Every year at the Tour de France, the bikes get just as much attention as the racing — and I love geeking out over all the details. Some of the bikes I saw at this year’s Grand Départ were absolutely stunning… and some left me scratching my head. In this video, I’m walking you through the hottest (and honestly, ugliest) pro bikes of the 2025 Tour. Paint jobs, aero weirdness, and all the little things brands are doing to stand out — or not.
Content
00:00 Intro
00:37 Ridley Noah Fast
2:49 Trek Madone SLR
4:12 Merida Reacto
5:08 Colnago V5RS
5:55 Remco’s Specialized Tarmac SL8
7:06 Red Bull Bora Specialized Tarmac SL8
8:54 Your Vote?
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Are modern race bikes getting ugly? Has Arrow killed the road race bike? The Tour of France is a bigger showcase for bike manufacturers and bike brands to showcase the world’s fastest and sometimes most questionable road bikes. At the Grand Depart in Leil last weekend, I got up close and personal to quite a few pro bikes. Some are definitely hot and some are not at all. And in today’s video, I share some of the standout bikes and give a rating out of 10. And feel free to share your comments and views on these bikes by dropping a comment down below. So, let’s dive in. First up, the Ridley Noah Fast proof. I think that Arrow has gone too far and maybe you need to uh revamp their rule book around what is allowable just to retain how a bike should look. to me, to my eyes, does not look good at all. Man, is that a hideous looking bike? That front end. So many questions. I have no answers at all. Um, do you actually love it? Do you hate it like I do? Drop a comment down below. Now, just have a bit of fun here. Should say I love Ridley as a brand. I rode the original Noah era bike many years ago, ahead of its time, and it was a fantastic looking and riding bike. This bike might ride well and it might test well in the wind tunnel. I haven’t seen any data, but it does look questionable. So, firstly, we have essentially a double head tube. So, it’s super deep, which is fine for aerodynamics, but the stem the stem is it’s a step too far. The team rides had a choice of two stems, but the the mad curved elevator stem gave the bike a distinctive look, and I’m not sure it’s a pretty look. It’s not really a bike that looks good, I don’t think, at all. Back stem is clearly needed to give the rider the right stack and reach fit on the bike. So yeah, fit is important and more important than looks, but look shouldn’t be overlooked in that pursuit of performance and arrow and good fit. And I think this definitely goes too far away from the important criteria around which we all do judge a bike because their technology is aerodynamics and all that engineering, but it’s also looks and is a bit of a fashion parade as well. And I see in comments on all my bike reviews how important looks are to lots of people. But maybe what needs to happen is to separate the requirements of brands to sell us consumers of bikes that pros are using and go down the F1 Formula 1 route where you can’t buy an F1 car and it has its own rule book all around aerodynamics and performance. It’s not a car you want to drive to the shops in is it? Um so yeah maybe a discussion for a future video. So fast, yes, but the looks, it’s a real divider. Four out of 10 for me. Little Trek team had the best looking bikes I think in the tour of France this year. The Mon SLR, they’ve been out for a few years now, second generation. And it’s a bike visually that has grown on me and I think grown on lots of people. The hole in the seat tube isn’t as divisive as it was when it first launched and gives the bike a nice silhouette. And the paint finish that the team had rolled out for the tour of France this year looks spectacular. Designed to mimic a work of art, a painting, and it really is successful. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before in the Pro Peron. Bike design and paint finishes are usually fairly conservative, but this is not conservative at all. Definitely throws the rule book out in terms of how a bike should be painted to look appealing to our eyes. And it’s a bike that I think looks fantastic. There’s a paint finish you can buy a part of TX project one. Um so available now if you want to buy it which kind of cool does add a lot to the price of a mone of course going down that route. So definitely a bold look but a paint finish I would happily have on a bike and I’d happ a polarizing bike. maybe more polarizing with the paint finish, but it evolved into something striking and distinctive and a bike that I think stands out really well. So, for me, eight out of 10. Now, Marina does make great bikes. sadly not available in the US, but in the UK and Europe they offer fantastic value money like giant canyon sort of level of value. Great performance, great design and they do ride really well but they don’t have the desiraability of our brands and the team bikes don’t help that at all. They were among the most boring, mundane, reserved looking bikes in the proton that I saw at a grand depart in Lil. So when it comes to desiraability, the bikes aren’t really doing it at all. But underneath the paint, they are great bikes as I said before. And there is a new Reactive in the works by the looks of it. But yeah, I think Marita have played too safe. And I think to make their brand and the bikes more desirable, they need to be more bold with their paint finishes like Tre done with that Mone SLR. So functional, but definitely not desirable. And it’s a 6 out of 10 for me. Who doesn’t love some rainbow stripes on a bike? Well, if you’re world champion, yes, you do. But for us immortals, not a bike we can ever ride or hope to own. I mean, you could buy it, but would you ride a world champs livery bike? I’m not so sure. There have been lots of fantastic and some terrible world champion celebrating paint finishes on road bikes over the last few decades. And I think this one is definitely up there with the better ones. It’s not the best. It’s kind of cool. I like the approach you’re taking. It’s not too in your face. It’s not too conservative either. And it does look pretty stylish. But for me, it’s a bike that deserve more style and more flare to reflect the dynamic and exciting way that TA does race. So for me, 7 out of 10. How do you make a cool bike, the Tarmac S8 look boring? Paint it black. I’m not really a fan of black bikes. The one behind me, yeah, they look okay. I know people like black bikes, but they look a bit boring, don’t they? I’m over the whole black stealth murdered out look we’ve had for the last few decades. And while the Sudell Quickstep team have gone the route to keep the bike as light as possible because a thin layer of black paint over carbon is the lightest approach uh barring bare carbon finish. It’s definitely lightweight and saves weight and gives him the performance gains he will need in the mountains, but it does create a boring looking bike. And he does have more flamboyant paint finishes to celebrate his Olympic success in his stable of bikes, but that paint adds weight. So for me, it makes it a rather dull looking bike. And those raw carbon chain rings that TA had made popular now Remco is copying. Yeah, lightweight and pretty cool, but they are more 1990s than next gen for me. I’m not really a fan of them at all. So the bike technically brilliant, lightweight, and arrow, but visually underwhelming. So for me, it’s a 6 out of 10. Sorry, Remco. Like Marita, Giant bikes are often unfairly labeled as not desirable, cool or sexy compared to other brands. But functionally, they are fantastic bikes in terms of performance, stiffness, handling, and great value for money as well. But unlike Marita, the Giant team are making a better job of their bikes really standing out and being bold and ambitious with really cool paint finishes and paint finishes I would happily ride and own. The stock team bikes look fantastic with fades going on on both a Propel and a TCR. But Luke Derridge had the best looking bike on the team and possibly in the Pelaton. Looks really striking. Looks really cool. So, Giant aren’t afraid to be playful and bright and definitely more of that, please. Giant is a good direction to go in. So, quite attractive. Definitely a bike I like the look of a lot. So, for me, a strong nine out of 10. Now, these bikes look awesome. You might not be a fan of Red Bull. I’m not particularly a massive fan of Red Bull, but I do admire their savvy marketing. whatever they turn their attention to, they do a really cool job and done a fantastic job of the paint finishes on these bikes with the application of the iconic Red Bull logo around the head tube. And compared to the rather dull special tarmac S8 that Remco Racing, these bike look fantastic and are one of the standout bikes in the Proton in my humble opinion. Bold colors, sharp details, it just works. And honestly, I’m into a new Bora kit too. That stripey jersey groundbreaking. It looks fantastic. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a long, long time. So, not afraid to break the conventional rules around cycling kit. So, for me, a strong 9.5 out of 10. Yeah, strong rating. So, those are my ratings for some of the hottest and the not hot bikes at the Tour of France this year. There are loads of bikes I didn’t see at the tour of France because there are so many teams and oh so much time, but these for me are the standouts. Let me know what you think of the bikes and my ratings and how you disagree or agree and what bike you think is the bike you ride if you ride a tour of France this year. That’s all for today. Make sure to watch my guide to tour of France by watching the video just here. I’ll see you again next time. Thank you so much for watching.
33 Comments
Why Ridley Why?
ビアンキスペシャリスマだね
よく走る！！！
Definitely not hot! However…if someone is giving me one of these, Id ride the s*** out of it
Roadies are the worst. We are happy to spend thousands of dollars on the most marginal of gains but want everything to be banned if it doesn't look good. "Looks shouldn't be overlooked in that perceived performance"… aerodynamics and performance don't care about your perception, and in a sport of performance at its highest, looks shouldn't matter either.
I think aero bikes look sick af.
lol “we all” is not a thing. Everyone has a different opinion on everything. Some people don’t like coconut. I don’t know why because I love it but hey, we’re all different.
great topic today as it sometimes is about looking the part , by the way what is the update on your proflex bike ? i have a 956 in great condition
I don't know why, but I've really come around on David's videos. He is now one of my go-to channels, and videos like this are why. He walks that line of not being afraid to clearly state his opinion yet not take it personally when people disagree. I usually agree, but far from always.
If your going down the avenue that new bike look ugly… all you have to do is look back 20 plus year when there were plain jane as all get out. At least now there are more favours of bike to chose from.
Didn't see Cervelo?
V5RS, best looking bike of the bunch by far, followed by that Red Bull SL8. Merido looks boring to me. Madone and Ridley are heinous, even vulgar. Giant's paintjob saves it. Someone at Specialized needs to pay attention to how a good paint scheme can go a long way.
Rate the Ridley, the dong stem looks sick and coming from the longboi track scene it just looks like fit and speed are the name of the game.
Any suggestions on getting UCI to update the rule of how the bikes should look are ridiculous imo. It's never a good idea to limit the creativity of the engineers unless it's proven that the designs aren't safe. It doesn't really make sense to me that one wants the bikes to look next gen but also wants UCI to limit how bikes should look
The Merida and the Giant whilst being opposite in their livery are the two standout paint jobs for sure!
Have you noticed how much paintwork decides on which bike we like or not? But… it is just paint! You could paint your old bike in modern color schemes and it would look just as nice.
Cade Media recently mentioned how we schould judge the looks of different bikes in their bare-carbon form, no paint whatsoever. I do not thing most of us (you) would like that.
We are drawn to beautiful colors but remember – it is only paint, not the bike itself you like.
Yes. But I'm also old and still love beautiful diamond shape.
Generally older thinking people prefer more traditional designs
If the UCI wants to write equipment rules to curb how bikes look I think they should have a rule about how the stem, fork steerer tube, and head tube meet, to preserve more traditional looks and get rid of ugly monstrosities like that Ridley.
But I definitely think the rules should remain around production bikes. Don’t go the F1 route. F1 isn’t raced on normal roads, even when it’s a ‘street circuit’. And we already have the issue of two or three really big teams outspending all the others by whopping margins, and doing things like buying up nearly every single grand tour GC capable rider to ride as domestique for their main star rider.
All bike all bikes look the same ….. bikes start looking different …. all bikes should look the same … all bikes should look the same
Feel free to make these race machines as ugly as possible. Just make sure to also make normal bikes for us mortals
Hugh Hefner never put a writer on the cover of Playboy for a reason – looks matter. Before you ride it (the bike), you see it, and I want to be inspired.
To a degree, YES!!!!! Some of today’s bikes are DOG Ugly. Square tubing, COMEDY handlebars, wind apertures, Headtubes/Frontends more appropriate to a battlefield tank…… Nah, not for me. I’m all for innovation (up to a point) but a bike is a thing of beauty when done right and as I look to build a 2026 roadie, I’m looking back in time (keep it classic).
I think you’re right, the TREK Madone stays the right side of acceptable (I’m not a fan of Trek historically but that’s quite a looker). I like Merida in general but that’s a non starter IMO,
Yeah some awful stuff around lately. Cervelo have lost the plot too.
I like the Ridley
The Red Bull Bora Specialized bikes are such a good value too…only $3k premium over the standard ripoff price.
The black Colnago (pic pinched in) is still an awesome looking bike – and this is coming from an SL7 S-Works owner… 🍻
If you truly want to talk about ugly, they have not made a beautiful bicycle since they started making carbon fiber bicycles, steel bicycles with beautiful lines, beautiful paint jobs. And those beautiful lugged frames, you can never go wrong. And now, what do you have these thrown together lightweight bicycles that when they go down, the mountain shake, rattle and do not hold together.
And freak out every ride ron the peloton i would give anything to see. A few writers go back to a steel or aluminum bicycle and right against one of these new bicycles, I probably, yeah, they would win or at least keep up.And I bet you, they could do it on a rim break bike.
Fit adjustability is critical. Some of these bikes are nightmares
This is a sport, not a fashion show or design award. In the end, every major sporting event is just advertising from a business perspective. Just vote with your wallet. If nobody bought aero bikes, the manufacturers would advertise something else.
Also, this is a very very subjective matter. Declaring the butt-hole-bike with a paint job that a toddler or Homer Simpson seems to have had a hand in to be the prettiest while moaning about clean, elegant paint jobs… I don't know…
Props to Giant, look great!
Back in the late 90s / early 00s Guru (RIP) had some of the best paint schemes going. Some brands should study and re-imagine them.
Bike people are the most conservative people I could ever imagine which stifles innovation. The Ridley looks cool. If you fit your bike properly its not like you need to change the bar/stem/stack every 20 min. Most of us buy a bike once, and ride it for many years. Its like the 2x orthodoxy and the ridiculous chase for ever more range and gears. Pros build or select the bike for the ride, and for the rest of us we don't need gears for the alps. Where I live in the flats 1x is more than enough. I still like the 3T strada… its "right sized". I do like that Boardman you sometimes have in the background of your videos, but will probably just ride my 17' Synapse until I stop riding. I did get a coefficient carbon bar for it which will offend all the cyclists I see it for sure, but its another example of something is intuitively obvious but nobody does because of conservativism.
The Ridley Noah in the "customer spec" with two piece handelbar and stem and some spacers beneath the stem doesn't Look that horrible at all. Although you still have to get used to the gigantic headtube.
Considering carbon fiber chainrings: We tried to get a 56 and 58 tooth chainring for a customer WHO is the 3 x and reigning Ironman Age Group worldchampion. There's no option from Shimano right now for Dura-Ace, they say you just have to buy aftermarket products. For the 9100 series you could get bigger chainrings if you we're "qualified", but this had to be directly via Shimano and not through your LBS.
The Ridley looked gorgeus beeing pedaled by Jonas Abrahamsen to stage 11 victory 🙂