Road Bike Buyer’s Guide

The traditional road bike has been around since the 19th century and the basic design of a bike has remained unchanged. While the frame of the bike is the same, evolutions in materials, electronics, and aerodynamics have pushed the limits on what one can do with a road bike. As the name suggests, road bikes are designed for smooth, paved roads. They typically have drop handlebars, 23 - 28 mm tyres, and shifters to operate both the brakes and gears. These bikes are designed to be lightweight with speed in mind.

Though the days of racing heavy steel bikes up mountain passes are behind us, the aesthetics have remained unchanged. These days they’re lighter, more aerodynamic, and have a few more bells and whistles than their predecessors, but the overall intended use remains: : to enjoy riding on smooth tarmac.

Since they’re designed for speed, road bikes are often crafted from lightweight frame materials such as aluminium and carbon fibre. Other niche brands still include steel models in their line up, and there is a growing preference for titanium in some circles of cyclists.

Aluminium is a more affordable material, and is prominent among entry-level road bikes. That’s not to say it’s reserved for beginners, as you’ll find a lot of brands with aluminium road bikes built for amateur racers. Scroll through the archives and you’ll see round tubes and beefy welds, but nowadays, sleek lines and thin-walled, hydroformed tubes (a special way of moulding aluminium using hydraulic fluid and dies to create the desired tube shape) are the new normal owing to advances in technology and craftsmanship.

Though the frame itself is constructed from aluminium, it’s very common for the fork to be made from carbon. This helps with cornering stability and also absorbs road vibrations.

Carbon is the leading frame material for high-end road bikes due to its super light weight and stiffness. Following success in aerospace engineering and Formula One, carbon found its way into the bicycle industry as the material became more accessible. Carbon fibre can be moulded into an array of shapes which has been one of the main drivers behind optimising aero bike. Tube shaping also helps engineers reinforce and stiffen key areas of the frame like the bottom bracket and head tube.

Carbon is accessible at just about every price point these days. Pricier frames use higher grades of carbon coupled with more refined lay up methods. As your budget increases, so does the quality of carbon lay-up which in layman’s terms is the specific way in which the layers of carbon fibre material are placed within the mould.

While carbon is common, it is still more expensive than its aluminium counterpart, so bear this in mind when you’re looking at the bike specifications.

Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo are the three main players when it comes to groupsets. Each manufacturer has a range of groupsets to suit every budget. A lot of bikes are specced with the complete groupset; however, at the budget end of the spectrum, you may find that brakes and chainsets are mixed and matched to bring costs down.

The pros and cons of disc brakes and rim brakes are the subjects of an ongoing debate, both sides with their merits. In a nutshell, disc brakes are fast becoming the norm on new road bikes since they’re renowned for their excellent stopping power in all weather conditions.

Since the rotors and hydraulic mechanisms add a little more to the bike’s overall weight, you’ll still find rim brakes on weight-sensitive bikes such as out-and-out climbing rigs. Rim brakes are often more affordable and easier to maintain than disc brakes; however, as technology improves, it’s only a matter of time until budget-friendly bikes come with a disc brake option.

A properly fitted road bike will make all the difference to your enjoyment of road cycling. Handling, confidence and safety are all affected by how the bike fits to your body. Our Perfect Positioning System factors in a specific bike’s geometry against your own height and leg measurements. As long as you order the right size bike, you can make any minor tweaks once it arrives through stem changes, saddle height adjustments, and handlebar height tweaks.

A professional bike fit can be worth the investment if you’re serious about cycling. Bike fitters can work with you to select optimum components for your style of riding such as the correct crank length and the angle of the shifters on the handlebars.

Road cycling is full of little gadgets and gizmos that can impact your rides, but as a bare minimum we recommend you kit yourself out with comfortable clothing such as bib shorts, a base layer, jersey, socks and road cycling shoes. The Canyon road clothing collection is a great place to start for all things gear related.

When you go out on your bike, you’re going to need a water bottle and bottle cage to keep yourself hydrated throughout the duration of your ride. You may also want to take a couple of snacks with you to avoid the dreaded bonk (low blood sugar) while you’re out.

A cycling computer can help you find your way around previously unknown stretches of tarmac and will come in useful if you join a cycling club and want to follow the group ride’s route.

While it’s probably not necessary if you’re a complete beginner, a power meter can certainly help you train more efficiently. A lot of our road bikes are specced with a power meter, so that you don’t need to worry about fitting one down the line.

How long is a piece of string? Road bikes can be as expensive as you like them to be but the point we want to make is that they don’t have to be. Figure out your budget, create a list of need to haves vs. nice to haves and take it from there. Look for a groupset with at least Shimano Tiagra and expect to pay a little more if you want disc brakes rather than rim brakes.

Also don’t forget to check out the outlet for last year’s models and ex-demo bikes that still have years of good riding left in them. Many bike retailers including Canyon offer flexible ways to pay such as through Cyclescheme/JobRad or monthly installments via Splitit.

A lot of bike manufacturers create women’s specific road bikes to cater for differences in body shape and style of riding. On average, a female rider is smaller in height and weight, so any bike you buy will need to account for this.

The simple answer is get any bike that fits you properly whether it’s a unisex bike or women’s specific. A good bike fit can help you with this. Small differences in stack and reach can affect the final size choice for some riders.

A lot of women’s bikes come specced with different parts (notably the finishing kit) such as a women’s saddle or narrower handlebars to account for a different anatomy. Other brands build a new bike from the frame up using detailed data from women riders.

The bottom line is if you are comfortable on the bike and you’re happy riding it, then that’s all that matters.

The first step is to think about your style of riding: do you intend to race? Are you looking to get faster on the bike? Do you live in a hillier part of the country? Are you more into doing 100km or so over the weekend?

Next, define your nice to haves and your need to haves. The chances are you’ll have to compromise on something, so figure out what it is you absolutely will not budge on and take it from there.

Finally, decide your budget. While we can’t tell you how much you should spend on a road bike, we can certainly show you what you can get for your money.

Good luck and happy riding!