Is an expensive road bike and top-of-the-range cycling kit noticeably faster than a much cheaper entry-level road bike and equipment? To find out we pit an S-Works Tarmac SL7 against a £350 Cannondale Caad10. The definitive answer to cheap bike vs superbike!
Road cycling, road bikes, cycling equipment and cycling kit all cost a fortune but is the difference between an expensive road bike and a cheap road bike too big to ignore if you want to go fast on a road bike? road.cc do real-life testing to find out how much slower a cheap road bike and equipment is and then discuss where you can make the most cost-effective road bike upgrades.
How much road cycling speed can you buy? And is it worth it for your road cycling? Let us know in the comments section below…
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24 Comments
Do the test again with caad12 or 10 or 13, with some.carbon wheels and gp5000 tr s on it and I bet we looking at very similar times
Which idiot is selling a caad 10 that cheap?
It's still the best aluminium frame
A lot of what you’re paying for is how the bike rides and feels. Sure the SL7 was only marginally quicker, but after all they are just bicycles and can only be improved upon so much.
The real question is how much better of a workout do you get on a heavier bike. I see blokes with beer bellys and matching lycra costumes riding laps of regents Park every morning on 10k plus bikes. I can't help but think if they had a normal bike they might actually get a better workout in.
So to conclude, no difference. Waste of money.
The CAAD 10 already is a very good bike for that price. If you need to spend more than 1K on a road bike you are doing something wrong anyways.
A decent aluminum or steel road bike with aluminum wheels, exposed cables operating rim brakes and 2×9 or higher derailleurs, and good tires with inner tubes will be a very satisfying experience for nearly every rider, and it will be 95% as fast as the bikes ridden by pros. If you want to go faster, spend your savings on a professional fit and a professional trainer.
You have to wonder why the saddles are so high in comparison to the handlebars
Some amazing humor )
The CAAD10 with a pair of Carbon wheels would probably match the 3000% more expensive bike!
Only fools think the bike will make them faster.
I can hear the screams of the guys with expensive equipment
I was looking forward to this up until the point where he said 300w. I mean, come on, who consistently turns out 300w on a Sunday morning other than pro cyclists. Test at something realistic like 150-200W which is far more typical of the sort of rider who watches these videos. At average speeds of 25-30km/h the differences between the two bikes would be almost impossible to measure. As a small bloke with an ftp less than 200W I can go the same speed on my old aluminium 105 Carerra Zelos than I can on my Ultegra Di2 Ridley Noah in most conditions.
Spend another $800-1000 on some carbon wheels and then the difference will basically disappear 🙂
Either bikes haven’t come on as much as the industry would like us to believe or the SL 7 really isn’t all that good 😂
Although carbon and high end bikes like Cervelo Scott Cannondale S-works or any other Bikes etc but an aluminum bike with a carbon looks is enough to catch a pro cyclist riding a carbon because aluminum is entry level but it depends reliable too it can have the same groupset as carbon bikes have it also depends on rider if the rider of the aluminum bike is a beast then he can beat any carbon bikes but the Disadvantage of the carbon is they break with just a couple of crashes
10 secondes d’écart pour 5 mn. C’est à dire 2 mn par heure. Ça suffit largement pour gagner. Ceux qui disent que les vélos modernes n’apportent rien n’ont jamais roulé avec ce type de matériel 😂
If you are not competative cyclist..go to mid range road bike…if you are competative cyclist..find a sponsor who give you a high end road bike🚴🤣
Il test lo deve fare la stessa persona non due persone differenti , altrimenti non ha senso
caad10 for 350 quid? Seems like a pipe dream in my country
Now you're doing this… I thought this was a gcn thing…. Blah…
Expensive bikes are for suckers
For the vast majority of us road riders it's quite pointless buying a top end bike much better is getting something that'll climb well and is durable for that you are looking at something brand new from about £1200 to £2500 beyond that is diminishing gains.
Marginal gains are just for pros, everyday people don't need anything but exercise.