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Comfort improvements are in the forefront of 2017's trends, with frame features designed to absorb road shock
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Disc brakes are increasingly mainstream
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Many new bikes have 25mm tyres for better traction and comfort and lower rolling resistance
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You've never had a wider choice of road bike styles, from out-and-out race weapons to long-distance adventure and gravel bikes
2017 is here, but the bicycle industry has been busy releasing details of new bikes for many months. In case you missed any of the announcements, here are 12 of the hottest new road bikes to look out for this year.
One of the most popular bikes in the UK has had a total makeover. The Roubaix came to define a whole new category of sportive bikes when it was first launched, and for 2017 the famous Zertz inserts have gone and in their place is a radical new suspension damper housed below the stem, providing up to 20mm of suspension. The frame gets a completely updated geometry, it’s longer and lower, and there are disc brakes and clearance for up to 32mm tyres.
Trek last year launched the new Domane SLR with a front and rear Isospeed decouplers, the rear one offering a range of easy adjustment, and for 2017 Trek offers the Domane SL. It provides the new front-end Isospeed decoupler but retains the original, non-adjustable rear decoupler from the old Domane. That small change means the Domane SL is more affordable, with models starting at £2,500 for the bike pictured.
- Review: Trek Domane SLR 6
You can have the Domane SL 6 with disc brakes, this model costing £3,500, using a very similar carbon frame with Vision Metron 40 carbon wheels.
Your complete Trek 2017 guide
For 2017 Giant has added a disc-braked model to the range in the TCR Advanced Disc, with three levels to choose from Advanced SL Disc, Advanced Pro Disc (pictured) and Advanced Disc. The bike shares key features with the non-disc TCR Advanced but uses 12mm thru-axles and flat mounts, and the exact same geometry as the regular bike.
- Your complete guide to Giant’s 2017 road bikes
Basque bicycle company Orbea was one of the early bike brands to offer disc brakes with its Avant endurance platform, but for 2017 it is offering its Orca race bike with disc brakes. The frame is lighter, down to 830g even with disc brakes, and it’s stiffer and more aero too, according to the company’s claims. There’s also increased tyre clearance, up to 28mm tyres will fit.
Argon 18 has given its top-end Gallium Pro a disc brake makeover for 2017, adding disc brakes and dropping a bit of weight.
Unveiled at the Tour de France, Bianchi’s update to its flagship race bike might not have had the most radical transformation on the outside, but inside it has produced a carbon fibre frame infused with the same vibration damping CounterVail, CV for short, technology first introduced so successfully to its Infinito CV endurance bike a couple of years ago.
The new CWX is an aero bike that is based on the company's X-Lite CW, with the same geometry and frame shapes, but it uses a lower grade of carbon fibre to make it a more affordable option. It's available with or without disc brakes.
- Rose Bikes 2017 road bike range unveiled
Yes, that's not a typo, Storck is charging £5,600 just for the frame! Storck is introducing the new Fascenario.3 for 2017, a bike that’s intended to be “the best road bike” out there with features variously designed for aerodynamic efficiency, comfort, stiffness, and ergonomic performance. You'd hope it's the best for the sort of money wouldn't you?
Read our first look of the new Fascenario.3 here
What new bikes are you looking forward to seeing in 2017?
Alongside its TeamMachine race bikes, BMC has gained many fans with its GranFondo Disc endurance bike, and in the new RoadMachine it takes the best of both models and built a lightweight performance-orientated endurance road bike. It has disc brakes, naturally, with 12mm thru-axles and, on the top model at least, features lots of internal cable routing, including inside the new stem, which takes the cables from the handlebar and points them inside the frame. Prices will start from £1,649 and rise all the way to £8,799.
Cervélo is no stranger to cutting edge technology, being one of the companies that made aero road bikes, with its Soloist, very popular. And now it has embraced disc brakes, first with the R3 Disc and now with the S3 Disc. It's one of the small handful of disc-equipped aero road bikes currently available. The Canadian company makes some bold claims for it. It says the frame is more aero than the regular rim brake version, with a whole 2-watt saving. The frame is also 40g lighter and 9% stiffer. So disc brakes better?
Read more about the new S3 Disc here
This has been a hotly anticipated bike ever since it first appeared on social media, but our first look at it reveals a bike that has had a total and complete disc brake makeover. It’s retained the key shape and form of the previous Venge ViAS frame, which debuted at the Tour de France last year and this year won the green jersey with Peter Sagan, but it’s been significantly modified to take disc brakes and 12mm thru-axles at both ends.
Read our review of the new Venge Disc here.
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