Road bike season here in South Africa, and quite frankly all over the world, has never looked this stealthier! With pretty much every much every road bike brand having rocketed out their 2019 range, they are each making their mark when it comes to fancy, ride technology. Some bikes are getting more aerodynamic, others – more comfortable – and some are getting smoother & faster!
Surrounded by competition, and within this array of “special forces” type of road bikes; are 4 of the stealthiest. They’re all designed with a tasteful heritage of brand ingenuity. With some added modernisations from the 21st century, to meet the needs of their respective riders. These are our top 4 picks, of the stealthiest, road bikes for the 2019 season.
Canyon Aeroad CF SLX DISC 9.0 DI2
Strictly dubbed at our HQ as the stealthiest of them all, the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0, is the result of a German brand’s relentless pursuit of creating the best bicycles known to man. Having recently put this bike through its paces, we know first-hand, the amount of stiffness the Aeroad’s carbon frame has. It’s been pieced together with Canyon’s Trident 2.0 Aero technology, and aggressive PRO geometry. And while the bike has speed in every molecule of its construction, it hasn’t let go of the fundamentals that make a road bike. High comfort level technology, and Shimano Di2 shifting on this model (a SRAM Red Etap AXS model is available), make this bike ideal for full-on racers – no matter the surface of the road, conditions of the weather, or competition!
Price Tag: 6 349 Euro (est. ZAR 105 000)
Trek Madone SLR 6 Disc
At first glance you’d swear the Madone comes straight out of a Star Wars film, with its futuristic profile. The 700 Series OCLV carbon fibre, is Trek’s lightest, construction material to date, and it’s been given a fair amount of stiffness too. However, the real benefit of riding a Trek Madone, comes from the brand’s IsoSpeed technology, which takes the edge of those roughly tarred surfaces. It’s a technology we’re still very much fond of, since it gives the seat post room to flex, without compromising on BB stiffness. The bike is modernised down to the T, with hydraulic disc brakes from the Shimano Ultegra gear system, adding the finishing touches to bike’s overall, solid performance.
Price Tag: ZAR 98,999.00
Factor Bike’s ONE
Granted the Factor ONE is usually sold as a frameset, and so there’s no way to compare spec, as every ONE built is unique to its rider. However, there’s one thing we’re certain off. (and excuse the pun) That this bike is one of the thoroughly designed aerodynamic road bikes, to tread asphalt. The full-on carbon fibre frame, features Factor’s very own speed concept, called a Twin Vane Evo downtube. Which basically splits the downtube of the frame into two wind piercing tubes, that allow the air to pass through the middle of the bike seamlessly. This out of the box design contributes huge amounts of stiffness to the bike as a whole. The neat feature of purchasing and custom building your Factor ONE, is that it has provision for all the latest trends. From integrated disc brakes, to advanced electronic shifting. It’s truly rider-first engineered.
Scott Foil 10 Disc
Fancy a Swiss-made road bike, that’s stayed true to the religion of cycling through the ages? Well the name says it all with the Scott Foil 10, a beautiful carbon fibre, aerodynamic, race bike. This bike comes locked and ready to speed with race orientated geometry, so you’ll be able to get down low and out of the wind. Pedal power is also pushed to the max, with the Foil’s oversized BB design, giving the bike’s frame a fair amount of stiffness. With the Scott Foil 10 Disc embodying disc brake technology, and a Shimano 22spd Ultegra group set it’s a fine choice for riders looking for a road bike that can do it all.
Price Tag: ZAR 89,990
Verdict
What defines a stealthy road bike? And more importantly, how do road bikes portray themselves to be stealthy? We looked a technology; we looked at aesthetics, and we looked at aerodynamics. After pulling in research, test results, and rider experience, we came to the conclusion that the bike that would be the stealthiest, needs to qualify with technology that’s functional, aggressively designed, and carries the best aerodynamic features. Coming down to these four road bikes, we can confidently say they’re the best in the stealth category.
