Choosing Your Road Bike Based on Your Practice: Complete Guide

Published on 29 June 2024

When choosing a bicycle, the first thing to do is define your needs to find the bike that best suits your practice. Generally, they can be categorized into three to four main types: endurance bikes, focusing on comfort, aerodynamic bikes, with a more aggressive geometry that are generally a bit heavier, mountain bikes, designed for lightness, and finally versatile bikes sometimes referred to as "competition bikes", combining the characteristics of the three previous categories.

If you're still at this stage of your search, we invite you to read our article that will guide you in a more detailed and thorough way to help you find the bike you want.
This article aims to simplify and optimize your search for your dream bike, while helping you better understand what you're buying!

For those who are further along and are already looking for specific models tailored to their practice, this can become quite a daunting task. Indeed, while for some brands the categories are obvious by visiting their site, for others it requires a bit more research.

Here is a summary table of different models by brand classified according to practices.

Endurance, Aero, Mountain, Versatile: Which Road Bike to Choose According to Your Practice?

 
You will notice that for some brands, there are a few empty boxes. Indeed, not all brands have the same classification typology, nor bicycles for each category. We based our classification on the information available on the websites of various manufacturers, in order to offer an organization that seems to us the most relevant and understandable. However, in general, brands all have at least one endurance model and one racing model that is more versatile. 

Now that you have this typology in mind, you can compare the models offered by different brands in each category, according to your preferences and budget. 

French Brands

Lapierre

Lapierre is a historic French brand that offers great versatility in terms of bike choices.

Look

The Look brand is known for its innovative qualities. Look uses advanced technologies to design lightweight, stiff, and high-performance bicycles, suited to the demands of modern cycling. The aerodynamic design and careful ergonomics of Look bikes provide an optimal combination of speed, comfort, and maneuverability. 

Italian Brands 

Colnago

Colnago is renowned for its artisanal frames and long history in professional racing. 
 

Pinarello

Pinarello, with its innovative aerodynamics and victories in the Tour de France, is a preferred choice for competitors.  

Bianchi

Bianchi, the oldest active brand, blends tradition and modern technology with its famous Celeste color scheme. 
 

Wilier Triestina

Wilier Triestina, known for its elegant designs and performance on the toughest terrains, offers bikes that perfectly blend style and efficiency.

American Brands

American brands like Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, and Trek are pioneers in innovation and performance. 

Specialized 

Specialized is known for bikes like the Tarmac and Roubaix, which integrate advanced technologies like the FACT frame and Future Shock suspension, offering a perfect blend of stiffness and comfort. 

Cannondale 

Cannondale, with its flagship model like the SuperSix EVO, stands out with its carbon frames and innovations like the SAVE micro-suspension system, offering high-level performance on all terrains. 

Scott 

Scott, with models like the Addict and Foil, offers lightweight and versatile bikes, excellent for climbs and road racing thanks to frames optimized for performance. 

Trek

Finally, Trek, with iconic bikes like the Emonda and Domane, which use advanced technologies like the OCLV Carbon frame and IsoSpeed system, ensures a fast, comfortable, and stable ride. 

These American brands offer a range of road bikes that meet cyclists' needs in terms of performance, comfort, and technology.

Other Brands 

BMC, Orbea, Canyon, Giant, and Cervélo are essential references in the road cycling world, each bringing its own innovations and distinctive features.

BMC 

BMC, based in Switzerland, is renowned for its high-end road bikes like the Teammachine and Roadmachine. The Teammachine is designed for competition with a lightweight, stiff ACE carbon frame, while the Roadmachine offers a perfect blend of comfort and performance for long rides .

Orbea 

Orbea, from Spain, focuses on customisation with MyO, allowing riders to create their ideal bike. The Orca Aero and Orca OMX models are particularly popular for their aerodynamics and lightweight construction, ideal for fast-paced rides and races.

Canyon 

Canyon, from Germany, offers direct sales of high-performance road bikes like the Ultimate and Aeroad, known for their aerodynamics and lightness. The Ultimate excels in climbs and sprints, while the Aeroad is optimised for speed and power, making it ideal for competitive cyclists.

Giant 

Giant, from Taiwan, produces road bikes like the TCR and Defy. The TCR is designed for performance with its lightweight frame and aerodynamics, suitable for climbing and sprinting. The Defy focuses on endurance and comfort, making it perfect for long-distance rides.

Cervélo 

Cervélo, based in Canada, is renowned for its engineering expertise in aerodynamics and performance. Models like the R-Series and S-Series offer lightweight frames and aerodynamic designs, ideal for both competitive racing and fast group rides.

Essential Tips for Choosing Your Road Bike

• Choosing the Right Size
  

Pay attention to sizing according to the brands and models you are interested in. Brands have different sizing standards. For example, someone measuring between 1.75m and 1.80m might need a size 53 in Orbea, but a size 54 in Specialized. If you're unsure, take a look at our article. It would be a shame to get it wrong.

• Consider Refurbished Bikes

Look into refurbished bikes to get recent models at a lower price than new. In 2024, you can find bikes from 2-3 years ago for up to €1000 less than their original price, yet they perform just as well. Manufacturers often maintain the same bike geometries and technologies; sometimes the only differences between years are colours and components (drivetrain, handlebars, wheels). Nowadays, refurbishment is well-established in electronics (phones, tablets, appliances), so why not for bikes?

Conclusion

This guide helps you in your quest for the bike of your dreams, saving you time deciphering different models from each brand. To simplify, once you know what type of riding you want to do, compare models based on your preferences for brands and your budget.

If you enjoyed this article and have chosen the model that interests you, feel free to check out our comparative articles on specific models like Specialized road bikes or those from Look.