It’s no secret that the 2018/2019 product cycle for the road cycling industry saw the reimagination and specialized road bikes evolution of aerodynamic race bikes. With the majority of the industry’s biggest hitters unveiling all-new wind-cheating steeds all pushing the envelope of what is possible within the UCI rule book – the future of aero looks bright.
So with that in mind, we’ve scoured our marketplace with starry eyes and lined up our top picks of the best money-no-object aero road bikes to be had in 2019.
Orbea Orca Aero M10i Team
Spanish outfit Orbea may not be the first bike company that springs to mind when you think of aerodynamic road bikes, but with a lifetime warranty on all of its frames and proven results, they’re worth looking into. The Orca moniker has long adorned Orbea’s race bikes, with the Aero being the latest and first dedicated aero bike in the Spanish company’s fleet. The Orca Aero is said to save 52 seconds over a 50km race circuit when compared to the traditional lightweight Orca and is available in both rim and disc brake flavours.
The M10i-D Team Edition steed on show here features a Shimano Dura Ace 9170 Di2 groupset, a Vision Metron 5D integrated cockpit, DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 48mm Carbon wheelset and a choice of either Vittoria Corsa 25mm clincher tyres or Hutchinson Fusion 5 Tubeless tyres. Oh and that paint? Personally, we dig it, but if custom colourways are more your style, Orbea allows its customers to fully customise the paint finish with its outrageously fun MyO Customisation Tool.
Price: AU$11,799
Specialized S-WORKS Venge
Released in the lead up to the 2018 Tour de France, the 2019 Venge is the latest wind-cheating steed to wear Specialized’s moniker reserved for its aerodynamic race bikes. Said to be eight seconds quicker over 40km than the previous iteration Venge ViAS, the new bike is not only faster but almost half a kilogram lighter than the bike it replaces. One of the most winningest bikes in the 2018 WorldTour peloton, the Venge eschews rim brakes in favour of discs, and is one of the lightest amongst the current crop of aerodynamic race bikes.
Unveiled in conjunction with the release of SRAM Red eTap AXS, the featured bike carries the latest American component company’s 12-speed wireless groupset. Elsewhere, the component specification is similar to other S-Works builds, including an Aerofly cockpit, Roval CLX64 carbon wheels and S-Works Turbo Cotton rubber.
Price: AU$15,000
Cannondale SystemSix SRAM Red eTap AXS
Pulling the covers off its first dedicated aero race bike just days out from the Tour de France, with the SystemSix, American company Cannondale claim to have created the most aero efficient race bike ever. Said to save the average rider 17 watts at 30kph, true to its name, the SystemSix makes use of six systems to achieve ultimate aero efficiency, these being the frame, fork, seatpost, stem, handlebars and wheelset.
Much like the Venge detailed above, the SystemSix featured here was released in conjunction with the latest SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset. Finished in a sleek champagne and black colourway, the SystemSix Hi-Mod features a full eTap AXS groupset, HED inspired Cannondale KNØT64 tubeless ready carbon wheels and Prologo touch points.
Price: AU$12,999
Cervelo S5 Dura Ace Di2
An industry leader in aerodynamic race bikes, Candian company Cervelo is widely regarded as the benchmark manufacturer of the category. With the latest iteration of its flagship S5 aero bike, a radical new stem, fork and handlebar design is said to smooth airflow over the front of the bike, making the latest S5 its most efficient offering yet.
As is the case with the majority of modern aero bikes, the S5 shown here is disc brake specific, making use of a full Shimano Dura Ace 9170 Di2 groupset. Performance wheel company ENVE provides its goldilocks 5.6SES wheelset wrapped in grippy Continental rubber.
Price: AU$14,500
BMC TimeMachine 01 Disc
Following modern trends, the Timemachine Road from Swiss outfit BMC will be electronic groupset and disc brake specific. The shift to electronic gearing and disc assisted stopping power is due to the aerodynamic benefits that they provide and is seemingly a common trend in the space. A lack of exposed cabling makes for a sleek, drag reduced front-end whereas removing the brake caliper from the fork crown allows for frame designers to smooth the airflow around the front end of the bike.
One of the most striking features of the bike, however, is how the aerodynamic bottle cages neatly integrate into the downtube and seattube. These were developed in collaboration with Italian cycling component manufacturer Elite.
The Timemachine Road 01 featured here is outfitted with a full Shimano Dura Ace 9170 Di2 groupset, DT Swiss ARC Dicut 1100 wheelset and custom aerodynamic bottle cages from Elite.
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