Specialized bike online store right now: Is electronic shifting really better? While the majority of road groupsets are mechanical, using cables from the shift levers to change gears, there are a growing number of road bikes that now come fitted with electronic shifting, where a motor shifts the derailleurs between ratios. The main electronic systems are Shimano Di2, Campagnolo Wireless and SRAM eTap AXS, which all offer 12 speeds. There are benefits and drawbacks of both mechanical and electronic options. Mechanical components, such as mechs and levers, are generally cheaper and lighter than their electronic counterparts. They are also, for the most part, easier to fix when something goes wrong. Electronic gears benefit from reliable shifting. There’s no cable tension at play here. If you’ve suffered a hand injury, the ease of changing gear with the press of a button could be appealing. Read additional information on bicycle parts Baton Rouge.
Ride longer, farther, and with more confidence on this mid-range carbon do-it-all road bike. The carbon frame and wheels make the bike more aerodynamic when you’re riding serious mileage. It’s designed to fit wider, 35-millimeter tires, for more varied terrain, which is important for endurance rides that may venture off the beaten path, explains Judd Rench, multiple Ironman finisher/podium placer/World Championship qualifier. The bike is made out of carbon, which is extremely lightweight — but pricier than other materials. It features electronic shifting, which can be helpful on rides that involve climbing (especially combined with the featherlight weight of the bike). “The geometry of this type of bike allows the rider to be in an aerodynamic position for endurance rides but also, it’s not so aggressive that it could only be ridden for short distances at high speeds,” says Dr. Metzl. “Carbon is more costly to manufacture, hence the higher pricing compared to alloy.”
Another bike that’s shed weight, in its case 300g, by abandoning the IsoSpeed system in its predecessor, the Gen 7 Madone has also garnered some striking looks, with its hole under the saddle, which sits on a seatpost cantilevered over the rear of the frame. But that’s only half of the 20 watts saving over the older Madone. The other half comes from the bars, which position the hands 30mm closer together on the tops, for a more aero tuck. It’s incredibly fast handling as well as being a fast ride in a straight line. Trek even fits a wider saddle on the smaller frames, as it’s those that are most likely to be ridden by women, whom the width will suit better.
Trek designed the Domane+ to mimic the ride feel of a regular road bike—and we think they nailed it. The TQ motor doles out power with subtle refinement, as if we were always riding with a tailwind. It gave us a glimpse of how professional cyclists must feel when attacking mountain climbs on a solo breakaway. Orbea launched the first generation Gain e-road bike back in 2019—and we voted it our road bike (e-assist or not) of the year. Four years later, the Basque brand is launching its third generation of the platform. This time around, Orbea opted for the recently released Mahle X20 hub drive motor. The unit itself is one of the lightest on the market, but Orbea says reducing weight wasn’t the main goal. Case in point: instead of picking the lightest possible set-up and the smallest capacity battery, the Gain is equipped with Mahle’s larger 353 watt-hour battery to give riders more range and a maximum assist of 250 watts. The Gain has a maximum tire width of 35 millimeters, putting it squarely in the all-road category.
The Vitus Venon Evo has a trick up its sleeve. With its wide tire clearance of 45mm it’s not glued to the road and you can buy the same frame specced out for gravel duties, with a series of models with a GR suffix; we’ve also reviewed the Vitus Venon Evo-GR gravel spec bike. The carbon frame weighs under 1kg and has plenty of compliance built in. The road-going specs are fitted with Michelin Power Cup 28mm tubeless tires on Prime Attaquer alloy wheels. We tested the 105 Di2 model of the Vitus Venon Evo, but there’s a whole range of electronic and mechanical groupset options from Shimano and SRAM. The ride on the road is well balanced and firm but comfortable and there’s plenty of room to fit mudguards on the hidden mounts, making the Venon Evo a good option for year-round use. It’s lightweight as well. Find even more information on https://www.capitolcyclery.com/.
Giant set out to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the 2023 Propel while also making it more of an all-around performer. The new bike is still intended to slice through the air, and makes use of truncated airfoil tube profiles everywhere it matters: namely, the down tube, seat testingtube, seatstays, head tube, and fork blades. However, the new Propel also now strikes a much more svelte-looking profile that further blurs the lines between the all-out aero machine it’s supposed to be and semi-aero lightweights like Giant’s own TCR Advanced SL. Even without wind-tunnel testing, it was clear from our first pedal stroke that the Propel Advanced SL 0 is a proper rocket ship. It’s easy to bring up to high speeds and requires less effort to hold them. During group rides, we inadvertently kept riding away from our buddies on non-aero road bikes.