After an incredible 2024 in which the Van Rysel RCR made a big splash, broke the internet several times and propelled the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team to several high-profile wins, Decathlon wants to finish the year off with a bang. It is offering up to £1001 off the RCR and RCR Pro including the Decathlon AG2R Replica model.
RCR builds included in this post-Christmas sale are the Sram-equipped Force AXS and Rival AXS models, alongside the Pro-level Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace spec bikes.
The RCR Pro received a lot of hyper for its affordable performance, so we had to get one in for test and that is exactly what Cycling Weekly tech writer Joe Baker did earlier in the year. It was featured as part of our race bike of the year group test and Joe had this to say about it. "The Van Rysel RCR Pro is certainly a very comfortable bike, doing a great job of evening out the plentiful bumps on my local Oxfordshire roads."
Joe was also complimentary of the RCR's handling saying, "The bike performs very well on descents. Its longer wheelbase in conjunction with the aggressive head angle, makes for a stable ride that still changes direction pretty well."
The RCR offers far more than just a value-for-money specification. It's a frame that has seen significant development time, especially in optimising its aerodynamic performance. This aerodynamic testing was completed by the team at ONERA, a world-renowned wind tunnel facility famous for its input into the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Looking to balance this aerodynamic performance and make the RCR more of an all-round racer, the Decathlon team has made the RCR light too with the Pro frameset a very respectable 1.1 kilograms. The full Replica build is the lightest in the range at 6.9 kilos, just 100 grams more than the UCI minimum weight limit.
Keeping up with the trends and standards, all the RCR builds offer up to 32mm tyre clearance and come equipped with power meters.
Whats the difference between the Van Rysel RCR and the RCR Pro?
While the differences are minimal, the RCR and RCR Pro frames are not the same. The differences all relate to the carbon fibre layup and the quality of fibres used. This makes the Pro frame slightly lighter to the tune of 40 grams with Decathlon claiming it is stiffer in high-stress areas like the chainstays and bottom bracket.
This use of different fibres also means the RCR is slightly less aerodynamically efficient than its Pro counterpart, as the high-modulus fibres used are unable to be moulded into quite the same shapes.
