Lightest road bikes 2023 — fantastically featherweight rides that barely tip the road.cc scales of truth

The Aethos Pro Ultegra Di2 is still one of the lightest road bikes we have ever reviewed on road.cc at just 6.66g. Specialized's S-Works model goes even lighter, with a 56cm frame weighing just 585g!

This build is now named the Aethos Expert (£7,250) with the Ultegra Di2 groupset and carbon fibre wheels, the current Pro comes with SRAM Force eTap AXS for £8,500.

Specialized's S-Works model goes even lighter with a 56cm frame weighing just 585g!

If you are not overly bothered about aerodynamics  and just want minimal weight then Liam described this Aethos as the gold standard for general road bikes.

He found it to be a climber's dream with the way it floated up any sort of incline, and Specialized have also nailed the handling for when you are coming back down the hill, although the handling could be considered quite twitchy for some.

So, the price is high, but if you want one of the lightest mass-produced bikes on the market then the Aethos pretty much has you covered. 

When we weighed the S-Works Tarmac SL7 on our scales it hit the UCI weight limit right on the nose, impressive for what is a semi-aero race bike with deep section wheels and an electronic groupset. 

It is an incredibly fast bike, massively responsive and accelerates like you wouldn't believe according to our review, and it certainly isn't shy when it comes to stiffness, or getting the balance right between that and comfort.

With an integrated carbon fibre handlebar and stem, carbon seatpost and wheels there isn't much metal on show apart from the Dura Ace Di2 groupset and the spokes, hubs of the wheels.

Read our guide to the best road bikes - regardless of budget

The performance is matched by the price though with the 2023 RRP being a cool £13,950, up from £10,500 when we tested it back in 2020. If money is no object though, this is one superbike that won't disappoint.  

Italian brand Wilier do know how to make a stunning looking machine, and the Filante SLR is testament to that, especially in the stunning red colourway of our review model.

At a few grams over 7kg its weight impressive for a bike with relatively chunky aero tubing and the addition of deep section wheels - and that's in a XL size too. Wilier claim a frame and fork weight of just 870g and 360g respectively.

Wilier have focused heavily on the aerodynamics on the Filante, not just when it comes to tube shapes but also the way they have hidden every cable and hose for a super smooth look.

The biggest highlight was just how comfortable the Wilier was though according to Mat. The Filante uses Zero SLR: HUS-Mod carbon fibre and liquid crystal polymer blend. They are tight-lipped about the actual composition, but they say that the liquid crystal polymer helps improve the absorption of vibration.

However it works, Mat did think that the ride quality was pretty sublime. 

This Team model uses the fifth generation of the Scultura frameset, which shares the geometry of Merida's aero race bike, the Reacto and shares some of the wind cheating design.

It's ridden at the top level by the Bahrain Victorious ProTour team, which means that there is a huge amount of stiffness throughout for coping with a professional's explosive leg power, while the handling is fast, and very precise indeed.

Although we did find the top half of the frame and the fork to give a very comfortable ride too, which wiped out any road buzz without muting the feedback.

At 7.1kg this build feels impressively quick when accelerating, or maintaining speed on the flat, and for a bike with decent amounts of aero styling it climbs well too. It also looks the business with its smooth lines thanks to full internal cable and hose routing, plus the integrated seatpost clamp.

Canyon were always renowned for their value for money and direct-to-consumer pricing; and while they have lost some of that edge, this Ultimate CF SLX is still a lot of bike for the money coming in at one of the least expensive on this list. In fact the RRP has dropped fifty quid since we reviewed it back in September.

For your £6,449 you are getting a semi-aero frameset, an Ultegra Di2 groupset including a power meter, and deep section DT Swiss wheels which weighs in at 7.27kg. The same frameset built up with a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, and even fancier DT Swiss wheels nudges that down to 6.8kg if you are willing to splash the cash.

We were impressed overall with how the Ultimate rides with Liam highlighting the stiffness thanks to a solid platform, while there is enough compliance in the frame and fork to stop you getting battered around on rougher roads.

The geometry is long and low a sit's designed for racing which is worth bearing in mind if you aren't the most flexible. 

It's been a few years since we reviewed Ribble's Endurance SL R Disc road bike, but it is still in their line-up and compared to a lot of models in this list, is on the budget side of things - well kind of.

Despite its name David found the Ribble to be anything but the relaxed riding machine the Endurance name would have you believe. The angles are still steep and it definitely focuses on performance.

The Endurance SL R Disc is available in three builds (or you can use Ribble's own Bikebuilder) starting with the Sport running Shimano's 105 Di2 and Level carbon fibre wheels for £4,199.

The Enthusiast model is £4,999 with Ultegra Di2 and the same wheels, while the Hero model comes with Dura Ace Di2 and Enve Foundation 45 carbon fibre wheels for £7,399.

All three models come with the same carbon integrated handlebar and stem cockpit set up.

It's a lot of bike for the money. 

Okay, so it's not technically a road bike, but the S-Works Crux is a very light weight gravel/cyclo cross racer that Liam found to also work very well on the road too.

The geometry allows for a low-slung position for speed work, while a slightly longer wheelbase than most road bikes gives it that extra stability off-road. In his review Liam said that he was very impressed with the handling meaning that the Crux copes well with technical descents and it's a prolific climber too. 

Read our guide to the best gravel bikes that we have reviewed

It's not cheap at its current price of £11,700, but you are getting some very top end kit with a Sram RED eTap groupset, Roval Terra CLX wheels, and S-Works finishing kit throughout.

Basically, if you want to ride as fast off of the road as you do on it, then the S-Works Crux should be on your shopping list.