The aluminium bikes available this year are better than they ever have been. After some key models saw reductions in weight this year, it's meant that what used to be the downside to aluminium is no longer all that bad. We have rounded up the aluminium road bikes which we think are the best options in 2024. They span all price points, spec levels, brands and riding styles. We have bikes from Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Canyon and Triban. Which would you pick?
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00:00aluminium road bikes have never been better and the bikes available to you represent some of the
00:05best value options whether you're looking to buy your first bike build up a racing machine
00:09or just tackle some long distance epics we've linked all of the bikes down in the description
00:14below so let's get into them the specialized alley was refreshed earlier this year and is arguably
00:26one of the best known road bikes it's been the gateway drug to road cycling for so many and after
00:32its recent overhaul we think it will continue to chaperone more and more cyclists into the sport
00:38but the question is what is it about the recent overhaul that will mean it continues to serve the
00:43masses of new cyclists well the bike has been kept up to date with the adoption of disc brake only
00:48models the frame has dropped a little weight but more importantly has also taken on a new geometry
00:54to become slightly more comfortable the alley has retained its ability to play host to a pannier
01:00rack and mug guards while also featuring some drop seat stays to help the alley maintain a modern look
01:06as mentioned the alley is now a disc brake only bike meaning the tire clearance has expanded all the way
01:11out to 35 millimeters so whether you're a weekend warrior a gravel path cruiser a commuter or just like
01:18to keep it simple and want a road bike which can conquer both short and long rides then we think this
01:23is arguably the most versatile aluminium road bike that's out there it's certainly not the best value
01:29prices start at 1000 pounds here in the uk for a claris specced bike with mechanical disc brakes
01:35the model we'd prefer would be the la sport version which steps up to a tiaga groupset and
01:41hydraulic disc brakes so if you're happy to pay the price you'll have a bike which can be used
01:46in so many different ways if you're after bang for buck then it doesn't come much better than the
01:57triban rc520 we say this is the best value aluminium bike currently on the market thanks to the semi-carbon
02:05fork shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs and frame which can accommodate tyres up to 36 millimeters in
02:12size and play host to mud guards and a panier rack the impressive spec sheet doesn't stop there though
02:18despite the fact that the brakes are cable actuated the calipers are made by trp and house a mini
02:25hydraulic reservoir and hydraulic pistons this means you get a better braking feel and performance
02:32something more in common with fully hydraulic disc brakes coming in just shy of 900 pounds here in the uk
02:38means the rc520 is not only more affordable than many other road bikes available today but thanks
02:44to the spec it's also just incredibly good value the 36c tire clearance means that this bike can be used
02:52in a variety of ways and much like the specialized alley will likely suit a very large group of riders
02:58especially those who do want to save a bit of money one of the most popular producers of aluminium bikes
03:11is cannondale and thanks to its vast range they do have something for everyone the cad optimo is the
03:18brand's most entry-level aluminium road bike with the optimo 4 coming in at just 900 pounds here in the uk
03:26this model comes with eight speed shimano clara shifting rim brakes a carbon fork and as mentioned
03:32an aluminium frame from one of the best producers of them out there happily the range does span multiple
03:38models with the range topping out at 1300 pounds for the optimo one which sees its shifting components
03:44be upgraded to shimano 105. the optimo range is perfect for riders who want a more performance focused
03:51road bike without the usual price tag they are basic bikes which makes them very easy to work on
03:57yourself the cost of maintenance is also pretty good thanks to the really good availability of spare parts
04:03and should you want to make any upgrades to the optimo then that's also easily done too the only
04:09thing which may get trickier to upgrade will be the wheels as more and more bikes become disc brake only
04:20as mentioned cannondale do create a whole range of fantastic aluminium bikes and for those who are a
04:26bit more endurance minded the synapse al could be the right choice the synapse 2 sits in direct competition
04:34with the specialized la sport thanks to its shimano tiagra groupset and hydraulic disc brakes however
04:40the synapse 2 takes things a little further with the addition of a wheel set from dt swiss 30c tires
04:46from vittoria and a saddle from physique it's not just about the specification though as what's more
04:53important is the frame itself the synapse name comes with a lot of weight as the moniker has become
05:00synonymous with long distance performance and arguably that's likely why you would be going
05:05for this bike the full carbon fork helps keep weight down and increases the vibration dampening
05:11qualities the geometry matches that of the much-loved carbon synapse and the plump 30c tires do a good
05:17job of reducing road chatter and increasing grip without costing you too much in rolling resistance losses
05:24some of the synapse al models also ship with a top tube bag that can be bolted directly to the
05:30frame which we think is a really classy touch from the american brand if you're after one of the best
05:36aluminium endurance bikes then this is probably it not all aluminium bikes are created equally and the
05:48trekker monda alr is certainly one which sits head and shoulders above the rest it saw a huge overhaul in
05:552023 with changes to the aesthetic a more aggressive race focused geometry a switch from a press fit to
06:02a threaded bottom bracket acclaimed 250 gram frame set weight saving and new aero profiles to help
06:09minimize losses two builds of the bike were created one with a mechanical shimano 105 group set and the
06:15other with a 105 di2 group set happily if neither of those were to your liking then trek did also make the
06:21frame set available to buy separately for the custom build market we think this amanda alr is perfect
06:28for bike races on a budget since you can build a frame set up with whatever parts you may already own
06:34and the new geometry matches that of the carbon amanda it means you can get racing without having
06:39to risk something costing upwards of six grand if you are unfortunate enough to have a crash then you can be
06:46safe in the knowledge that the frame won't shatter in the same way that carbon does and you may have
06:51a better chance of a simple repair great value comes in many forms and for the time being you can be
07:03assured of some fairly good value when shopping with a direct to consumer brand like canyon it has a very
07:10popular endurance aluminium bike in the form of the endure race al thanks to the unique sales model the
07:16german brand is able to offer a shimano tiagra specced bike with hydraulic disc brakes and a full carbon
07:22fork for just shy of 1400 pounds here in the uk dt swiss wheels are shod in 30 mil schwa 1 rubber but
07:30most impressive is that the wheels feature a 22 millimeter internal rim width ensuring you can make the
07:36most out of a big contact patch with the road aiding in both comfort and grip versatility is covered off too
07:43with space for 35c ties and top tube bag mounting points there is also a shimano 12 speed mechanical
07:50105 build option which comes in at 1649 pounds and it's this bike which we think gives the specialized
07:58alle the biggest run for its money the marketplace for budget race bikes is hotting up and as top end
08:10bikes go stratospheric in price more and more people are looking towards top end aluminium bikes to use
08:16in their local races it's no secret that for a long time now the specialized alle sprint has had a
08:22cult following among amateur racers thanks in large part to the funky frameset colorways it slots in
08:28perfectly with the rider who just wants to build up their own bike and have something cool to show for
08:33their effort after a refresh last year the alle sprint borrowed the same geometry from the tarmac sl7
08:40and it swapped out the pressfit bottom bracket for a threaded unit this wasn't the biggest change to
08:46the bike though the engineers over in morgan hill cooked up a brand new down tube and head tube which
08:52thanks to a clever hydroforming process meant they could do away with one set of worlds at the bottom
08:57bracket but also meant we were left with some fairly unsightly ones at the head tube sadly this fairly
09:04controversial decision marred the bike's initial reception but if you can look past the aesthetics
09:10then you are left with a bike which performs in a similar way to the much more costly tarmac but
09:16will not cost you nearly as much
09:25some aluminium road bikes provide more value than others and trek does a fantastic job with its demane al
09:32much like the carbon version of the demane its aluminium little brother is also endurance orientated
09:38but it's not the tried and tested geometry that we like so much about this range of bikes
09:42it's instead the different builds trek has created and the associated price tags for example the demane
09:50al2 rim comes in at 750 pounds and features two beautiful paint jobs and a shimano claris groupset
09:58look further up the range and you'll find six more builds each upping the spec level progressively until
10:04you reach the top end gen 4 demane al5 with a shimano 12 speed 105 mechanical groupset
10:12what's fantastic about the range of gen 4 bikes is the use of integrated cabling to achieve that
10:17popular clean hoseless look ensuring the demane al stays up to date with modern aesthetics
10:24trek sits in a very small number of brands to offer such a good range of builds and for them all to be
10:30competitively priced so if you're looking for a specific build and want to know you're not paying
10:35through the nose for it the demane al range could be worth checking out
10:45we couldn't have a video about the best aluminium bikes on the market without giving special mention
10:50to the cannondale cad 13. however we want to be clear we are not saying the cad 13 is one of the
10:56best aluminium bikes you can go and buy in 2024. quite frankly the cad 13 has been superseded and has
11:03been left in the dust thanks to the sheer amount of effort and innovation other brands have put into
11:08their own aluminium bikes so if there's a bike we hope to see come out in 2024 it's a cannondale cad
11:1540. hopefully cannondale has got an ace up its sleeve and will launch something truly cutting edge
11:21cementing itself once again as the kings and queens of aluminium let us know down below which aluminium
11:28bike would you pick if you enjoyed the video then please do drop it a like subscribe to the channel for
11:34more content and we will see you again very soon