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A custom bike build is a great way to make a bike uniquely yours.  Tested millions of times over, tried and true, Trek mountain bike frames are built to last and backed with a lifetime warranty.  Since 1976.

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Tested: Trek Top Fuel

Don't call it a race bike. Trek's new Top Fuel is for railing steep fast decents with no course tape in sight.

Takeaway: Trek’s latest edition of the Top Fuel moves from being a big cross country racer and becomes a short travel trail bike. With new longer and slacker geometry, plus 5mm of extra travel, it aims to give riders the efficiency they want for long days while still enabling them to ride more technical trails with confidence.

• Fully guided internal routing in the front triangle plus a 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket simplifies maintenance for both professional and home mechanics.
• The new Top Fuel has clearance for 2.5” tires; which makes perfect sense as even XC racers are now running 2.4” tires as standard.
• The downtube storage compartment is now featured on all Top Fuel models, including the alloy versions. It’s a great feature that often gets nixed on lower priced frame models.

Price: $11,500 Weight: 26.8lbs (size XL) Style: Full suspension 120mm trail bike Frame: OCLV Mountain Carbon, internal storage, tapered head tube, Knock Block 2.0, internal guided routing, downtube guard, magnesium rocker link, Mino Link, ABP, Boost148, 120mm travel Wheel Size: 29” Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate, DebonAir spring, Charger Race Day damper, tapered steerer, 44mm offset, Boost110, 15mm Maxle Stealth, 120mm travel Rear Shock: RockShox Deluxe Ultimate RCT, 185mm x 50mm Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle AXS, wireless, 12-speed Cranks: SRAM XX1 Eagle, DUB, 55mm chainline, 175mm length Chainring: 30 tooth Cassette: SRAM Eagle XG-1299, 10-52T, 12-speed Brakes: SRAM G2 Ultimate hydraulic disc, carbon levers Front Wheel: Bontrager Line Pro 30, OCLV Mountain Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 6-bolt, Boost110, 15mm thru axle Rear Wheel: Bontrager Line Pro 30, OCLV Mountain Carbon, Tubeless Ready, Rapid Drive 108, 6-bolt, SRAM XD driver, Boost148, 12mm thru-axle Tires: Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, Inner Strength sidewalls, aramid bead, 120tpi, 29.x2.40'' Saddle: Bontrager Arvada, austenite rails, 138mm width Seatpost: RockShox Reverb AXS, 170mm travel, wireless, 34.9mm, 480mm length Handlebar / Stem: Bontrager RSL Integrated handlebar/stem, OCLV Carbon, 27.5mm handlebar rise, 820mm width, 0 degree stem rise, 45mm stem length

Since 2019, Trek’s Top Fuel has been sandwiched between the brand's laser focused Supercaliber cross country race bike and its trail oriented Fuel EX platforms. The previous generation Top Fuel was ahead of its time in many ways; with 120mm front and 115mm rear travel, a remote lockout on certain models, and low overall weight. Trek pitched the previous Top Fuel as a marathon distance race bike. But that was before 120mm travel platforms began popping up in World Cup XC races .

While XC race bikes were becoming longer travel, yet another new category of mountain bikes started to gain traction with riders: down-country. This new breed of bikes combines elements of longer travel all-mountain and trail bikes (such as slack geometry, more powerful brakes, and heavier casing tires) with shorter travel and lighter-weight frames. Essentially, burly XC bikes that you can ride all day, are efficient climbers, and very capable at descending. This is the approach Trek took with the latest Top Fuel.

The new Top Fuel strikes a similar silhouette to the older model, with a vertically mounted shock layout and Trek’s Active Braking Pivot suspension system; which now delivers an extra 5mm of travel in the rear to match the 120mm travel fork. The Top Fuel’s geometry is in line with other bikes in the emerging down-country category, with the headtube angle becoming 1.5 degrees slacker and reach increasing by 10mm as compared to the previous generation of the bike. The Top Fuel now also has clearance for 2.5 inch tires, for those who want to push traction to the limit.

The new Top Fuel edges ever closer into the territory of its longer travel sibling, the Fuel EX. The updated geometry of the Top Fuel actually makes the Fuel EX look a bit dated in comparison. The two bikes have identical headtube angles, with the Top Fuel having a longer reach and a steeper seat angle as well. You can even fit a 130mm fork on the Top Fuel, which would make it slacker than the Fuel Ex. Basically, the Top Fuel is no longer a race oriented bike. It has now morphed into an efficient trail bike for riders that still want solid pedaling performance to get up the climbs, but who want additional speed, confidence, and control on the descents.

Builds & Pricing

There are a total of nine different Top Fuel builds offered by Trek, plus carbon and alloy framesets. The Top Fuel is also available through Trek’s Project One program, allowing riders to customize everything from components to paint.

We got to test the Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS build, which at $11,050 is (depending on your perspective) either a reasonable price for a modern high end bicycle or completely bonkers. With bikes such as Specialized S-Works Epic EVO coming in at a cool $13,000, and the Scott Spark 900 Ultimate EVO AXS at $14,000, the Top Fuel 9.9 almost seems price conscious.

The cheapest Top Fuel model, the alloy framed Top Fuel 5, features a RockShox Recon fork, X-Fusion X-Pro2 shock, and a Shimano Deore drivetrain at $2,630. The Top Fuel 7 has a Recon Gold fork with a mix of Shimano SLX and XT parts, plus Bontrager Line Comp wheels for $3,530. The Top Fuel 8 is the priciest alloy build at $3,830, with a RockShox SID fork and Deluxe Ultimate shock plus more powerful Shimano M6120 four-piston brakes.

The Top Fuel 9.7 is the most affordable of the carbon builds at $4,230. It uses Fox Rhythm 34 fork with a Float DPS shock and is finished with a mix of Shimano SLX and XT, plus Bontrager Line wheels. The Top Fuel 9.8 has three different versions based on your component preferences. You can go mechanical with SRAM GX or Shimano XT for $7,050 or upgrade to GX AXS for $7,550. All three use RockShox SID Select+ forks and Deluxe Ultimate RCT shocks, along with Bontrager Line Elite 30 wheels. Moving to the top of the price range, for $9,550Trek offers the Top Fuel 9.9 XTR build for Shimano and Fox lovers. It uses Fox Factory level suspension, a full mechanical XTR drivetrain, and Bontrager Line Pro 30 wheels. Riders preferring Rockshox Ultimate level suspension and electronic XX1 AXS shifting will need to spend $11,050 to get the most expensive Top Fuel model, the 9.9 XX1 AXS.

If you’d rather build your bike from the frame up, Trek offers alloy and carbon framesets. The Top Fuel AL frame sells for $2,320 with a Fox Float DPS shock. The carbon frame is priced at $3,720 and includes a Fox Factory Float DPS shock.

Geometry & Fit

The new Top Fuel has received the slacker and longer treatment, and as a result, the head tube angle is now a degree and a half slacker at 66º across the entire size range. Reach grows by 10mm while BB height and chainstay length remain the same from the previous generation.

Trek offers seven different sizes of the Top Fuel, including an M/L option for riders often caught between the medium and the large. With a stock stem length of 45mm on all sizes except an XS, our 6’3 tester felt cramped on the size XL and likely would have benefited from sizing up to an XXL. The issue was resolved with a longer stem, but the most expensive 9.9 builds of the Top Fuel Trek use its integrated Bontrager RSL handlebar and stem combo. It’s easy enough to swap out as it thankfully doesn’t run any lines internally, but it still means riders will need to supply both a bar and a stem to make fit adjustments. As always, it’s highly recommended that you get a test ride in at a shop before buying a new bike if possible.

Ride Impressions

The new Top Fuel is very much a short travel trail bike meant for ripping down burly trails. Thanks to a 40mm increase in wheelbase, a slacker head tube angle, and other geometry changes over its previous version, it feels much more planted and composed on rough and fast descents. It’s a bike that wants to hold a line and stay planted on the ground. This worked well in certain situations, like scrubbing speed on a rough bit of trail heading into a turn. Other times it made me have to fight the bike a bit to make quick line adjustments.

To highlight the new trail bike character of the Top Fuel, Trek has made some component choices to suit the bike's new intended purpose. Opting for four-piston SRAM G2 brakes, as well as grippier XR4 tires, for better control on steep descents. The frame is also beefed up with a larger downtube that now includes a storage compartment for snacks or, more likely, flat-fix tools. The seat tube also grows in diameter to increase stiffness and accommodate a larger diameter 34.9mm dropper post. The remote lockout is also gone from the handlebars – which, perhaps more than any other change, makes the Top Fuel's intent as a trail bike crystal clear.

Trek’s ABP suspension design has had many years of refinement and is a genuine four-bar platform, unlike many 120mm bikes that use a flex pivot. In contrast, all the pivot points on the Top Fuel use sealed bearings, resulting in a suspension setup that feels much more active. The design does a good job of isolating braking from the suspension, resulting in less skipping and bouncing when you’re hard on the brakes in a rough section of trail.

The downside of the Top Fuel’s trail bike transformation is that it’s now a bit heavy. Our premium 9.9 XX1 AXS XL sample came in at nearly 27 lbs. This isn’t wildly heavy for a trail bike, but typically you get a bit more suspension travel with that weight penalty. For reference, the Scott Spark I tested earlier this year has the same amount of suspension travel as the Top Fuel but is a full three pounds lighter. Trek does say that the Top Fuel is compatible with a 130mm fork, and I can’t help but think the new Top Fuel would have made a lot more sense with the increased travel straight from the factory.

After having multiple testers on the Top Fuel over the last few weeks, our consensus has been that the Top Fuel would thrive in a place that has a lot of machine built or well maintained, and steep trails. Trails where you can get the Top Fuel moving fast allow the progressive all-mountain geometry to shine and make the bike feel much more capable than its 120mm of travel would suggest.

The new Top Fuel is undoubtedly more capable than its previous version while maintaining much of its pedaling efficiency. Riders with more than a casual interest in racing should probably look at bikes such as the Scott Spark , Canyon Lux Trail , or Specialized Epic EVO . The Top Fuel is perhaps the ideal bike for riders who want a trail, or even all-mountain, bike geometry experience, but don't want the extra weight or need the extra bit of travel.

Trek Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS

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• Stache Carbon Frameset

Trek Stache Carbon Frameset

Stache is an all-new species of 29+ mountain bike performance. The wide 3" tires grip relentlessly, amplifying all the benefits of 29ers, while remarkably short chainstays deliver a fun, lively ride. Want the capability of a full suspension trail bike in a simple hardtail package, plus the extra benefits of 29+ tires? Then you were born to ride the Stache. Key Features - 29+ wheels let you roll over anything - OCLV Mountain Carbon frame is light, efficient, and tough - Boost148/110: stronger wheels, more tire clearance, shorter stays - Stranglehold dropout gives you options: 29+, 27.5+, or 29er

Geometry chart

Pedals sold separately

* Subject to change without notice.

Best carbon road bikes: Our pick of the best racing and endurance road bikes

Carbon road bikes combine meticulous weight saving, geometry tweaking and aerodynamic sculpting to rule the road

Best carbon fibre race bikes

Best carbon fibre endurance bikes, carbon road bikes explained.

Carbon fibre is a bit of a wonder material because it can be moulded into just about any shape, and tuned to be stiff in one plane and flexible in another. With these properties, it's heavily used throughout the bike industry and we see it in everything from frames down to brake levers. There are advocates of bikes made from steel, titanium and aluminium, but the best road bikes are most commonly made from carbon fibre. For evidence, look no further than the bikes ridden in the WorldTour .

Best road bikes Best aero road bikes Best lightweight bikes Best aluminium road bikes Best road e-bikes

There is no shortage of remarkable bikes made from aluminium, steel and titanium, but with its stiffness, strength and malleability, carbon fibre reigns supreme in road bike technology. Once a reserve for top tier racing bikes, advances in carbon production and technology has resulted in carbon being utilised across every cycling discipline from the best lightweight bikes to full suspension mountain bikes and surpassing the performance possible with metal tubes. 

Scroll down for a pick of our favourite carbon road bikes that are available today and an overview of what to look for when choosing a carbon road bike .

Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

We're up to the SL6 version of the Specialized Tarmac, and the current frameset has lost a bit of weight and the tubing profiles are a bit boxier. The chainstays have been dropped drastically, and the back of the seat tube and seat post are now flat, a well-tested way to introduce compliance to the rear end.

Introduced a few iterations ago, the new Tarmac is based around what Specialized calls Rider-First Engineering, each frame size is built with a specific geometry, layup and tube shapes, meaning gone are the days of the ultra-stiff XS and noodly XL frames. Also gone are the gender-specific geometries, the only difference between the men's and women's versions are the touchpoints and cranks.

Specialized tell us the frame is more aero too, claiming the new Tarmac is 45-seconds faster over 45km compared to 'other lightweight bikes in the same category'. Only available with disc brakes for 2020, this has allowed the brand to balloon the max tire clearance to 30mm. The Expert spec comes with a Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset, Roval C38 carbon wheels finished in with S-Works Turbo 120TPI rubber and one of our favourite paint jobs of the bunch.

Raced by: Bora-Hansgrohe , Deceuninck-QuickStep , Boels Dolmans

Trek Emonda SL 6 Disc

The Emonda is Trek's lightweight carbon road frame, and the top-end SLR version is one of the lightest framesets you can buy. While the SL version doesn't get the 600-series carbon and ultralight paint of the SLR trim, it's no slouch on the scale. Only available in the brands H2 more relaxed fit, the Disc version of the frame is made using the brand's second-tier OCLV 500 carbon.

At the back, the Emonda uses a seat mast and cap, which adds some vertical compliance, however, it does limit your minimum and maximum saddle height. Tipping the scales at around 8.6kg, depending on the size, it's not the lightest bike on the market but considering the price, it is well specced.

• Richie Porte's Trek Emonda – Gallery
• Sandy Floren's Trek Emonda gravel-lite race bike - Gallery

The latest version of the Emonda SL is noticeably stiffer and leads to a lively road feel, the stable BB creates a tight pedalling feel. Trek still hasn't applied its ISO-speed technology to the Emonda, and with the additional stiffness in the frame, some feedback from the road makes it through to your body, especially through the handlebars.

The Emonda SL is also specced with a Shimano Ultegra groupset and Bontrager Paradigm Disc tubeless-ready wheels; we feel it demonstrates decent value for money.

Raced by: Trek-Segafredo , Trek-Segafredo Women

Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Disc

Launched just ahead of the 2019 Tour de France , Cannondale 's latest SuperSix Evo comes complete with a first for the frame – a sloping top tube. But it's not just the death of the flat top tube, Cannondale has swapped to Kammtail tube shapes for a claimed 30 watt saving (at 48kph) over its predecessor and the brand says the new SuperSix is between nine and 40 watts faster than a range of its competitors. The frame also gets a flat-backed seat post and seat tube, and the dropped chainstays which are becoming increasingly common among carbon race bikes.

Capable of taking 30mm tyres (28mm rim brake), the new frame is claimed to weigh 886g in a size 56, painted. The rim version of the bike uses the standard open quick release dropout, however, the disc version is shod with Mavic's speed release thru-axle system which pairs an open dropout with a threaded counterpart to speed up wheel changes.

• Cannondale SuperSix EVO review
• Lachlan Morton's Cannondale Supersix Evo - Gallery

Cannondale has also opted for an integrated bar and stem and sees the brands in-house KNOT components providing the seat post and wheelset. As you'd expect for a bike in this price bracket, the 45mm deep road wheels are carbon fibre and tubeless-ready, and a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset provides the gearing. The new SuperSix EVO also comes with a Power2Max NG Eco power meter installed in the HologramSiSL2 cranks, though you'll have to pay a fee on top of the retail price to activate it.

Raced by: EF Pro Cycling

Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 Disc

Giant's TCR has long been a no-nonsense performer, and the brand as a whole demonstrates top value for money. Designed around the brand's compact road geometry, the frame is built using Giant's Advanced Composite Technology, and moulded in a modified monocoque construction — meaning the front and rear triangles are moulded separately and then bonded together.

The TCR has always been known for its snappy ride quality and that's due in large part to its compact rear end. At the front, the TCR gets Giant's chunky Overdrive steerer which combine with the front and rear thru-axles and stiff carbon fork mean no steering input is lost to flex.

• A closer look at the new Giant TCR - Simon Geschke's 6.4kg bike
• Greg Van Avermaet's golden Giant TCR Disc - Gallery

Depending on where you live, the Advanced Pro Disc comes with either a Shimano Ultegra or SRAM Force eTap AXS drivetrain, but, regardless of your region, the wheels and tyres are tubeless-ready out of the box, meaning they come with valves and rim strips installed and Giant even gives you enough sealant to get rolling.

The Giant TCR has recently been updated, so the current model TCR is soon to be deemed 'old-hat', but that should mean discounts are readily available on what is still an excellent bike. 

Raced by: CCC Team , CCC-Liv

Canyon Aeroad 7.0

German direct-to-consumer brand Canyon has redefined the level of bike that you can get for your money, and the Aeroad 7.0 is proof. The frame and fork are made from a slightly lower grade of carbon than the SLX version that the Movistar Team rides, but beyond that it's identical. Aero tubing isn't prone to flexing, and the Aeroad offers a stiff ride, but it's still not as bone-rattling as some wind-cheating frames on the market.

For the £2,450 / $3,000 / AU$3,950 price tag, you get a Shimano 105 groupset, which offers fantastic shifting performance and reliability with 11 gears at the back. The base model of the Aeroad is only available with rim brakes; however, you still get direct-mount calipers, which are a reasonable trade-off to save a bit of cash.

While the majority of the bike is fitted with Canyon's own components, the wheels are Reynolds AR58 deep-dish carbon wheels . For the money, the Aeroad is damn hard to beat.

Raced by: Movistar Team

The third iteration of the S5 is claimed to be faster, stronger, and stiffer than its predecessor. At the front, the ultra-stiff front integrated bar and stem is more akin to the spoiler on a racing car than the front end of a bike. Combined with the proprietary external steerer tube that's designed to cheat the wind, Cervelo says as a system this creates a 17g reduction in drag when compared to a standard setup. With the cables routed completely inside the bike, you’re going to want the S5 with an electronic or wireless drivetrain, as replacing the fully internal gear and shift cables and housing will be time-consuming, at best.

Only available with disc brakes, the new frame has room for up to 30mm rubber and sees 12mm thru-axles using the quarter-turn RAT system developed by Focus, which is owned by the same parent company. With improved stiffness throughout, the robust front end makes for pinpoint cornering and allows you to push the limit through the corners. The downside is it can be a bit harsh through your hands.

• Tiesj Benoot's Cervelo R5 - Gallery

Cervelo is a brand well known for its aero bikes , and the new S5 is claimed to be around 5.5-watts quicker than its predecessor, which combined with increases in stiffness throughout make it sharp and always wanting to surge forward.

It's not cheap, but for your investment, you get a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset and a set of DT Swiss ARC 1459 62 Disc carbon wheels.

Raced by: Team Sunweb

Scott Foil 10 Disc

The Scott Foil has come quite a long way from its origins, which were often touted as way too stiff, but ultra-responsive with zero flex or vibration dampening. In 2016, Scott completely revamped the frame and added discs in 2017, changing the layup to combat road buzz and dropping the seat stays for vertical compliance.

It's still a stiff and agile frame but lacks some of the snap of the original — not necessarily a bad thing because it makes the bike considerably more manageable, especially four hours into an all-day epic.

Available in both rim and disc versions, Scott graduated from Kammtail to aero tubing and even includes a carbon fairing to shield the disc brake caliper from the wind. The top-end RC versions of the bike come with a one-piece integrated Syncros bar and stem, which is why we like the Foil 10 Disc. Using the brands HMF carbon, it comes with a standard bar and stem and is kitted out with a Shimano Di2 Drivetrain and Syncros Carbon wheels. All that said, we’re not so sure about the brown paint job.

Race by: Mitchelton-Scott , Mitchelton-Scott women

Pinarello Dogma F12 Disk

Say what you will about Pinarello's Dogma but it has won seven of the last 10 Tour de France's. The latest iteration of the Italian brand's aero racer is the Dogma F12, and it's the first race bike from Pinarello to come with discs from the outset. It's quite a big deal given in 2017 Fausto Pinarello famously declared he wasn't convinced high-performance bikes needed disc brakes. The rim brake version also swaps from a single bolt to direct mount brakes.

At first glance, the F12 doesn't look all that different from the F10; there are quite a few claimed improvements to aerodynamics and stiffness throughout the frame. The fork has been revamped to better combat twisting forces from the disc brake caliper, and the frames themselves are said to be 10 per cent lighter than the F10 (unpainted). Pinarello has also made refinements to its asymmetric frame design and changed to a higher grade carbon, said to amount to a 10 per cent increase in stiffness.

• Luke Rowe's Pinarello Dogma F12 XLight
• Rohan Dennis' Pinarello Dogma F12 XLight - Gallery

Now with the ability to take 30mm tyres, the F12 is designed around the Most (Pinarello's component brand) Talon bar and stem combo, which is available in 16-stem length and bar width combinations. Pinarello is making the Dogma F12 in 13 frame sizes, however, they are so expensive, most retailers seem to only be offering framesets at the time of writing.

Raced by: Team Ineos

BMC Teammachine SLR02 Disc One

The BMC Teammachine is one of our favourite race bikes (in fact this writer owns one), and the latest iteration exemplifies the brand's prowess for engineering. As one of the first brands to adopt the dropped chainstays, the Teammachine finds a stellar balance, offering snappy power transfer, seemingly laser-guided handling while dampening a large portion of the vibration before they make it through to your touchpoints.

The big issue we have is the price tag for the range-topping SLR01 version. However SLR02 is about half the price, but still maintains the same geometry and the majority of BMC's hallmark ride characteristics. The frame itself is made with the brand's second-tier carbon, which adds a bit of weight, and doesn't absorb quite the same level of vibration.

Even at the second level of the frame, there are four specs, but it's hard to pass up the Teammachine SLR02 Disc One, complete with SRAM's shiny new Force AXS eTap wireless groupset. The bike is specced with BMC's Integrated Cockpit System, which uses a BMC stem, but standard bars, allowing for a bit of added adjustability, customisation and ease of servicing.

Raced by: NTT Pro Cycling

Ridley Helium SLX Ultegra Di2

A Ridley product manager once told me that the design ethos for its bikes come directly from its sponsored race teams. He explained the design and performance elements are balanced against what will make race mechanics want to pull their hair out and the Helium SLX exemplifies this rational. It's not the stiffest or the lightest bike on the market but the cable routing is simple and while the majority of the finishing kit comes from 4ZA, Ridley's in-house components brand, there's no proprietary anything.

The Helium SLX might not be the stiffest frame out there but it's still robust were it needs to be. Made with a mix of 60/40/30-ton high modulus carbon, Ridley subtlety transitions from round to boxy tubing in areas like the down tube and BB and even the strongest sprinters will struggle to bend the tubing under pedalling.

At the back pencil-thin seat stays soften big hits and the layup does well to absorb vibration. The geometry is racy, but not so stretched out and aggressive that the weekend warrior can't find a comfortable position.

This particular model takes the top end frame, and bolts on the latest Shimano Ultegra Di2 drivetrain and finishing kit comes from 4ZA. Ridley sends these bikes out with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels, with the assumption being if you're buying a bike like this you probably already own a nice wheelset and may not want to pay for another. However, in Australia, Ridley bikes are only sold as framesets, and the local distributor allows customers to customise everything from drivetrain and wheels to a fully bespoke paint job.

Raced By: Lotto Soudal

Bianchi Oltre XR4

Raced by the Jumbo-Visma team, Bianchi 's Oltre XR4 is an eye-catching ride, especially in the trademark celeste paint job. But, it's what's hidden inside the carbon that sets this bike apart. The CV Countervail carbon architecture, which is also used by NASA, incorporates a viscoelastic resin to better dampen road vibrations coming up through the frame, which the brand says also increases stiffness. There is no doubt the frame is stiff under pedalling forces, but you can feel the difference the countervail tech makes when it comes to comfort.

The main focus of the Oltre XR4 is to slice through the wind so it's no surprise to see the cables fully hidden, with Vision's 5D ACR one-piece cockpit wrangling everything into the frame. With these properties, the Italian outfit has also made the geometry fairly unforgiving and you'll need to be flexible to find a comfortable position.

Don't mistake the Oltre XR4 for an aero bike that's just meant to go straight, it handles with cat-like reflexes. The price tag is pretty heavy and depending on where you live it may only be offered as a frameset.

Raced by: Team Jumbo-Visma

Specialized Roubaix Expert

The Specialized Roubaix was the first commercially available endurance road bike when it was launched back in 2004. With a slightly more relaxed geometry and taller head tube, early versions of the Roubaix featured Zertz inserts, said to absorb road buzz — their effectiveness is still up for debate.

The Roubaix has come quite a long way since then, now featuring the Future Shock. Designed in collaboration with McLaren, the Future Shock is now in its 2.0 version and features a hydraulic piston inside the head tube which provides 20mm of travel, now with a dial to adjust the compression and rebound damping.

• Alison Tetrick's Specialized S-Works Roubaix for Super Sweetwater gravel race - Gallery

The cheaper models of the Roubaix (Comp and below) get a Future Shock 1.5, which is the same unit minus the adjustable damper. Specialized has also added a new D-shaped seat post at the back, complete with a drop-in clamp to maximise flex and create a more balanced ride quality front to back.

It's not as snappy as the Tarmac when you push on the pedals, but it does an excellent job of smoothing out square edges on the road. According to Specialized, the new Roubaix is more Aero than the Tarmac SL6 and lighter than a Venge. Like the Tarmac, it only comes with disc brakes and a unisex geometry, with the only difference between the men's and women's bikes being the touchpoints.

Ridley Fenix SL Disc

On paper, the Fenix SL looks like your typical Fondo bike, with sure-footed endurance geometry. In practice, the frame is on the stiffer end of the spectrum and makes for a ride quality that's anything but boring. There is precisely zero unwanted flex in the fork or laterally in the frame, a characteristic that's relatively commonplace in this category of road bikes. With dropped seat stays, the bike isn't harsh, however, we're not sure we'd describe it as a comfortable ride.

We'd argue among a field of endurance bikes, most of which look like they've been hit with the ugly stick, the Fenix SL, even with its chunky slightly aero tubing, is a pretty good looking bike.

It's not particularly light on the scale, but the Fenix is an endurance roadie that isn't willing to trade comfort for boring or sluggish ride quality.

Trek Domane SL 7

The third generation of the Trek Domane carries the dual front and rear IsoSpeed technology. The top-end SLR models borrow the Madone's top tube mounted adjustable pivot, while the rest retain the standard inbuilt flex point. Trek say the new Domane is more aero than its predecessor, with Trek claiming it's a full minute per hour faster than the previous version - although at what power output, we cannot be sure. 

Trek has fully committed the Domane to disc brakes and the result is that it can accept up to 38mm tyres, or 35mm with a fender. At the front, there is a nifty cable guide mounted under the stem; it's not quite as clean as the internally routed options, but not having to run cables and housing through handlebars and stem make maintenance and changes to bike fit considerably easier.

The Domane also features a clever down tube storage box that allows for tools and a spare tube to be stored in the frame inside a plush tool roll. The full Ultegra SL6 version pictured is built around Trek's H2 Endurance Fit, however, if you spring for the Project One SLR, the slightly more aggressive H1.5 is available. Trek has also ditched the gender-specific geometries, with the only difference between the gendered bikes being the touchpoints and paint jobs.

BMC Roadmachine 01 Four

At first glance, the BMC Roadmachine looks identical to the Teammachine racer, but closer inspection reveals a higher stack, shorter reach, softer ride and room for fat tyres. Even with the more relaxed geometry the Roadmachine still retains much of is racier cousin's efficiency and snap when pressure is applied to the pedals, but with slightly more forgiving steering characteristics.

The frame is made using the TCC (Tuned Compliance Concept) Endurance lay-up, which BMC says is designed to take the edge off rough roads. BMC has also employed what it calls Angle Compliance technology, which is marketing-speak for flex built into the fork, seat stays and seat post. The Roadmachine is where BMC first employed its integrated cockpit design, so it's no surprise to see it here and we love the addition of mounts for a top tube food/storage box so your pre-knock Haribo can be at hand at all times.

There is enough room in the frame for 33mm tyres so even though 'road' is in the name, nothing is stopping you from taking the Roadmachine past where the pavement ends. At the front, the new asymmetric fork is said to be ten per cent stiffer, while the back features the brand's dropped seat stays. The trouble, however, is the BMC sized price tag.

Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0

Since it was introduced in 2009, Giant's Defy has consistently been the brand's top-selling bike — it was also the first road bike to be offered exclusively in disc brakes. With only minor refinements to the geometry over the years, every other aspect of the bike has been improved from the D-Fuse seat post and handlebar to the oversized and tapered OverDrive 2 steerer tube.

The Defy Advanced sees an updated rear end with a slight curve in the seat stays to promote deflection. To balance out the plush rear end, Giant has adapted the D-Fuse technology for the front of the bike. The tops are now D-shaped like the seat post and Giant says the amount of flex can be customised by rotating the bar in the stem.

With these comfort features the remainder of the front triangle is robust with Giant employing its beefy Megadrive down tube and PowerCore BB shell, similar to what's seen on its race bikes. For a period in time, the Defy was the lightest frameset in Giant's range, but now made from the brand's second-tier carbon, it has gained a bit of weight.

Bianchi Infinito CV

While Bianchi's Infinito CV offers a more relaxed and upright riding position, it's anything but boring. The handling is sharp, but the bike is a tad more reluctant to change line than the racy Oltre XR4 or Specialissima climbing bike.

Bianchi has borrowed a good bit of the geometry from its racing bikes, but added ~20mm of stack and subtracted ~10mm from the reach (depending on the size), shifting a bit of weight away from the front wheel, but maintaining the steep angles.

Bianchi has also borrowed a bit of the aero tubing from the Oltre, and the frame gets the Brand's Countervail carbon, which uses a viscoelastic resin to insulate your body from road noise - aka vibrations. We'd argue the effect is a bit less noticeable on an endurance platform because, by design, there is more comfort built into the frame.

Even with the frame designed with more comfort in mind, it's not flexy. With beefy tube shapes and a large bottom bracket shell, there is no power lost out of the saddle or climbing. Specced with a Shimano Ultegra groupset, Bianchi has also opted for 160mm rotors meaning there is oodles of braking power accessible with a single finger.

Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105

Cannondale's Synapse was made stiffer last year, with engineers honing in on the head tube and bottom bracket. It's disc-specific with thru-axles, has improved cable routing, more tyre clearance and a geometry that offers more uniform ride characteristics across the range.

In previous years the Synapse had been a touch flexy under power, but Cannondale has nipped that in the bud and the brand tells us the new frame has the same head tube stiffness as the SuperSix EVO. It has a slightly longer and lower position than the Roubaix or Domane, and thus, its handling characteristics are a bit more aggressive. To keep things comfortable, Cannondale has built the bike with its SAVE micro-suspension, which is just a fancy way of saying that the flex points are built into the rear triangle, seat post, and fork.

Even with a Shimano 105 spec, the Synapse comes with Cannondale's lightweight HollowGram SL crankset and is the first model to come exclusively with disc brakes. The frame will take up to a 32mm tyre and there are even hidden fender mounts on the rear seat stays.

How carbon road bikes are made

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Carbon fibre is a bit of a wonder material because it can be moulded into just about any shape, and tuned to be stiff in one plane and flexible in another. With these properties, it's heavily used throughout the bike industry and we see it in everything from frames down to brake levers.

There are vast differences in the quality of carbon road bikes and components, and this ultimately comes down to the layup. Most carbon road bikes are made using pre-preg carbon fibre sheets; basically, the fabric is pumped full of uncured resin and shipped on massive rolls which are cut into the individual pieces that will be moulded into a bike.

Many brands use the same manufacturing facilities in Asia to produce all but their most premium bikes, and while certain details and processes may vary from brand to brand, the main bullet points of creating a carbon road bike frame are the same.

Sheets of pre-preg carbon fibre are hand laid into or around a mould and placed into a heated press, which is assisted by air bladders. Solid forms compact the layers of carbon together; spreading the resin through the frame, removing gaps and voids, and squishing out the excess. Then the frame is put into what equates to a giant pottery kiln where the resin is cured, and then the frames are sanded and painted.

The layup of a carbon road bike is essentially a really difficult 3D jigsaw puzzle with upwards of 400 individual pieces and the order in which they are put together will ultimately define the ride characteristics. Depending on the orientation of the fibres, using the same mass and modulus of carbon can yield a rigid structure or one that is noodly and flexible.

Woven vs Unidirectional

There are two main types of carbon, woven and unidirectional.

As you can probably guess, woven carbon sees the fibres knitted into a fabric, crisscrossing each other, allowing the material to be stiff in more than one plane. Woven carbon is used in areas where there are lots of different directional forces coming through the frame like the head tube and the bottom bracket and also around holes that have been drilled into the frame, like cable ports and bottle cage mounts.

On the other hand, with unidirectional carbon, all the fibres run parallel. This is what's used throughout the majority of the frame because sheets of unidirectional carbon can be laid on top of one another to combat specific directional forces.

The modulus refers to the stiffness of the individual fibres. Higher modulus carbon is accomplished by refining each fibre to make it smoother and thinner allowing for higher tensile strength. While high modulus carbon is stiff, it's also brittle, and a bike made of exclusively high modulus carbon would likely break on the first impact, whether that be from road debris or a crash. Lower modulus carbon isn’t as stiff, but it is also less delicate.

No matter the frame, it will be made from a mix of different modulus carbon, strategically placed throughout for the best possible performance and strength.

A french term meaning single shell, a monocoque is a structural system where loads are supported through an object's external skin, like an egg — or a bicycle.

When the term is applied to bicycles, it's a fancy way of saying the entire frame is moulded in one piece. True monocoque frames are becoming increasingly rare, and in most cases, the front and rear triangles are manufactured in two separate pieces and then bonded together. When you see a brand using a term like semi-monocoque or modular monocoque, this is how the frame is made.

What to look for in a carbon road bike

Our general advice when looking to buy a road bike is to spend as much as you can on the frame and worry less about the components bolted onto it. It's easy to upgrade wheels, handlebars and groupsets, but you're stuck with the frame.

We've split our favourite carbon road bikes into two categories, race bikes and endurance bikes. While you’ll likely see a crossover in terms of technology and features, these bikes are designed to do separate things, and the geometry will vary to help in achieving these goals.

Race bikes are designed to go fast, which can sometimes come at the expense of things like comfort. A race bike's geometry will have steep angles for fast steering and facilitate a long reach and low stack to achieve an aerodynamic position. To get the most out of a race bike, you need to be pretty flexible.

Endurance bikes feature a more upright geometry, slacker angles and plenty of built-in comfort technology. As things have progressed, quite a lot of new technology gets its start on endurance bikes before it's then adapted onto a brand's race bikes. You’ll often see pro teams don endurance bikes for the cobbled classics, not only for the additional comfort but for the slower handling that makes maintaining control through the bumpy and slippery cobbled sections slightly less herculean.

A lot of these bikes will feature aerodynamic cues, but if you're looking for out and out speed, our guide to the best aero road bikes will provide the fastest, most aerodynamic bikes available.

Disc brakes have been utilised for years in just about every other cycling discipline other than road bikes because of their superior performance in all conditions and the additional tyre clearance they allow. The brakes and rotors themselves may weigh a bit more than calipers, but they also allow for light rims because there is no brake track needed.

Most road bikes are available in both rim and disc varieties, but unless you've got a stable of the very best road wheels in your garage, we'd recommend seriously considering discs brakes. With this, most disc-equipped road bikes have swapped to 12mm thru-axles, not only for a more secure wheel to frame connection, but the end to end lateral stiffness is vastly improved.

Integrated cockpit

With most bike brands now having an in-house or partner components brand, quite a few high-end bikes come with one-piece bar and stem combos. They have a definite cool factor while allowing for cables to be fully hidden from the wind which makes them aero and they are a bit lighter than their standard bar and stem.

But changing cables can be an absolute nightmare, and even with brands offering plenty of handlebar widths and stem lengths, if you can't find the numbers that match your specific fit needs or a bar shape you like, you are out of luck.

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Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing. 

Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine. 

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DCB PT29 Trek Stache Style Carbon MTB Plus Frame 29er, 29+, or 27.5+

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Ready to build up the most versatile and do it all hardtail that can adapt to any situation? Or to upgrade your alu Stache frame without the price tag?  No better place to start than with a quality and affordable carbon frame. This PT29 Stache Style frame from DIY Carbon BIkes is top of the line for versatility.

This frame has optional dropouts to give riders three options for tire sizes. In the far slot the frame will do 29x3.0 29er plus tires, in the front slot the frame will support 29x2.2-2.5 or 27.5x2.8-3.0.

This frame offers the capability of a full suspension trail bike in a simple hardtail package, plus the extra benefits of 29+ or 27.5+ tires The wide 3" tires grip relentlessly, amplifying all the benefits of 29ers, while remarkably short chainstays deliver a fun, lively ride.

Built with triple enforced T800 Carbon, a 31.8 seat tube for wider posts and dropper posts, and equipped with a stiff and stable BB92 bottom bracket, this frame is for those that want a do-it-all hardtail with the option to switch things up.

This frame is designed in the style of the Trek Slash, but with a bit more slack geometry.

Price is total shipped and includes frame and free global shipping!

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Material:  100% High-Quality Toray T800 Carbon Fiber.

Heaadset: Any IS 42/52 headset

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Wheel-size:  29er plus, 29er, or 27.5 plus

Front Fork:  29er plus recommends a rigid fork or 100-120mm. 29er recommends 120mm-130mm, 27.5 plus recommends 130-140mm. 

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Clamp size:  36.4 

Spacing:  148x12 BOOST Thru Axle

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Best carbon road bike 2024: what makes good quality carbon and six bikes to consider

We pick our favorite carbon road bikes for varying applications

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The Quick List

The best carbon road bikes 2023: our picks.

• 1. Best carbon race bike
• 2. Best carbon aero bike
• 3. Best value carbon road bike
• 4. Best endurance carbon bike
• 5. Best carbon climbing bike
• 6. Best carbon all-road bike
• How are carbon bikes made?

Best carbon road bikes 2023: Jump Menu

The list in brief ↴

1. Best race bike 2. Best aero bike 3. Best value 4. Best endurance bike 5. Best climbing bike 6. Best all-road bike

Info How are carbon bikes made?

Carbon is pretty much the number one material of choice when it comes to mainstream frame construction and as such there are an awful lot of carbon bike frames out there and there's no one 'best carbon bike'.

Whilst the frame material is at the heart of the bike, there are other elements to consider when choosing a new steed - the geometry, specification and value for money being key points as well as intended use. Do you want a race bike? Or perhaps you're after something for longer riders on varied surfaces? Are aerodynamics or low weight more important to you?

We've listed some of the most well-renowned carbon-framed road bikes which have fared well during our recent testing. We also have other dedicated guides which include the best road bikes , the best aero bikes and the best road bikes under $2500 .

But for now, here are our picks of the best carbon road bikes...

Best race bike

Our Race Bike of the Year, the S5 is a superb all-rounder that blends sublime handling alongside pure speed. Wout van Aert's weapon of choice.

Read more below  

Best aero bike

The updated Madone features a radical frame design that yields impressive results. Fast, as you might expect, but also surprisingly smooth

Read more below

Carbon race bikes don't come cheap but while the new Propel Advanced isn't a steal, it does deliver a great spec and performance for the money.

Best endurance bike

The Granturismo SLR uses some smart frame tech alongside sensible geometry to make it ideally suited to long, demanding days in the saddle. 

Best climbing bike

The reworked SuperSix is a little more aero than previous editions but it's still great when the road points up...and down. No wonder its WorldTour winner.

Best all-road bike

The Venon Evo is impressively versatile with wide enough tire clearance for a range of road surfaces - including some light gravel.

Best carbon race bike

Cervélo S5 carbon road bike 

1. Cervélo S5

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The S5's race credentials make for impressive reading. As one of the bikes ridden by Jumbo-Visma it's racked up back-to-back Tour de France wins, a green jersey in the same event as well as numerous stage and one-day races. Having sublime talent like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and Marianne Vos certainly helps. But clearly the S5 isn't holding them back.

Like the Jumbo riders we were impressed when we tested the updated S5. So much so we awarded it our Race Bike of the Year for 2023. In simple terms it does everything well. It's straight-line speed is incredible, as is its cornering prowess - and unlike many aero race bikes it's also comfortable to ride. 

The Reserve 52|63 wheels have a wide internal rim width - 25mm up front and 24mm out back. This in turn had the 28mm Vittoria Corsa tires actually measuring 31mm. When combined with the frameset, the result is a sublime ride quality - bags of grip, with much of the road chatter silenced. It adds up to plenty of speed when the surfaces are less than ideal. 

At 8.22kg for this SRAM Force build, the S5 isn't light. However it doesn’t feel ‘heavy’ to ride and with it's aero properties and low rolling resistance it's still lightening quick.

The S5’s gains across the board – it’s handling, comfort and aerodynamics – more than make up for the extra mass. As the complete package, the Cervélo S5 deservedly wins our 2023 Race Bike of the Year award.

Read more: Cervélo S5 SRAM Force full review

Best carbon aero bike

Trek Madone SLR 7 carbon road bike 

2. Trek Madone SLR 7

The revamped Madone gained plenty of attention on release, in no small part due to the radical frame design. The new IsoFlow technology, which replaces the IsoSpeed decoupler, reduces weight and improves airflow. To achieve this Trek engineers have created a 'hole' in the frame around the junction of the seat tube and stays, which allows turbulent air to pass through more efficiently.

Further aerodynamic enhancements come courtesy of the new cockpit. When we reviewed the Madone we found the handlebars to be an excellent design, supporting our wrists much better than more traditional bars and enabling us to stay lower for longer. The bars measure 42cm at the drops. But at the hoods, they narrow to just 39cm, helping create a more aero position without compromising stance width when descending. 

It all translated to fast handling, with the bike responding to the smallest shift in weight and the tiniest tweaks of the bars. Yes the tire clearance could be more generous by today's standard (30mm) but the ride quality is still impressive. As our reviewer wrote, "If you have the budget and want a WorldTour-level race machine with exceptional handling and ride feel, this is the bike."

Read more: Trek Madone SLR 7 full review

Best value carbon road bike

Giant Propel Advanced Pro 1 carbon road bike 

3. Giant Propel Advanced Pro 1

The new Propel Advanced Pro has been redesigned to add compliance and comfort to its impressive aero credentials. Giant have sought to achieve this balance by slimming down the tube shapes in places, notably the frame's rear triangle, and introducing a sloping top tube, which works alongside the narrower seat post.

And it works. When we reviewed the Propel Advanced Pro we found that it retained the speed of the outgoing model but now with more "native comfort". It's not the lightest of bikes, and if you live or ride regularly in very hilly terrain it might not be best suited. However, we found that the extra weight wasn't noticeable while our higher average speeds were. 

While a road bike in the $/$5k range might not scream 'value', the Propel does deliver plenty of bike for your money, especially when viewed in comparison to some of the other big-hitting aero road bikes. 

Read more: Giant Propel Advanced Pro full review

Best endurance carbon road bike

Wilier Granturismo SLR carbon road bike

4. Wilier Granturismo SLR

The Granturismo SLR is what all good endurance bikes should be: comfortable yet still fast. But it's not always an easy balance to find.

Wilier has achieved it by using geometry that matches a higher stack height with a shorter reach, alongside its 'Actiflex 2.0 vibration damping system'. This bit of trickery is found at the intersection of the seat stays and the toptube, with the  elastomer providing up to 5mm in vertical travel for the rear wheel. You can also adjust comfort levels, by slecting either the hard or soft settings via a dial.

Combined with a wheelset that turned our 28mm tires to ones that measured almost 32mm (the bike's stated maximum width), it made for the ideal companion for back-to-back big days in the hills. Even the terrible road surfaces were no match for the vibration dampening powers of the Granturismo. However, despite the plush ride quality it's surprisingly agile.

Read more: Wilier Granturismo SLR full review

Best carbon climbing bike

Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 Hi-mod Ultegra carbon road bike

5. Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod

The SuperSix Evo has benefitted from a redesign which has helped cement it's place as one of the best race-focussed climbing bikes out there. In fact the aero enhancements, notably a a cleaner cockpit and revamped tube shapes, alongside wider tire clearance (now room for 34mm) and dropped stays have made it a great all-round race bike.

Naturally, if climbing is your thing you're likely to pay close attention to weight. And the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod doesn't disappoint. Our test bike weighed 7.69kg for a size 54, which is certainly competitive for a build of this nature. Move up to the LAB71 carbon frame, replace the Ultegra Di2 groupset with Dura-Ace, and swap the RSL50s wheelset for something lighter still and you'll be heading towards a sub 7kg weight. You will of course have also spend lost more money.

As for the ride, the handling is "top class". It's agile but not skittish and handles flat terrain as well as it does the climbs. Vitally, during our review period it also proved to be great on the descents, inspiring plenty of confidence. 

Read more: Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod full review

Best carbon all-road bike

Vitus Venon Evo 105 Di2 carbon road bike

6. Vitus Venon Evo - RS

The Vitus Venon Evo comes in in two specs, one for gravel and one for road. It uses the same carbon frameset for both, utilising the generous tire clearance (up to 45mm) alongside a few component differences to dial in the bikes to their desired terrain.

With the ability to run such wide tires the RS (road) model would be better named the all-road model. While it comes fitted with 28mm Michelins, you can increase this volume to make it a plush tourer or audax bike, or add some tread to allow for some gravel exploration. 

The Venon Evo's versatility doesn't end with the tire clearance either. The frameset is equipped with plenty of mounts including those for fenders, meaning it's not just adventure ready but also able to pull double-duty as a winter bike or a commuter. 

Read more: Vitus Venon Evo-RS full review

How are carbon road bikes made?

Most brands come up with fancy sounding titles for their own carbon construction– FACT ( Specialized ), OCLV ( Trek ) Advanced Composite ( Giant ) are all examples.

However, the vast majority of the raw carbon fibre actually comes from just six companies, and often goes on to be used in the aerospace industry. It’s how the material is manipulated by the bike brand which influences the ride quality and strength.

The dream combination for the best carbon bikes is high stiffness, low weight and at an affordable price; usually, at least one of the three has to be sacrificed in order to achieve greatness elsewhere. Cheap Chinese carbon imports might seem as though they tick all the boxes, but you can read our investigation into whether they are worth the risk here (the short answer is probably not).

Raw carbon fibre due to be used for sports equipment ('Pitch' type carbon fibre is used elsewhere) is usually made from polyacrylanitrile (PAN) fibre which is heat treated to take on the shape of long and thin fibres. The greater the treatment, the stronger the carbon will be; stronger carbon requires the use of less material which drops the weight.

Though bike brands can use any description they like, the Japan Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association (JCMA) grades carbon from ‘Low Modulus’ to ‘Ultra-High Modulus’. The level of carbon awarded is based upon the Tensile elastic modulus (stiffness) and Tensile strength (durability).

Raw carbon is mixed with other magical ingredients to create a composite. Carbon on its own is too brittle, so it’s mixed with epoxy resin which moulds the fibres together and makes it more able to deflect impact. Once the resin is added the material is called pre-preg carbon.

Dassi bikes has also experimented with using Graphene mixed into the material to offer better weight to strength ratio – although that's not something which is ubiquitous amongst the best carbon bikes. 

That said, Ultra-High Modulus carbon shouldn't be used everywhere. A good carbon fibre frame uses varying grades of carbon across the construction, and while stiffness is optimum in some areas (bottom bracket shell, down tube), a little flex elsewhere (seat tubes, chainstays) is an asset.

When it comes to constructing a bike frame, there are two popular methods used. Most major brands will layer the sheets of carbon fibre to varying levels of thickness depending upon the quality required.

Decisions as to how the carbon layup should be distributed are usually made by experienced engineers or with the use of computer software. It’s usually then tested in the real world and refined to perfection. The more investment the bike builder or brand can invest, the more sophisticated you can expect computer software used to be.

The direction in which the carbon fibres face has an influence, too - unidirectional (all facing one way) fibres offer the best stiffness to weight ratio. But they're brittle - woven carbon is much more common - so it copes with impact better and is easier to mould, particularly at complex junctions.

Often, several sections are created and then bonded together. It is possible to bond individual tubes together, and this is more popular among custom frame builders.

Since carbon can be moulded into more aerodynamic shapes, this is also a factor taken into consideration and tested with more computer and wind tunnel analysis.

How we test

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Our team of experienced reviewers put in the hours, riding across varying terrain and in all conditions. Key considerations include the geometry - how does the bike handle in twisting corners, on fast descents and on steep climbs when hauling out of the saddle? Does it feel twitchy or stable? Lively or dull? 

What about the components - how light and responsive are the wheels? Are the tires fast, robust or neither? How comfortable is the finishing kit? Does the gearing suit the intended riding? All this (and much more besides) is taken together and - once having factored in the price - we reach a conclusion on the relative performance of the bikes we test.

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Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider. 

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It’s our mission to provide you with world-class hospitality every time you visit us online or in-store. We’ll always take care of you. It’s the Trek way.

Awesome free shipping options

All accessory orders over $49 ship to your home for free, and all accessory orders ship free to your local retailer for in-store pickup.

30-day Unconditional Guarantee

If for any reason you’re not 100% happy with your online order from trekbikes.com, you can return it in like-new condition within 30 days. No questions asked.

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