Road Race Bikes
2020 BUYER’S GUIDE
Cannondale Supersix EVO $4,700
Some fans of the Supersix may miss the round, classic tubes formerly on Cannondale’s top race bike. In 2019, the company debuted its revamped Supersix with low seatstays, sloping top tube and truncated airfoil shapes. It’s all very modern. Those fans, however, have also gained a new Hollowgram 27 Knot seatpost that offers 18 per cent more compliance compared with the old frame. There’s also more tire clearance. The Supersix can accommodate treads as wide as 30 mm. The Carbon Disc Ultegra model comes outfitted with Shimano’s second-tier groupset and an 11-speed 105 cassette (11–32 tooth). Cannondale’s own crank and fsa rings (52/36-tooth) sit at the bottom bracket. ( cannondale.com)
De Rosa Merak $14,699
De Rosa looked back 20 years for the Merak. In 2000, Romāns Vainšteins won the road world championships on a bike with the same name. In 2020, the Latvian rider might not recognize the competition-grade bike by the Italian brand. The new Merak is carbon with low seatstays and a Vision Metron 5D acr integrated bar and stem that stows away all the cables. This build features Campagnolo’s Super Record 12 DB groupset with its 12-cog cassette and Bora wto 45 DB wheels. It’s definitely the right gear for winning another championship. ( logicasport.com)
Scott Addict RC 20 $7,500
Aerodynamic touches aren’t just for aero road bikes anymore. Many brands are working in wind-cheating features into their lightweight frames. The new Addict follows that trend. The 2020 frame has Scott’s own airfoil design mixed into its tube shapes. Also, the company is hiding things – cables that is. Both mechanical and electronic gruppo cables can be run through the stem and the head tube. The Addict RC 20 build comes with sram Force etap axs components. The wireless shifting means fewer cables to slide through the frame. Scott house-brand Syncros takes care of the cockpit with a Creston ic 2.0 bar, an RR ic stem and Belcarra Regular 2.0 saddle. ( micasport.com)
Basso Astra $4,000 (frameset)
The Astra name has been in the Basso lineup for 30 years. It started as a steel frame, but now it’s carbon fibre with all the advantages that that material brings. It’s stiff where it needs to be – at the head tube and bottom bracket, for example. While the Astra is an all-around bike meant for long days in the saddle, whether on rides or in races, it does have some aerodynamic tube shapes to allow it, and you, to cut through the air a little easier. It comes in seven sizes ranging from 45 to 61. As with the Astra of 1990, the 2020 frame is made in Italy. ( bassobikes.com)—matthewpioro