The Tour de France is not only the pinnacle of bike racing, but it’s also where the very best bike manufacturers come to show off new tech in the hunt for that race-winning marginal gain. Here are five bikes that us mere mortals can only dream of riding on those glorious French roads in the quest to wear the yellow jersey.
Giant Propel Advanced SL0
The bike that was pedalled to victory in the first grand tour of 2017, the Giro D’Italia, the Giant Propel deserves to be the first bike to be showcased on this list. The designers at Giant clearly didn’t understand that aero bikes ‘have to be ugly’. The aerodynamic shapes of the down tube, top tube and seat post, combined with the oversized bottom bracket for stiffness, make this one of the world’s fastest and best-looking bikes. Then place the world-class Michael Mathews of Team Sunweb upon this mighty steed and the Tour peloton better watch out!
Giant Trinity Advanced Pro
With 36.5 kilometres of time trialling across the 21 stages on this year’s edition of the Grand Boucle, every second matters. Giant’s time trial bike has great pedigree against the clock, with Tom Dumoulin winning many a Grand Tour time trial stage upon this SRAM eTap-equipped machine. All the components – including handlebars and wheels – are produced by Giant, ensuring excellent efficiency through the air, which is vital in the race of truth.
Specialized Tarmac
The Tarmac is the climbing machine of choice of Irishman, Dan Martin, who has very high ambitions when the road heads upwards on this year’s Tour. This bike is incredibly light, coming in at 6.8 kilograms, putting it bang on the UCI limit. The FACT carbon frameset blends lightness and stiffness brilliantly, creating a bike that responds instantly when the hammer goes down on the Alpine and Pyrenean ascents.
Cannondale SuperSix
The Cannondale SuperSix is one of those bikes that you can’t imagine a Tour without. Many cycling fans will have fond memories of Ivan Basso battling up the climbs on a SuperSix, while Cannondale’s relentless pursuit of excellent means it’s a bike that never fails to turn heads. Cannondale fans will be pleased to hear the 2017 edition seems to be no exception, mainly because it just looks like a bike should. Unlike other pro team bikes, there are no aerodynamic integrations between the frame and rear wheel. This doesn’t mean that performance is compromised, however, as Cannondale prides itself on their SuperSix being ‘the Ultimate Balance of Power’.
Trek Madone
Depending on which record book you look at, the Trek Madone is one of the most successful bikes in Tour de France history. The reason for this is quite clear; this bike is pure class. From the gorgeous red paint job to the aerodynamic direct brake mounts supplying super stopping power, this is a bike that will perform faultlessly on any terrain. The handmade OCLV carbon frame and deep carbon Bontranger wheels supply aerodynamics and stiffness, as well as all-important comfort.
Just because we can’t play the part, doesn’t mean that we can’t look the part and with any one of these bikes you’ll be one step closer to nailing that pro cyclist look.
