2018 TRENDS

The #aeroiseverything hashtag that accompanied the launch of Specialized’s new Venge neatly spelt out the direction of all the big brands in 2018: BMC, Cannondale, Cervélo, Look, Ridley and Trek all joined Spesh in launching machines that took CDA to new lows. Up until this year a brand’s aero bike morphed into a ball and chain as soon as it hit a slope. This year the challenge was to pare down the tube shapes and reduce the weight but retain the speed. The result: the new Venge looks uncannily like the Tarmac SL6 — and when tested it we found it rides like it too. With similar geometry to the Tarmac and built up weighing almost half a kilo less than the old Venge VIAS, we could be heading into an era where one bike does everything — as indeed the Pinarello Dogma F10 already does. To that end, we’re also seeing an increased emphasis on comfort. For example, Trek’s new Madone features a clever adjustable Isospeed system to offset the jarring effect of kammtail-profiled tubes. As for stopping, whereas disc brakes were once considered totally incompatible with aerodynamics, the new generation of aero bikes is actually designed around them. As well as the Venge, BMC’S new Timemachine and Cannondale’s Systemsix have no rim-braking option. The original aero bikes were a nightmare to work on but now we’re seeing a return to two-piece bars and stems and it takes a claimed two minutes to change the Ridley Noah Fast’s cables. You might say aero bikes are becoming the new normal — fast.