2024 has already seen a trickle of spy shots of new bikes under the pros. In some cases, we know what they are (it’s written on the frame) and in others we can have a good guess.
It’s not just spy shots that can suggest what new road bikes brands are working on; the multi-year product life cycles for bikes combined with what hasn’t had an update for a while are also good pointers.
So below are a few new bikes that have already seen the light of day, plus another couple that we can speculate are due an upgrade.
New Trek Emonda
The most interesting spy shot to come out so far this year has to be what we assume is a new Trek Emonda.
As Josh discusses in his piece, the new bike looks to take the Madone Gen 7’s IsoFlow seat tube design and adapt it to a new platform, suggesting that this may be a design feature that will trickle across Trek’s range – or at least the expensive end of it.
If this is a new Emonda, presumably the aerodynamic advantage of a large hole under the saddle trumps the extra weight from a more complex feature in what is currently Trek’s lightweight bike.
Despite the IsoFlow seat tube, the Gen 7 Madone lost around 150g from the Gen 6 bike’s frame weight. A lot of that was due to shedding the IsoSpeed decoupler, but this suggests that Trek can fabricate the IsoFlow design without a huge amount of extra frame weight.
There’s been a general trend for lightweight bikes to get ever more aero. The current Emonda has aero tube profiles and we’ve seen the latest Bianchi Specialissima and Factor O2 VAM incorporate claimed aero benefits. Talking of which…
New Factor Ostro VAM
Another new bike which looks to have upped its aero quotient is the latest Factor Ostro VAM. While we’re not sure what the Trek in the spy shots might be, we know this is a new Ostro VAM – it’s written in big letters on the chainstays/top tube.
The front end of the new Ostro VAM is significantly more chunky than the current model, no doubt taking full advantage of the UCI’s tube profile rule relaxation. Meanwhile, the rear is noticeably lighter and includes Factor’s barely-there top tube to seat tube junction. In the O2 VAM, this was claimed to increase compliance and comfort, while allowing the front of the bike to be stiff enough to satisfy the pros. It looks as if the new Ostro VAM is following suit.
Take a look at our gallery of Simon Clarke's 2024 Factor Ostro VAM.
New Giant TCR
In the last year or so, Giant has updated its Propel aero bike and Defy endurance bike (as well as the equivalent Liv EnviLiv and Avail women’s models). That leaves the TCR and women’s Langma as the last Giant platform yet to receive an update.
We don’t have any details of the new TCR/Langma, but we’d hazard a guess that this bike too will up its aero quotient, while seeking to retain its low weight.
The main claimed benefit of a more aero lightweight bike is faster climbing on all but the steepest ascents. There’s some low-hanging fruit for Giant, as the current TCR, even the £11,000/$12,000 TCR Advanced Pro 0, still has external cabling, so front end integration must be at the top of the upgrade list.
New Canyon Aeroad
Shots of some subtle updates to the Canyon Aeroad appeared as long ago as March 2023, with Mathieu van der Poel winning Milan-San Remo on a bike with its seatpost clamp moved to the top of the top tube from the rear of the seat tube. There were some other small changes in van der Poel’s bike.
So is a new Aeroad on its way, or was this just a fix to avoid a slipping seatpost turning into a dropper post on the Poggio for Canyon’s star rider? We’ll see.
New Specialized Aethos?
Given it doesn't sing from the same aero hymn sheet as the others in this list, and doesn't meet the UCI minimum weight requirements, this isn't a bike we're likely to see troubling the peloton.
Given it was launched in 2020 we wouldn't be at all surprised to see a new model of the bike Specialized pitches towards those who love riding bikes, but don't race. If it does appear, we struggle to see the frame being lighter, but a saving could come at the wheels, with the 1248g Alpinists bettered by almost 100g by Black Inc's latest 28/33 wheelset.
What with the trend towards total cable integration we also wouldn't be shocked to see a new one-piece Roval Alpinist bar complete with internal routing. Specialized does have a history of mixing things up though, so it could also revert back to totally external cables, but that we would be surprised by.
New Pinarello Dogma?
The Dogma has been updated every two years since 2017. The last update was in 2021, so it is by our calculations overdue. Last year we saw a total overhaul of the Pinarello range beneath the Dogma, with the new Pinarello F, and the Dogma X, so it's high time for a top-of-the-tree model to break cover.
We suspect that when it appears, the new Dogma will follow the trend of beefing up the aero credentials at the front, and shedding pounds at the rear. There's scope for deeper tubes and fork legs, and the stays have wiggle room to get more skinny. As it's the brands only race bike, an all-rounder in the same mould as the Tarmac, it's going to have to try and hit both the aero figures and the weight weenies too.
The real question though, is whether it will be more or less wiggly than the last model?
New Scott Addict?
For the last handful of seasons we've seen DSM riding the extremely aero Scott Foil. It's allround/lightweight sibling, the Addict, hasn't had an update since 2020, so if it's going to get a refresh it's not going to come out of the blue.
Given the aero credentials of the Foil we suspect the Addict will likely take a role more akin to the new Canyon Ultimate; a lightweight race bike but with improved aero credentials to tackle both the mountains and the valley roads in between.
As ever, expect integration aplenty, and a reduction in the total system weight as the headline figure.
New Cannondale SystemSix?
Yet more speculatively, will Cannondale choose to update the SystemSix? The brand’s aero road bike has seen service since way back in 2018, which makes it superannuated by aero road bike standards.
More to the point, despite the SystemSix's chunky go-faster looks, Cannondale claims that the fourth generation SuperSix, launched in 2023, more than halves the aero gap between the previous model and the SystemSix than the SystemSix, as well as being substantially lighter.
So any new SystemSix will need a significant overhaul to up its aero quotient and lose some fat. Or will the SystemSix go the way of the Specialized Venge, bettered aerodynamically and pushed out of the nest by its more all-rounder sibling?
