If you've had the nagging feeling that the price of road bikes has been rising exponentially, then you might look at our selection of products here as concrete proof.
Our headliner is an exquisitely made aero race bike from BMC that utilises the best carbon layups and production methods. The frameset alone costs more than most roadies' Sunday best.
Likewise, the limited-edition Colnago that Tadej Pogačar will be riding in Zurich this weekend at the Worlds. It's a stunning-looking bike that costs about the same as a small island country's national debt. Or close.
Which makes the two latest drop-bar e-bikes from Look our budget offerings. Both cost north of of $7,000. So yes, bikes have got expensive.
But despite their price tags, or perhaps for some folk because of them, these machines draw us in. Beautiful bikes always have done. They likely always will.
BMC Roadmachine R Mpc
Sometimes, it appears, a fancy race bike isn’t quite fancy enough.
BMC clearly thinks so. The Swiss marque has given its WorldTour-proven Teammachine R the Masterpiece (Mpc.) treatment. And the result, if these photos are anything to go by, is striking indeed.
The Masterpiece programme essentially gives BMC’s engineers carte blanche. This no-expense-spared approach allows them to use leading-edge technologies and work with the best carbon fibre experts without financial restraints. The result then should be a bike with all of the aerodynamic benefits of the Teammachine R, but with the build quality elevated yet further.
“The Mpc. production method allows us to reach another level of precision when it comes to carbon fibre placement and alignment,” says Stefan Christ, Head of R&D. “Each carbon fibre strand aids in tailoring the structure and ride characteristics of the frame, so you get exactly the riding behaviour and performance we, the engineers, envisioned."
According to BMC, the carbon layup is so precise there is zero excess material, leaving a surface so clean it requires no rework. To show it off, BMC has left the frame untreated, creating a finish that looks elegant rather than ostentatious.
Unsurprisingly, the Teammachine R Mpc is available in limited numbers. And naturally, it costs a fortune, with just the frameset retailing at $/€8,999.
Look E-765 Optimum and E-765 Gravel
The initial challenge for any brand making carbon-framed drop bar e-bikes was how to incorporate the motorized technology while still ensuring they retain plenty of the original DNA of the non-juiced-up originals. Early efforts were often a little awkward in their appearance, and heavy too.
But advancements in technology now mean there are plenty of electric road and gravel bikes that closely resemble their motor-free counterparts. A case in point are the new E-765 Optimium and Gravel from Look.
The updated models are impressively light - the Optimum has a claimed weight of 12.8kg and the Gravel 13.7kg - shaving off around 1kg from the previous iterations. In no small part, this is aided by the Fauza Ride 60. The motor and battery combined weigh a little over 4 kg but still deliver a peak output of 450 watts, 60 Nm of torque and 432Wh capacity. Look says this updated drive unit means rider assistance of up to 120km and 1,500m elevation gain from a single charge.
Importantly, because of the system's compact size, Look says it has been able to mirror the geometry of a traditional bike. “We’re not trying to hide the motor or battery, but instead have integrated them seamlessly to optimize the bike’s design and ergonomics,” says Romain Simon, Look’s Bike Product Manager.
Other noteworthy details include SRAM 1x groupsets on both bikes - Rival AXS on the Optimum and SRAM Apex on the Gravel model. The Optimum also benefits from a pair of the French brand’s carbon E-R50D wheels.
Prices are $9,490/£8,490 for the Optimum and $7,690/£6,990 for the Gravel
Tadej Pogačar's World Championship Colnago V4Rs
If Tadej Pogačar wins the UCI Road World Championships on Sunday it will cap a season for the ages. While his singular brilliance makes him the obvious favourite, the vagaries of the race mean the balance is easily tipped in another direction. Whatever the outcome, the Slovenian will be competing in style, thanks to the bike he’ll be riding.
While his Colnago V4Rs will remain unchanged in terms of specification, it will be adorned in a special paint job to mark his career to date. Apparently, Pog is quite the Pop Art fan, which helps form the inspiration for a design that looks a little like a Roy Lichtenstein painting has been cut up, with the pieces then spread across the frame and forks.
All of the chosen colours have significance; yellow and pink to celebrate his four Grand Tour victories, red dots to symbolise his KOM triumphs at the TdF, green to represent his multiple wins at Il Lombardia and Liège-Bastogne-Liège… The list of colours, like his palmares, goes on.
Other details of note include a TP logo used on both the top tube and as a pattern on the chainstays and the paint job mirrored on the Enve SES logos that adorn the carbon rims. Fans of ‘bike bling’ will be pleased to see that the Carbon-Ti crankset, brake discs, thru-axles and screws that he’s used throughout the season remain.
All of which begs the question, can you own one yourself? Of course you can, provided you have the means. Made in limited numbers and equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, the aforementioned Enve 4.5 SES Wheelset and Colnago’s CC.01 handlebar, it will set you back a mere €17,200.00.
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro camera
If you’re interested in capturing your cycling adventures, then DJI’s Osmo Action 5 Pro might just be the right tool for the job. It certainly comes with some bold claims to match the very best bike and helmet cameras.
"By combining the image quality of a professional camera with the rugged durability of an action camera, we continue to innovate and set new standards for the industry," said Paul Pan, Senior Product Line Manager at DJI. "Creators have evolved, becoming more sophisticated in the stories they tell and the moments that they capture. Instead of making incremental improvements, we strive to push the entire action camera category forward and evolve with these creators."
The camera’s standout features include an all-new 1/1.3” sensor with a 2.4μm pixel size and a high dynamic range of up to 13.5 stops - an industry first - that’s capable of recording 4K/120fps (4:3 output) and at a 155º ultra-wide angle.
Battery life has been extended to a claimed 4 hours of continuous use, which is 50% more than the previous model, while recording time is said to be up to 3.6 hours, even in temperatures below zero. Built-in storage is 47GB. For bike-specific use, there are both helmet and handlebar mounts, which are sold separately.
