Bicycling’s Best Road Bikes of 2021
Award-winning road bikes tested and reviewed by our editors.
Trek Émonda SLR 9 eTap
Price: $12,500 (as tested)
Weight: 14.8 LB (54cm)
Thanks to a dose of aerodynamic tuning—frame shape, new wheels and bar, internal hoses and wires—the third-gen Émonda achieves a major reduction in drag while gaining a tiny bit of weight (33 grams for the SLR) over the model that preceded it. It also maintains that bike’s well-regarded handling, and frame stiffness we’d expect from a pro-caliber race bike (there are less-expensive models that start at $2,100). It’s not meant to be super comfortable over the long haul. It has one mission: to go really fast on pavement and climbs.
Canyon Aeroad CFR Disc Di2
Price: $9,000
Weight: 16.4 LB (XL)
This unapologetically aero road bike is blisteringly fast and surprisingly pleasant to ride. It’s lighter and far stiffer than its predecessor and one of the stiffest bikes we’ve ever ridden. It didn’t lose any of the comfort that we loved about the previous Aeroad, though admittedly it did lose some of the snap that made that version lively and exciting to ride. The fit is less aggressive, more closely matching that of the Ultimate, Canyon’s lightweight climbing bike. And with 3XS to 2XL sizes available, and the cheapest model starting at $3,999, there’s an Aeroad for almost everyone.
Pinarello Paris 105
Price: $2,950
Weight: 19.7 LB (53cm)
The name Pinarello may conjure images of very expensive bikes built for the world’s best bike racers, but the company also makes a hell of a midrange bike for mortals like us. The Paris has a smooth and damped ride but with a bit of spark, too, so it never feels sluggish. The handling is alert with good stability: entertaining enough for a fast ride and reassuringly predictable when you hit that last fast descent at the end of an all-day ride.
Giant Road E+ 1 Pro
Price: $4,700
Weight: 39.5 LB (S)
The Road E+ Pro has one of the nicest e-bike motors we’ve experienced. Giant’s SyncDrive Pro, made by Yamaha, is so quiet and smooth it almost disappears. But with 80Nm of max torque, it still has plenty of grunt. That smooth power matches the bike’s supple ride that’s much better than what you typically get from an aluminum frame. This is an older model, however, and its digital display and control pad, as well as the clunky hose and wire routing, look dated compared to the latest models.
Specialized S-Works Aethos
Price: $13,000 (as tested)
Weight: 14.3 LB (58cm)
Though it has the aggressive fit, tight handling, and incredible efficiency of a race bike, the Aethos is far easier to use than most. It’s a traditional road bike without integrated and proprietary parts. There’s nothing obviously aero about it, internal brake-hose routing is minimal, and it has a traditional stem and round handlebar. It’s a simple, straight-up, high-performing road bike that has all the performance of Specialized’s other top models—it even matches the Tarmac SL7’s geometry and stiffness measurements.
Specialized Tarmac SL7 Pro
Price: $7,800 (as tested)
Weight: 16.2 LB (54cm)
The latest Tarmac solves a dilemma for racers who had to choose between lighter bikes and heavier, more-aero ones (both are advantageous in different situations). The UCI-legal SL7 feels nearly as fast as an aero bike and as light as a climbing bike. Its power transfer is superb, with electric-like efficiency and an explosive feel when you increase power to the pedals. It bends and flexes in a way that lets it corner faster, with better grip and greater compliance. It doesn’t matter if you ramp up the pace slightly on a climb or suddenly jump on the pedals for an all-out sprint, the SL7 responds immediately with unfiltered forward motion.
Cervélo Caledonia-5 Red eTap AXS
Price: $6,500 to $11,000, $10,000 (as tested)
Weight: 16.3 LB (54cm)
With wind-cheating details like dropped seatstays, fully internal routing, and a deep down tube with a low position for a water bottle, the Caledonia looks like an aero road-race bike. But consider its (hidden) fender mounts, clearance for 34mm tires, tight steering geometry, tall head tube, and slightly long chainstays and it becomes a hard bike to classify. It’s not what most of us would consider a road-race bike, and it’s not a gravel bike. It might be an all-road model, but some may also use it as an endurance bike. Whatever you call it, the Caledonia is a good bike for a lot of riders because it provides most of the feel and experience of a decent road-racing bike but with smoother, more polished edges. And it has a dash of comfort and practicality similar to that of an endurance or gravel bike but without the sleepy manners or added weight.
Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc 0
Price: $11,300 (as tested)
Weight: 14.5 LB (L)
The ninth generation of this road-racing bike is lighter, stiffer, and more aerodynamic than its predecessor. There’s an exquisite blend of aggressive and precise steering, all-day comfort, and levels of stiffness that even pro sprinters may appreciate. It accommodates tires up to 32mm wide, comes with a power meter, and has carbon rims with carbon spokes. If this model exceeds your budget, no worries: The cheapest 2021 complete TCR Advanced is $2,200.
Jen is the associate test director for Bicycling and Runner’s World. Born and raised 10 minutes from the office, she spent her youth exploring the same roads and trails that she’d ultimately use to test bikes for Mountain Bike and Bicycling (for which—over the past 18 years, at different times, and with some overlap—she was a copy editor, senior editor, and managing editor). Today she prefers mellow rides with her 11-year-old boy, pushing the limits of where e-bikes can go, and wouldn’t be caught dead on a start line.
