Performance, aero, gravel, women’s and budget winners also revealed

By George Scott

Published: Friday, 12 May 2023 at 12:00 am

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Our Road Bike of the Year is now in its 15th year. After months of testing and putting 25 of this year’s hottest drop-bar machines through their paces in the world’s biggest and most-trusted bike showcase, we’re proud to announce our winner – the all-new Vitus Venon Evo.

This year, we’re celebrating the all-rounder, with the Venon Evo representing the next generation of endurance road bikes. With a lightweight carbon frame, mudguard mounts and clearance for 45c tyres, the Vitus Venon Evo can be all things to all riders – and excels in doing so.

Head to our Vitus Venon Evo review to find out why it had what it takes to win our top award – or read on to discover our sub-category winners for aero, performance, women’s, gravel and budget road bikes.

What we tested

Our 2023 test covers six categories for drop-bar bikes, with the Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero Force AXS, to give our £4,699/$4,699/€4,899 SRAM-equipped build its full name, also topping the endurance billing.

Elsewhere, we’ve tested everything from go-fast aero road bikes to dedicated gravel bikes, and the latest women’s-specific bikes to racy all-rounders.

Our annual test once again displays everything that is innovative and inspiring about modern bike design. Historic brands, major sellers and newer kids on the block are all present and correct. And, whisper it, there are even bargains to be had in 2023’s finest crop.

If you want even more Bike of the Year goodness, on top of our road champions, we’ve announced our mountain bike winners, and we’ll be publishing all of our reviews over the next month.

But for now, let’s take a closer look at the Vitus Venon Evo and the rest of our Road Bike of the Year category winners.

Introducing our Road Bike of the Year, the Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero Force AXS

While the Vitus Venon Evo was only officially launched today, our senior technical editor, Warren Rossiter, has had a pre-launch sample of the brand’s revamped endurance bike as part of this year’s test. Over to you, Warren.

Warren Rossiter’s verdict

Steve Sayers / Our Media

“Well, let me start with a bold statement – the Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero Force AXS is everything an endurance bike should be and more.

“The idea behind the latest Venon Evo was to make an endurance bike that would appeal to as many riders as possible.

“So that’s lightness and handling that would appeal to racers, year-round readiness for serious all-weather enthusiasts, and versatility to appeal to riders who want to switch it up between road and gravel.

Steve Sayers / Our Media

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen bikes become ever-more niche and segmented, all of which can make choosing a new bike difficult.

“On the road, do you go back to aerodynamics with a speed machine like another of our contenders, the Giant Propel? Or is a flighty, lightweight road racer like the Enve Melee more your style?

“What about the speed-infused comfort from Scott’s Contessa or cost-effective performance from Cannondale’s Optimo?

Steve Sayers / Our Media

“And if gravel is your thing, do you venture towards the mountain bike world with the trail-capable Giant Revolt X or take aim at gravel races with BMC’s fully focused Kaius?

“Well, for us here at BikeRadar, we’re embracing the all-rounder instead.

“Vitus has achieved something seriously special with the new Venon Evo. A bike that’s as good as any endurance bike on the road, but which has versatility at its heart.

Steve Sayers / Our Media

“You can get huge 45c tyres into the frame to make it into a very capable gravel machine. Or add mudguards and high-volume road tyres to turn it into a long-distance audax rider and beyond.

“Its low weight and lively handling bring that all-important smile to every ride, so it combines the sensible with the sensational.

“Best of all, the build comes with aero carbon wheels, carbon fibre finishing kit and a SRAM Force AXS wireless drivetrain at a price (£4,699/$4,699/€4,899) very few can match.

Steve Sayers / Our Media

“Against a backdrop of inflation and sky-rocketing bike prices, Vitus needs to be applauded and celebrated for delivering value and versatility, alongside all-round quality and, crucially, the fun factor.

“A very rare thing indeed in 2023.”

• Read Warren’s full review of the Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero Force AXS

Endurance Bike of the Year contenders

We’ll be bringing you full reviews of all five Endurance Bike of the Year contenders over the next month.

• Cervélo Caledonia Rival AXS
• Merida Scultura Endurance Rival AXS
• Rondo RATT CF2
• Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero
• Wilier Triestina Granturismo SLR

Meet the tester | Warren Rossiter

BikeRadar and Cycling Plus‘ senior technical editor, Warren Rossiter, a stalwart of our Bike of the Year test for more than a decade, took charge of the endurance category.

After a two-hour shakedown ride, the meat of testing took place on an 82-mile/132km loop of Warren’s home lanes in Wiltshire, in the south west of England, resulting in more than 1,200 miles/1,931km of riding across the five bikes.

The best of the rest…

As well as crowning the Vitus Venon Evo as our overall Road Bike of the Year (and the winner of our endurance sub-category), we’ve also announced the winners in each of our road and gravel sub-categories.

Performance Road Bike of the Year – ENVE Melee Ultegra Di2

Steve Sayers / Our Media

We’ll be publishing the review of our Performance Road Bike of the Year, the ENVE Melee Ultegra Di2, on Monday 15 May, followed by full reviews of our contenders.

Performance Road Bike of the Year contenders

• Basso Diamante Ultegra Di2
• Cannondale Supersix Evo Hi-Mod 2
• Colnago V4Rs
• ENVE Melee Ultegra Di2
• Wilier 0 SL Rival AXS

Meet the tester | Ashley Quinlan

BikeRadar’s senior technical editor, Ashley Quinlan, took charge of the performance category.

Here, Ashley was looking for an all-round race bike that stood out from the increasing homogeny of a crowded market. At the same time, he kept one eye on the wide variety of riders tempted by the allure of a race-type machine – not just top category racers.

Ashley spent the majority of his testing riding around the varying terrain of Wiltshire and Somerset to answer the question: Can you really marry aerodynamics, light weight and ride quality in one bike?

Aero Road Bike of the Year – Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0

Steve Sayers / Our Media

We’ll be publishing the review of our Aero Road Bike of the Year, the Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0, on Tuesday 16 May, followed by full reviews of our contenders.

Aero Road Bike of the Year contenders

• 3T Strada ICR Force eTap
• Cervélo Soloist Rival eTap AXS
• Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0
• Ribble Ultra SLR Enthusiast
• Trek Madone SLR 7

Meet the tester | Simon von Bromley

BikeRadar’s senior technical writer, Simon von Bromley, handled the aero road bikes category.

First and foremost, Simon was looking for a bike that felt rapid and ready to race. Besides that, though, the winning bike also needed to be easy to live with and not so uncomfortable it was no fun to ride on anything but perfect tarmac.

Testing took place on the rolling hills around south Bristol. With a wide variety of road conditions, climbs and exposed flats, it’s an ideal test ground for seeing if wind tunnel-optimised designs translate to performance in the real world.

Gravel Bike of the Year – Giant Revolt X Advanced Pro 1

Steve Sayers / Our Media

We’ll be publishing the review of our Gravel Bike of the Year, the Giant Revolt X Advanced Pro 1, on Sunday 14 May, followed by full reviews of our contenders.

Gravel Bike of the Year contenders

• BMC Kaius One 01
• Factor Ostro Gravel
• Giant Revolt X Advanced Pro 1
• Pivot Vault
• Ridley Kanzo Adventure Rival XPLR

Meet the tester | Warren Rossiter

Warren also took charge of the gravel bike category, with a range of bikes that reflect the ever-broad nature of the gravel genre.

Warren focused his testing on two routes, to find a bike capable of excelling on a wide variety of terrain.

With Salisbury Plain on his doorstep, Warren’s test rides took in a mix of wide open gravel roads, mountain bike singletrack and forest fire roads, pieced together with connecting towpaths, bridleways and tarmac.

Women’s Bike of the Year – Scott Contessa Addict 25

Steve Sayers / Our Media

We’ll be publishing the review of our Women’s Road Bike of the Year, the Scott Contessa Addict 25, on Wednesday 17 May, followed by full reviews of our contenders.

Women’s Bike of the Year contenders

• Liv Avail Advanced 1
• Ribble CGR Ti Enthusiast
• Scott Contessa Addict 25

Meet the tester | Katherine Moore

Regular BikeRadar contributor, Katherine Moore, returned to lead testing for our trio of women’s bikes.

Contenders ranged from builds with women’s-specific geometry to unisex frames built up with women’s-specific components.

Testing took place on the tarmac of Dartmoor National Park, with an abundance of steep climbs, rough lanes and sweeping moorland tarmac providing a spectacular backdrop for pushing the bikes to their limits.

Budget Road Bike of the Year – Cannondale CAAD Optimo 1

Steve Sayers / Our Media

We’ll be publishing the review of our Budget Bike of the Year, the Cannondale CAAD Optimo 1, on Monday 15 May, followed by full reviews of our contenders.

Budget Road Bike of the Year contenders

• Cannondale CAAD Optimo 1
• Lapierre Crosshill 2.0
• Marin Gestalt

Meet the tester | Robin Wilmott

Budget bike testing fell to Robin Wilmott, one of our most experienced road/cyclocross/gravel bike testers.

As well as performance and value-for-money, Robin also placed particular emphasis on what the bikes are like to live with.

With that in mind, he considered their commuting credentials, ran errands on each, and ensured they stood up to abuse as a workhouse.

The ultimate aim was to make sure these price-conscious bikes are not only great value, but that they’re also built to last.

Previous Road Bike of the Year winners…

Now in its 15th year, Bike of the Year is our biggest test and celebrates the crème de la crème of the last year’s bikes.

Previous winners include now-iconic names such as the Giant TCR, Specialized Roubaix and Cannondale SuperSix EVO.

Now the Vitus Venon Evo is the latest bike to join our Bike of the Year Hall of Fame.

• 2022: Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 0
• 2021: Boardman SLR 9.4
• 2020: Cannondale SuperSix EVO
• 2019: Rondo HVRT CF0
• 2018: Giant TCR Advanced 2
• 2017: Specialized Roubaix
• 2016: Cannondale CAAD12 105
• 2015: BMC GF01 Disc 105
• 2014: Cannondale Synapse 5 105
• 2013: Giant Defy Advanced 2
• 2012: Focus Izalco Pro 3.0
• 2011: Storck Scenero
• 2010: Cannondale Six Carbon 105
• 2009: Giant TCR

With thanks to…

Thanks to our sponsors Lazer, FACOM tools and Band of Climbers for their support in making Bike of the Year happen.

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