Want a 2012 Tour-proven bike that will let you claim your own personal yellow jersey, regardless of cost? Each of these six models is light on climbs, maneuverable in packs, and capable of flying down descents and through turns as fast as you dare to go. Before you go and invest in one of these bikes, remember the Tips to Buying Your Next Bike.
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Price $4,700; Weight 15.6 lb. (55cm); Sizes 46, 49, 52, 55 (tested), 58cm; Frame Carbon HM monocoque; Fork Easton EC90 SL full carbon tapered; Component highlights SRAM Force derailleurs, levers, crankset (53/39), Rival brakes; Mavic Ksyrium Elite M10 wheels; Hutchinson Atom Comp tires; Info lapierrebikes.us; Buy it if You love French culture and want a performance machine with an impressive lineage.
Lapierre's national spirit shines in the Xelius 700 DB. The company supplies the frame to the FDJ-BigMat cycling team, which is sponsored by the French national lottery and a French distributor of building materials. Unlike many ProTour teams, FDJ's roster pulls primarily from one country; of 29 athletes, all but four are French. One of the others is a Francophone Qu?b?cois.
Our testers initially noted that this bike's pleasant, solid, straight-line ride quality felt similar to that of the early French carbon bikes from Vitus, Time, and Look, which had carbon or aluminum lugs joining carbon tubes. Like those bikes, the Xelius felt as if it conformed to any road surface. But those older bikes could become a bit noodly in turns and sprints, and that's where this Lapierre lost any resemblance to its antecedents. There's no trace of twisting: The front was rigid when we torqued on it in turns and sprints. Meanwhile, the rear triangle is all business: The stays are stiff, and the bike leaped ahead when pedaling. A tapered head tube and Easton EC90 SL fork contribute to precise handling that lets you put the bike exactly where you want it, but the ride is stable enough that one tester confidently removed a jacket while on a dirt road. (So is it worth the money? Learn when to Splurge or Save on Your Bike Gear.) —Mike Yozell
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Price $5,395, frame; $14,000, as tested; Weight 15.5 lb. (L); Sizes XXS, XS, S, M, L (tested), XL; Frame Noah FB Fast; Fork Noah FB 1211A; Component highlights Campagnolo Record 11 EPS derailleurs, levers, battery, crank (53/39), Bora Ultra II wheels; Continental Sprinter tires (tubular); San Marco Aspide saddle Info ridley-bikes.com; Buy it if You live on the bleeding edge, or wish you did
Those of us who gaze longingly at cars like the $400,000 Lamborghini Aventador, with its 12-cylinder engine capable of 217 miles per hour, would, if we were lucky enough to slip behind the steering wheel, likely find ourselves lacking the skills needed to turn the 700-horsepower engine loose, shift through the transmission, and slam on the brakes in a hairpin turn before jumping on the throttle to shoot out the other side. The Ridley Noah FB is the two-wheeled version of that supercar—packed with technology and built to push the limits. But if you get the chance to pilot this vehicle, you're more likely to be able to ride it the way you're supposed to.
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To get the Noah to shoot down the road, just give the pedals a little push. Jumping out of the saddle produces a sensation similar to striding onto a moving walkway at the airport; your effort is the same, but you're suddenly going faster. Bank the bike into a turn and the shockingly stiff frame lets you carry impressive speed through the apex. Need to dodge an obstacle? The quickhandling geometry lets you juke around it with nary an interruption to your pedal stroke. On descents the bike rolls away from riders on nonaero frames.
The Campagnolo EPS group on our test model spiked the price to $14,000, which is at the upper end of today's luxury buys. The Noah FB frame is available through U.S. Ridley dealers and is compatible with mechanical and electronic shifting systems. Brakes included. (If you're still not sure what your next ride should be, follow the 10 Tips to Finding the Right Bike for You.) —Andrew J. Bernstein
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Price $6,500; Weight 14.25 lb. (54cm); Sizes 50, 52, 54 (tested), 56, 58, 60, 62, 64cm; Frame Canyon F10 carbon; Fork Canyon One One Four SLX, 1?- to 1?-in. taper; Component highlights Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group, cranks (53/39), cassette (11-25); Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheels, Yksion Grip Link tubular tires; Ritchey WCS bar and stem; Info canyon.com; Buy it if You want a bike that no one else in your town has.
The Ultimate CF SLX is like a friend who's always urging you to take on something more audacious than you'd planned. It feels so fast, responsive, and confident that even an act as doomed as attacking on a 5-mile climb when you're 20 pounds overweight seems like a good idea.
Like any of the latest superbikes, it's very stiff. The drivetrain seems to erase the distance between your legs and the tire's contact patch, while the unified front end helps you connect with the road. As much as the parts do their individual jobs, the entire bike is also nicely tied together. This whole-frame stiffness, along with its low weight and standard race-bike geometry, come together to form a racer that's agile and responsive.
The Canyon is one of the best bikes but it's not perfect. The Dura-Ace Di2 wiring rattled in the driveside chainstay, marring the serenity of an otherwise silky ride. The tall head tube and unusual 1?-inch upper-steerer tube diameter might make it hard for you to find a stem that lets you dial your position. —Matt Phillips
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Price $11,686; Weight 14.9 lb. (54cm); Sizes 50, 52, 54 (tested), 56, 58, 60, 62cm; Frame 700 Series OCLV Carbon; Fork Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon; Component highlights Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group (53/39 crankset, 11-25 cassette); Bontrager Aeolus 5 D3 carbon wheelset, R4 tires, Team Issue saddle, carbon seatmast cap w/ 20mm offset, Race XXX Lite VR carbon bar and XXX Lite carbon stem; Cane Creek IS-8 headset (1-in. top, 1?-in. bottom); Info trekbikes.com; Buy It If You want a bike with a famous name and a ride to match.
It's as speedy and precise as ever—and, finally, equally as fun. I rank the Madone among the best bikes I've ridden in more than 20 years of testing. Whether you call the quality compliance or liveliness, this edition of the bike has enough of it to create a ride that is far more interactive than reactive—you're Red Pollard curved low over Seabiscuit rather than Dr. Strangelove clinging to a nuclear missile.
Reggie Lund, a composite engineer at Trek who worked on this bike and previous versions, agrees that this is the liveliest Madone (while also politely disputing my characterization of the earlier models). He says the effect I'm praising is the culmination of an evolution that began in earnest in 2008, when the in-house research-and-development team sharpened its focus on building in more compliance. Our test Madone, says Lund, uses a new fiber that lets the designers "play around with the laminate more than before." He says the experimentation let them drop the weight of the frame about 5 percent, make the head tube a little stiffer, and increase stiffness at the bottom bracket by around 5 percent.
Somewhere amid all that quantifiable engineering, the magic occurred that can be felt only by a rider, the culmination of nearly infinite factors that turns a great bike into an unbelievable bike. The Madone 6.9SSL is confident, compliant, quick and fast, intuitive, all-day comfortable, smooth, sharp—and, by the way, fetching to the eye. We're lucky to have it.—Bill Strickland
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Price $6,900; Weight 14.8 lb. (M); Sizes XS, S, M (tested), M/L, L, XL; Frame Advanced SL-Grade composite, integrated seatmast; Fork Advanced SL-Grade composite, OverDrive 2 steerer; Component highlights Shimano Dura-Ace shifters, derailleurs, crank (53/39), chain, cassette, brakes; Giant P-SLR1 wheels and tires; Contact SLR handlebar and stem; Info giantbicycles.com; Buy it if You want Tour performance in an understated package.
Maybe it's because Giant got started making bikes for other brands before building its own models. Or maybe it's because the Taiwanese company's high-end race bikes haven't yet garnered enough top results at big events. Whatever the reason, the manufacturer's road bikes seem to remain underrepresented among amateur racers. That's too bad—the company has a real passion for racing, and bikes like the TCR Advanced SL 1, used by the Rabobank team of Maarten Tjallingii and Luis-Le?n S?nchez, shows it. Our test bike had mechanical Dura-Ace, while the cockpit and wheels bear Giant's own name (see a review of the wheels on page 98). Rabobank riders race on Shimano wheels and Di2 components, but aside from that and the paint, our test bike was otherwise the same as those you'll see in the Tour de France.
For 2012 Giant introduced a new standard for steerer tubes. Called Overdrive 2, the new steerer is 1? inches wide at the top (as on the Canyon CF SLX), tapering to 1? inches at the fork crown. The company says this makes the front stiffer than on previous models, letting you maneuver the bike quicker and with greater precision. Giant may be on to something: The bike went where I wanted it to instantaneously, without wavering.
It may not have the aerodynamics of a Cerv?lo, the Tour de France palmares of a Trek, or the heritage of a Pinarello, but the TCR is a fun bike that's ready to let you scream up your favorite local climbs and tear down the descents. —M.Y.
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Price $5,000, frame, fork, headset, and seatpost; $9,500, as tested; Weight 15.49 lb. (52cm); Sizes 42, 45, 48, 50, 52 (tested), 54, 56, 58cm; Frame Colnago monocoque carbon fiber; Fork Colnago C-HS1 carbon fiber w/ tapered steerer tube; Component highlights 11-speed Campagnolo Super Record drivetrain and brakes, Shamal wheels; Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX 23mm tires; FSA OS150 stem and Wing Pro Compact carbon bar; Info colnago-america.com; Buy It If You want a Pro Tour-worthy ride and will sacrifice some weight for durability.
In the evolution of Colnago's carbon bikes, the Taiwan-made M10 is an important milestone in the brand's transition from the traditional tube-and-lug style of the C59 to a full monocoque. It's been a long time coming—while other manufacturers were quick to move to sleek, one-piece frames, Colnago clung to traditional construction methods. It wasn't a reluctance to ditch proven techniques. Instead, it was about the Italian company's desire to produce frames that could match the ride of its legendary steel bikes.
The M10, the manufacturer says, is the first monocoque frame to have a ride quality founder Ernesto Colnago is proud of, and it passes stringent safety tests. To arrive at the ideal design, Colnago used a fair amount of carbon, so it's not the lightest bike in the Tour de France. (Even so, our complete test bike weighed 15.5 pounds.) That's all part of Colnago's credo—the company contends that 1,000 grams is about the lightest a frame can be and still balance ride quality, stiffness, and safety. The claimed weight for an M10 is 1,160 grams in a 54cm; some competitors' frames are as light as 700 grams.
Indeed, the ride embodies a philosophy that puts ride quality first: On flats, climbs, and descents, the M10 feels sturdy and solid. The bike is stiff under even hard accelerations, but a few extended dirt-road sessions also revealed a comfortable ride.
The ride may be classic Colnago, but visually the bike also represents a big step toward modern design for the august brand. Gone are the graceful, delicate lines of the C59 and CX-1, replaced with boldly shaped carbon frame tubes. As with many current carbon bikes, the M10 features internal cable routing, which produced some annoying rattles on rough pavement. Generally, though, the finish is high-quality, with lustrous paint over carefully masked carbon windows to identify the bike's brand. A well-designed paint scheme makes the M10 as pleasing to look at as it is to ride. Take extra care when ordering: Colnago measures its sloping frames by the length of the entire seat tube, so our test 52cm rides closer to a 55/56cm as sized by traditional methods. —Joe Lindsey
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