another factor may be more important than speed, so make an informed decision.