Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Having relaunched their aero machine – the Aeroad CF SLX – ahead of the 2014 Tour de France, Canyon this year turned their attention to their Ultimate CF SLX – and the end-product is quite a bike.

Seeking to combing aerodynamics and comfort with their already impressive stiffness-to-weight ratio, the fourth generation of the Ultimate CF SLX was always going to be something special – particularly given the last iteration has won the Giro d’Italia and was our 2013 Bike of the Year.

– Canyon Ultimate CF SLX first ride review –

And to achieve that, Canyon have overhauled the tube profiles and introduced the integrated Aerocockpit first seen on the Aeroad.

To boost comfort, meanwhile, the bike – given its racing debut by Nairo Quintana as he finished second at the Tour de France – has been crafted using the brand’s Vertical Comfort Lateral Stiffness concept, and also boasts an integrated seatpost.

– Pro bike: Nairo Quintana’s 2016 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX –

The end product is an eight per cent drag saving and 15 per cent improvement in comfort according to Canyon’s science people – a magnificent steed indeed.

Website: Canyon

Lapierre Xelius SL

French bike manufacturers Lapierre have been very busy, with both their Aircode SL and Xelius SL launched in the summer.

The former is a lighter, refined version of the Aircode but the latter has been given a much more radical overhaul in order to produce an 850g frame with a significantly lower centre of gravity.

Di2 models boasts a proprietary battery mount, with the bottom bracket boasting ‘Trap Door Technology’ – exactly what it says on the tin.

– Lapierre Xelius SL 700 – review –

Power Box tech and an integrated seatpost clamp are both shared with the Aircode, but the seatstays are a different beast entirely.

Instead of joining with the seattube, the seatstays attach directly to the top tube – and it’s for more than just aesthetics; removing the seatstay/seattube junction eases the pressure on the stays, and means Lapierre can strip them down to be much lighter and thinner as well as boosting comfort.

– Lapierre launch revamped Aircode SL and all new Xelius SL –

It all results in a ride which, when we put it through its paces, was flexy to say the least – if you want plenty of give and a cushioned ride on a bike honed for racing, you can’t go far wrong with the Xelius SL.

Website: Lapierre

Giant TCR Advanced SL

Giant revamped their TCR for 2016, shaving even more weight off their lightweight climber’s bike, favoured by Giant-Alpecin’s GC men.

Tipping the scales at just 856g for the frame, Giant says they have achieved the weight savings without sacrificing stiffness.

– Giant launch new TCR SL, Advanced Pro and Advanced road bikes for 2016 –

Giant’s MegaDrive downtube and PowerCore 86mm bottom bracket offer the solid foundations for your ride, while an integrated seatpost and seatstays and refined shape offer plenty in comfort.

The range-topping TCR Advanced SL build boasts Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Giant SLR 0 wheels – the latter also new for 2016 and boasting ‘Dynamic Balanced Lacing’.

Website: Giant

Wilier Cento 1 SR

Wilier’s Cento 1 SR is a pro-level frame which will be called into action by UnitedHealthCare in 2016 – and the frame has been updated for the new year.

Gone is the integrated seatpost – a concession Wilier have made in order to attract regular riders – but you will still be buying an subtly aero, dynamic racing machine.

Kammtail tube profiles, race-led geometry and the integrated fork/headtube junction all remain on a machine which, with full Campagnolo Chorus groupset and Eurus wheels, will set you back £3,599.

Shimano fans can opt for the Cento 1 SR Ultegra, meanwhile, which pairs Shimano’s second-tier mechanical groupset with Mavic Ksyrium Elite hoops for £3,199.

Website: Wilier

Scott Foil

The strikingly redesigned Scott Foil is leaner, meaner and more aerodynamic than before, with the 2016 model offering a six-watt saving on the previous model.

‘F01’ partial airfoil-shaped tube profiles and a striking new integrated Syncros cockpit – similar to that on the Canyon Aeroad – all contribute to those savings.

– Scott 2016 road bikes – first look –

At the back, meanwhile, comfort is the word and the ‘Comfort Zone’ rear triangle, with a low junction between the seatstays and seattube, offers plenty of flex – and 86 per cent more vertical compliance to its stiff predecessor.

– Tour de France bikes 2015: Pieter Weening’s 2016 Scott Foil –

The Foil Premium is the range-topping build for the striking new frame, with full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Zipp 404 Firecrest carbon clincher wheels, and will cost £8,999 – but for that price you will have a bike as close to that ridden by the pros as you’re going to find.

Website: Scott

Fuji SL

The SL moniker is pretty common when it comes to climber’s bikes these days, but the Fuji SL truly lives up to its ‘super-light’ billing.

A raw frame weight of 695g is nearly one-fifth lighter than any of the brand’s previous creations and the range-topping 1.1 build (SRAM Red and Reynolds RZR tubs) weighs in at just 4.96kg.

High Compaction Moulding forms the fundamental heart of the SL’s impressive strength-to-weight balance, while there are just four bonded joints in total (as opposed to eight on their previous bike, the Altamira).

– Fuji launch super-light SL road bike for 2016 –

A reinforcing carbon spine runs down the inside of the fork blades, meanwhile, to offer extra strength up front and Fuji offer relatively-sized tube diameters in accordance with the frame size.

The 1.1 will set you back a pretty penny (£8,499.99) but swap out SRAM Red 22 for Shimano Dura-Ace and get some different hoops, and you knock more than £5,000 off the price – albeit with an inevitable weight penalty.

Website: Fuji

Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod

At first glance, the difference between Cannondale’s flagship SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod and the previous iteration may not be too obvious.

But look a little closer, and you will find more comfort, better aerodynamics and a lighter weight on a machine pitched as a balanced all-rounder.

The frame, in actual fact, has increased in weight, but with 40g shaved off the fork weight and trimmings on the headset and seatpost the whole frameset tips the scales at 1,303g – in other words, a fraction lighter than Trek’s Emonda SLR 10.

– Cannondale launch updated SuperSix EVO 2016 road bike –

The new fork is a ‘Speed Save’ upgrade on the previous model, while comfort-enhancing tech has made its way over from Cannondale’s endurance bike, the Synapse.

Truncated Aero Profile (TAP) tube shapes on the downtube, seattube and seatstays, combined with a narrower headtube and thinner fork blades all combines to lower frontal area and save six-watts in drag at 40km/h.

– Pro bike: Ruben Zepuntke’s 2016 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod from the Tour of Britain –

Ultegra dresses the entry-level Hi-Mod, with five builds in all – topped by the ‘Black Inc’ version, which boasts Cannondale’s SiSl2 crank and SpideRing.

Website: Cannondale

Cube Agree

Cube has revamped its road bike line-up with the brand’s Agree range totally reimagined for 2016.

While it retains the Agree name, the bike is very different from the old model we took a rather strong liking too.

The new frame is an ‘aero endurance’ offering – making the unusual step of pairing the ‘high performance of a race bike’ yet still being ‘comfortable for long distances’.

– Cube introduce ‘aero endurance’ Agree for 2016 –

Cube’s C:62 carbon is at the heart of the build (a blend of 62 per cent carbon fibre and 38 per cent resin), while Twin Mold Technology keeps the weight down and ensures strength and stiffness.

It is not as striking aero as, say, the Venge ViAs from Specialized, but it does boast a neatly integrated fork crown/downtube, huge bottom bracket area and low-slung seatstays.

Website: Cube

LOOK 765

LOOK may be unimaginative when it comes to the three-digit naming of their bikes but don’t let that fool you – they are pushing boundaries and the 765 follows that trend.

Marrying comfort and performance, the 765 is an endurance/sportive road bike and the newest road bike in the French brand’s 2015 range.

– LOOK model year 2016 road bikes – first look –

Carboflax technology combines carbon with natural linen fibres to filter out vibration and increase comfort.

A higher headtube and shorter effective toptube contrast with your typical race bike, highlighting that comfort is at the heart of this build.

Asymmetric chainstays; longer, thinner seatstays and a PF30 bottom bracket also feature, with four builds – 105, Ultegra, Full Ultegra and Ultegra Di2 – at your disposal.

Website: LOOK

Donhou DSS2

Donhou broke from their traditional speciality in custom, made-to-measure frames with the launch off the off-the-peg DSS1 road machine in 2014.

And now the London-based firm’s Signature Series has expanded, with the DSS2 a ‘grown-up, older brother’ of the original.

– Donhou Bicycles launch DSS2 road and gravel adventure bike –

Where that was aimed at road riding, the DSS2 is all about versatility, up to handling the rigouts of road riding, gravel riding and even touring.

Reynolds 883 steel forms the frame, while a Wound Up Gravel carbon fibre fork is paired with it in a relaxed road geometry, offering plenty of clearance for tyres up to 35mm, space for mudguards and also room to fit a rack depending on your goals.

Like the DSS1, the paintjob is also striking, with a partnership with designer Suzanne Antonelli resulting in a ‘good vibes finish’.

Website: Donhou

De Rosa Super King Pininfarina

Pininfarina are an Italian company who have designed cars for Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, while De Rosa, of course, are an Italian firm with a penchant for creating beautiful bicycles.

So when the two combined to make the De Rosa SK Pininfarina aero road bike, it was also going to be something very special.

The striking beast has Italian flair at its heart (well, a blend of 24T, 30T, 40T and 60T carbon fibre which combines stiffness and comfort at any rate) and aerodynamics are at the forefront.

– De Rosa launch SK Pininfarina aerodynamic road bike –

Elegant curves are Pininfarina’s contribution to the build, which have been fine-tuned in the wind tunnel, while internal cabling, an integrated seatpost clamp and aggressive rear wheel cut-out all boost its wind-cheating prowess.

As you have probably already guessed, the four builds offered on the bike make full use of another Italian brand’s top-end groupsets (Campagnolo Super Record EPS, Super Record, Record EPS and Record).

Campag’s direct-mount brakes are also called into action to further boost the aerodynamics and offer improved braking. What more could you ask?

Website: De Rosa

Trek Madone 9 Series

Trek’s 2016 Madone 9 Series is ‘the ultimate race bike’ according to the American firm, and even if you don’t buy into the typical launch hyperbole you can’t help but be impressed.

The dedicated aero machine takes the comfort boosting IsoSpeed decoupler from the Domane Classics bike and was launched to the public in time for the 2015 Tour de France.

But comfort is not the only focus of the machine – with class-leading aerodynamics arrived at thanks to a revamped frame and a host of integrated features.

– Trek unveil revamped 2016 Madone 9 Series aero road bike –

Trek say the savings over a non-aero bike equate to 19 watts (or two minutes every hour) – ‘the fastest road bike there is’ is more hyperbole chucked at the new machine.

Integrated centre-pull brakes, a one-piece handlebar and stem and an expansion of the Kammtail Virtual Foil tube profiles of the previous Madone all contribute, but the ‘Vector Wings’ on the fork, which protect the brakes from the elements when you turn sharply left and right are evidence of the attention-to-detail the Madone has received.

Even the water bottle mounts have been optimised, so it is little surprise Trek believe the bike ‘will live in history as the product that transformed the standards of race bike performance forever’.

Website: Trek

Ridley Fenix SL

Ridley’s endurance bike – the Fenix SL – received an update in time for the cobbled Classics though it wasn’t until June that the brand officially launched the new product to the public.

Though geared towards the Flemish bergs, the bike is designed to excel much further afield with the Ridley Helium’s strength-to-weight paired with the aerodynamics of the Ridley Noah and added to the already endurance-focused capabilities of the Fenix.

An aero front end, and a ‘leaf-spring’-profiled top tube blends into rear stays which are flatter in appearance at the top and become more rounded as you go down.

Ridley say the bike is their ‘all-round endurance platform’ and a ‘reliable partner for long, tough days in the saddle’.

Website: Ridley

Top-end kit, complete with SRAM Red groupset and matching hydraulic brakes bring the bike bang on the UCI limit of 6.8kg, but the Izalco Max Disc is not just about low weight.

The stiffness of the standard Izalco Max is retained, while improvements have been made to its comfort as the frame was tweaked to accommodate discs.

Focus use their own Stable Stiffness Per Size (SSPS) concept, meanwhile, ensuring large frame sizes are plenty stiff enough for their bigger and/or more powerful riders.

The innovation continues with the Concept CPX Plus seatpost – similar in stule to the Canyon VCLS 2.0 seatpost – which offers slight movements to reduce road vibrations but without compromising that impressive stiffness.

Website: Focus