Top 6 Carbon Fiber Road Bikes for 2020

Top 6 Carbon Fiber Road Bikes for 2020

AERO - RACE - All-Around

This blog post is divided into three categories, and I'll be picking 2 bikes for each category. 

AERO

Specialized S-Works Venge with SRAM eTap AXS

The winner of the aero category goes to the Specialized Sworks Venge with SRAM eTap AXS. This bike is seamless. For $12,500, we still think it's a bargain. It comes with eTap electronic shifting which will give you an aero boost since there are no shifter cables. And, it comes with 64mm deep section carbon wheels. We would have given this one the win for all arounder but we feel that the frame has made a few sacrifices for speed in favor of comfort. Which, given it's an aero bike is a sacrifice we're prepared to accept.

Cannondale SystemSixHi-MOD Red eTap AXS

The system six is our runner-up to the Venge. Given that this bike stood out in front of so many competitors, I still think that's quite the win for Cannondale. I think Cannondale wanted to preserve a lot of the essence of many other bikes in their lineup. Kind of much of the way Porsche won't put a bigger motor in the Caymen due to fears that it'll start putting down faster trap times than the 911. That being said, the System Six weighs in around 17.4 pounds. That weight is quite a bit heavier than even the SuperSix hi-mod bikes of 2015. It does beat out the Venge in terms of price, shaving off $1500 but we're not sure that's worth the almost 1kg penalty it has over the Venge.

Race

Cannondale SuperSix Evo HiMod DuraAce Di2 Disc

We love Cannondale. The SuperSix HiMod DuraAce is the tool for the job when it comes to races. You a cherry-picked set of qualities that are all meant to bring you the best blend of race bike out there. Finding a sub-16-pound weight is very doable, and they come out of the box right around that number. You get aero features like an aero Seatpost, drop seat stays, and internal cable routing, but it doesn't compromise the weight or handling of the bike in any way.

This is a bike meant to be a bike.

Madone SLR 9 Disc eTap

The Madone SLR9 would have won this category if it wasn't for the weight penalty and price. This bike is nearly $13,000 out of the box and weighs in at 17 and a half pounds about. We found that the blend of comfort, aero, race geometry, weight, made this bike a great tool for much of the road racing you see today. 

 

All Arounder

TCR ADVANCED SL 0 DISC RED

We cannot sing this bikes praises enough. The Giant TCR does so many things well. If you're a road cyclist, this is the one bike that does it all.

 

Cervelo R5

The Cervelo R5 is another one of those fantastically balanced bikes, made by a manufacturer with a lifetime of experience who is just trying to make a Good bike. It comes with all the accouterments one would expect like a top of the line group, disc, carbon frame, etc. And it comes at an affordable price.

 

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