These are what we reckon are the top road bikes of 2014. They might not all have carbon fibre frames or fancy carbon wheels, they might not even be feasible for your budget, but they’re all great bikes.
BMC Teammachine SLR01
The Teammachine has a great heritage at BMC, with Cadel Evans winning his only Tour de France title whilst riding one, and BMC think that this is the bike’s best incarnation yet.
Although not a full carbon road bike, it does have carbon layups on the main flex points which make it much stiffer – 25% stiffer according to BMC – than the last generation of the Teammachine.
The SLR01 comes with internal cable routing and can be used in conjunction with Shimano Di2 – the electric gearing system which is taking cycling components manufacturers by storm as they race to keep up with the peloton.
The Teammachine has been the choice of BMC rider and former World Champion Philippe Gilbert since 2012, and he highly recommends it.
Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro
Pinarello are renowned for making exceptional machines that are used by pros all over the world, and the Hydro 65.1 is no exception.
One of the first carbon road bikes for sale that included disc brakes as opposed to rim brakes this bike is guaranteed to give you some bragging rights on the club run.
The carbon road frame used by Pinarello is championed for its asymmetrical design that makes the ride comfier by absorbing bumps on the road. The ride is also improved by the Onda fork – which has become synonymous with Pinarello for its wavy style and bump-flattening ability, making the ride extremely comfortable.
Pinarello’s Dogma range is used by Team Sky, so you can pretend you’re part of the Sky train on the Hydro 65.1.
Cannondale Synapse Ultegra Di2
Cannondale’s Synapse range is the most affordable of this list, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive than the other machines listed here.
The range of Cannondale bikes 2014 unearthed was impressive, and none more so than the Synapse. The carbon road frame has taken aspects of mountain biking technology to make the frame better able to cope with bumps and cobbles like you will find at Paris-Roubaix.
They have helix-shaped seat stays to absorb impact as well as a thin seat post and wedge-fastening design. They also have a cutout in the bottom of the seat tube to minimize jarring and make the bike responsive and quick even on gravel and dirt.
This Cannondale road bike also comes with disc brakes, and it’s cycling components are compatible with Shimano’s Di2 electronic gearing system to make the most of the speed gained by making the rider comfier.
Cannondale road bikes were used by the Cannondale team in 2014, but they have since merged with Garmin-Sharp to become Cannondale-Garmin, who will still be using Cannondale bikes in 2015.
Cervélo R5
Cervélo carbon road bikes are known for being stylish and performing exceptionally well, and the R5 is no exception. Cervélo have taken lessons learned from their super-light RCA and applied it to the R5, making it extremely light and stiff despite this.
It has future proof internal cable routing, so you can be sure that it will work with whatever drivetrain you choose, although Cervélo recommend Shimano Dura-Ace for this carbon road bike.
The carbon road frame is stiff and string as well as light, meaning it handles well and doesn’t flex at the bottom bracket which can be the case with many lighter bikes where the carbon frame isn’t as stiff. The R5 uses their own ‘squoval’ engineering system to create their carbon road frame, which uses squares and oval shapes in the frame tube design to strengthen and stiffen the frame.
Cervélo bikes were used by Garmin-Sharp in the 2014 season but since Garmin’s merger with Cannondale, they are out of a team for 2015. They are rumoured to be linked with Fernando Alonso’s cycling team who will be racing in the Pro Continental Division if they are formed in time for the season to begin.
Scott Foil 20
Scott carbon road bikes are one of the most popular bikes you can find, but that is because of their excellent reputation and performance.
The Foil 20 is the best Scott road bike of 2014 and is a must have for any competitive cyclist, with a carbon bike frame that handles extremely well and remains stiff out of the saddle and comfortable in it.
The bike comes with Shimano Ultregra and the full carbon frame makes it extremely light and the aerodynamic geometry means that it’s also a fast bike, perfect for a club racer.
The bike uses Scott’s oversized bottom bracket technology, which adds lateral stiffness by dispersing the load put on the junction, meaning the frame can be made lighter without as much reinforcement.
The Scott Foil is used by Australian cycling team Orica GreenEDGE and was ridden by Michael Matthews to a number of stage wins in the Giro d’Italia and Simon Gerrans to win the Tour Down Under.
